https://sputnikglobe.com/20220306/why-do-arab-tweeps-support-russia-in-its-military-operation-in-ukraine---1093629609.html

Why Do Arab Tweeps Support Russia in Its Military Operation in Ukraine?

Why Do Arab Tweeps Support Russia in Its Military Operation in Ukraine?

Sputnik International

Arabic-language social media has been venting anger at the West for its double standards and the biased coverage of the Russian military operation in Ukraine... 06.03.2022, Sputnik International

2022-03-06T09:43+0000

2022-03-06T09:43+0000

2022-12-08T16:36+0000

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In the West, social media has taken sides from the very beginning of Russia's military operation in Ukraine that kicked off ten days ago. Tweeps and Facebook users are generally supporting the Ukrainian people and their government, while Russia is being depicted as the aggressor. United with Russia But the picture is different in Muslim and Arab countries, where people are venting anger at the West, especially against its policies and double standards. "The US is the number one criminal in the world," wrote one person, commenting on an article about the bounty promised to anyone who kills Russia's President Vladimir Putin. Another chimed in: "It is [the US] a country of all evil and of crime. There wouldn't be any war if it wasn't for the American action.""They are a gang of murderers and criminals and they have always been that way, since the establishment of their criminal state," a third user said.Fresh Wounds The Arab world has its own score to square with the West. Many still remember the 2003 invasion of Iraq, where the US was looking for weapons of mass destruction that were never found. That war left at least 184,000 Iraqi civilians dead, hundreds of thousands lost their houses, and the war-torn country is still struggling. The bombardment of Libya is also fresh in the minds of the Arab public. In 2011, a NATO coalition supported the forces that combatted then-Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. Eventually, that backing tilted the balance in favour of anti-government forces. The decades-long ruler was brutally killed by NATO-backed rebels, and so were civilians. The country was plunged into chaos from which it hasn't yet recovered. Then came 2017 and with it the US involvement in the Syrian civil war. For four months, Washington dropped some 10,000 bombs on the densely populated Raqqa that was the capital of Daesh's* “caliphate” at the time. But as part of their anti-terrorist ops, they also killed many civilians, destroyed the area's infrastructure, and plunged the country into a deeper crisis. This is why many people in the Arab-speaking world believe that in the Ukrainian case, the real culprit is again the US and its allies. Bias and Racism People are venting anger not only at America's foreign policy vis-a-vis Russia but also at the hypocrisy of the West and its double standards. Videos where American and European correspondents compare the skin, eye, and hair colour of Ukrainian refugees with those from the Middle East and Asia have gone viral. Caricatures depicting the emotions of the Arab world have emerged in many news publications. "You know why they [the West] don't cry over Pakistan? Because the murdered person is Muslim, the martyrs are Muslims. Their skin colour is dark, their eye colour isn't blue. Or in other words... the Pakistani victims are not Ukrainian," wrote one tweep. "The Russia-Ukraine war showed how racist the West is against Muslims! The trouble is that they were giving us lectures on humanity," wrote another user. Frustration is also being directed at the Ukrainians following a video where an alleged Ukrainian militant shoots bullets into what appears to be a block of lard, hoping to keep the Chechens, who are fighting in the ranks of the Russian forces, at bay, given Muslims don't eat pork. "This is evidence of how dirty and stupid the Ukrainians are," wrote one tweep. Another one added: "They are old Nazis – the original edition - and they have a political party with greater influence on Ukrainian politicians than their electoral share. They control the eastern and southern parts of Ukraine and are integrated into its armed forces." And a third one warned that such policy will eventually backfire. "Whoever mocks the words and religion of God has no place in life. They will not escape from God’s punishment, and God is their [Russian] guardian."*Daesh, also known as ISIS/IS/Islamic State is a terrorist group banned in Russia and many other countries.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20220224/the-height-of-hypocrisy-russia-criticised-but-how-many-times-has-nato-acted-without-approval-1093339428.html

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