I'm Not Palestinian, But I Cry For Them Like My Own

Thoughts of someone witnessing modern-day colonization and genocide

I am not Muslim, but I pray for them like my own.

I am not a parent, but I love them like my own.

I am not a teacher, but I care for them like my own

I am not a doctor, but I want to help them like my own

I’m not a therapist, but I want to ease their mind, like my own.

I am not God, but I want to end their suffering like my own

Life is so precious in all forms. It brings the idea of rebirth, renewal, reform, transformation, happiness, ease, excitement, and anticipation.

So why must precious life die such an unruly and terrible death?

I’m not Palestinian, and I don't know anyone of Palestinian heritage. But I don't have to know one to empathize with them. I sit here, watching, hearing, listening, and consuming media from people who need help. There’s not one word or a series of words to convey my feelings. It's just utter disgust and terror that human life can be treated so poorly. All my five senses perk up, and goosebumps bring shivers throughout my body at the thought of what Palestinian, Congolese, and Sudanese people have been through.

There's so much suffering it's hard to stomach. A Palestinian woman who does regular updates on Tik's Tok didn't make one today because her friend called her to say her entire bloodline has been wiped out.

Her whole family. Dead. Here yesterday, gone today. This is not a new or original story to her.

I broke down in tears and wept.

I wept like it was my own.

My own family, my own children. My own parents, my own siblings.

Some parts of me find it ridiculous to cry about things on my phone. I would be insane and heartless not to feel the pain. That’s an insensitivity level I never want to reach. I can't help but feel a minuscule of the sheer pain of what she's going through. My heart hurts and aches for everyone living in Gaza.

Being the only family member alive is a fate worse than death.

I wept like they were my own.

My children.

Another video explained how a reporting of 45 family bloodlines ceased to exist; every single person in 45 different families had been killed.

I'm not Palestinian, but I don't have to be to have sympathy; I have to be human.

How does God not hear the striking, ear-piercing screams of mothers crying out for their dead sons and daughters?

How does God not see the bloodshed that spills and seeps into the Mediterranean Sea?

I'm not Palestinian; I am crying for you like my own

I’m not Palestinian; I am standing up for you like my own.

I'm not Palestinian, but I'm fighting for you like my own.

It's easy to side with the oppressors and ignore what’s happening. It’s easy to turn off your phone and do something else, watch something else in the comfort of your own home. People believe what they choose to believe instead of looking at the facts and history. This is nothing new; now, it is being recorded for the world to see and realize the atrocities.

Think for yourself. We are in unprecedented times, watching in real time a genocide.

Angela Davis, Malcolm X, and Nelson Mandela have long stood with Palestine.

Black liberation and Palestine liberation are cousins. We see you, hear you, and come for you. You are not alone. Millions around the globe stand with you and hear your cries. Justice will be served, and in God’s name, all will heal.

From the river to the sea, Palestine will be Free.