Thread by @jwimimssi

this disparity in reaction can be very easily summarized from both an architectural and social pov. if we start by looking at it architecturally, you'll find that before this week a lot of people were not even aware of what alaqsa mosque looked like it +

https://twitter.com/islamphobiacow/status/1391896899943272449

or what its importance is in Islam. and that is a thing that's very prevalent when it comes to Islamic architecture and how it fares in comparison with early Christian architecture. +

As a middle eastern architect, this disparity was even obvious in my studies. i learned so much about churches and their evolutions and the importance of those buildings but when it came to Islamic architecture, everything was much more lowkey. +

The biggest reason for that was because as time went by, colonialism destroyed a big part of this heritage. our holy sites were desecrated and torn down by colonial settlers and that immediately completely removed the sacred value of mosques in the eyes of the west. +

Now from a social pov, the world just does not give an ounce of care about what happens in Muslim countries. the view that most Muslim countries are backwater 3rd world countries that are already suffering so why should I care that they're suffering more? +

and that's where the west's power-play comes into action. that's what they want you to think. they want you to not care so they could take our lands and destroy our homes and no one would bat an eyelash cause no one would know and if they did, they wouldn't care. +

i'm not surprised at the world's silence at alaqsa's burning. I've grown up watching it burn time and time again and witnessed the Palestinian resilience in the face of a world that never cared. +

What we need rn is for people to open their eyes and show their support, show their governments that they're not blind anymore and that they can see the atrocities their silence funds. We can't and won't stay silent and Palestine will be free. #SaveSheikhJarrah #SavePalestine