Prof. Sam Lehman-Wilzig: Supporting Gazan “Browns” – But Not “Black” Sudanese & “Yellow” Uyghurs?
Not everyone who protests Israel’s war against Hamas is an antisemite, but it’s quite possible that most are displaying not-so-subtle racism. Indeed, “progressives” can be racist, without their realizing it.
The question that needs answering is this: Why are you protesting only against Israel’s war with Hamas and the death of tens of thousands of Gazan Palestinians, when far worse is happening elsewhere in the world? Indeed, if you’re deeply concerned about “brown” Palestinians, why not also “black” Sudanese and “yellow” Chinese Uyghurs?
Here’s the situation in Sudan. Two years ago (a few months before the Hamas attack against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023), civil war broke out between Sudan’s army and a rebel paramilitary group called the “Rapid Support Force.” Since then, according to the best estimates available, in a mere two years, approximately 150,000 black Sudanese have been killed, with over 14,000,000 (!) displaced – numbers that are exponentially larger than anything occurring in Gaza. But when was the last time you saw “progressives” demonstrating against this slaughter? Probably never.
Nor is this a strictly local affair (what used to be called a “civil war”; that’s a misnomer if there ever was one, given how uncivil the fighting). Several major external actors are heavily involved too: Russia, Iran, and Saudi Arabia, among a few others. These three countries support the Sudanese army, whereas Ethiopia, Chad, and the United Arab Emirates back the paramilitary guerrilla group.
Why, then, aren’t we hearing from any Western, progressive groups protesting such mass slaughter? Perhaps they feel that “Africa” is a lost cause in any case, with incessant fighting between and inside numerous countries. Or possibly a domestic civil war doesn’t have the same resonance as one between two different national, ethnic, or religious groups. Or maybe – just maybe – most progressives don’t consider blacks who live outside “the west” to be worth caring about. To be sure, no one would admit to this, but given the human rights disaster in the Sudan, the dearth of protest action by otherwise bleeding hearts does demand their providing some rational explanation. Barring that, subconscious racism is as good an explanation as any.
The situation is somewhat different regarding the Uyghurs in China. However, from a human rights perspective (what progressives seem to most care about), what’s happening there is no less appalling. The Communist Chinese government is attempting – and to a large extent succeeding – in eradicating the culture and language of more than 10,000,000 Uyghurs living in northwest China. Since 2017, the authorities there have imprisoned more than 1,000,000 Uyghurs. The rest who have not been detained are still subject to constant surveillance, various religious restrictions, and even involuntary labor and forced sterilization.
A UN report has suggested that these Chinese government actions probably constitute crimes against humanity; the United States has determined that China’s overall Uyghur policy amounts to genocide.
In this case, however, the situation isn’t strictly “non-western” – the Uyghurs are mostly a Moslem group with a Turkish-speaking ethnicity. So, where’s the possible subtle racism here? It lies not in the victim but in the persecutors: the Chinese are non-Western (“yellow” if one wants to use racist terminology), so from a progressive perspective, what can we expect from them? Certainly not upholding human rights.
The cognitive dissonance here is huge. Moslem Palestinians deserve support, but not Moslem Uyghurs? “Western” Israel is a vile aggressor, but not the “Eastern” Chinese Communists? This is a classic case of political-ideological incoherence.
In a twisted sort of way, one could consider the continued vilification of Israeli policy vis-à-vis the Palestinians to be a backhanded compliment: progressives hold Israel to a “higher standard” than to Black African nations or the Chinese. If so, this might be a function of Israel’s own ethos of aspiring to be a “Light Unto the Nations,” with the world holding Israelis to the value system that the Jewish State itself espouses.
Nevertheless, there is a large measure of hypocrisy in the almost singular focus on Israel’s actions, ignoring far worse national behavior elsewhere. That’s because progressives should be deciding on whom to protest based on neutral “victimization” criteria, and not based on extraneous considerations such as racial, ethnic, or religious “proximity.”
To be sure, not every progressive is an antisemite, and not every liberal protester hates Jews (many are Jewish themselves). However, all of them should ask themselves this tough question: Why is all my bile directed only at the Jewish State?
