Hi all,
I am a Muslim-American individual who has lived in Lincoln for my whole life, and while it is true that my family and I are against anti-semitism, we are still completely in support of the Palestinian people. Below is some quoted text from a social media post by @sbeih.jpg
"Stop centering the Gaza genocide around zionist propaganda language & racist western narrative. Stop spending more time condemning anti-semitism than discussing Palestinian massacres. We've stated our stance against Jewish hate--that conversation is done. Stop contributing to western villainization of Palestinian resistance and so easily dropping the extremism/terrorism verbiage. Palestinians are fighting for freedom while the colonizer is fighting for domination. "
What is happening right now is a genocide of the Palestinan civillians--women and children included. The civilian death toll is 10,000+ with over 5,000 being children. It's been difficult to speak about this when all I feel is shock, fear, and helplessness. "This is not a 'war'. A war implies equal footing, symmetrical power, armies instead of unarmed civilians as targets. This is a genocide. Using the wrong language only enables what is unfolding." (Khaled Beydoun). It is excruciatingly unfair, and it's a tragedy that we as a species can never truly come back from. Right now all that we can do is help those who haven't already lost their lives by calling for an immediate ceasefire.
By no means am I trying to attack anyone with this statement. That said, I am disappointed and hurt by the priorities of our community right now. Our priority should be calling for a ceasefire, giving support to the palestinian people who are and have been suffering for the past 75 years, and ending this bloodshed-- Not simply declaring that we are against anti-semitism.
Nashaat Shaikh
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