Antisemitism and the Exploitation of Palestinian Struggles in the Maldives
Content warning: This article includes mentions of antisemitism.
During the last days of Ramadan, Israeli forces assaulted Muslim worshippers a the Al-Aqsa Mosque firing sponge-tipped bullets, tear gas and stun grenades. In occupied East Jerusalem, four Palestinian families were facing forced dispossession from their homes in Sheikh Jarrah. A few days later, Israeli forces bombed Gaza, killing generations of families. These violent acts committed by Israel is a reminder of how apartheid works, and how they aim to ethnically cleanse Palestinians and replace them with Israeli settlers. The death and destruction within Gaza and the occupied East Jerusalem neighbourhoods gained international attention and solidarity from many countries.
On social media, the support and solidarity for Palestinians have gained momentum by sharing videos, photos, infographics on the history, culture, and current situation in Palestine. All across the globe, protests were held to call out the state-sanctioned violence of Israeli forces, the forced expulsion, ethnic cleansing, and the settler-colonialism of Israeli forces against Palestinians. Despite the popularity, these protests and online activism gained, some took towards misleading and exploiting Palestinian trauma and suffering.
Most of the headlines noted the state-sanctioned Israeli violence against native Palestinians and the ongoing genocide and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians since 1948. This year marked the 73rd anniversary of the Nakba (the Catastrophe in Arabic), which is the expulsion of over 700,000 native Palestinians by Israeli militia forces. It refers to the colonisation, massacres, dispossession, rapes, theft of land and forceful exile of Palestinian people by Zionists. The dispossession of Palestinian people and the horrific violence they are facing is still ongoing and continuous to this day.
In the Maldives, local channels aired segments that were conflating Zionism, a fascist ideological movement, and Judaism, an Abrahamic religion that dates back thousands of years. These segments highlighted that the issue in Palestine was a “religious conflict” and spoke of Jewish people as the enemy. However, what’s happening in Palestine cannot simply be reduced down to a “religious conflict,” “clashes,” or “war.” By promoting these sentiments as the cause of the problem in Palestine, the support and solidarity for Palestine become heavily misguided.
Maldivian media conflating Judaism and Zionism
Since the massacre in Gaza, Maldivian media outlets have dedicated programs to raise awareness on the issue and opened donation boxes as aid to Gazans. While the intention here is to provide food and other materials for those affected by these attacks, the media tends to focus only on a group of people: Muslim Palestinians. The guest hosts who appear on these programs tend to conflate Judaism and Zionism, often using the terms “Zionists and Jewish people” interchangeably. The notion here is that all Jewish people are responsible for the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians, which is the narrative that is being led by the Maldivian media channels. This is misleading and this sort of antisemitism limits the liberation of Palestine.
By conflating Judaism and Zionism, and interchangeably using these two terms to spread misinformation and lies are inherently a problem within Maldivian society. When raising awareness on information like this, semantics are critical. The issue stems from years of propaganda and misinformation to spread hatred towards Jewish people. Instead of generalising and using the term, “yahoodheen” (Jewish people in Dhivehi) which is also used as a slur, use the terms, “Israeli settlers,” “Zionists,” or “Israeli Jews”.
In addition to these false conceptions of Jewish people, guests on these programs are promoting the narrative that the ethnic cleansing of Palestine is a religious conflict, and informing the public that Palestine is a Muslim country. Historically, Palestine consists of Muslims, Christians and Jewish people, and includes diverse groups of people such as Afro-Palestinians too. Reducing it down to a religious conflict harms the liberation of Palestine. When Palestinians speak of liberating their homeland, they are speaking for all Palestinians, regardless of status or religion. Nevertheless, the local media continues to promote the idea that liberating Palestine is only a cause for Muslims around the world.
What is Zionism?
Zionism is an ideological movement founded by Theodor Herzl in the late 1800s. The ideological movement was a response to the European antisemitism that Jewish people faced. Herzl believed that they would never be safe if they were a minority in a state, so his objective was to choose a destination where Jewish people can call home and a state where they were the majority.
The aim is to understand what Zionism is, its history and what it means as a movement. It is a national movement for a Jewish homeland, and a movement that believes in ethnically cleansing native people from their homeland, and a settler-colonial movement. Simply put, Zionism is white settler colonialism. Israel could not exist without Zionism. Herzl wrote, “We shall endeavour to expel the poor population across the border unnoticed ー the process of expropriation and the removal of the poor must be carried out discreetly and circumspectly.” He has also openly expressed the removal of the native Palestinian population.
While there is nothing wrong with Jewish self-determination, Zionists continue to frame this as “the idea that Jewish people have a right to return to their own nation.” As a result in 1948, this ideological movement has turned into the genocide of Palestinians. What’s important to understand here is that this is not Judaism, but purely Zionism and that they cannot be used interchangeably. Additionally, it is critical to recognize that Israel is a settler-colonial entity that is backed by the Zionist movement, and supported by the Zionist ideology.
The root of antisemitism in the Maldives
Where does antisemitism exist in the Maldives? It starts at home, cultivated within academic syllabuses at school, and continuously aggrandized through what is consumed in the media. Religious textbooks, preachings at mosques, cultural stereotypes, and tales antagonizing Jewish people are taught at an early age, forcing the belief of this misconception. Accounts of Jewish people being thieves and liars are told to spread fear and hatred amongst these people.
Today, this antisemitism is utilized in spreading false information regarding the ethnic cleansing of Palestine. Scholars and hosts are interchangeably using Jewish people and Zionists to spread antisemitism and further their own agendas. Spreading these sentiments on social media and elsewhere further perpetuates the narrative that Jewish people are terrible people.
The violent acts of Israeli settlers and forces are distressing but there is no need to be antisemitic. It is impossible to fight for the liberation of Palestinians while being antisemitic to Jewish people. This behaviour is not accepted nor is it welcomed within the Palestinian community and diaspora.
The exploitation of Palestinian struggles
People from across the world marched and protested against Israeli’s apartheid regime and the violent acts committed on occupied Palestine. Messages of solidarity and support were shared on social media and these protests were changing the narrative of Israel on social media. Photos and videos were shared of Palestinians singing and celebrating amidst the chaos as they called to end the genocide and ethnic cleansing of Palestine. Simultaneously, images of injured and dead children were shared on social media platforms for people to understand the gravity of these crimes.
However, in the Maldives, things were a bit different. As the news of the massacres surfaced online, Maldivians shared their messages of solidarity. This support, while with good intentions, came with antisemitism, performative activism, and exploitation of the Palestinian struggle.
Photographers shot images of Maldivian children cosplaying as Gazan children that were injured or killed. Some people believed that adopting Palestinian children would be a good solution to end the suffering. They thought that if these kids were removed from their homes they would not have to live in fear and suffer through the trauma in a wartorn country. Leading up to the protests in the Maldives, people charged hefty prices for flags and banners. An excessive amount of traumatic videos of Palestinian children, men and women were shared online via local channels constantly showing videos of Palestinians in distress. Also, many urged people to pay attention to what’s happening in Palestine as they did for Geroge Floyd’s murder last year.
It’s important to call out these narratives in our community even when these good intentions may seem performative and problematic. Religious scholars and hosts were centring Maldivians around this entire situation while also spreading misinformation about Jewish people. People who exploit these moments are not supporting the liberation of Palestine; rather they are doing this to confirm their hatred towards a certain type of people that has been branded the enemy by false misconceptions.
There is no point in fighting for the liberation of Palestine if the intention is to exploit Palestinians’ traumas. Trauma porn, coined by Chloé Meley, refers “to the perverse fascination with other people’s misfortune; a phenomenon which has become increasingly pervasive in a digital era where pain is commodified, and upsetting portrayals of it stripped of their emotional impact as they sink into the depths of content overload.” Sharing gruesome content and calling it a day does not equal solidarity and liberation if the intent is to be a bigot, racist, and antisemitic.
What can non-Palestinians do to help native Palestinians liberate their land?
In these times of crisis, many Maldivians are displaying a saviour complex, believing that it’s their job to save minorities from traumatic experiences. Their goal is not to help vulnerable people but to make themselves look better in the process of raising awareness on that issue. This saviour complex was displayed when Maldivians discussed whether they should adopt Palestinian children. Even if these intentions are good, these sentiments forget so many facts such as removing Palestinian kids from their homes. These kids have lived through years of war and terror, what happens to their mental health? Adopting children is not the solution to the problem as it removes them from their culture, history and traditions. This initiative is deeply problematic because it is performative and it does not solve any problems. The option of adopting orphaned or fostering Maldivian children is available, so why are we looking for solutions like that?
FYI anti-semitism has no place in the narrative & fight to free Palestine. This isn’t about pitting religious groups & don’t let anyone make you think otherwise.
This is about illegal occupation/ settler colonialism. About apartheid & basic human rights of Palestinian people.
— mariam⁷ is not here (@helloiammariam)
Instead of being performative and creating unnecessary solutions, the best way to show support and solidarity to this cause is by amplifying Palestinian voices, which is what they have asked everyone to do. By talking about the Israeli apartheid regime and sharing videos, photos, and most importantly, information about the genocide and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians covers the truth on what’s happening in the occupied territories. Non-Palestinians should be calling out racist and antisemitic sentiments within their communities and urge people to stop watching local channels that promote hate speech towards Jewish people and reduce this to a religious conflict.
Palestinians from all across the globe have urged people to listen to them and share their stories. The struggle for Palestinian freedom is for all, and that means extending the support for Palestinian Muslims, Christians and Jewish people who are living under a fascist and violent state. Religious scholars are portraying a false narrative of Jewish people by spreading hatred and fear amongst people. Many Palestinians have stated that antisemitism and Islamophobia have no place in the liberation of Palestine. Condemning the violent actions of Israeli forces can be achieved without spreading antisemitism and interchangeably speaking about Zionists and Jewish people. Palestinian liberation is an anti-racist and antisemitic movement, and if you are aligned with those negative sentiments, you are on the wrong side of history.
Resources:
Here are some resources, reading materials, articles, social media accounts, websites and apps that you can follow to learn more about Palestinian history, culture and traditions. Please amplify Palestinian voices and follow these accounts to learn more about what’s happening.
- Reading Materials about Palestine
- More resources (original tweet by Jennifer Jajeh)
- Decolonize Palestine
- Mariam Barghouti — Instagram / Twitter
- Middle East Eye — Instagram / Twitter
- KEY48 — مفتاح٤٨ — Instagram / Twitter
- Mohammed El Kurd — Instagram / Twitter
- Rosemary Ghattas/we.shall.return
- Eye On Palestine
- Palestinian Youth Movement
- Hidden Palestine
- The IMEU — Instagram / Twitter
- LET’S TALK PALESTINE
- As A Palestinian & Ex-Journo, The Coverage Of Gaza By Aussie Media Outlets Has Devastated Me by Jennine Khalik
- All Solidarity with the Palestinian Resistance by Alana Lentin
- What will it take for Palestinians to be heard? by Randa Abdel-Fattah
