Ramadan atmosphere in Gaza, where people pray in Al-Huda Mosque, which was demolished as a result of the Israeli aggression (Getty)
There are painful memories in my mind about Ramadan and crisis areas. Since I was constantly going to hot zones of conflict and crisis areas as a journalist, I witnessed some things during the months of Ramadan.
In 2012, during the civil war in Syria, I was in Aleppo during Ramadan. The Aleppo Mosque was in ruins due to the bombing, and when I saw that the tribal side of the mosque was under the control of regime forces, and that the main gate was under the control of the opposition, I was very surprised.
Shelves, the Holy Quran, and carpets were all used as shields inside the mosque. A very iconic photo was taken at that moment. When we left the place, clashes broke out between the opposition and members of the regime, and we saw people passing in front of us, bleeding. We had breakfast in a besieged village and then prayed Tarawih prayers in a mosque on the outskirts of Aleppo. The next morning, that mosque was bombed. This month of Ramadan has never left my memory.
Tragic Ramadan scenes in Gaza
Now I'm not in Gaza this Ramadan, but as I watch what's happening there, I'm starting to think about how crises in the Muslim world turn into a different tragedy this Ramadan.
I can't stand watching most of the videos. But when I see our Muslim brothers in Gaza standing in line with empty utensils to get food, and eating grass for breakfast, my anger towards the Islamic world increases. Because I see once again that we are powerless to solve our own problems.
During the civil war in Syria, the positions of Islamic countries were far from solving the problem, and this led to the loss of thousands of lives. Now, those who sit to break their fast at luxurious Iftar tables do not look at the television screens in order not to see Palestinians in Gaza eating grass. Every day they ignore it; Hundreds of people are losing their lives in Gaza, children are becoming orphans, and parents are losing their children.
Let's see the painful truth
Let us see the painful truth: the Palestine issue is not unresolved because of the United States, the Western countries, or the Eastern superpowers.
If Jerusalem had fallen, Palestine was under occupation, and Gaza had turned into a massacre, then the primary responsible for that would be 54 Islamic countries.
Let's not lie to ourselves and blame others. If these countries want a solution, Israel will not be able to move even a single step in this region.
If these countries are sincere in solving the problem, Gaza will not turn into an open prison; 31,000 people would not have died, millions of Syrians would not have immigrated, tens of thousands would not have become refugees, Iraq would not have been divided into three, or Libya would not have been divided into two, Somalia would not have become a civil war, and Lebanon would not have remained stateless and afflicted... There are many examples.
This Ramadan, while the painful scenes from Gaza that will never be erased are etched in my mind, I affirm the painful truth: We do not admit that we are unable to solve our internal problems, so we prefer to blame Western countries.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of Al Jazeera.