Palestinian Suffering Discrimination And Our Moral Compass

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From Mustafa K Anuar
The endless suffering and killing of Palestinians at the hands of the Zionist regime have evoked concerns that resonate with people across the globe, some of whom are still facing the existential threats of settler colonialism. In a sense, the Palestinian question is bigger than what it really is.
For starters, the Israeli massacre of the Palestinians bare the ugliness of identity politics in which the lives of Palestinians, i.e. the so-called “human animals”, are made out to be less worthy than Jews.
Jews in the streets and on campuses in the US and elsewhere in the West screamed “Not in our name” in mass protests against Israel’s continuing slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza. “Mowing the lawn” in Gaza is not only criminal, it is clearly morally wrong.
The protesting Jews opposed the twisted notion that launching brutal attacks on Gaza is the primary strategy of the supposed Zionist mission to protect Jews and fight antisemitism in the world.
They rightly objected to the act of conflating Zionism, which is drenched in blood, with Jewishness and Judaism that promote justice, compassion and peace. If anything, Israel’s belligerence has in certain cases caused antisemitism to spike, which is disturbing.
One obviously must always be vigilant against blindly trusting certain individuals, particularly politicians, who claim to represent and protect “our rights, interests and dreams”. Their vested interests are made to appear as “ours”.
In the name of a particular community, bigoted and over-ambitious leaders can gain power – and possibly hold onto power indefinitely.
This is especially so when divisive means are used so that “our community” is depicted as being under threat from another community and thus needs to be protected. Victimhood is evoked and exploited in the wider context of a diverse society.
You would be made to appear as a thorn in the side or even dangerous to “our community” if you decide to call out and disagree with the self-serving leaders and their loyal followers.
As a result, you might be painted as a betrayer to your own community and race, or as in the case of the critical Jew, a self-hating Jew or even anti-Semitic.
Additionally, defending the rights of minorities or oppressed groups could leave one open to accusations of betraying their own community. Jewish scholar-activists Norman Finkelstein and Gabor Mate, historian Ilan Pappe, journalist Gideon Levy and civil society group Jewish Voice for Peace, to name a few, come to mind in this regard.
Perhaps, at this juncture, Malaysians may want to look into the mirror and wonder whether there’s a lesson to be learnt here.
To reiterate, the Palestinians have long been facing and fighting against horrific oppression, displacement, mass murders, among others, unleashed by the Zionist military for the past seven decades.
A political objective of this nature also seeks to erase the history, memories and culture of indigenous peoples, which explains the Israeli occupation forces’ callous destruction of schools, universities, libraries, museums, mosques and churches. UN special rapporteur Francesca Albanese describes genocide as a colonial erasure.
That’s why it’s crucial to help preserve the ancestral lands, cultures and burial grounds of the indigenous elsewhere in the world, including those of our Orang Asli and Orang Asal.
The painful Gazan experience has resonated with indigenous peoples worldwide, such as the Maori people of Aotearoa aka New Zealand, about the transgressions of their political, cultural and economic rights.
Recently, thousands of the Maori people took to the streets for nine days in protest against the controversial Treaty Principles Bill introduced in the New Zealand parliament on Nov 14 for a preliminary vote.
The bill sought to reinterpret the country’s 184-year-old founding Treaty of Waitangi, which was signed between British colonisers and the indigenous Maori people.
The Maoris feared that the bill would undermine the Treaty of Waitangi and curb their rights to their land, culture and sovereignty. It’s morally right to stand up against such an oppressive design.
Australia’s aboriginals are also restless regarding the long-standing impact of the country’s settler colonialism on them. The recent incident of an aboriginal Australian senator heckling King Charles after his speech in the nation’s Parliament House is indicative of the aboriginal resentment.
Similarly, the Native Americans and the First Nations have a bone to pick with their respective American and Canadian ruling establishments.
While it is important for a country to free itself from the colonial clutches through political independence, it may not necessarily mean that the mindset, particularly of leaders, had been fully decolonised.
The maintenance of colonial laws, such as Malaysia’s Printing Presses and Publications Act, which was meant to control the natives, is concerning in this regard.
The apartheid system that Israel imposes on the Palestinians in the West Bank is an important reminder about discriminatory practices and double standards faced by marginalised communities in many countries. This injustice, which in many cases is driven by the racist ideology of ethnic supremacy, needs to be addressed seriously.
This essentially explains why the South Africans and the Irish people, both victims of settler colonialism, could forge a common bond with the Palestinians because they know that dispossessing, ethnic cleansing, killing, stealing lands and erasing histories of the indigenous people is morally and painfully wrong.
Indeed, the Palestinian struggle for self-determination, freedom, justice, equality, human rights and dignity serves as a vital moral compass for us all who seek a better world. - FMT
Mustafa K Anuar is a former secretary of Aliran and an FMT reader.
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.

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