On the anniversary of the Jan. 6 #CapitolInsurrection, I’m reminded: This IS who we are. We are a nation of #WhiteSupremacy. As a counter to the US “this isn’t who we are” narratives related to #RacialInjustice, #StateViolence & prejudice, I’ve pieced together the following post.
The following are excerpts from my Jan. 2021 op-ed in @Truthout: “If @POTUS Wants to Confront White Supremacy, He Must Also End the #WarOnTerror.’”
"Solving the problem of #WhiteSupremacy is seen as a simple matter of removing those who embody it."
"The mainstream reaction to the #CapitolBreach also exemplifies this misperception of the roots of #WhiteSupremacy."
"Questions abound on how this could have happened, revealing how many Americans only recognize the most overt expressions of #WhiteSupremacy."
"This approach reduces the problem of #WhiteSupremacy to one that is manifested only within individuals, not systems."
"Large swaths of the American public remain ignorant of the fact that much of the #ContemporaryViolence in Arab countries stems from the same source as the violence being expressed domestically: #WhiteSupremacy."
"While the #UnitedStates contends internally with endemic #WhiteSupremacist violence, it's also time to reckon with the repercussions the U.S.'s white supremacy has outside its borders."
"If we are to confront #WhiteSupremacy in its totality, this means that we must understand its place in the #WarOnTerror and the ways in which they intersect and fuel each other."
1/10 The recently released @HBO documentary “The Forever Prisoner” ignores the ongoing brutal harms against Abu Zubaydah, the focus of the documentary, and all victims of the “War on Terror.”
2/10 The shortcomings of filmmaker Alex Gibney’s documentary remind us that justice delayed is justice denied and acknowledging harm should be a goal worth pursuing in and of itself.
3/10 Ultimately, Gibney’s film falls short of this goal.
Today on #HumanRightsDay, I'm thinking of former #Guantanamo prisoner Nizar Sassi who said, "if you want a definition of this place, you don't have the right to have rights." (Find the rest of my thoughts in the thread below.)
I'm also thinking about how, despite commemorating a day meant to celebrate universal human rights, that many in the global majority are denied these rights, with some outright expelled from the global community on the basis of being undeserving.
I'm thinking about the Palestinian people, the Sudanese people, and everywhere else across the globe where people are rising up against state violence and repression. I'm thinking of those who take their rights whether or note the state decides to bestow rights upon them.
Today on #HumanRightsDay, I'm thinking of former #Guantanamo prisoner Nizar Sassi who said, "if you want a definition of this place, you don't have the right to have rights." (Find the rest of my thoughts in the thread below.)
I'm also thinking about how, despite commemorating a day meant to celebrate universal human rights, that many in the global majority are denied these rights, with some outright expelled from the global community on the basis of being undeserving.
I'm thinking about the Palestinian people, the Sudanese people, and everywhere else across the globe where people are rising up against state violence and repression. I'm thinking of those who take their rights whether or note the state decides to bestow rights upon them.
I recently learned from @fatemaaaahmad that @Middlebury is developing a CVE game. This is disappointing, but not surprising. A decade ago, I got a scholarship to study #Arabic at Middlebury's summer institute and my experience there was pretty disturbing
National security was an undertone of the program. My class included a student from the #ARMY, the #CIA, and a #Zionist. Instead of studying #Arabic in peace, I felt like I constantly had to do better because I knew that Arabic was going to used to hurt members of my community
At one point during the summer, the CIA came to do a presentation on careers with them since Arabic language skills would be a valuable asset. I didn't attend the presentation because I couldn't handle it, but my friend who passed by the room said it was overflowing with students