International, Political

Gaza, Burning People Alive: A Legacy of British Atrocities from Past to Present

The tragedy unfolding in Gaza today is not an isolated event but a grim reminder of the West’s long and brutal history of violence against non-Western peoples. The Israeli strike that engulfed Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital and burned Palestinian civilians alive—many of them wounded and already suffering—evokes echoes of historical atrocities that Western powers have committed or been complicit in. Throughout history, fire has been a weapon of terror, used by Western forces to crush resistance and intimidate populations.

The United States, Britain, and other Western nations, through their uncritical support of Israel, are complicit in this violence. They not only provide military aid but also political cover, ensuring that the Israeli government can act with impunity. This latest atrocity in Gaza, where people were burned alive, is a vivid reflection of the horrors that have been inflicted upon the people of Palestine for generations. Yet, this is nothing new for the West. It is a continuation of a centuries-old legacy of Western powers using fire and violence to dominate, from the Crusades to colonial empires.

Britain’s Legacy of Burning People Alive: A Pattern Across History

The West, and Britain in particular, has a historical tradition of repression and burning people alive in some of the darkest chapters of colonialism. This pattern is now repeating itself in Gaza, with Western-backed forces once again engaging in acts of terror by fire.

  1. India (1857 Revolt): British forces burned entire villages, with civilians trapped inside, as part of collective punishment.
  2. Kenya (Mau Mau Uprising): British colonial forces torched villages, burning civilians alive in retaliation against the uprising.
  3. Jamaica (Morant Bay Rebellion): British suppression involved burning homes, with some people trapped and burned alive.
  4. Ireland (Cromwell’s Campaign): Cromwell’s troops burned towns and churches, with civilians perishing in the flames.
  5. Palestine (Crusades): European crusaders burned Muslim civilians alive during sieges as part of religious wars.
  6. India (Partition, 1947): Communal violence during Partition saw entire trains and homes torched, burning people alive.
  7. Scorched-Earth Policies: British forces often burned villages and crops in various colonies, sometimes resulting in civilian deaths.

Reliving the Crusades in Palestine

Western governments are not just passive observers but active participants in this cycle of violence. By backing Israel’s actions and refusing to hold it accountable, they are reliving the horrors of their own colonial past—where entire populations were subjected to the fire and sword. This complicity, which was once seen in Kenya, India, Jamaica, and beyond, is now visible in Gaza, as the world witnesses yet another atrocity carried out with Western arms and Western support.

The burning of Palestinians today is a modern-day re-enactment of the Crusades and colonial atrocities, where fire was used to destroy not only lives but entire communities. Just as the West once burned villages in India and executed Kenyan civilians through fire, it now stands silently by as Palestinians are subjected to the same fate.

Challenge Western Complicity

  1. Students should resist the cancel culture surrounding British colonial history and actively highlight its dark past through research, debates, and educational events.
  2. Activists must openly promote the brutal truths of colonialism, challenging commentators who avoid or downplay this history and linking it to current global injustices.
  3. The general public should discuss and expose Britain’s violent history in their workplaces and communities, ensuring it isn’t glorified or forgotten.
  4. Muslim politicians should use their platform in Parliament to denounce Britain’s colonial legacy and its present crimes against Gaza, calling it an embarrassment to humanity.

Gaza serves as a poignant symbol of resistance that has not only challenged the moral and political authority of Western nations but has also shattered any semblance of legitimacy they may claim in the Muslim world. As the suffering of its people continues to highlight the hypocrisy and complicity of Western powers, Gaza becomes a powerful reminder that true justice cannot be achieved through silence or complicity.

We must remember, that when the West claims to be on the “right side of history,” this statement is indeed accurate—but only in the context of its history, which has long been defined by violence, oppression, and colonial domination. From the Crusades to the brutal conquests in Africa, Asia, and the Americas, Western powers have consistently used terror, including burning people alive, as a method of control and subjugation. This legacy of atrocities—marked by forced displacement, mass killings, and exploitation—continues today in places like Gaza. The West’s role in modern-day conflicts reflects its historical tendency to assert power through destruction, ensuring that it remains on the “right” side of its own story: one where violence, torture and rape is justified as long as it maintains dominance.

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