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Abstract

ck to distance themselves from the matter — stating that politics don’t belong in football. Mesut Ozil was ostracised from the Arsenal team for speaking up against the Uyghur persecution on social media, despite him being Muslim and it clearly being something close to his heart. That was enough politics for him to be deemed persona non grata.It just feels like there’s an inconsistency here, and I think I know at least part of the reason why. It’s what’s runs deep in the suggestions that certain countries are just perpetually in a state of war and unrest. Some countries, no, some people, have been so ‘othered’ and dehumanised that they are seen as lost causes. Why should you cry for the people of Iraq or Afghanistan? They’ve been going through it for so long that it’s just their reality now.Does that make it right though?Often I see videos of mistreatment and actions that are clearly not okay, often with children on the receiving end, yet depending on the location that the video was in… I’ll see people asking about context. What the child was doing to deserve it. (Not unlike those who rush to defend police when you see bodycam footage of clear brutality).I haven't seen any such questioning with regards to Ukraine. No one cares about context because these are actual human beings — their lives aren’t expendable and we don't need to know the story to be able to trust our eyes and know that what’s happening is horrific. It’s distressing that this same luxury isn’t afforded to all.When it’s the Middle East, or China, then people will hold their hands up and proclaim that they don’t know enough about the matter, despite there being countless chances for them to educate themselves on the matter (including right now, we all access to the internet). I haven’t seen anyone distance themselves from taking a stance in this particular situation, I guess everyone is just more clued in here. Maybe Putin being the newest Marvel supervillain makes it easier.The idea that certain immigrants/refugees are the good, welcome kind is also not a new notion. I often see how people talk about the influx of Muslims from war-torn countries as some sort of parasitic invasion, I’ve seen caricatures of them depicted as cockroaches swarming the pure European land they’ve entered. The discourse surrounding this topic has been no different. I’ve seen many responses to people pointing out the very hypocrisy I am by saying, good on these countries for not wanting to take in Muslims, they ruin everything. They destabilise countries and only enter to rape and pillage. The irony of what certain civilised military groups did in those countries is clearly lost on them.I’m not here to lecture anyone on the role of the US and UK in destabilising certain countries and leaving them in their ‘uncivilised’ states, but I can’t help but feel that it’s mighty convenient for us to not pay too much attention to the

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evils that OUR countries played a huge role in. Just food for thought.Another thing that I’ve struggled with is<h2 id="36e0">Ukraine’s own murky waters</h2>Many videos were circulating on social media of African families being sent to the back of the line at the Polish border (by Ukrainian police, not the Polish border force). There were also videos of Indian students being beaten and thrown aside for attempting to leave alongside the Ukrainians too.India chartered a plane to get their students to safety, as China did theirs. If they hadn’t, the ‘others’ would’ve been left behind as Ukrainians, or really, anyone who’s white would’ve gotten through no problem.The reaction to these posts was nothing short of disheartening. “Why shouldn’t they look after their own first?” “There’s no such thing as black Ukrainians and this is a Ukrainian issue”. How are you able to filter people through a lens of racism amidst a humanitarian crisis?! It boggles the mind.My second point within this category is that of the Azov Battalion within the Ukrainian national guard. For those of you who don’t know, they were a volunteer militia group who were later accepted into the national guard. They are also openly extremely right-wing proponents of neo-nazism. This might sound like propaganda, I promise you it’s not. The information is all there (I sound even crazier now but just Google it please).The official Twitter account of Ukraine’s national guard tweeted a video of them slathering bullets in pig lard in order to use them against the Chechen ‘Orcs’ who are fighting alongside Russian forces.As a Muslim, I have to say, we don’t believe that if we die and there’s some amount of pig inside our bodies we instantly go to hell. That’s ridiculous. If you didn’t do the act intentionally, it can’t be a sin. Either way, that’s what they mean to do. It’s a tactic used by the British against Indian Muslims back in the 50s and it's as wrong now as it was then.Not to mention that they’ve risked alienating the Muslims who are fighting alongside them, for their cause. It’s just baffling.The response was so strange that I couldn’t help but just close the app and start writing this. People are jumping through logistical and mental hoops in order to justify everything, but at the end of the day — racism is racism, hate is hate and if your hero vs villain story is so black and white then I can’t help but mention that you can’t have Nazis fighting for the heroes, nor can you vilify and hate a whole religion just because.No, I’m not a Russian bot, nor do I support Russia. I just think it's a shame that when it comes down to it, a person who looks like me has much less value as a human being than your typical white European and it hurts to think about. So before you type your seething response to me, just think about that for a moment.</article></body>

The Russian Invasion Reveals Europe’s Hypocrisy

An uncomfortable chat about racism

We’ve seen social media stand together in solidarity with the people of Ukraine. Flags are being held high in hand and heart. Borders fade away and humanity unites us as we can all collectively agree that no people deserve to go through what the Ukrainian populace is beginning to/ hopefully doesn’t end up having to go through.

I can’t help but feel slightly upset about it for a number of reasons though.

Hear me out, this is something I want to clarify now as I will not be able to continuously repeat throughout this piece: I hope Russia withdraw quickly and I hope that the Ukrainian people are able to stay safe throughout all this. I am in NO way in support of Putin, Russia or anyone who takes ridiculous actions without factoring in the value of human life.

Now that that’s out of the way, I’ll start with the somewhat telling:

Mainstream media reporting on the matter

“It’s very emotional for me because I see European people with blue eyes and blonde hair being killed” - Ukraine’s Deputy Chief Prosecutor, David Sakvarelidze, live on the BBC
“This isn’t Iraq or Afghanistan...This is a relatively civilized, relatively European city" - CBS foreign correspondent Charlie D’Agata
“They seem so like us. That is what makes it shocking. Its people watch Netflix and have Instagram accounts. War is no longer something visited upon impoverished and remote populations. It can happen to anyone” - Daniel Hannan, the Telegraph

There are many, many more examples but I think my point is clear. There’s a sickening racial undertone to referring to certain countries as ‘civilised’, as well as the suggestion that War is expected, thus not a big deal, in the uncivilised ‘other’ countries.

I won’t even try to pick apart the first quote as I think it speaks for itself.

I was watching Premier League football earlier this week, as I regularly do, and saw a touching tribute to Ukraine before the match, with long-lasting camera pans over the 2 Ukrainian players. Flags were held aloft and both teams and sets of fans were united for that moment.

Last year, two (Muslim) footballers held up a Palestinian flag after a Premier League match and everyone, their club (Manchester United) included, were quick to distance themselves from the matter — stating that politics don’t belong in football. Mesut Ozil was ostracised from the Arsenal team for speaking up against the Uyghur persecution on social media, despite him being Muslim and it clearly being something close to his heart. That was enough politics for him to be deemed persona non grata.

It just feels like there’s an inconsistency here, and I think I know at least part of the reason why. It’s what’s runs deep in the suggestions that certain countries are just perpetually in a state of war and unrest. Some countries, no, some people, have been so ‘othered’ and dehumanised that they are seen as lost causes. Why should you cry for the people of Iraq or Afghanistan? They’ve been going through it for so long that it’s just their reality now.

Does that make it right though?

Often I see videos of mistreatment and actions that are clearly not okay, often with children on the receiving end, yet depending on the location that the video was in… I’ll see people asking about context. What the child was doing to deserve it. (Not unlike those who rush to defend police when you see bodycam footage of clear brutality).

I haven't seen any such questioning with regards to Ukraine. No one cares about context because these are actual human beings — their lives aren’t expendable and we don't need to know the story to be able to trust our eyes and know that what’s happening is horrific. It’s distressing that this same luxury isn’t afforded to all.

When it’s the Middle East, or China, then people will hold their hands up and proclaim that they don’t know enough about the matter, despite there being countless chances for them to educate themselves on the matter (including right now, we all access to the internet). I haven’t seen anyone distance themselves from taking a stance in this particular situation, I guess everyone is just more clued in here. Maybe Putin being the newest Marvel supervillain makes it easier.

The idea that certain immigrants/refugees are the good, welcome kind is also not a new notion. I often see how people talk about the influx of Muslims from war-torn countries as some sort of parasitic invasion, I’ve seen caricatures of them depicted as cockroaches swarming the pure European land they’ve entered. The discourse surrounding this topic has been no different. I’ve seen many responses to people pointing out the very hypocrisy I am by saying, good on these countries for not wanting to take in Muslims, they ruin everything. They destabilise countries and only enter to rape and pillage. The irony of what certain civilised military groups did in those countries is clearly lost on them.

I’m not here to lecture anyone on the role of the US and UK in destabilising certain countries and leaving them in their ‘uncivilised’ states, but I can’t help but feel that it’s mighty convenient for us to not pay too much attention to the evils that OUR countries played a huge role in. Just food for thought.

Another thing that I’ve struggled with is

Ukraine’s own murky waters

Many videos were circulating on social media of African families being sent to the back of the line at the Polish border (by Ukrainian police, not the Polish border force). There were also videos of Indian students being beaten and thrown aside for attempting to leave alongside the Ukrainians too.

India chartered a plane to get their students to safety, as China did theirs. If they hadn’t, the ‘others’ would’ve been left behind as Ukrainians, or really, anyone who’s white would’ve gotten through no problem.

The reaction to these posts was nothing short of disheartening. “Why shouldn’t they look after their own first?” “There’s no such thing as black Ukrainians and this is a Ukrainian issue”. How are you able to filter people through a lens of racism amidst a humanitarian crisis?! It boggles the mind.

My second point within this category is that of the Azov Battalion within the Ukrainian national guard. For those of you who don’t know, they were a volunteer militia group who were later accepted into the national guard. They are also openly extremely right-wing proponents of neo-nazism. This might sound like propaganda, I promise you it’s not. The information is all there (I sound even crazier now but just Google it please).

The official Twitter account of Ukraine’s national guard tweeted a video of them slathering bullets in pig lard in order to use them against the Chechen ‘Orcs’ who are fighting alongside Russian forces.

As a Muslim, I have to say, we don’t believe that if we die and there’s some amount of pig inside our bodies we instantly go to hell. That’s ridiculous. If you didn’t do the act intentionally, it can’t be a sin. Either way, that’s what they mean to do. It’s a tactic used by the British against Indian Muslims back in the 50s and it's as wrong now as it was then.

Not to mention that they’ve risked alienating the Muslims who are fighting alongside them, for their cause. It’s just baffling.

The response was so strange that I couldn’t help but just close the app and start writing this. People are jumping through logistical and mental hoops in order to justify everything, but at the end of the day — racism is racism, hate is hate and if your hero vs villain story is so black and white then I can’t help but mention that you can’t have Nazis fighting for the heroes, nor can you vilify and hate a whole religion just because.

No, I’m not a Russian bot, nor do I support Russia. I just think it's a shame that when it comes down to it, a person who looks like me has much less value as a human being than your typical white European and it hurts to think about. So before you type your seething response to me, just think about that for a moment.