Zelensky is Jewish, Ukraine is ruled by Kolomoisky, Yermak and other Zionists, so by supporting Ukraine you are supporting Zionism» — such nonsense is regularly found in the comments. Well, let’s think about it.
First of all, we are not supporting Zelensky, we are supporting Ukraine in its fight against Mordor. Of course, this is difficult for the supporters of the Russian Empire to understand, as they have been indoctrinated that «if there is Putin, there is Russia, if there is no Putin, there is no Russia». Therefore, for them, and unfortunately for the whole world, Russia and Putin are perceived as a single entity.
But if in Russia the first elected president became a tsar who shot down the parliament and transferred power to his successor, who has been ruling for life and plans to rule for life, then in Ukraine presidents change through elections or are even overthrown. So Kuchma defeated President Kravchuk, Yushchenko defeated President Kuchma, Yanukovych defeated President Yushchenko, Yanukovych was overthrown, after which Poroshenko was elected, and then Zelensky defeated President Poroshenko. There is no doubt that Zelensky will also go, and maybe even be killed during the war, which cannot be ruled out. And at least the fact that despite this risk he continues to lead the country and the army, meets with people, and does not hide in a bunker or remotely communicate with his ministers from a distance of 30 meters deserves respect.
Second, for Muslims, whether it’s Jews or Christians, they are roughly the same category of scriptural people, and there is no significant difference between a Jew leading a non-Muslim country or a Christian. It only matters when a person’s ethnic or religious background determines his attitude toward what is important to us — Islam and Muslims. And indeed, many Jews are Islamophobes, but there was no such thing in Ukraine under Zelensky’s rule. Muslims in Ukraine, even under him, were freer to practice and preach their religion than in Russia under «Orthodox Chekist» Putin, who suppresses other religions.
Third, a Zionist can be called someone who serves as a conduit for Israeli policies, while Ukraine currently has a very difficult relationship with this state. And many Zionists attack Zelensky and rather support Putin and Russia. For example, Israeli Prime Minister Bennett practically offered Zelensky to surrender to Russia («realistically assess your strength»), and after he refused, Israel revoked visa-free entry for Ukrainians while maintaining it for Russians. And when Zelensky addressed the Israeli Knesset, he may have played on his Jewish identity and Israeli stereotypes, but overall he delivered a rather harsh speech that was met with disapproval by many Zionists. In particular, not only did he not apologize to the Jews, as Zionists try to get Ukrainians to do, but he also claimed that Ukrainians saved Jews and did something that Zionists do not like. Namely, he associated the image of the Holocaust with the Ukrainians and offered Israel to become «righteous among the nations,» as those who saved Jews from extermination during World War II are called.
Therefore, for Israel and the Zionists, Zelensky is not the most convenient president, while they have no particular complaints about Putin. And the fact that there are many traditional Jews living in Ukraine and many of them sympathize with Israel is another story altogether. In any case, it is not up to Ukraine to decide the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, so the fact that Ukrainian Jews may support Israel and Ukrainian Muslims may support Palestine will not change anything for either group.
So let’s separate the wheat from the chaff. The war in Ukraine is not a war to liberate or occupy Palestine and Jerusalem. It is a war in which the Kremlin seeks to preserve and restore the Russian Empire, which has oppressed Muslims for centuries. It is a war in which all those threatened by it must stand united against it.