#asmaa talks

[asmaayyad]

*Unforgettable minutes from memory..*

"This is the story of the forced displacement of my family"

Minutes was the story of our displacement, we fled from one danger to another, the children screaming, the adults in pain, we left without carrying any of our belongings with us, we left only with our souls that were tired of this crime.

My family consists of eight members: father, mother, six sons and four daughters. Our original place of residence is the Khan Yunis area. We were displaced in mid-February 2024. We are now living, after our fifth displacement, in a tent in the Al-Mawasi area that lacks the most basic necessities of life. Here there is no water, no food, and no medicine. Here you live amid epidemics and diseases. Here your body turns into a fingerprint device for ants, flies, mosquitoes, and others.

What I have written is a small part of my great and ongoing suffering, and if I wanted to speak in detail you would not be able to imagine what is happening to us.

I ask you to help my family who need you to lead them out of darkness and into light. You are their great hope.

Support, share

Thanks to everyone who documented my campaign.

@90-ghost

@nabulsi

@aces-and-angels

@gazavetters , my number verified on the list is ( #43 )

@gazagfmboost

Dear Palestine supporter… I have seen your great interest in the Palestinian campaigns, and this is a great honor for us. I am happy to get to know you and talk to you ♥️

@appsa @sar-soor @sayruq @stuckinapril @heritageposts @neptunerings @feluka @malcriada @queerstudiesnatural @brutaliakhoa @rizzyluke @determinate-negation

[aces-and-angels]

verified by 90-ghost follow asmaa @asmaayyad & on instagram (asmaa_ayyad98)

moots/lovely lurkers- lend me your ears (or eyes- y'all get it) and allow asmaa to introduce herself in her own words:

"hello I hope my message reaches you well i am asmaa ayyad from gaza, specifically khan yunis, i am 25 years old, i am trying to save me and my family from the war of extermination that is happening now (a/n: asmaa graduated from the university of palestine in 2021 and went on to study/train to become a practicing lawyer) we lost our home, our friends and some of our relatives, I have also been living far away from my fiancé for two years, I cannot reach him because of the increase in the coordination price and the closure of the crossings and borders (a/n: asmaa lists feras_lbrahim in her insta bio as her fiancé) please i want you to help me by publishing for me and standing by my side, as i am now struggling alone to save an entire family i wanted to contact @/90-ghost but he does not respond to me (a/n: since asmaa sent me this message, 90-ghost has been able to get in touch/share her posts) i would be very grateful to you if you helped me"

asmaa's family consists of 8 members- all of whom led beautiful lives prior to the war. asmaa's older brother, dia, was looking forward to his own wedding. instead of experiencing such a joyous day, his life was shattered after his home was destroyed by the israeli army.

to lose a home- all your valuable possessions- your memories- in an instant is something that cannot be fully understood unless you've gone through it yourself. in asmaa's own words (read & share full post here):

"in addition to the pain, oppression and suffering that displacement causes us, there is a material aspect that no one talks about or mentions or mentions in the media. every place we move from to a new place requires transportation from 1,500 to 2,000 shekels... and despite this amount, you cannot transport all your belongings. this is in addition to the costs of setting up the tent again and trying to return what you lost of your things and belongings. displacement kills us more than death, it drains our health, our money and everything we own... displacement is another war that is harsher than this war of starvation and extermination... displacement is a hidden killer. how many people have been martyred because they do not have the price of displacement? the price that saves them from death! how many people have lost their dignity because of it?! oh god, have mercy on us and our situation 🙏💔"

asmaa's family has already lost so much- friends, loved ones, their cat, timur. they are living in a nightmare they cannot wake up from. the decision to evacuate is not an easy one to make nor is it one for the rest of us to scrutinize. it's what asmaa + her family have decided is the best path forward

please support my friend however you can-- the smallest actions can make the biggest impact

if all you can do is share- then share. follow asmaa to get the most up to date news regarding her family. tell someone you know about asmaa's story. allow others who may be able to contribute more find asmaa so her family may get to safety

and if you can give little more, please visit the link below 🖤

cw: photos of destroyed buildings + deceased cat (timur) included in the campaign

[gryficowa]

Boycott!

Isn't it interesting that celebrities don't use their reach and their fans will insist that we shouldn't expect them to talk about genocide?

I thought celebrity culture was long dead lol

Now that I have your attention:

[lesbiankendall]

Help Asmaa reunite with her fiancee Ahmed!!!

Hey everyone!

Asmaa contacted me and asked me to help share her gofundme. She's currently trying to raise enough money to save her fiancee from the ongoing genocide.

They were supposed to start their lives together on October 30 2023 and start a family and a business together but everything changed on October 7 2023. They lost their home, their jobs, everything.

Their dreams were crushed and were replaced with only one: that they survive and are reunited again. Asmaa has evacuated but Ahmed is still in danger in Gaza Strip and needs our help to raise enough money to be able to evacuate! He doesn't have any electricity or internet and it's very hard for Asmaa to contact him - they talk for about half an hour every 4 days or so. The situation worsens by the day so any amount of money you can donate will help!!

Currently she has raised

€2,193 out of €30,000 !!!!!!! This campaign has been verified by /@90-ghost so it is legit!! Don't hesitate to donate or share if you cant donate!!! Let's help Asmaa and Ahmed reunite and rebuild their future together!!

[bitegore]

Check it out - Haymarket Books has a free collection of essays about Gaza. Description from the site:

In the final months of 2023, as this ebook is published, Israel is committing a genocide in Gaza. Israeli officials have repeatedly made their intentions to do so extremely clear; talking of collective punishment, mass murder, and ethnic cleansing in newspapers, at press conferences, and on television. All the while, European and American states have continued to support Israel, to claim its murderous campaign is justified self-defense, and to send weapons, troops, war boats, and spy planes. While Western governments have supported the unjustifiable, or spoken inane words of condemnation while failing to take any concrete action, millions around the world have poured into the streets to denounce their complicity, to demand a ceasefire and a free Palestine. From the River to the Sea collects personal testimonies from within Gaza and the West Bank, along with essays and interviews that collectively provide crucial histories and analyses to help us understand how we got to the nightmarish present. They place Israel’s genocidal campaign within the longer history of settler colonialism in Palestine, and Hamas within the longer histories of Palestinian resistance and the so-called “peace process.” They explore the complex history of Palestine’s relationship to Jordan, Egypt, and the broader Middle East, the eruption of unprecedented anti-Zionist Jewish protest in the US, the alarming escalation in state repression of Palestine solidarity in Britain and Europe, and more. Taken together, the essays comprising this collection provide important grounding for the urgent discussions taking place across the Palestine solidarity movement. With contributions from: Reda Abu Assi, Asmaa Abu Mezied, Tawfiq Abu Shomer, Khalil Abu Yahia, Dunia Aburahma, Spencer Ackerman, Hil Aked, Yousef Al-Akkad, Jamie Allinson, Hammam Alloh, Riya Al’Sanah, Soheir Asaad, Tareq Baconi, Rana Barakat, Omar Barghouti, Sara Besaiso, Ashley Bohrer, Haim Bresheeth-Zabner, Nihal El Aasar, Mohammed El-Kurd, Sai Englert, Noura Erakat, Samera Esmeir, Rebecca Ruth Gould, Toufic Haddad, Adam Hanieh, Khaled Hroub, Rashid Khalidi, Noah Kulwin, Saree Makdisi, Ghassan Najjar, Samar Saeed, Reema Saleh, Alberto Toscano, and Eyal Weizman, alongside a number of Palestinian writers published pseudonymously. Published in collaboration with Verso Books Cover design: Tom Greenwood

[opal19]

Hello my dears! I, Asmaa, ask you to support my campaign to help me reach my goal. 🙏 I am now in desperate need of your support to help me stay alive and safe. Gaza is a very dangerous place, both in terms of living standards and souls. I need your financial support so that I can get the basic needs of my family. Please help a family survive through your small donations or through your shares to others. And reblog. The campaign is going very slowly. 🙏🍉💔

Of courseIwilltryto help but becauseI have a very small following I would suggest talking to @appsa @turian or @turquoisespace35

[shawnastleford]

Hello my dears! I, Asmaa, ask you to support my campaign to help me reach my goal. 🙏 I am now in desperate need of your support to help me stay alive and safe. Gaza is a very dangerous place, both in terms of living standards and souls. I need your financial support so that I can get the basic needs of my family. Please help a family survive through your small donations or through your shares to others. And reblog. The campaign is going very slowly. 🙏🍉💔

So sorry to hear that kindly inbox me so we can talk about your campaign progress

[chrysanthemum-poet]

At night I wake

Along with all my ghosts

We dance and we talk

My mind tells me to get rid of them

But these are the ghosts that taught me how to walk

I can't just let let them go

What would the mind know

About matters pertaining to the heart

And so

I let them take my bed

Then my room

And then my life

"I won't let them go" I say

They cling to me like I'm rocks and they're moss

They've been with me ever since I could think

They are all I have

They are all I know

I love them

In the end they eat me alive

-Chrysanthemum_poet

Please consider donating to the people of Palestine. It does not have to be a huge sum. Donate whatever you can and if you cannot donate please spread awareness.

[drsonnet]

From the River to the Sea: Essays for a Free Palestine

Edited by Sai Englert, Michal Schatz and Rosie Warren

In the final months of 2023, as this ebook is published, Israel is committing a genocide in Gaza. Israeli officials have repeatedly made their intentions to do so extremely clear; talking of collective punishment, mass murder, and ethnic cleansing in newspapers, at press conferences and on television. All the while, European and American states have continued to support Israel, to claim its murderous campaign is justified self-defence, and to send weapons, troops, war boats and spy planes in support. While Western governments have supported the unjustifiable, or spoken inane words of condemnation while failing to take any concrete action, millions around the world have poured into the streets to denounce their complicity, to demand a ceasefire and a free Palestine. From the River to the Sea collects personal testimonies from within Gaza and the West Bank, along with essays and interviews that collectively provide crucial histories and analyses to help us understand how we got to the nightmarish present. They place Israel’s genocidal campaign within the longer history of settler colonialism in Palestine, and Hamas within the longer histories of Palestinian resistance and the so-called ‘peace process’. They explore the complex history of Palestine’s relationship to Jordan, Egypt, and the broader Middle East, the eruption of unprecedented anti-Zionist Jewish protest in the US, the alarming escalation in state repression of Palestine solidarity in Britain and Europe, and more. Taken together, the essays comprising this collection provide important grounding for the urgent discussions taking place across the Palestine solidarity movement.

With contributions from: Dr. Reda Abu Assi, Asmaa Abu Mezied, Tawfiq Abu Shomer, Khalil Abu Yahia, Dunia Aburahma, Spencer Ackerman, Hil Aked, Dr. Yousef Al-Akkad, Jamie Allinson, Dr. Hammam Alloh, Riya Al’Sanah, Soheir Asaad, Tareq Baconi, Rana Barakat, Omar Barghouti, Sara Besaiso, Ashley Bohrer, Haim Bresheeth-Žabner, Nihal El Aasar, Mohammed El-Kurd, Sai Englert, Noura Erakat, Samera Esmeir, Rebecca Ruth Gould, Toufic Haddad, Adam Hanieh, Khaled Hroub, Rashid Khalidi, Noah Kulwin, Saree Makdisi, Ghassan Najjar, Samar Saeed, Reema Saleh, Alberto Toscano and Eyal Weizman, alongside a number of Palestinian writers published pseudonymously. Published in collaboration with Haymarket Books. Cover design: Tom Greenwood.

[asmaayyad]

Please Help me and my family!!!🍉🍉🍉🇵🇸

In addition to the pain, oppression and suffering that displacement causes us, there is a material aspect that no one talks about or mentions or mentions in the media. Every place we move from to a new place requires transportation from 1,500 to 2,000 shekels... and despite this amount, you cannot transport all your belongings. This is in addition to the costs of setting up the tent again and trying to return what you lost of your things and belongings.

Displacement kills us more than death, it drains our health, our money and everything we own... Displacement is another war that is harsher than this war of starvation and extermination... Displacement is a hidden killer. How many people have been martyred because they do not have the price of displacement? The price that saves them from death! How many people have lost their dignity because of it?! Oh God, have mercy on us and our situation 🙏💔

[femmeroi]

I have been talking with @mohiy-gaza for quite some time now, and made a GoFundMe [link] for his sister Asmaa Abed. Please take some time to read her statement attached to his post, and please donate and reblog if possible.

Hello Can I take two minutes of your time to read my story, which made our lives without spirit or colors to decorate our lives as before? I am Asmaa Abed from Gaza, 39 years old The whole world witnessed the tragedy that struck our lives in Gaza, where my family and I survived many previous wars. But today we face the most dangerous and fiercest battle in the current war. We are in urgent need, as we have nothing left and are unable to secure our basic needs of food, water and safe shelter. Here is our story - On October 7th, our lives changed forever, as my family and I were evacuated from southern Gaza to West Mawasi Khan Yunis, hoping to return soon, but it was not meant to happen. It was a new house I built before the war, it cost me a lot of money and I couldn't be happy with it. It was surrounded, burned, and then completely destroyed. Our home, once a bastion of hope, is now in ruins, a stark reminder of our shattered dreams. The night before we left for Mawasi Khan Yunis al-Bahr was terrifying. The sounds of bombing were everywhere, making a loud noise that seemed to penetrate our souls. Each explosion shook the ground like an earthquake, sending waves of fear through our trembling bodies. It fills us with fear. The smell of destruction and blood wafted through the air, making it difficult to breathe. When dawn came, we saw the devastation all around us.

[joemamalackin]

Hello

I hope my message finds you well

I would really appreciate it if you could help me by donating to save me and my family from the dangers of war and death in Gaza and escape to a safe place

Please share, repost or donate to my family 🙏

https://gofund.me/b60fb34d

Please HELP in any way you can, guys, whether that be by donating and/or sharing. NEVER STOP TALKING ABOUT PALESTINE

[gryficowa]

Boycott!

Who expected Harris to continue supplying weapons and talking about a ceasefire, especially after she showed support for Israel's crimes…

Now that I have your attention:

[b-lessings]

i miss you and i love you so much. you mean the world to me and i hope that Allah makes us cross paths someday my sweet A(not saying your name cuz idk if you want people to know or not) but i love you. you’re my online big sis and even though we don’t talk all the time just know that i talk about you to ilahi.

ps. i am free. Alhamdulillah! you remember what i was going through those days? by the tawfiq of Allah عزوجل i’m no more that person Asma and you’ve helped me get out of that phase. you will never be forgotten my sweet love. I’ve never been this happy and i thought to share to you cuz you deserve to know🌸🌸🌸

with love

-🤎

Asmaa loves you so so so so much fisabillah and is so enormously happy for you :') 🤎

Tbh, I didn't do anything, if I was there for you it is because Allah swt has put me to your help and has used me to fulfill a task in your benefit, and for that, we are thankful Alhamdullillah 🤎🤎

Life is still waiting for you and there is still so much you are going to accomplish, so many different emotions you have yet to experience and live through, may Allah swt grant you all the Khayr and put in your path good pious genuine honest people who would really care for you and look out for you, ameen 🤎

[artistopencalls]

🖤 @visualartssw Spike Island @spikeisland is pleased to invite applications from artists based in the South West of England to develop a new digital commission for our website and/or online channels.⁠ ⁠🖤 https://www.spikeisland.org.uk/programme/artist-development/ ⬅️ This opportunity is part of the West of England Visual Arts Alliance (WEVAA), supported by Arts Council England. WEVAA is a consortium partnership of nine organisations co-lead by Spike Island and Visual Arts South West and including the Brunswick Club, Bath Spa School of Art, Bristol City Council, Creative Youth Network, Culture Weston, North Somerset Council and UWE Bristol. This alliance is delivering a 3-year programme of activity with the aim of supporting visual arts progression in the region, with the collective vision for the visual arts community in Bristol and the West of England to become more progressive, sustainable and inclusive by 2024.⁠ ⁠ The successful applicant will receive:⁠ ◾️A £2,000 budget to produce a new digital commission for Spike Island’s website and/or online channels⁠ ◾️An artist’s fee of £2,000⁠ ◾️Significant promotion via Spike Island’s website and online channels before and during the launch of the commission in autumn 2023.⁠ ◾️Annual membership to Spike Island Associates programme, which offers free access to regular talks, one-to-ones with artists, critics and curators, and other opportunities for peer-to-peer learning and support⁠ ◾️Support from Spike Island’s Programme team to develop and present the commission⁠ ⁠ Deadline to apply: Wednesday 30 November 2022⁠ ⁠ To find out more head over to @spikeisland⁠ ⁠ Image credit: ASMAA JAMA, EXCEPT THIS TIME NOTHING COMES BACK FROM THE ASHES (2022), PRODUCTION STILL. COURTESY THE ARTIST.⁠ (at Spike Island, Bristol) https://www.instagram.com/p/ClYL-9xIqi5/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[writingwithcolor]

Jurassic period alien interacting with key cultures and historical figures in Middle East & Asia throughout history

@ketchupmaster400​ said:

Hello, so my question is for a character I’ve been working on for quite a while but wasn’t sure about a few things. So basically at the beginning of the universe there was this for less being made up of dark matter and dark energy. Long story short it ends up on earth during the Jurassic Period. It has the ability to adapt and assimilate into other life animals except it’s hair is always black and it’s skin is always white and it’s eyes are always red. It lives like this going from animal to animal until it finally becomes human and gains true sentience and self awareness. As a human it lives within the Middle East and Asia wondering around trying to figure out its purpose and meaning. So what I initially wanted to do with it was have small interactions with the dark matter human and other native humans that kinda helped push humanity into the direction it is now. For example, Mehndhi came about when the dark matter human was drawing on their skin because it felt insecure about having such white skin compared to other people. And ancient Indians saw it and thought it was cool so they adopted it and developed it into Mehndi. Minor and small interactions though early history leading to grander events. Like they would be protecting Jerusalem and it’s people agains the Crusaders later on. I also had the idea of the the dark matter human later on interacting with the prophets Jesus Christ and Muhammad. With Jesus they couldn’t understand why he would sacrifice himself even though the people weren’t deserving. And then Jesus taught them that you have to put other before yourself and protecting people is life’s greatest reward. And then with the prophet Muhammad, I had the idea that their interaction was a simple conversation that mirrors the one he had with the angel Jibril, that lead to the principles of Islam. Now with these ideas I understand the great importance of how not to convey Islam and I’ve been doing reasearch, but I am white and I can understand how that may look trying to write about a different religion than my own. So I guess ultimate my question is, is this ok to do? Is it ok to have an alien creature interact with religious people and historical events as important as they were? Like I said I would try to be as accurate and as respectable as possible but I know that Islam can be a touchy subject and the last thing I would want is to disrespect anyone. The main reason I wanted the dark matter being in the Middle East was because I wanted to do something different because so much has been done with European and American stuff I wanted to explore the eastern side of the world because it’s very beau and very rich with so many cultures that I want to try and represent. I’m sorry for the long post but I wanted you guys to fully understand what my idea was. Thank you for your time and hope you stay safe.

Disclaimer:

The consensus from the moderators was that the proposed character and story is disrespectful from multiple cultural perspectives. However, we can’t ignore the reality that this is a commonly deployed trope in many popular science fiction/ thriller narratives. Stories that seek to take religious descriptions of events at face value from an areligious perspective particularly favor this approach. Thus, we have two responses:

Where we explain why we don’t believe this should be attempted.

Where we accept the possibility of our advice being ignored.

1) No - Why You Shouldn’t Do This:

Hi! I’ll give you the short answer first, and then the extended one.

Short answer: no, this is not okay.

Extended answer. I’ll divide it into three parts.

1) Prophet Muhammad as a character:

Almost every aspect of Islam, particularly Allah (and the Qur’an), the Prophet(s) and the companions at the time of Muhammad ﷺ, are strictly kept within the boundaries of real life/reality. I’ll assume this comes from a good place, and I can understand that from one side, but seriously, just avoid it. It is extremely disrespectful and something that is not even up to debate for Muslims to do, let alone for non-Muslims. Using Prophet Muhammad as a character will only bring you problems. There is no issue with mentioning the Prophet during his lifetime when talking about his attributes, personality, sayings or teachings, but in no way, we introduce fictional aspects in a domain that Muslims worked, and still work, hard to keep free from any doubtful event or incident. Let’s call it a closed period: we don’t add anything that was not actually there.

Reiterating then, don’t do this. There is a good reason why Muslims don’t have any pictures of Prophet Muhammad. We know nothing besides what history conveyed from him. 

After this being said, there is another factor you missed – Jesus is also an important figure in Islam and his story from the Islamic perspective differs (a lot) from that of the Christian perspective. And given what you said in your ask, you would be taking the Christian narrative of Jesus. If it was okay to use Prophet Muhammad as a character (reminder: it’s not) and you have had your dark matter human interacting with the biblical Jesus, it will result in a complete mess; you would be conflating two religions.

2) Crusaders and Jerusalem:

You said this dark matter human will be defending Jerusalem against the Crusaders. At first, there is really no problem with this. However, ask yourself: is this interaction a result of your character meeting with both Jesus and Prophet Muhammed? If yes, please refer to the previous point. If not, or even if you just want to maintain this part of the story, your dark matter human can interact with the important historical figures of the time. For example, if you want a Muslim in your story, you can use Salah-Ad-Din Al-Ayoubi (Saladin in the latinized version) that took back Jerusalem during the Third Crusade. Particularly, this crusade has plenty of potential characters. 

Also, featuring Muslim characters post Prophet Muhammad and his companions’ time, is completely fine, just do a thorough research.

 3) Middle Eastern/South Asian settings and Orientalism:

The last point I want to remark is with the setting you chose for your story. Many times, when we explore the SWANA or South Asian regions it’s done through an orientalist lens. Nobody is really safe from falling into orientalism, not even the people from those regions. My suggestion is educating yourself in what orientalism is and how it’s still prevalent in today’s narrative. Research orientalism in entertainment, history... and every other area you can think of. Edward Said coined this term for the first time in history, so he is a good start. There are multiple articles online that touch this subject too. For further information, I defer to middle eastern mods. 

- Asmaa

Racism and Pseudo-Archaeology:

A gigantic, unequivocal and absolute no to all of it, lmao. 

I will stick to the bit about the proposed origin of mehendi in your WIP, it’s the arc I feel I’m qualified to speak on, Asmaa has pretty much touched upon the religious and orientalism complications. 

Let me throw out one more word: pseudoarchaeology. That is, taking the cultural/spiritual/historical legacies of ancient civilizations, primarily when it involves people of colour, and crediting said legacies to be the handiwork of not just your average Outsider/White Saviour but aliens. I’ll need you to think carefully about this: why is it that in so much of media and literature pertaining to the so-called “conspiracy theories” dealing with any kind of extraterrestrial life, it’s always Non-Western civilizations like the Aztec, the ancient Egyptians, the Harappans etc who are targeted? Why is it that the achievements of the non West are so unbelievable that it’s more feasible to construct an idea of non-human, magical beings from another planet who just conveniently swooped in to build our monuments and teach us how to dress and what to believe in? If the answer makes you uncomfortable, it’s because it should: denying the Non-West agency of their own feats is not an innocent exercise in sci-fi worldbuilding, it comes loaded with implications of racial superiority and condescension towards the intellect and prowess of Non-European cultures. 

Now, turning to specifics:

Contrary to what Sarah J. Maas might believe- mehendi designs are neither mundane, purely aesthetic tattoos nor can they be co-opted by random Western fantasy characters. While henna has existed as an art form in various cultures, I’m limiting my answer to the Indian context, (specifying since you mention ancient India). Mehendi is considered one of the tenets of the Solah Shringar- sixteen ceremonial adornments for Hindu brides, one for each phase of the moon, as sanctioned by the Vedic texts. The shade of the mehendi is a signifier for the strength of the matrimonial bond: the darker the former, the stronger the latter. Each of the adornments carries significant cosmological/religious symbolism for Hindus. To put it bluntly, when you claim this to be an invention of the aliens, you are basically taking a very sacred cultural and artistic motif of our religion and going “Well actually….extraterrestrials taught them all this.”

In terms of Ayurveda (Traditional holistic South Asian medicine)  , mehendi was used for its medicinal properties. It works as a cooling agent on the skin and helps to alleviate stress, particularly for the bride-to-be. Not really nice to think that aliens lent us the secrets of Ayurvedic science (pseudoarchaeology all over again). 

I’m just not feeling this arc at all. The closest possible alternative I could see to this is the ancient Indian characters incorporating some specific stylistic motifs in their mehendi in acknowledgement to this entity, in the same vein of characters incorporating motifs of tribute into their armour or house insignia, but even so, I’m not sure how well that would play out. If you do go ahead with this idea, I cannot affirm that it will not receive backlash.

-Mimi

These articles might help:

 Pseudoarchaeology and the Racism Behind Ancient Aliens

A History of Indian Henna (this studies mehendi origins mostly with reference to Mughal history)

Solah Shringar

2) Not Yes, But If Ignoring the Above:

I will be the dissenting voice of “Not No, But Here Are The Big Caveats.” Given that there is no way to make the story you want to tell palatable to certain interpretations of Islam and Christianity, here is my advice if the above arguments did not sufficiently deter you.

1. Admiration ≠ Research: It is not enough to just admire cultures for their richness and beauty. You need to actually do the research and learn about them to determine if the story you want to tell is a good fit for the values and principles these cultures prioritize. You need to understand the significance of historical figures and events to understand the issues with attributing the genesis of certain cultural accomplishments to an otherworldly influence. 1.

2. Give Less Offense When Possible and Think Empathetically: You should try to imagine the mindsets of those you will offend and think about to what degree you can soften or ameliorate certain aspects of your plot, the creature’s characteristics, and the creature’s interactions with historical figures to make your narrative more compatible. There is no point pretending that much of areligious science fiction is incompatible with monotheist, particularly non-henotheistic, religious interpretations as well as the cultural items and rituals derived from those religious interpretations. One can’t take “There is no god, just a lonely alien” and make that compatible with “There is god, and only in this particular circumstance.” Thus:

As stated above by Asmaa and Mimi, there is no escaping the reality the story you propose is offensive to some. Expect their outcry to be directed towards you. Can you tolerate that?

Think about how you would feel if someone made a story where key components of your interpretation of reality are singled out as false. How does this make you feel? Are you comfortable doing that to others?

3. Is Pseudoarchaeology Appropriate Here?: Mimi makes a good point about the racial biases of pseudoarchaeology. Pseudoarchaeology is a particular weakness of Western-centric atheist sci-fi. Your proposed story is the equivalent of a vaguely non-descript Maya/Aztec/Egyptian pyramid or Hindu/ Buddhist-esque statue being the source for a Resident Evil bio weapon/ Predator nest/ Assassin’s Creed Isu relic.

Is this how you wish to draw attention to these cultures you admire? While there is no denying their ubiquity in pop-culture, such plots trivialize broad swathes of non-white history and diminish the accomplishments of associated ethnic groups. The series listed above all lean heavily into these tropes either because the authors couldn’t bother to figure out something more creative or because they are intentionally telling a story the audience isn’t supposed to take seriously.*

More importantly, I detect a lot of sincerity in your ask, so I imagine such trivialization runs counter to your expressed desire to depict Eastern cultures in a positive and accurate manner.

4. Freedom to Write ≠ Freedom from Consequence: Once again, as a reminder, it’s not our job to reassure you as to whether or not what you are proposing is ok. Asmaa and Mimi have put a lot of effort into explaining who you will offend and why.  We are here to provide context, but the person who bears the ultimate responsibility for how you choose to shape this narrative, particularly if you share this story with a wide audience, is you. Speaking as one writer to another, I personally do not have a strong opinion one way or the other, but I think it is important to be face reality head-on.

- Marika.

* This is likely why the AC series always includes that disclaimer stating the games are a product of a multicultural, inter-religious team and why they undermine Western cultures and Western religious interpretations as often (if not moreso) than those for their non-Western counterparts.

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