Sophia Babai
@swingingstorm.bsky.social
Author | Activist | Cultural consultant | Somatic creativity coach | Sufi mystic
🇮🇷 🇹🇿 🇮🇳 🇦🇫 🇵🇸 🇦🇿 (my ancestors really got around)
Posts about books, human rights, chaos baking, history/poetry/folklore, and other nerd stuff
Rep Seth Fishman
🇮🇷 🇹🇿 🇮🇳 🇦🇫 🇵🇸 🇦🇿 (my ancestors really got around)
Posts about books, human rights, chaos baking, history/poetry/folklore, and other nerd stuff
Rep Seth Fishman
Pinned
My mom and stepdad are from the same diaspora group as Zohran Mamdani’s dad (same like “my stepdad was kicked out of the same town and knows some of his classmates”) and apparently the New York Times doesn’t understand how diaspora works, so I am going to tell you a little about my mom’s people!
Meanwhile Hani’s daughter Rawan, who is barely in her twenties and yet responsible for her entire family, sends me messages like this each day:
February 13, 2026 at 2:58 PM
Meanwhile Hani’s daughter Rawan, who is barely in her twenties and yet responsible for her entire family, sends me messages like this each day:
Do I know any journalists or news outlets who might be willing to write an article about the months I’ve spent begging GoFundMe to release the funds I’ve raised? I wish this were more common knowledge so no one else finds themselves in this position. (Please boost!)
February 13, 2026 at 2:53 PM
Do I know any journalists or news outlets who might be willing to write an article about the months I’ve spent begging GoFundMe to release the funds I’ve raised? I wish this were more common knowledge so no one else finds themselves in this position. (Please boost!)
I see that belief a lot, but the sad truth is that the desensitization and the cruelty existed long, LONG before the genocide started being livestreamed. (Even this article is from 2018.)
Indeed, I would argue the causality is the other way around: Israel got its lessons in cruelty from the West.
Indeed, I would argue the causality is the other way around: Israel got its lessons in cruelty from the West.
February 13, 2026 at 4:39 AM
I see that belief a lot, but the sad truth is that the desensitization and the cruelty existed long, LONG before the genocide started being livestreamed. (Even this article is from 2018.)
Indeed, I would argue the causality is the other way around: Israel got its lessons in cruelty from the West.
Indeed, I would argue the causality is the other way around: Israel got its lessons in cruelty from the West.
20/10 would read
February 12, 2026 at 10:18 PM
20/10 would read
The way I can't tell if you're joking / the way I would 1000% read this 😂
February 12, 2026 at 10:07 PM
The way I can't tell if you're joking / the way I would 1000% read this 😂
Reposted by Sophia Babai
Two full months of desperately trying to get GoFundMe to release the thousands of dollars we raised, while Hani’s family continues to suffer. At this point they’re just ignoring my emails. If you are Palestinian or love Palestinians, please please please use Chuffed.
chuffed.org/project/help...
chuffed.org/project/help...
Remembering Hani & Helping his family to survive
To the generous souls who have come to this page: I am so sorry to inform you that Hani was marytered on September 22, 2025 while driving a truck in Northern Gaza, in order to raise money to support h...
chuffed.org
February 12, 2026 at 1:46 PM
Two full months of desperately trying to get GoFundMe to release the thousands of dollars we raised, while Hani’s family continues to suffer. At this point they’re just ignoring my emails. If you are Palestinian or love Palestinians, please please please use Chuffed.
chuffed.org/project/help...
chuffed.org/project/help...
Reposted by Sophia Babai
I had two clients moved within an hour of ICE learning we were looking for them and advising us there was not plan to move them.
A family of four moved 36 hours after a court order forbidding them from being moved.
3 other clients moved within a day of court-ordered injunctions.
20/
A family of four moved 36 hours after a court order forbidding them from being moved.
3 other clients moved within a day of court-ordered injunctions.
20/
February 11, 2026 at 9:56 PM
I had two clients moved within an hour of ICE learning we were looking for them and advising us there was not plan to move them.
A family of four moved 36 hours after a court order forbidding them from being moved.
3 other clients moved within a day of court-ordered injunctions.
20/
A family of four moved 36 hours after a court order forbidding them from being moved.
3 other clients moved within a day of court-ordered injunctions.
20/
Reposted by Sophia Babai
See ICE wants these cases in Texas, where Trump-infected courts are more tolerant of their antics, more biased against non-citizens, more willing to let DHS fill up concentration camps.
(Not all Texas judges, for sure. Plenty are bravely faithful to the rule of law. ICE is playing the numbers)
17/
(Not all Texas judges, for sure. Plenty are bravely faithful to the rule of law. ICE is playing the numbers)
17/
February 11, 2026 at 9:56 PM
See ICE wants these cases in Texas, where Trump-infected courts are more tolerant of their antics, more biased against non-citizens, more willing to let DHS fill up concentration camps.
(Not all Texas judges, for sure. Plenty are bravely faithful to the rule of law. ICE is playing the numbers)
17/
(Not all Texas judges, for sure. Plenty are bravely faithful to the rule of law. ICE is playing the numbers)
17/
Reposted by Sophia Babai
Meanwhile, DHS shows its contempt for the judiciary in a different way. In dozens, likely now thousands, of cases, DHS openly defies court orders.
Minnesota courts enter orders forbidding ICE from moving noncitizens who’ve filed habeas petitions out of Minnesota. They move them anyway.
16/
Minnesota courts enter orders forbidding ICE from moving noncitizens who’ve filed habeas petitions out of Minnesota. They move them anyway.
16/
February 11, 2026 at 9:56 PM
Meanwhile, DHS shows its contempt for the judiciary in a different way. In dozens, likely now thousands, of cases, DHS openly defies court orders.
Minnesota courts enter orders forbidding ICE from moving noncitizens who’ve filed habeas petitions out of Minnesota. They move them anyway.
16/
Minnesota courts enter orders forbidding ICE from moving noncitizens who’ve filed habeas petitions out of Minnesota. They move them anyway.
16/
Reposted by Sophia Babai
Legal status doesn’t matter: if you exceed ICE’s melanin threshold, you get snatched. It is ethnic cleansing. There is no other word for it.
The news has shown you video of these often violent detentions. What you don’t see is what happens to these individuals after.
I’ve had a front row seat.
7/
The news has shown you video of these often violent detentions. What you don’t see is what happens to these individuals after.
I’ve had a front row seat.
7/
February 11, 2026 at 9:56 PM
Legal status doesn’t matter: if you exceed ICE’s melanin threshold, you get snatched. It is ethnic cleansing. There is no other word for it.
The news has shown you video of these often violent detentions. What you don’t see is what happens to these individuals after.
I’ve had a front row seat.
7/
The news has shown you video of these often violent detentions. What you don’t see is what happens to these individuals after.
I’ve had a front row seat.
7/
Reposted by Sophia Babai
I did it!!!
Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee fewer than twenty pages left to edit eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
February 11, 2026 at 2:31 AM
I did it!!!
Delighted that I immediately recognize (and wholeheartedly agree with!) the two books in the summary
February 11, 2026 at 10:29 PM
Delighted that I immediately recognize (and wholeheartedly agree with!) the two books in the summary
When you say "powerful"
February 11, 2026 at 9:12 PM
When you say "powerful"
I did it!!!
Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee fewer than twenty pages left to edit eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
February 11, 2026 at 2:31 AM
I did it!!!
Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee fewer than twenty pages left to edit eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
February 10, 2026 at 3:01 PM
Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee fewer than twenty pages left to edit eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Reposted by Sophia Babai
American views on Palestine are a striking social experiment in the difference between people caring about morality (e.g. "not violently oppressing an entire population on the basis of religion / ethnicity") and people caring about what they have been told is moral (e.g. "not criticizing Israel")
February 8, 2026 at 12:10 AM
American views on Palestine are a striking social experiment in the difference between people caring about morality (e.g. "not violently oppressing an entire population on the basis of religion / ethnicity") and people caring about what they have been told is moral (e.g. "not criticizing Israel")
Reposted by Sophia Babai
Apparently the majority of the American public draws this line at genocide. This is heartening. Obvious caveats (wish it were a greater majority, wish it had happened sooner), but still heartening.
February 8, 2026 at 12:11 AM
Apparently the majority of the American public draws this line at genocide. This is heartening. Obvious caveats (wish it were a greater majority, wish it had happened sooner), but still heartening.
Thank you :) I did in fact initially write "a Latino" but it's very intentional that it was a Latino who speaks only Spanish, openly wants Puerto Rican independence, etc so I changed it to Bad Bunny and forgot to remove the a 🫣
That would be a delightful crew!
That would be a delightful crew!
February 10, 2026 at 1:38 AM
Thank you :) I did in fact initially write "a Latino" but it's very intentional that it was a Latino who speaks only Spanish, openly wants Puerto Rican independence, etc so I changed it to Bad Bunny and forgot to remove the a 🫣
That would be a delightful crew!
That would be a delightful crew!
for resistance, rather than a way the ruling class is co-opting and commodifying resistance. To quote Lena Khalaf Tuffaha:
"Every empire denies the iceberg
it crashes into, hires a chorus, funds the arts.
Every empire sings itself a lullaby."
"Every empire denies the iceberg
it crashes into, hires a chorus, funds the arts.
Every empire sings itself a lullaby."
February 10, 2026 at 1:16 AM
for resistance, rather than a way the ruling class is co-opting and commodifying resistance. To quote Lena Khalaf Tuffaha:
"Every empire denies the iceberg
it crashes into, hires a chorus, funds the arts.
Every empire sings itself a lullaby."
"Every empire denies the iceberg
it crashes into, hires a chorus, funds the arts.
Every empire sings itself a lullaby."
"He might be playing them" in particular is simply not how that works. They made the conscious intentional choice to hire him while knowing his beliefs, and of course he's going to use that platform to express his beliefs. Again, very classic. The danger comes when people mistake this as a victory
February 10, 2026 at 1:13 AM
"He might be playing them" in particular is simply not how that works. They made the conscious intentional choice to hire him while knowing his beliefs, and of course he's going to use that platform to express his beliefs. Again, very classic. The danger comes when people mistake this as a victory
I also trust that you already understand the difference between an individual's personal beliefs and a system's ability to co-opt them -- if not, that's also pretty easy to research. Again, all of this is very classic, so it's very easy to learn about if you're interested in learning :)
February 10, 2026 at 1:12 AM
I also trust that you already understand the difference between an individual's personal beliefs and a system's ability to co-opt them -- if not, that's also pretty easy to research. Again, all of this is very classic, so it's very easy to learn about if you're interested in learning :)
Yes, exactly. Many Black celebrities didn't support Nixon, but they still operated within a system that oppressed the Black masses while uplifting a few Black celebrities. That's a great example of what I'm talking about.
February 10, 2026 at 1:11 AM
Yes, exactly. Many Black celebrities didn't support Nixon, but they still operated within a system that oppressed the Black masses while uplifting a few Black celebrities. That's a great example of what I'm talking about.