The Narratives – Mohamed Miah

Mohamed Miah | The Narratives

There are countries that carry love on their name, and others that carry hate. Not because of the soil, the food, or the people, but because of the weight of history and the cruelty of foreign policy. A flag may be a source of pride to one nation, but to others it is a reminder of bombs, famine, and occupation. In the same way, a single word, Bangladeshi, can light up a stranger’s face with warmth.

This is the paradox of our times, the burden of hate and the blessing of love, often carried side by side.

The Weight of Foreign Policy

When people speak of hate in today’s world, it is rarely born in a vacuum. Hatred doesn’t grow from the soil by itself, it is planted and fed by policy. Nations like Israel and the USA are among the most hated today, not because of their music, food, or culture, but because of their endless wars, occupations, and the hypocrisy of claiming peace while dropping bombs.

Ordinary citizens, even those who oppose these policies, carry that stigma on their passports. Iraq did not care if every American opposed Bush; they only saw the bombs raining from the sky. Palestinians do not care if every Israeli despises Netanyahu; they only see the soldier pointing a gun at their children.

“Hatred attaches itself to symbols, flags, passports, accents, even when the heart inside may reject the crimes done in its name.”

The Stain of Flags

The British know this as well, even if they rarely admit it. The Union Jack may be draped with pride on pubs, football stadiums, and royal parades, but around the world, it still carries the weight of colonialism.

No matter how much they love it, others remember the ruthless way Britain ruled, famines in India, slavery, stolen lands, carved borders that bled nations for generations. Even today, the Union Jack still sits in the corner of Australia, New Zealand, and other colonial lands, a quiet reminder of an empire that once called the world its property.

“A flag can be beautiful to one people while being a wound to another.”

Palestine, Britain’s Unfinished Crime

Britain’s biggest scar, the one that still bleeds, is Palestine. The 1917 Balfour Declaration handed over a land that was not theirs to give. They opened the door for occupation, displacement, and a century of bloodshed. When Britain eventually walked away, it left behind the fire it had lit.

The USA stepped in to carry the project forward, funding, arming, and protecting Israel at every level. Between them, Britain and America became the twin architects of Palestine’s suffering. Israel, meanwhile, perfected the art of victimhood while practicing apartheid. Together, they shaped one of the greatest injustices of modern history.

“Britain lit the fire in Palestine; America poured fuel on it.”

The Burden of Identity

Just like Israel today, Britain’s flag became a symbol of domination, not dignity. South Africa’s old apartheid regime carried the same stain.

You don’t lose that identity in a few hundred years. It will take thousands of good years to undo the scars of oppression and truthfully, those years will never fully come, because history’s wounds are carved into memory.

“The sins of rulers taint the people, even generations later.”

That is the curse of empire, the sins of rulers stain entire nations, and the innocent are often forced to carry the guilt.

The Warmth of the Ummah

And yet, hate is not the only thing that survives in this messy world. There is also love, unexpected and pure.

When I visited Turkey, people asked me my ethnicity. When I replied “Bangladeshi,” their faces lit up with warmth. “We love Bangladeshis,” many told me. That love had nothing to do with wealth or power, but with shared history, humility, and Islam.

It was the same feeling of family you find when two strangers discover they are tied by blood, only this was tied by faith.

Why such love? Because Bangladesh, despite poverty and struggle, carries resilience, charity, and dignity. After the ousting of Hasina, the world noticed a people rising against corruption and reclaiming their honour. Turks saw that, respected it, and embraced Bangladeshis as brothers.

“The Turkish smile at hearing ‘Bangladeshi’ is proof that the Ummah, though scattered, still beats with one heart.”

Hate and Love, The Final Test

This is the contrast of the modern age, hate rises when governments trample others with bombs and arrogance. Love rises when people stand with humility, justice, and sabr.

Foreign policy poisons nations, but the fitrah of ordinary people still seeks connection.

Maybe that is the real test of our times, to not let the hate governments earn for us destroy the love Allah placed between us.