-KHAN ANAS ZAID

I was born and raised in lower middle class Muslim family. My childhood was the period when Israel- Palestine war was hot issue that were discussed in communities. that community discussion gave me my first political ideology. in a war between Israel and Palestine I supported Palestine because they were Muslims and assumed all Israelis people are merciless. with that reason I started supporting Hitler’s genocide in Germany. with time my thoughts we’re started becoming too extreme and radical. infact somebody told me that hitler didn’t killed all jews because he wanted to proof the world that jews are dangerous for the world.and with context of Palestine Israel war I believed it. I believed that Muslims are innocent and victim of all kind of violence around the world.

I never thought rationally and never questioned my belief and its bases until Burma- Rohingya issue came in public. In the name of Islamophobia Burmese government supported killing of thousands of people. I found some similarities between Burmese government stand and Adolf Hitler’s stand. they both used “fear and violence” as their weapon for genocide. they both made minorities as their villain of their problems. If Hitler did was right then then what Burmese Buddhist did was also correct. but I was in support of Rohongya Muslims.

That was the first time made me question my beliefs and ideology. but Rohingya genocide taught me many things. it taught me not to believe everything that hear and told. it also taught me to think rationally with reasoning. I also learnt that to before making any conclusions we should listen what other party want to say. With this new enlightenment I started to reframe my belief and ideologies.

The problem that Found that we unknowingly make our bases of thinking to radical and extreme which also prevent from thinking and listening to other  people’s beliefs. that leads to violence

Yes, Palestine should be supported because they are victims of war and inhumane violence and Israel should be opposed not because they are Jews but because they are mercilessly slaughtering innocent Palestine people. But we should understand that Palestine-Israel battle is not between Muslims and Jews. Strife is in between Israel government and Palestinian natives which includes Cristian, Druze, Samaritan people too. So war is not against the religion Islam and Muslims but  for land, power and resources.

It’s easy to paint whole community as villain and terrorist. Half truth leads towards radicalization and fundamentalism. And its easy to manipulate radical and fundamentalist person. It also helps to play victim-villain game which again help to manipulate masses. So Victim-Villain methodology is widely used.

Germany and Burmese genocide are not only genocide that happened. Many countries and dictators were responsible for the genocide of their citizens through the 20th and 21st century. The mass murder are mostly done in the name of religion, purity & ideology.

There are some common factors in genocides

1) Exclusive ideologies

2) Powerful State Machinery which enables mass murder and the ability to mobilze and convince people for savage acts.

Thinking rationally and constant questioning are the keys that can refrain us from becoming radical and fundamentalist person.