For context, I just got finished with a procedure at the hospital, and my right arm is not functioning but I dragged myself to the god damn virtual screening and panel about the United States of Al because I had to see what these people had to say for themselves.

To think we live in a vacuum is cognitive dissonance- the audience of United States of Al are the same people whose tax money fund the killing of our people in Afghanistan. If you keep feeding them misleading, cartoonishly over-simplified narratives that continue to normalise and justify colonial occupation, what do you think that does but sustain the status quo within the West’s Orientalised imagination of “the Middle East” (Middle East who? We border China) that is the lifeblood of the manufactured consent for the war machine that’s been rolling for the past two decades now? This is textbook propaganda in direct support of the killing of our people. 

You know what this refugee narrative is really used for? To perpetuate capitalism. Mhm. The C word. Because when we talk of Nadia’s story, we are never saying “oh I can’t believe she had to flee war, I wonder how she’s doing emotionally?” or “what’s that like?” or “WHY IS THERE WAR IN AFGHANISTAN? What’s happening there?” Yes she may have “overcome” but let’s not let any more daughters have to go through what she did to actualise their dreams. It’s like one of those “heartwarming” stories where little kids sell lemonade to pay for their medical bills which only begs the question...why must they do this? This system isn't real! We don’t need to be doing any of these things.

There’s definitely layers of slut shaming to this whole situation as well. Because I see all of the Western Muslims, like Khaled Beydoun, who spend their time trying to pander to the whites, on how they’re religion isn’t scary, using Nadia as some kind of emblem of pious-ness. That makes my internal alarms go off. Are we only allowed to exalt sexless women?

watandaar: countrywoman