White skin matters
IN the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, the Ukrainian Administration has started evacuating women, children and elderly people to move to the neighbouring countries, and directed healthy men with the age range between 20-50 to stay and fight for their country.
In several videos shared on social media civilians have been seen on roads blocking the path of Russian troops and tanks.
This might be a possible reason for resistance that Russia has so far faced and is limiting it to further advance towards Kiev.
Either someone can call it a human shield tactic by Ukraine or it is their ire that forced them to stand bravely.
As per Al-Jazeera report, more than 520,000 people have fled the country in search of safe havens.
The US, EU, NATO and other organizations associated with the West had come up in support of Ukraine by imposing severe sanctions to hit the Russian economy.
But recently the sports bodies FIFA and UEFA have also come up with surprising announcements, suspending Russian football teams, whether national representative teams or club teams, from participation in both competitions until further notice.
If a nation can be banned from such participations, then how come a self-proclaimed country Israel is allowed to participate when its heinous crimes are beyond explanation?
FIFA and UEFA represent themselves as non-political organizations and show their dedication towards football only.
On 17 August 2016 when Celtic football fans waived Palestinians flags showing their solidarity with Palestine during the match, the club was charged a fine of £8,616 for displaying ‘illicit banner’.
The remarks from the European’s football governing body were, “No politics in football”.
But recently, the football governing bodies banned Russia from all competitions showing their double standards.
Now people of other countries especially the students that are stranded in Ukraine and are waiting to flee have become a point of concern.
The local administration is helping their people to flee safely, but on the other hand, videos circulated on social media and news have raised questions upon the harsh behaviour towards the foreigners.
A video showed where the Ukrainian military personnel are seen dragging and kicking the female Indian students refraining them to leave.
In this regard, an Indian news channel News18 has reported a female student remarks as,” Police used chili, pepper sprays” to stop them.
The news channel is seeing this as anger from Ukraine towards India for its abstained vote in UN Security Council.
But this doesn’t seem likely because in another video, African students were also seen crying for their safe flee to Poland but the authorities on both sides were reluctant to let them.
In the past, we can see that these European nations have always seemed unwilling to accept Muslim asylum seekers or refugees when their countries were under siege of the West, especially the NATO.
After the 9/11 incident, more than two million people left their countries in search of safe lands to save their families.
In this regard, the Hungarian Prime Minister built a fence against the migrants and called himself as a defender of Christian Europe.
The world cannot forget the picture of Alan Kurdi, a 3-year-old Syrian boy, whose body was found on 2nd of September 2015 near the Mediterranean Sea where he, along with his family, was drowned trying to reach Europe.
The picture made global headlines.The point is, Ukraine has an opportunity to gain the world attention by assisting these helpless people.
But the reality is somehow bitter and opposite to this.The West is only concerned about the Ukrainians.
The Ukraine’s Ambassador to the UN, Sergiy Kyslytsya in his speech at the UN read the last text messages of a Ukrainian soldier with his mother – which indeed were depressing – gained sympathy on the world stage.
But what about the sons and daughters of other nations?The whole Europe and western media not just seems biased but is polarized.
Ukraine desires the world to condemn Russian actions but did it ever condemn the atrocities of the US, NATO, Israel and India in the Middle East, Africa, Palestine and Kashmir?
In fact, without being a member of NATO, it participated with its tanks in NATO-led missions in Iraq in 2004.
Why is the West divided upon prejudice?Why only white skin matters?These European nations have a brief history of molesting mankind.Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin were all Europeans.
Another big figure that is not prominent was King Leopold II of Belgium, who killed nearly 10 million Congolese people in Africa.
But the main culprits portrayed in today’s media are Taliban, Al-Qaeda, etc.
They have bombed millions of innocent people, raped women, captured their resources and performed all those possible evil actions they could have in the name of a so-called war, but whenever a child throws back a stone, they portray him as a terrorist and call it a threat to their sovereignty.
The conflict between Russia and Ukraine is indeed condemnable but the double standard envisage the ghoulish intentions and the deep wicked character of the West as well.
—The is working at Assistant Director in WAPDA.
