Being a pro-Israel Muslim brings its own unique set of problems: I am accused of being a traitor by the more radical members of my faith, some of the so-called defenders of the Palestinians call me a paid stooge who has been brainwashed, while some of the stranger members of the pro-Israel movement accused me of practicing Taqiyah or being part of some grand deception.

I actually believe that we have much to be proud of. I recently visited Israel, and I can say with certainty that when it comes to making a case for Israel we have a huge advantage over our opponents – the truth. Israel is a nation where Muslims, Christians, Jews and other groups live side by side; there is no segregation or apartheid.

I was able to walk along Tel Aviv’s beach and then walk into a mosque to pray. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, let’s be proud and tell people the truth about Israel, no matter how much people scream apartheid and genocide. Many of the lies are regurgitated by even the mainstream media, but that doesn’t stop the truth being the truth. As someone who spent so many years blindly hating Israel, I can say that learning the truth about Israel is inspiring and heartening.