I have seen no end of Muslims, almost exclusively Sunni, online and in real life, celebrating the fall of the Syrian Arab Republic. Even where I live, there are Syrians celebrating it. I don’t know if it’s just sectarianism, brainwashing, or ignorance, or some combination of it, but almost all of them I have seen are celebrating this.
Be it in comment sections, social media posts, cheering in the streets of European cities, etc. How have so many of these people consistently sided with Gaza from the start, but celebrate an Israeli backed terrorist takeover of Syria?
The reaction to stories from Al Jazeera revealing the reality in Palestine were unanimously celebrated by these same people as standing up for the truth, meanwhile, when the same Al Jazeera peddles anti-Syrian propaganda, they are happy to welcome it as equally good news.
I don’t want to lose faith in the Muslims and Arabs of the world, but if they’re so mixed up in sectarianism and willing to lap up the propaganda in support of a Jihadist regime, I can’t see how we’ll ever know peace or stability in the Middle east.
I suppose what astounds me is the lack of ideological or moral consistency. They shed all the tears and show all the outrage that anyone should when it comes to Palestine, or Lebanon. Yet are cheering alongside the very people they were loudly disagreeing with over those same issues when it comes to Syria.
This is in stark contrast to the western liberals, who’s worldview is 100% consistently aligned with western imperialism. They oppose everything they are told to by their leaders, and support everything they are told to.
With these Muslims and Arabs I mentioned, they are somehow capable of seeing through this narrative, but somehow inexplicably susceptible to be blinded by it in this instance. I guess it just shed a light on how hollow the anti-imperialist movement worldwide really is, and that not nearly as much consciousness has been built by the genocide and wars over the past years. It’s disappointing, and sobering.