By Tunde Jr., Ade
My name is Tunde Jr., Adebayo. And if you visit this space often you’ll probably be familiar with my work. I’m mostly talking about one societal ills or the other. Today, my heart trembles at the sight of the happenings in Palestine (or is it Israel these days). If one understands geography and history well, one would know that the portion of land that is the bone of contention between the State of Israel and the State of Palestine has been on since 1946 and if you look deeply according to the Christians holy book, the Bible, you might even say millennia. Now it’s followed a simple pattern. The locals, Palestinians, live on their lands minding their business.
Meanwhile God had ordained it for the Jews who seized it with iron and blood and live there for millennia. Somehow the Jews became unworthy along, as weird as it sounds, don’t ask me, I didn’t write the history. So the Palestinians returned, not extinct, heaven only knows where they’ve been living and surviving without losing their identity for that long. But they came back after the great Islamic expansion, and they soon dominated most of the Middle-East. The Palestinians remained landlord of this holy land for another one thousand years; through Roman Byzantine Empire, Ottoman Empire rule British rule and the World Wars.
Then, the gods of the world (victors at the war) ordained the same portion of land for the displaced Jews (that have lived and mixed with Europeans for a thousand years) with little to no concern about those that I’ve been living beforehand, the land spliced in three (Palestine, Israel and Jordan).
Now, two years hadn’t pass before war began. First it was the incredulous Six-Day War that the Israelis triumph against league of Islamic nations, not that they (Arabs) did much to really help the Palestinians against a NATO-backed Israel. But it was a war that deeply embarrassed the Arabians into keeping quiet for a long time.
From that moment, the Arabians never really had it easy, from one problem to the other.
But I’m not really here to give you the chronology of these events. My torment comes from the religious bias at which the average Nigerian sees it as.
Whenever there’s a crisis in Palestine. The Muslims pick up placards in solidarity, the Christians keep quiet and talk about the most trivial thing in the world. Personally, I’m not one for religion or bigotry. I am as secular as it gets. Which is why I can say that we are the most hypocritical lots in this world.
(No offense, but christians in this context. Muslims will have their day soon).
To cite an example Remember when Ozil was frozen out of arsenal because he said something about the Chinese brutality on Uyghurs Muslims in Xinjiang? Remember it was all man for himself as everyone kept mute and left Ozil to his fate? Too fiscal? Okay remember George Floyd… Remember how he changed the face of everything has even Nigerians trooped out in protest, remember the football world kneeling and everyone speaking; black or white, Muslim or Christian, remember? Okay, how about the endSARS protest? It was everyone… Anyone who kept quiet was bashed and ridiculed. Not everyone was harassed by SARS, I haven’t, still I said my part, that’s the spirit of solidarity. It doesn’t have to affect me before I speak up.
Now, we’ve had Israelis tormenting Palestinians on what has been their land for a millennium. Oppressing them in their numbers, and even killing them in worst ways possible just because they actually want to displace them from the said land, simple ancient tactic, frustrate till they pull back.
What makes it saddening is that this was exactly what Adolf Hitler did to the said Israelis in the 1930s that resulted into a world war.
Christians are either silently in support of this killings or too meek to speak up.
It’s now a religious cyber war. Muslims post in solidarity. Christians look the other way and act like nothing is happening.
Funny thing is, this Israelis abhor Christians, I don’t know if they don’t know. But they passively loathe Christians. They practice Judaism by the way… Basically they way of Moses. You know that Old testament that you guys said Jesus remixed and upgraded because it’s outdated and harsh. Yeah, that one.
Now, these Jews aren’t just killing Moslems. It’s not entirely a religious war of Muslims vs Christians. Obviously that’s what you all think, so maybe you enjoy as it happens. I know that certain amount of Christians think Muslims worship a false god and deserve to perish and also live the rest of their lives in torment in the fiery flames of hell. However, that’s besides the point. To be factual, I could care less what you practice, an Hinduist, Buddhist or Atheist if you’re my brother or son.
But I want you to see that they are killing and oppressing people in their homes, their place of worship, their source of livelihoods, their ancestors resting ground. That’s tyranny and not warfare, shooting rockets at people only armed with stones and sticks isn’t warfare, it’s excessive force that speaks evil.
We should speak up for the sake of humanity we have, it’s the only thing that keeps us sane, it’s the reason why I won’t walk up to Olumide’s room and ask him to leave. You know that’s a simple analogy. How would you feel if someone comes to your room after you’ve fully paid and furnished and says, the room belongs to him, holds a gun, says you either leave or be killed? Ask yourself, how would you feel?
We’re advocates of a saner clime, it’s our responsibility to speak up when something happens outside the field of morality. The same way I’ll speak during gender based violence, racial injustice, abuse of power about you, but I just ot when The Saudis were killing Muslims in Yemen too.
Right now, the Royal family of Saudi are mute because they and Israel are in a triangle of an hundred billion dollar deal with the USA.
Did you ask about the UN Security Council?
First, The USA is like a father to Israel, nothing active can come from them.
The UN is a toothless bulldog when the assailant is a NATO member. Russia is an isolationist that would only react when provoked. China really likes the violence because it’ll take attention away from whatever it is they are cooking up next.
The UK has enough on their table with Brexit, COVID-19, Scotland and N. Ireland fighting for independence.
France can only pacify the Israelis but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would not stop, he’s know to have a strong vendetta against Palestinians. And he is looking like he won’t stop till he’s killed or chased away every last one of them.
Dear reader, life’s a cycle and it’s full of drama. One thing you should know is tables turn, and as history tells, the Palestinians will fight back, maybe not right now, maybe when we’re close to our graves. But they will, they might get the upper hand. And then they’ll have vengeance to fight for. Then will the Israelis beg for their lives or accept it as punishment for their year long oppression of the Palestinians. Not everyone will be as forgiven as Nelson Mandela and the South Africans. (Russia and East Germany anyone?)
And you who is afraid to speak up because you think you’ll be termed a betrayer of your own faith, I hope you’ll remain quiet as you have stayed now.
Free Palestine!🇸🇩
(To join this conversation, you can kindly reach out through my Twitter handle @ChildishAde)
Thanks for reading.
