Emmy award winning British-Pakistani actor Riz Ahmed has broken silence to call out the silence around the violence in Palestine. In a lengthy statement posted on his social media accounts, then ‘Nimona’ actor began the note by talking about the power of storytelling which takes audiences on a journey.
“As storytellers we put ourselves in other people’s shoes and ask audiences to go on that journey with us. The reason this works is because underneath our differences, we feel the same fear, joy, grief and hope. Stories work because there is no ‘us’ and ‘them’. There is only us. Any story that says otherwise, that some people aren’t like us, is a lie.”
Addressing the ongoing one-sided narrative in the media, the actor pointed out that innocent lives are being lost.
“What’s happening in Gaza now, and has been happening in Palestine under the Occupation for decades, is horrific and wrong. The depth and reality of this suffering cannot be ignored.
If we look in only one direction, we will go even deeper into darkness. But this is exactly what is happening right how. We are being asked to look away while the civilians of Gaza, half of them children, are running out of time.
If we are on the side of humanity we must urgently speak up and try to avert the loss of innocent life. This means calling for an end to the indiscriminate bombing of Gaza’s civilians and vital infrastructure, the denial of food, water, and electricity, and the forced displacement of people from their homes. These are morally indefensible war crimes.”
Riz further wrote that now more than ever, it is important for all people to put themselves in the shoes of Gaza “before we all walk past the point of no return.”
Riz ended the note by urging everyone to raise their voices because “staying silent is not an option.”
“I’ll be posting links of how you can support, analysis from experts of all backgrounds advocating a just peace, and the voices of some people on the ground.
— Riz Ahmed (@rizwanahmed) October 16, 2023
