In a scene that might seem like the product of dark, satirical fiction, the moral map of the international arena has been turned completely upside down. While tons of bombs rain down on the heads of children in Gaza, the world presents two contrasting scenes, bordering on tragicomedy: streets in Europe and America roar with anger, demanding an end to the massacre, while Arab palaces whisper about “wisdom,” “realism,” and “not provoking emotions”! The “western” world has become the one shouting in the streets in defence of human values, while the “official Arab” world sits in its plush chair, warning against “extremism” and “destabilisation.” This is the unvarnished picture, without flattery or media sophistry. So, will the Arab Street finally fulfil its duty toward itself and toward Gaza?
The demonstrations that swept London, Paris, Berlin, New York, and even reached Disney and Mexico were not mere passing marches. They were popular earthquakes, redefining democracy from the bottom up. Students, activists, labour unions, clergy, and anti-Zionist Jews all came out to shout at their governments: “Enough!” They exposed the contradictions behind glossy slogans about human rights and shoved their governments’ noses into the mud of their historical tragedies.
On the other side of the Mediterranean, a different and humiliating scene unfolds. Many Arab “officials” remain silent, or trade accusations of “provocation” if anyone dares to speak out. Diplomacy becomes an art of shirking responsibility, and the central issue of the nation is reduced to hollow “calls for peace,” while normalisation ties remain warm and intact, as if nothing has happened. The only courage they display is in criticising the resistance factions, as if resisting occupation were the greater crime, not the occupation itself! The logic of a “united nation” has been replaced by the logic of the fragile “nation-state,” which sanctifies the “stability” of thrones at the expense of the dignity of peoples and the blood of children. It is deliberate “weakness,” wrapped in speeches filled with empty diplomatic clichés, like fig leaves attempting in vain to cover a shame now visible to the entire world.
Many Arab hearts pinned hope on the Doha summit. Minds urged action instead of following the farce, but hearts were ready for deception, and the summit delivered yet another scandal. They came to Doha to flatter its Emir, who holds favours and influence over them, not to change their fate or that of their peoples. How many more capitals must be bombed for the official Arab system to understand that it is a target bank for the entity?
The satirical paradox has reached its peak, and language fails to give it written form. The demonstrator in London, Berlin, or Amsterdam, who may know about Islam only through stereotypes and has never seen Arab countries except through tourist hotels or Hollywood films aimed at the masses, becomes a defender of the humanity of Muslims in Gaza – more so than an Arab ruler dining with their killer at a banquet.
Who would have imagined Richard Gere, Hollywood’s heartthrob adored by women worldwide, standing at a charity event to rally hearts and minds around Gaza? Or the Congresswoman facing accusations of “anti-Semitism” simply for mentioning “Gaza,” showing moral courage that surpasses the ugliness of hundreds of silent Arab ambassadors and ministers? This stance exposes an existential contradiction: while the “western” peoples move out of ethical conscience, rooted in civic morality, Arab regimes move out of “fear” and “narrow self-interest,” thereby losing their moral legitimacy first in the eyes of their peoples, and second before history. [by Noureddine Al-Alawi in Arabi21]
Compiled and translated by Faizul Haque
