By As a Muslim who grew up in an Arab country, I watched Muhammad Al-Durrah hide while his father used his own body to shield his son. I watched videos and clips of Palestinians being kicked out of their homes, beaten up, and arrested by Israeli soldiers.
I grew up a bit more and saw Iraqis, Syrians, Yemenis, Afghans, Kashmiris, and many more people of Muslim majority countries being displaced, killed, starving to death, or arrested. My heart grew heavier as I learned about the Srebrenica massacre, China’s internment camps for Uyghurs, India’s killing of Kashmiris, and many other massacres and injustices that targeted Muslims. All these incidents didn’t “shake the world” or were considered “crises that need immediate action from other countries.”
I didn’t see world leaders announcing their solidarity with these people, or big companies restricting their services from the occupier’s country. I don’t recall any monuments or attractions being lit in the flags of any of these countries to show solidarity. It’s true that there were some incidents that stirred up the attention of the world, like the photo of the child Alan Kurdi whose body was washed into the beach after drowning while trying to flee his country with his parents, or the picture of Omran Daqnees, the boy that was covered in blood and sitting in an ambulance.
But the reaction to these photos was very brief, and it didn’t stir any tangible change from world leaders. People still die, drown, and get hurt in these countries — or leaving them.
Recently, as you likely know, Russia decided to invade Ukraine. While I may not be fully aware of all the conflicts and steps that led to this situation, a familiar feeling of heaviness came to me as I saw pictures of displaced, injured, and scared Ukrainians fleeing their homes to hide in shelters. Hearing stories about people waiting to cross borders and seek refuge in other countries was all too familiar yet sad to me. I have heard similar stories of Syrians waiting to cross borders, I have seen Yemenis talk about their exhausting journeys in providing basic necessities to their families. And I’ve seen the Uyghurs talk about being lucky enough to escape from the re-education camps and how horrendous the treatment they get there was — along with a thousand more stories that were left untold.
What I noticed was very different and made me feel bittersweet, watching the news is the world’s reaction to the war in Ukraine. From reporters and news outlets and how they report on the matter and their choice of words, big companies and the measurements they took to support Ukrainians, world leaders and their words of solidarity, to individuals and the efforts they exert to help Ukrainians.
While all these efforts are appreciated and needed, they made me see the harsh reality and the huge gap between how acceptable suffering can be. If it’s Muslims, Arabs, or minorities suffering, the world deliberately ignores us and even fights whoever tries to raise awareness about it.
But if it was “European people with blue eyes and blonde hair being killed every day,” as Ukraine’s deputy chief prosecutor David Sakvarelidze said in a very emotional tone, then it’s very sad and unacceptable.
While all these efforts are appreciated and needed, they made me see the harsh reality and the huge gap between how acceptable suffering can be. If it’s Muslims, Arabs, or minorities suffering, the world deliberately ignores us and even fights whoever tries to raise awareness about it.
I recall several incidents of Olympic players refusing to compete against Israelis and withdrawing from the matches in solidarity with Palestinians and objection to the apartheid, they usually faced backlash, penalties, and may even be banned.
In 2021, Fethi Nourine, an Algerian Judoka, and his coach were banned for 10 years after withdrawing from a match against an Israeli player. The IJF then said Nourine and his coach used the game as a platform for protest and political and religious propaganda, which was against their rules. Nourine is one of many other examples of athletes and competitors in academic, technological, and business competitions that refused to stand in front of Israelis and acknowledge the existence of their so-called country and were later penalized harshly for their actions. Recently, FIFA announced that Russia was banned from the world cup because of the war. Netflix, Twitch, PayPal, Mastercard, Visa, and many more companies stopped their services in Russia also protesting the war.
While all these can be considered applaudable efforts, none of these companies has ever considered banning their services from Israel for their crimes on Palestinians or from China for the genocide happening to the Uyghurs or from any other Arab/Muslim country to protest the injustices happening there.
The heartbreak I felt watching the news came for two reasons: The suffering people are going through, and the thought that we are not the same.
NBC News correspondent Kelly Cobiella said: “These are not refugees from Syria, these are refugees from Ukraine… They’re Christian, they’re white, they’re very similar.” CBS News correspondent Charlie D’Agata described the difference between wars in the Middle East and the Ukrainian war that Ukraine is a “civilized” country. In response, social media users across the MENA region started a trend where they post their country’s contributions to history and great accomplishments under the description “uncivilized.” The prejudiced language during reporting is very clear when you compare news about Ukraine to that about Syria, Yemen, Iraq, or any other Muslim-majority/Arab country.
After seeing world leaders condemning Russia’s attacks, companies actually taking actions, people believing in boycotting, and sending donations or booking Airbnb homes in Ukraine to send money to the people there, and many more actions done in solidarity, I realized that we are not all the same — or that we are not all equal in the world’s eyes. Not all suffering seems to matter.
If you are from a non-Christian faith, are of a specific color other than white, or are from a non-European land, your suffering is justified or the very least “unfortunate, but nothing can be done about it.” But if you are Christian, white, or European, countries, companies, and people will rush to your help and these actions will be applauded, encouraged, and justified.
Boycotting companies that support Israeli settlements is allegedly stupid and retroactive, but boycotting Russian products or companies is revolutionary and a step that everyone should take. When Russia supports the bombing in Syria, nothing happens, but when Russia bombs Ukrainians, the world is in shambles over it.
Killing innocent people is unacceptable and unjustifiable and this should apply to the killing of anyone regardless of their color, faith, or location — and not just Ukraine. The heartbreak I felt watching the news came for two reasons: The suffering people are going through, and the thought that we are not the same. If it was me, a visibly Muslim Arab woman who was in their situation, I wouldn’t get the same amount of attention, help, or solidarity just like millions of people who were neglected before.
I hope this war in Ukraine ends today before tomorrow, and that innocent Ukrainians find peace and live happily in their countries, but I also wish the same for all imprisoned or displaced people, and all people facing injustice in the world — not just “European people with blue eyes and blonde hair.”