My Thoughts on Palestine

It’s taken me weeks to even attempt to form a response to what is happening in the world. This post may be short (or really long), and it may not be very articulate, but I recognize the need to raise my voice and state my position.

If you’re reading this, I assume you know by now that I’m Bosnian-American. My parents were refugees from the Bosnian Genocide and we lost many, many family members to the conflict. Therefore, it should be understood that I unequivocally, 100% support the people of Palestine and the call for a free Palestine. I would argue that it is actually a form of my own cultural expression as a Bosniak to support Palestine; that is how deep our allyship goes to our Palestinian brothers and sisters. The fact of the matter is that Palestine is currently experiencing – and has been experiencing – an ethnic cleansing for 75+ years. And, even amongst all that, Palestinians raised what little they had, in order to send us aid during the Bosnian War in the 90s. To not reciprocate when Palestine needs the most help would be unconscionable.

I’ve always supported Palestine. Unfortunately, in my line of work and especially at this early level I’m at, I’ve been in rooms and in situations where people proudly stated their allyship with the oppressors, and I’ve always had to stay quiet lest I face professional repercussions. Well, you know what? I’m kind of sick of it.

I’m sick of crying every day because a part of our ummah is facing some of the worst terror you could inflict on a people. I’m sick of pretending like this issue is “complicated” when it’s really not. And I’m sick of forsaking my own values to not rock the boat. That’s not who I am and that’s not who I ever was. I stood for Black Lives Matter way before the death of George Floyd, I’ve been a feminist for longer than I can remember, and I speak all the time about the Uyghur people to anyone who would listen; not to mention my continued persistence in educating people on what exactly happened in Bosnia and how that lead to genocide. If I lose opportunities because I stand on the side of humanity, then let those opportunities fall. I do not want them, no matter how much voicing my opinion could harm my own career.

Does my stance make me antisemitic? Absolutely fucking not. I believe this conflict has nothing to do with religion and everything to do with governments and with power. Thus, while I stand with Palestine, I also stand against antisemitism. Those two things are not mutually exclusive.

Lastly: I will not argue with people. Unfortunately, the oppressors have done a great job in twisting the facts and rewriting history, but the truth will always be the truth. I don’t argue with people who deliberately want to misunderstand you.

I don’t yet know what the repercussions will be for this blog post, if there will be any. Part of me thinks maybe I shouldn’t post anything, that I don’t really have a platform yet anyway and this blog post would probably hurt me more than it would help Palestinians. But who would I be if I didn’t? What would that make me?

I heard a story, about a man who stood outside the White House alone every day with a candle to protest the Vietnam War. When asked why he’s doing it, the man replied, “I don’t do this to change the country. I do this so that the country won’t change me.”


How to help



Free Palestine.

 

 

xx Selma

Selma Ducanovic