Some substantial conflicts and wars in the present times have their genesis in the three hundred years of Western colonisation of the rest of the world. Colonies were exploited to benefit the Caucasian race. During WWI and WWII, thousands and thousands of soldiers from colonies were marshalled and used as cannon fodder. These colonial soldiers died horrible deaths in horrifying conditions and without recognition. We have seen countless movies extolling the bravery of white men under horrendous war conditions. But how many movies have been made to depict the conditions faced by colonial soldiers, who fought for their colonial masters with bravery and courage? Still, when these Western colonisers left their colonies, they not only left them weaker and in tremendous debt and ruin but also gave them border disputes which former colonies are still fighting over. This fighting has led to mass killings, genocide, starvation and famine. But all this turmoil has further enriched the coffers of Western nations as warring forming colonies purchase their weapons from the West to fuel their wars.
A major present-day colonial vestige for the Muslim Ummah is the Palestine occupation, which was started under the British Colonial Empire patronage. Britain had introduced the Balfour Declaration in 1917 offering their support for Jewish migration to what was then an Ottoman-controlled Palestine, with the hope of securing Jewish support in the first world war. The Israeli occupation of Palestinians has only exacerbated over time. As Israel continues to annex and occupy more and more Palestinian territories, hundreds and thousands of Palestinians are losing their lives and many more are being left homeless. Israeli prisons are crammed with Palestinians who have been detained without trial and are being tortured without any fear of condemnation from the UN and Arab League. Palestinians have been practically deprived of their humanity. Unfortunately, not only has Israel gotten bolder in carrying out atrocities on Palestinians with impunity, but also ironically has managed to cultivate diplomatic relations with many Arab nations ruled by monarchs, kings and princesses who, to appease the powers to be, are warming up to Israel at the cost of the Palestinian cause.
While Israeli forces make daily incursions into Palestinian territories to humiliate women, kill peacefully protesting youngsters, and take prisoners at whim, the world media is looking the other way. However, the recent Russian-Ukrainian conflict has caught the attention of electronic and print media. The destruction of the conflict is being splashed across the world. The plight of the Ukrainians affected by the conflict as they are deprived of electricity, gas, and water in the freezing winter is continuously being depicted in the international and national media.
The effects of a recent skirmish between Russian and Ukrainian forces were shown by the media: a dog killed and covered by a blanket, and a visibly shaken elderly Ukrainian lady comforting her pet dog by cuddling it in her arms and saying, ‘Don’t be afraid. Don’t be afraid.’ I am not sure if Palestinian mothers can say it to their children when heavily armed Israeli Defence Forces barge their way into their ramshackle homes in the middle of the night.