How White Supremacy Shaped the Middle East, India, and Migration to the U.S.: A Decolonial, Intersectional Analysis

White supremacy is not just an American problem. It is a global system, a global parasite—one that has shaped the economies, borders, and very identities of people across the Middle East and South Asia. It is the foundation upon which colonialism, racial capitalism, Islamophobia, Hindutva nationalism, caste oppression, and patriarchal control have been built and sustained.

For centuries, European imperial powers invaded, looted, and manipulated these regions under the guise of "civilization"—only to leave behind fractured nations, fabricated divisions, and economic dependencies that still serve the interests of white hegemony. Then, as war, economic disparity, and forced displacement forced people to migrate, Western nations dictated the terms of their belonging, branding them as perpetual foreigners while exploiting their labor.

To understand how we got here, we need to name the systems that rule us, the tools that uphold them, and the people who continue to be harmed.

Colonialism: The Engine of White Supremacy in the Middle East & South Asia

The Middle East and the Indian subcontinent were not "backward civilizations" in need of European intervention. They were thriving economic, scientific, and cultural powerhouses before colonial rule—home to ancient trade routes, centers of mathematics and medicine, and dynasties that ruled for centuries. Then, white supremacy arrived in the form of European conquest, extraction, and racial hierarchy.

? The British Raj (1858-1947): The British drained India of its wealth, looted its resources, and engineered the caste system into a racialized structure that benefitted colonial rule. Britain did not create caste, but it reinforced it, using Brahmin elites to rule while further subjugating Dalits and Adivasis.

? The Sykes-Picot Agreement (1916): A secret pact between Britain and France carved up the Middle East, ignoring ethnic, religious, and tribal realities. The artificial borders they imposed continue to fuel conflicts today.

? Partition of India & Pakistan (1947): As Britain exited India, it deliberately sowed sectarian violence by dividing Hindus and Muslims—displacing 15 million people and sparking a legacy of tension and nationalism that persists today.

? The Creation of Israel (1948): The forced displacement of Palestinians was made possible by Western imperialism and Zionist settler colonialism, reinforcing who is considered "worthy" of sovereignty under white supremacist frameworks.

? U.S.-Backed Coups & Dictatorships: From Iran (1953) to Iraq (2003) to Afghanistan (1979-present), Western intervention has consistently destabilized the region while extracting its resources, profiting from war, and upholding authoritarian rulers who serve Western interests.

This is the colonial blueprint: exploit, divide, destabilize, and profit. And it did not end with decolonization—it simply evolved.

White Supremacy and the Control of Women, Queer People, and the Marginalized

No system of white supremacy is complete without patriarchy, misogyny, and homophobia—all of which were imported, institutionalized, and weaponized in the Middle East and South Asia by European colonialism.

? Victorian Morality & Sexual Policing: British colonial rule in India criminalized queerness (Section 377), imposed rigid gender roles, and banned indigenous gender fluidity seen in hijras (South Asia) and two-spirit identities (Indigenous communities).

? The Erasure of Indigenous Feminism: Matrilineal traditions in pre-colonial Middle Eastern and South Asian societies were replaced with European gender norms, reinforcing male dominance in law and politics.

? Islamophobia and the "Oppressed Muslim Woman" Narrative: White supremacy justifies its imperialism by framing Muslim women as passive victims while ignoring how Western-backed regimes uphold misogyny. The U.S. used "saving Afghan women" as a reason to justify occupation—while funding warlords who actively oppressed them.

? Brahminical Patriarchy & Hindutva Nationalism: Upper-caste men control the narrative of "Indian tradition," using caste to police Dalit, Bahujan, and Adivasi women—while Western powers fund Hindu nationalist leaders who uphold these systems.

? Western Intervention and LGBTQ+ Erasure: While Arab, Persian, and South Asian histories include queer figures and same-sex relationships, Western colonial rule criminalized and stigmatized them—only for the West to now frame these communities as "inherently homophobic." Colonialism created these laws, and now it uses them to judge the very societies it destroyed.

The suppression of women, LGBTQ+ people, and marginalized castes is not a natural product of Middle Eastern or Indian cultures—it is a colonial export.

Migration, Racial Hierarchies, and the Illusion of Whiteness

Migration from the Middle East and South Asia to the U.S. has never been about "welcoming diversity." It has always been about controlling who gets to belong and under what terms.

? The 1917 Immigration Act & "Asiatic Barred Zone": Banned nearly all Asian immigration to the U.S., reinforcing whiteness as the standard for citizenship.

? The "Whiteness Trials" (1920s): South Asians and Arabs fought for legal "whiteness" in U.S. courts—only to be denied when the government ruled that their skin color was "not European enough."

? The 1965 Immigration Act: Opened the door for "skilled workers," selectively allowing South Asians and Middle Easterners who could contribute to the economy—while deporting working-class migrants.

? Post-9/11 Racial Profiling: Middle Eastern and South Asian immigrants, particularly Muslims, were targeted under "national security" laws, reinforcing their status as permanent outsiders.

? Model Minority Myth vs. Surveillance State: While South Asians were cast as "model minorities" to drive a wedge between them and Black communities, Arabs and Muslims were cast as threats—subject to mass surveillance, deportations, and violence.

White supremacy decides when you are an "ally" and when you are a "threat"—but you will never truly belong.

Decolonizing Middle Eastern & South Asian Identity

To break free from these chains, we must reject the white supremacist narratives that define our histories and our futures. We are not pawns in their global chess game.

? Reject "Respectability Politics" → We do not need to "prove" our worth through assimilation or economic success.

? Destroy Caste & Religious Supremacy → Anti-Blackness, Islamophobia, and casteism were all weaponized by colonialism—they have no place in our liberation.

? Resist Western Feminist Saviorism → Our fights against misogyny and patriarchy must be rooted in decolonization, not Western intervention.

? Uplift Queer & Trans Histories → We are reclaiming our pre-colonial queer identities that were erased by British and French rule.

? Reclaim Our Political Power → We must define our own struggles—not through Western approval, but through global solidarity.

White supremacy wants us divided. It wants us complicit. It wants us grateful for its crumbs.

But we have always been more than that. We are the descendants of revolutionaries, the survivors of empire, the builders of futures free from colonial rule.

?? If this hit you, share it. Let’s start conversations, dismantle colonial myths, and build solidarity across borders. We decolonize together, or we stay shackled forever.

#Decolonize #MiddleEast #SouthAsia #CasteAbolition #QueerLiberation #AntiImperialism