Close to 1,000 Apple employees have signed an internal letter calling on company CEO Tim Cook to publicly acknowledge that “millions of Palestinian people currently suffer under an illegal occupation.”
As reported by the Verge, the letter was initiated by the Apple Muslim Association, which is an internal official employee group. The letter was sent directly to Cook on Monday. Apple has yet to respond to the letter.
Discussions about the violence internally were dominated by pro-Zionist voices, sources said, with Muslim employees and allies trying unsuccessfully to turn the talks toward the plight of Palestinians and Muslim Apple workers.
The letter requests that Apple makes it clear in any statement in support of Palestinian people that such a statement does not “take away from the human rights of our Jewish brothers and sisters worldwide.”
We are not naive to what we are asking. We realize the challenge it presents. Many of us in the Muslim community (and our allies) have faced criticism, bullying, and in some cases physical attacks for speaking out and stating internationally recognized facts in support of Palestinian human rights.
As one of the largest and most successful companies in the world, we believe Apple’s words and actions have the power to change lives. We believe this because we have seen Apple do it many times, bringing so much positive impact to the world. Conversely, we also know that silence creates a void where lives remain unchanged.
The full letter is available at the Verge. Israel and Hamas announced a cease-fire Thursday, reports CNBC.
