Ep76. Israeli-Palestinian Conflict - From Antisemitism to Selective Outrage (جنگ اسراییل و فلسطین)
Note: This episode of the podcast is entirely in English
It's high time we cut through the noise and face an unsettling reality: many within the Afghan community are fueling a vicious cycle of hatred and violence. I've been through two great wars—the civil war in Kabul and a more insidious war, a war on reason, logic, and reality within the Afghan mindset. What I've come to realize is devastating. There's a dark current of anti-Semitism and selective outrage that is impossible to ignore anymore. Ideas are powerful, and bad ideas have horrific consequences. Afghanistan is neck-deep in those consequences, and it's time we confront them.
I've watched as some of my fellow Afghans display more hatred for Israelis than compassion for the Palestinian people. It's not about justice or equity anymore. It's about settling deep-seated, irrational scores. If you think this is hyperbole, ask yourself: could you ever, in any context, justify the beheading of children? Yet, this is what some are doing—defending the indefensible, and for what? To perpetuate a narrative born from misguided ideas.
We Afghans have been fed a toxic cocktail of ethno-nationalism, extremism, and especially, anti-Semitism from our youngest years. The resurgence of these twisted ideologies is a blight on our collective identity. If you can't condemn violence, blind-hatred, terrorism, it means you're part of the problem.
Here's a wakeup call to those masquerading as social justice activists: your selective empathy is an affront to the very principles you claim to uphold. When you only cry out for justice when it suits your narrative, you're not an activist; you're a hypocrite. You don't get to pick and choose whose lives matter based on your biased world view.
As I speak, the people of Israel are under siege. Let's make it absolutely clear: the attackers are not freedom fighters; they are terrorists. Cold-blooded terrorists targeting innocent lives, and if you can't condemn that, you're morally bankrupt.
I stand here today not to take sides in a political struggle, but to take a stand against inhumanity, against the sick ideologies that fuel this cycle of violence. If a bomb falls, or a gun fires, it's a loss for all of humanity, regardless of what side you're on. When we pick sides in acts of terror, we become part of a vicious cycle. I dream of a day where both Palestinian and Israeli children can live without the constant shadow of terror looming over them.
In a war, there are no winners; In a war we all lose a bit more of our humanity with each falling shell and each spilt drop of blood. It's important to remember: When it's war, humanity loses, every single time.
My thoughts are with everyone, Palestinians and Israelis, who have been affected by the recent atrocities.
Thank you!
Maiwand
Resources related to this Episode:
- IsraID: https://secure.givelively.org/donate/israaid-us-global-humanitarian-assistance-inc/israaid-emergency-response-fund
-Fund for Victims of Terror: https://www.jafina.org/crisis-in-israel/
- Medical Aid for Palestinians: https://www.map.org.uk/donate/donation-details/484
- Palestine Children's Relief Fund: https://pcrf1.app.neoncrm.com/forms/gaza-relief
- International Committee of the Red Cross to help Herat: https://www.icrc.org/en/where-we-work/asia-pacific/afghanistan
- Islamic Relief Worldwide: https://www.unicef.org.uk/donate/donate-and-help-protect-children-in-afghanistan/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw7JOpBhCfARIsAL3bobfjqcP_iTau7PiaQUcwWZ-JY2NrlSBMDYxKX531-LtPgjSRHebS2JsaAuA_EALw_wcB
