Naji tausayin Zelensky, shugaban Ukraine. - Zelensky, Gaza, and the Weight of Selective Sympathy

 Do you know what? I felt sorry for Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, I saw on the news last night after work, sitting next to Trump and Vance, his arms crossed the little small man in black. 

Jesus, I thought to myself, how difficult must it have been for him as a human, leading a country where his people are being attacked, tired of fighting the rich citizens scattered in Europe and a hungry bear of Russia just mauling his land as they please.

I imagine Ukranians are strong, willy people, ingenious strong, and industrious not that I have met any Ukranians, apart from what I know from Holiday movies, but I do imagine that must be what they are like at this time when their lands are stolen and Trump trying to shake them down for their minerals.

I imagine it must feel like a woman being raped, and a passerby says to the raped woman, I will help you, but for the rest of your life and your children's lives you must give me your labour, no sex mind you, but your labour for generations then I will save you.

Apparently, says Trump, Zelensky was not serious, trying to cause World War Three, and was disrespectful of America. 

Disrespectful of America, the phrase makes me curl my lips in the dark,

I wonder if it is the fault of Macron and Starmmer's fawning to the Emporer, 

I suppose to Trump, it must have felt like cold water to the face that the Zelensky did not fawn enough, did not prostitute his country for an ally that would no sooner give his country back to their enemy, with his orange puffy hands.

Shame on Europe, shame on us all.

As I write this, I wonder, why don't I feel the same about Gaza and Israel, about the Palestinian people and their struggles? Why don't I think their leaders are brave, the people as noble? I am, after all, a Muslim, born and bred. Where does my prejudice come from, is it because I can find no home within my religious community or because the Muslim Arabs are in one of the most richest countries in the world and I suppose if they are happy for their brothers and sisters and sons and daughters, and babies and communities to be destroyed and annihilated. Sixty-one thousand Palestinians dead on one count mostly women and children. If it does not bother the Arabs enough to get up and do something and stand together and say not again, never again. 

For me, the Arabs, it seems to me like a huge polygamous family walking past as one of their most beautiful favoured by their father's son was being sodomized by the local traders, and because of their unconscious bias and jealousy of this the favoured sibling, their Gaza Joseph to the Arabs Josephs ten brothers the ones I can never remember their names from the bible stories. They don't exactly sell Gazans's just left in the well for the slavers to find and do what they will.

Now, unlike Joesph, the Gazans are not saved by God; they are instead allowed to be traumatised and destabilised. I look at the children who have survived from the safety of the large television in my home and know, as history does not lie, the world will rue this day. 

Naji Tausayin Zelensky, shugaban Ukraine, Jiya na gansi a TV a zaune de shi and Trump and Vance shugabanoni America, yana zaune, ya rike jikinsa, ga shi dan guntun mutum 

Jesu, tunanin ya shig hankalina,, mutumin nada karfin zuciya, ga shi shugaban grain inda muntanensa anan kan kashe su, mutanane garin su gaji da fade, masu kudin su, duk sun gudu suna Europe, sauran a bar su da dodon Russia dake ta basu kashi.

A tunanina, mutanen Ukraine mutanen masu karfi, and wayo, da kokari, da iya aki da ilimi. Tunda ban san wani dan Ukraine ba, ban san gaskiyan halin su ba, duk abunda na san akan muntanen Ukraine, na koya daga filming Hollywood. Duk da haka na san tsamanina gaskiya ne, gasu a yaw anna kan saccin garinsu, ga Trump Sarkin banzan hali yana kokarin sace musu dukiyan kasan su.

A tunanina, mutannen Ukraine sunanan kaman matan da aka danne, a jama's sunna ta wuce was ba mai taimako. Sai wani luti ya tsaya yace mata Ukraine, zan tamaikeki amma, har abada zaki yi mini aki, kuma yaranki su ma za su yi mini aki, bazan naima in shiga daikin ba, bazan matasam miki indi ake dane ki yanzu, amma har abada duk dukiyan ki and zuriyan ki nawane, in kin yadda zan taimakeki.

Ashe, inji Trump, Zelensky bai shirya ba,  Zelensky na neman duk duniya su shiga faddan, Zelenski ya raina America, ya nuna bashi da kunya

Wai Zalenski, ya raina America? wanin maganan na ba ni haushi. 

A tunanina Trump, abun ya bashi mamaki, wai Zelenski bai bauwata mishi ba inda ya kamata, karma a zuba mai ruwan sanyi a fiska. Zelenski ya nuna da shi and garin shi ba karuwai ba ne da za su yadda su hadda kai da garin da nan da nan in Russia ta tambaya Trump zaya saryada Uraine ma Russia. Ga Trump da kumburaren jan hanun sa. 

Waye ya san ko abunda ya sami Zelenski, laifin Marcron da Starmmer, shugabanonin France da Great Britain.  Domin shakeran jiya sun je sun bawta wa Trump a white house.

Ina wanna rubutu ina tambayan kaine, wai masa banaji zafin mutunan Gaza inda nake jin haushin magana Zelenski and Trump. Wai mai yasa bana ganin shugabanonin GAza and Palestine da shawa, da kokari. Ni ba musulma ba ne, waennan ba umman na a cikin muslincin ba ne?

Daga ina wanin banzan kallon da ne kiyi musu ya fito? Ko don, umman addini na bai kawo muni kwancen hankali ba. Ko kuma bana jin tausayin su inda ya kamata domin 'yan uwan su Larabawa su basu nuna sun damu ba, wa ya fi labarwa arzi a duniyan, tunda su basu damu wai 'yan uwansu, da iyayen su, da mata su, da mazan su, da yaransu, da jaririnsu ana kan kashewa, garin su duka an rushe and kona. In duk wanan ba da me Larabawa ba, ba ishe su ba, basuji safin kokan 'yanu uwansu, bai sa su su tashi tarre, hanu daya, suce, Ya isa, YA ISA, baza a sai ke ba. 

A wajana ina ganin kaman Larabawa, sunan kaman baban zuriya, baban su nama matan daiwa, ama suna kishi wani kanin su, wanda babansu na so, ga kanin kyakyawa, ga kyawan hali, ga kywan fiska. Larbarawan kuma domin tsananin kishi, suna gani mutanen kasuwa suna cima kanin su ama domin kishi dam bakin cikin ko tsim basu ce ba. A wajana, Gaza na nan kamin abinda ya sami anabin Yusuf, Larbara sunne yayun Yusuf guda goma wanda ba ma tuna sunan su. Su basu sarda mutanen Gaza ba, kawai sun bar mutanen gaza a cikin rijiya mai karfi inda da suka sana, masu saryada da mutanen za su same su su sar da su 

Amma, Anabi Yusufu, Allah ya taimakai shi, Allah ya fitarda dashi daga cikin masifa, Mutanen Gaza basu da wanan farin jini, su kam an ci musu, an ban su kashi, and kona musu gari, kace musu matan su dan yaren su dubai akan dubai. Ni kuma ina kallon a su da nasu a cikin television kuma daga gani iddanun yaran da suku rege duniya bata da labarin masifa dage zuwa gobe 

From ChatGPT

Naji tausayin Zelensky, shugaban Ukraine.

Jiya na gan shi a talabijin bayan aiki, yana zaune tare da Trump da Vance, jikinsa a rufe, yana sanye da baƙar fata, ƙaramar mutum ne a gaban manyan fuska.

Jesu, in ji zuciyata, me wahala zai kasance a gare shi? Mutum ne da ke jagorantar ƙasa inda jama'a ke ƙarƙashin hari. Mutanen ƙasar sun gaji da yaki, masu arziƙi sun gudu zuwa Turai, yayin da Rasha, kamar babbar mai yunwa, ke cinye ƙasarsu kamar yadda take so.

A ra'ayina, 'yan Ukraine mutane ne masu ƙarfi, masu wayo, masu himma da ƙoƙari. Ban taɓa haɗuwa da ɗan Ukraine ba; duk abin da na sani ya fito ne daga fina-finan yaki na Hollywood. Amma ina tsammanin haka lamarin yake a wannan lokacin, yayin da ƙasarsu ke ɓacewa hannun wasu, yayin da Trump ke ƙoƙarin karɓar dukiya daga gare su.

A ra'ayina, yan Ukraine suna kama da mata da ake zubar musu jini, inda wani mai wucewa ya ce:

"Zan taimaka miki—amma, ga duk rayuwarki da rayuwar 'ya'yanki, dole ne ki yi mini aiki. Ba jima'i ba, sai dai aikinki, har abada."

In ji Trump, Zelensky bai nuna girmamawa ba; an ce yana ƙoƙarin tayar da yakin duniya na uku, yana raina Amurka.

Kalmar “rainar Amurka” ta sa ni danƙwasa haƙorina cikin duhu.

Na yi tunanin ko wannan sakamakon ra'ayin Macron da Starmer, shugabannin Faransa da Birtaniya, waɗanda suka je White House su shata wa Trump.

Amma yayin da nake rubuta wannan, wata tambaya ta fara damuna:

Me ya sa ban jin irin wannan zafi game da Gaza da Palestinu ba?

Me ya sa ban ga shugabannin su a matsayin jarumai, jama'arsu a matsayin masu ƙima?

Ni musulmi ne, an haife ni a ciki. Ashe, zuciyata ba za ta ƙone haka ba?

Ina tambayar kaina: daga ina wannan kyama ta samo asali? Shin saboda ban samu mazaunin a cikin al'ummar addinina ba, ko saboda ƙasashen Musulmi mafiya arziki sun kasance masu shiru ne?

Siya dubu sittin da ɗaya na mutanen Palestinu sun ɓace—yawancinsu mata ne da yara—amma 'yan uwansu ba su ɗaga kai ba, sun bar komai ya ci gaba.

Ina tambaya:

Me ya sa ba na jin zafin mutanen Gaza?

A ra'ayina, Larabawa kamar wata babbar iyali ce mai aure da yawa. Kuma Gaza? Gaza kamar Yusuf ne a cikin wannan iyali—ɗan da aka fi so, wanda 'yan'uwansa suka ƙyale saboda kishin zuciya.

Amma, ba kamar Yusuf ba, babu ceto daga Allah a nan.

Mutanen Gaza ba sa samun ceto daga Allah; suna fuskantar tsangwama da lalacewa.

Ina zaune a gidana, ina kallon 'ya'yan Gaza daga talabijin, tare da sanin cewa, kamar yadda tarihi ba ya yaudarar mu, duniya za ta tuba a wannan rana.

Zelensky, Gaza, and the Weight of Selective Sympathy

I felt sorry for Zelensky, the president of Ukraine.

I saw him on the news last night after work, sitting beside Trump and Vance—his arms crossed, dressed in black. A small man in the presence of towering figures.

Jesus, I thought. How difficult must it be for him? A leader of a country under siege. His people are weary of war, the wealthy have fled to Europe, and Russia, relentless and ravenous, tears through his land at will.

I imagine Ukrainians as strong, resourceful, and resilient. Industrious, determined, refusing to break. Not that I’ve met any Ukrainians—what I know comes from history books and war films. But I imagine that, in this moment, they must be exactly that. Their homes stolen, their land stripped, while Trump tries to shake them down for their minerals.

It must feel like a woman being assaulted, pinned to the ground, only for a passerby to stop and say:

"I will help you—but in return, for the rest of your life and your children's lives, you must serve me. No sex, mind you, but your labour, your land, your obedience. Only then will I save you."

And still, Trump dares to say Zelensky was not serious—that he was trying to start World War Three, that he was disrespectful of America.

Disrespectful of America.

The phrase makes my lips curl in the dark.

I wonder if this is the fault of Macron and Starmer, bowing so eagerly before the new emperor.

Perhaps, to Trump, Zelensky’s refusal to grovel felt like cold water to the face. Zelensky did not fawn enough. Did not prostitute his country for an ally who, in the end, would hand it back to their enemy, placed neatly into Russia’s waiting hands by Trump’s puffy orange fingers.

Shame on Europe.

Shame on us all.

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But as I write this, a question gnaws at me.

Why don’t I feel the same way about Gaza? About Palestine?

Why don’t I see their leaders as brave, their people as noble?

I am, after all, a Muslim, born and raised. Shouldn’t my heart burn just as much?

Where does my bias come from? Is it because I have never felt at home within my religious community? Or is it because the wealthiest Muslim nations in the world seem indifferent?

Sixty-one thousand Palestinians dead.

Mostly women. Mostly children.

Yet their so-called “brothers” do nothing. If the Arab world does not rise, why should I?

If they can stomach watching their own sons and daughters annihilated, their cities burned to the ground, why should I cry louder than them?