Of contemplation and realizations  

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In November 2022 for the first time the world cup, a beloved game around the globe, was held in an Arab country. Qatar hosted the long awaited football tournament to see who's the best of the best. As an Arab who just moved to London, what I found interesting is the comments, controversy and criticism that came out of the UK, on simply where these games are being held, To the point of not airing the opening ceremony on BBC tv because of human right violations. Commenting on UKs false virtue, Ayman Mohyeldin, who is an Egyptian journalist based in New York for NBC News and MSNBC, said it best by mentioning just nine months before the world cup, BBC aired Chinas Winter Olympics ceremony, a country literally accused of committing genocide (AymanM, 2022). Don't get me wrong, I don't think there's an innocent country that hasn't committed some kind of human right violation. But this recent experience is a perfect example of how our world lacks genuine interconnectedness. Somehow we mastered to ‘other’ each; rather than celebrating our differences, we quickly criticize forgetting our own faults. Such situations are why I question influence; I was constantly bombarded by negative comments about Qatar and what's happening but it felt repetitive, like a broken record. What is our contribution when such comments are made? did any of those quick to oppose their opinions actually been to Qatar, or any other Arab country? have they tried making friends, did they visit their homes? Did they bother to ask why?  Throughout, I was in a state of awkwardness; my thoughts were in constant battle. conflicted, Part of who I am, where I came from, wanted to defend and fight back, while the part of me that wanted to make friends, blend-in to not create enemies, stayed quiet.

Today I saw a video on instagram, which is just one story of hundreds and thousands, of a group of Israeli settlers and occupiers attacking native Palestinians, and international visitors, hiking on Palestinian land. You can see people casually walking and then someone randomly running around hitting them with a large wooden stick (IMEU 2023). How much hate must one have to think it's ok to break bones and cause harm? When does anger take over logic and brutality becomes a right? What if that man was successful in his vicious beatings and killed someone.. Did he forget that he’d become a killer, or is that also worn as a badge of honor simply because of the ethnic background of his victim?  

In both scenarios, whether hateful comments towards Qatar, or the physical attacks and killings of the Palestinians, are strong derivatives of just simply being a member of a dominant entity. Being aware of the self, understanding where one stands irregardless of the larger community, is something one needs to constantly question; Going down to the core of everything, ‘who are you really’, or what kind of a person you want to be. By pointing out and readjusting our focus on the everyday, the things we do or say, are they with intention or just part of a cycle? Do we do it as part of how we perceive ourselves to be or is it part of adaptation for survival? Do we conform for the sake of belonging or from the fear of what might happen if we oppose the majority or the strong, and are we even aware of it ?