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The discourse on terrorism is generally devoid of historical perspectives (‘terrorists are pure evil’ is one popular trope) and lacks any positionality because, it is assumed, terrorists simply live outside of morality and social norms. But such ahistorical and essentialist attitudes came to haunt this discourse when a former terrorist, Nelson Mandela, became a Nobel Peace Prize winner, or, more recently, when Osama bin Laden, a former American ally, ‘turned’ terrorist. The discourse on terrorism also does not account for state terrorism, whereby state institutions such as the army or police inflict violence on civilian populations, as was the case in Nicaragua and Chechnya (and by the US via the Contras). This last point is particularly missing from the discourse on the Palestinian–Israeli conflict. All attacks on Israelis, whether inside the 1967 border or outside, whether targeting soldiers or civilians, are dubbed terrorist attacks. But dropping a one-ton bomb from an Israeli airplane on a five-story Palestinian house, in which a militant may be present, knowing full well that dozens of civilians will be killed, is hardly ever described in Western media as terrorism.

Dorit Naaman, 2007

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From the Freedom Flotilla, April 27 2024:

On Thursday afternoon, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition was contacted by the Guinea Bissau International Ships Registry (GBISR), requesting an inspection of our lead ship – Akdenez. This was a highly unusual request as our ship had already passed all required inspections; nevertheless, we agreed. The inspector arrived on Thursday evening. On Friday afternoon, before the inspection was completed, the GBISR, in a blatantly political move, informed the Freedom Flotilla Coalition that it had withdrawn the Guinea Bissau flag from two of the Freedom Flotilla’s ships, one of which is our cargo ship, already loaded with over 5000 tons of life-saving aid for the Palestinians of Gaza. In its communication informing us of this cancelation, the GBISR made specific reference to our planned mission to Gaza. It also made several extraordinary requests for information, including confirmation of the ships’ destination, any potential additional port calls, and the discharge port for humanitarian aid and estimated arrival dates and times. It further demanded a formal letter explicitly approving the transportation of humanitarian aid and a complete manifest of the cargo. Again, this is a highly unusual move from a flagging authority. Normally, national flagging authorities concern themselves only with safety and related standards on vessels bearing their flag, and are not concerned with the destination, route, cargo manifests or the nature of a specific voyage. Just like when you register your car, the authorities don’t require you to detail to them every place you are going to go with the car. Sadly, Guinea-Bissau has allowed itself to become complicit in Israel’s deliberate starvation, illegal siege and genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. Israel is showing the world the extent to which it will go to deny Palestinians the aid they need to stay alive, in direct contravention of International Humanitarian Law, UN Security Council resolutions, and two orders of the International Court of Justice. [...] without a flag, we cannot sail. But, this is not the end. Israel cannot and will not crush our resolve to break its illegal siege and reach the people of Gaza. The people of Gaza and all of Palestine remain steadfast under the most horrific, unimaginable conditions. We take strength from their incredible, inexplicable ability to maintain their humanity, dignity and hope when the world has given them no reason to do so. It is our responsibility to keep that hope alive. WE WILL SAIL.

The Freedom Flotilla, which was set to depart from Turkey on the 27th of April with 5000 tons of life-saving aid, has now been delayed because Israel and the United States has pressured Guinea Bissau to withdraw its flag from the Flotilla's lead ship.

Seeing as how their tactics worked on Guinea Bissau, organizers now fear that Israel and the US will exert the same pressure on whichever country the Freedom Flotilla attempt to register their ship under next.

To help the Freedom Flotilla reach Gaza, please keep an eye out for further updates from the organizers. Right now, as of April 27th, they're asking people to help boost their visibility, and to donate to their member campaigns.

For more info, see their webpage.

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Gaza's municipality is trying to raise money to fix and restore Gaza's water system. Please support them by boosting and/or donating

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Israel has deployed auto-firing quadcopters that emit the sounds of crying babies.

https://xtwitter.com/jam_etc_art/status/1780038184828608975

There is no possible reality where this is in any way capable of being passed off as self-defense. It was never self-defense. It is, and always has been, a genocide.

Crying babies. Crying babies. This is, beyond a shadow of a doubt, meant to draw out and kill civilians while also making it far more difficult to locate and aid children who are trapped or alone.

If you have money to spare, please consider donating to some of the fundraisers on Operation Olive Branch to help people escape this genocide.

End the occupation. Free Palestine.

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DONT STOP TALKING ABOUT PALESTINE! DONT STOP TAKING ABOUT GAZA!

DONT LET THEM MAKE YOU FORGET!!

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The Islamic Origins of the Jedi

Ramadan starts in a few days so I figured that now was a great time to talk about this!

(Disclaimer: My point here isn’t to detract from other sources of inspiration that GL used to create the Jedi, but simply to point out another, lesser known one that many often overlook or intentionally refuse to acknowledge.)

I’m Muslim. My family follows the Hanafi madhab, and the guidance of the Naqshbandi order of Sufi masters, mystics, and teachers. I’m by no means an expert or a scholar, but the Sufi theology and view of the Divine is so clearly prevalent as one of the many inspirations for the Force and the Jedi, that it’s hard to get ignore - and it’s hard to watch while people choose to ignore it.

For starters, we know that during his research for the films, George Lucas met and consulted with the Habibiyyah Sufi order in California. He asked questions and learned what they believed.

Something else that’s hard to ignore is the robes that the Jedi wear! I know they’re commonly thought to be inspired by other origins, but I’d like to point out that the traditional Sufi robes look similar to the Jedi as well.

Still not convinced?

Let’s look at the origins of the word ‘Jedi’. While most believe that it comes from the word ‘jidaigeki’, as GL has mentioned in passing, there is an Arabic equivalent that’s translated to fit the meaning of the Jedi Order with surprising accuracy.

The word is Al-Jeddi, which translates to ‘master of the mystic warrior way’.

In an article released by a prominent Sufi Muslim order, ‘jeddi’ is mentioned by name and a definition that looks and sounds familiar to the Jedi Order of Star Wars and how the Force is viewed by them:

“We are, at our core, a Movement of Jeddi; Sufi masters of Futuwwat ("the Way of the mystic-warrior"). We encourage adherents to train both physically AND spiritually, for their own personal edification and to enhance their knowledge and abilities in the Struggle. The Balance does not lie alone in contemplation, prayer and meditation; nor does it lie alone in action and revolution.”

At the end of the day, we know that Star Wars appropriated from many, many sources that went mostly uncredited and ignored - in ways that had lasting and negative impacts on the peoples and cultures that served as inspiration - and this was one of them.

One of my biggest complaints about the appropriation present here is that it is an opportunity missed - a big one. There was an opportunity to educate, to help others understand what is often misunderstood, simply by being transparent about what you took, from whom, and most importantly, why.

So I’m sharing this with you now, because education is everything, and it is so, so important to be aware of examples of things like this in the media we consume!

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bail funds for pro-palestine activists

a15 bail and legal defense fund (supporting community members criminalized in the us for solidarity with palestine)

university of texas at austin students bail fund venmo @ psc_atx (livestream)

columbia students bail fund venmo @ bcabolitioncollective

as of april 15 ct dissenters (new york and connecticut) need bail funs for arrested activists: zelle: [email protected] cashapp: $BristolAntiRacism (use "april gift" in your memo so contributions can be tracked)

the palestine legal defense fund supports acitvists across the united states

palestine legal defence also supplies free legal support for activists

the national bail fund network may update with local bail fund efforts as events continue to unfold

this list is updated as of 24 april 10pm EST. i'll try to update as i find further bail funds and legal supports: if you know of other funds or if information shared here is incorrect, please reblog with updated info (+ a timestamp) so people can give and access support.

palestine will be free, solidarity forever 🍉 🇵🇸

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im noticing that for a lot of americans “free palestine” has been an ideological motto and symbol rather than them actually believing in their heart that freedom is attainable and necessary

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places to donate for tigray

for those who are unaware of what is going on in tigray, omnitigray has an in-depth piece on the genocide happening right now and the history leading up to it. tigray has had an internet blackout since 2020 so there is very little accessible day-to-day information. however the atrocities that are known are clear and alarming, and the tigrayan people need attention and support.

https://www.ahwatnarelief.org

links are all sourced from this linktree, which also has more educational sources and an informational poster for sharing.

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TWO HOURS AGO: israeli tanks are headed towards rafah, they are moving forward with their ground assault. as we all watch the solidarity encampments across the us, REMEMBER WHAT THOSE STUDENTS ARE FIGHTING FOR! DO NOT LOOK AWAY FROM PALESTINE!!

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Incredibly alarming that talks of “peace” in Gaza seem to extend no further than a ceasefire. How do you think they’re gonna start off where they left off themselves? Their houses are destroyed, so many have lost mothers and fathers and brothers and children, they still have no clean water and no food. Any area Israel withdraws out of is an area it already knows has been rendered inhospitable. There was even a direct quote by some IOF soldier gleefully stating how he “wasn’t sure Palestinians could go back to their homes.” So what happens when the US “succeeds at negotiating a ceasefire”? Who will be responsible for helping the Palestinians rebuild all that they’ve lost?

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my brother's friend is currently attempting to escape from gaza to get medical treatment - if anybody could donate or share this link, it would mean a lot! thank you!

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Russian Warriors Clan Emblems.

From top to bottom: ThunderClan, ShadowClan, WindClan, RiverClan, SkyClan, and the Tribe of Rushing Water

#these are sick as fuck #but ngl. I thought these were tramp stamps at first glance #warrior cats

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Please help Fadi’s family evacuate from Gaza, they’re a new gfm and nowhere close to their goals and need assistance immediately - share, donate, and send to your friends and family!

https://www.gofundme.com/f/yt83p-rebuilding-lives

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I was at a courthouse once, and saw an indigenous australian woman in a dressing gown very carefully and gingerly making her way down the steps outside the courthouse, surrounded by family who were helping her down the stairs. We asked if she was OK, because she looked awful. She looked like she should have been wrapped up in bed with blankets and hot soup, not on the steps of a courthouse.

One of her family told us that she had given birth yesterday evening, but that Child Protection services had taken her baby away with no warning, claiming that she wasnt prepared to look after him. What had happened, is that she'd literally only just given birth -- hadn't even passed the afterbirth yet, is holding her blood-coated, crying, newborn baby to her chest -- and a nurse asked what her feeding plan was. She was tired from the birth and distracted by the brand new baby in her arms and thrown off by the timing of the question, but still, she managed to answer, and said she planned to breastfeed him whenever he was hungry.

Well apparently that wasn't enough of a plan for the hospital staff, who reported her and claimed that she was unprepared to look after the child, and claimed that had no social supports, and that the baby was at risk if left with her. All because a brand new mother, 30 seconds after giving birth, didn't have a PowerPoint presentation ready to go that cited the timing cycle she would feed her kid on, and instead simply said that she would feed him when he was hungry.

Child Protection services showed up, took her kid, and she was told to show up to court the next day to contest custody if she wanted her baby back.

So a woman who had given birth less than 24 hours prior was forced to rally her family and show up to court to prove that she a) had a feeding plan for the child, and b) had enough social supports to justify reclaiming her baby.

It was one of the most appalling things I'd ever seen. I don't even know if she won her case. They didn't know at the time we saw them, and after that brief interaction on the stairs, i never saw them again. I sincerely hope she got her newborn baby back.

That was about 5 years ago. And the exact same kind of thing is still happening today.

News broke today from a South Australian whistle-blower of the appalling treatment new mothers frequently receive, including hospital staff taking the baby away from the mother "for medical tests," only for the mother to then be told, with absolutely no prior warning, that the baby was not going to be returned to her.

Here's the article, and here are some excerpts: