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!
Reposted by Sophia Babai
For other countries it is unfortunately seriously worth thinking about how in two successive cases in a row the United States seemingly has used negotiations as a feint from the very beginning while preparing devastating and senseless bombing campaigns which they execute no matter what
January 4, 2026 at 12:39 AM
For other countries it is unfortunately seriously worth thinking about how in two successive cases in a row the United States seemingly has used negotiations as a feint from the very beginning while preparing devastating and senseless bombing campaigns which they execute no matter what
Reposted by Sophia Babai
by Trump's own admission, Maduro seemed to have attempted massive overtures in the last few days and he simply wasn't interested. Likewise Iran by almost all accounts approached the issue of deescalating and discussing a new nuclear deal in good faith and Trump was simply not interested.
January 4, 2026 at 12:41 AM
by Trump's own admission, Maduro seemed to have attempted massive overtures in the last few days and he simply wasn't interested. Likewise Iran by almost all accounts approached the issue of deescalating and discussing a new nuclear deal in good faith and Trump was simply not interested.
Reposted by Sophia Babai
Libya. Iraq. Iran. Afghanistan. Laos. Vietnam. Haiti. Hawaii. Puerto Rico. Panama. Cuba. Guatemala. The Philippines. El Salvador. Bolivia. Mexico. Ecuador. Honduras. Nicaragua. Chile. Venezuela. I could go on and on.
What do these nations have in common?
What do these nations have in common?
January 3, 2026 at 8:20 PM
Libya. Iraq. Iran. Afghanistan. Laos. Vietnam. Haiti. Hawaii. Puerto Rico. Panama. Cuba. Guatemala. The Philippines. El Salvador. Bolivia. Mexico. Ecuador. Honduras. Nicaragua. Chile. Venezuela. I could go on and on.
What do these nations have in common?
What do these nations have in common?
Reposted by Sophia Babai
kinda miss the times when people asked me why the study of colonialism / imperialism was relevant tbh
Uh
*TRUMP SAYS US WILL 'RUN' VENEZUELA UNTIL TRANSITION POSSIBLE
*TRUMP SAYS US WILL 'RUN' VENEZUELA UNTIL TRANSITION POSSIBLE
January 3, 2026 at 5:37 PM
kinda miss the times when people asked me why the study of colonialism / imperialism was relevant tbh
Libya. Iraq. Iran. Afghanistan. Laos. Vietnam. Haiti. Hawaii. Puerto Rico. Panama. Cuba. Guatemala. The Philippines. El Salvador. Bolivia. Mexico. Ecuador. Honduras. Nicaragua. Chile. Venezuela. I could go on and on.
What do these nations have in common?
What do these nations have in common?
January 3, 2026 at 8:20 PM
Libya. Iraq. Iran. Afghanistan. Laos. Vietnam. Haiti. Hawaii. Puerto Rico. Panama. Cuba. Guatemala. The Philippines. El Salvador. Bolivia. Mexico. Ecuador. Honduras. Nicaragua. Chile. Venezuela. I could go on and on.
What do these nations have in common?
What do these nations have in common?
Also let's be clear, we are attacking Venezuela for the same reason we attack most countries and the same reason we overthrow most governments: they had the audacity to take over their own resources (notably, their oil fields) instead of letting US corporations own them. Anything else is propaganda.
January 3, 2026 at 8:26 AM
Also let's be clear, we are attacking Venezuela for the same reason we attack most countries and the same reason we overthrow most governments: they had the audacity to take over their own resources (notably, their oil fields) instead of letting US corporations own them. Anything else is propaganda.
Three million people live in Caracas, five million in the metro area. It's one of the densest cities in South America. Remember this in the morning when they try to spin this as anything other than a cold-blooded attack on a major civilian center.
January 3, 2026 at 7:20 AM
Three million people live in Caracas, five million in the metro area. It's one of the densest cities in South America. Remember this in the morning when they try to spin this as anything other than a cold-blooded attack on a major civilian center.
Reposted by Sophia Babai
يقول كارل ماركس: «التاريخ يعيد نفسه مرتين.. في المرة الأولى كمأساة وفي الثانية كمهزلة».
January 3, 2026 at 7:16 AM
يقول كارل ماركس: «التاريخ يعيد نفسه مرتين.. في المرة الأولى كمأساة وفي الثانية كمهزلة».
Okay but really it's very funny when people try to educate me about how bad the Iranian regime is.
My dad cannot return to Iran, to his own house, to his 93-year-old mother, because he fears being arrested upon arrival.
I pray for Iran's freedom. And I know it will never come from American bombs.
My dad cannot return to Iran, to his own house, to his 93-year-old mother, because he fears being arrested upon arrival.
I pray for Iran's freedom. And I know it will never come from American bombs.
January 2, 2026 at 11:01 PM
Okay but really it's very funny when people try to educate me about how bad the Iranian regime is.
My dad cannot return to Iran, to his own house, to his 93-year-old mother, because he fears being arrested upon arrival.
I pray for Iran's freedom. And I know it will never come from American bombs.
My dad cannot return to Iran, to his own house, to his 93-year-old mother, because he fears being arrested upon arrival.
I pray for Iran's freedom. And I know it will never come from American bombs.
I find myself thinking "Iran is lucky." Yes they crushed our economy with sanctions but our children didn't starve to death like Iraq and Palestine; yes they bombed us but it only murdered around 1000 of us.
And then I feel ill. How effectively traumatized we are, to see 1000 murders as "only."
And then I feel ill. How effectively traumatized we are, to see 1000 murders as "only."
January 2, 2026 at 8:41 PM
I find myself thinking "Iran is lucky." Yes they crushed our economy with sanctions but our children didn't starve to death like Iraq and Palestine; yes they bombed us but it only murdered around 1000 of us.
And then I feel ill. How effectively traumatized we are, to see 1000 murders as "only."
And then I feel ill. How effectively traumatized we are, to see 1000 murders as "only."
The West has done everything it can to crush Iranian self-determination for over a century now, and yet they keep peddling the idea that they can somehow bomb us into freedom. It would be laughable if it weren't so terrifying.
January 2, 2026 at 7:37 PM
The West has done everything it can to crush Iranian self-determination for over a century now, and yet they keep peddling the idea that they can somehow bomb us into freedom. It would be laughable if it weren't so terrifying.
I got "hopeful" ❤️
Take a screenshot of this GIF, and whichever new word you land on is YOUR word for 2026.
Let's. Go.
Let's. Go.
January 2, 2026 at 5:40 AM
I got "hopeful" ❤️
Relatedly, a fun way to get hype for the year:
1. List small, doable ways to spark joy (e.g. tea, dance break, walk with a friend)
2. Go through and list specifics (e.g. tea blends, songs, friends)
3. Schedule them throughout the year, evenly spaced. (Eg. “on Nov 6 I will drink lemongrass tea”)
1. List small, doable ways to spark joy (e.g. tea, dance break, walk with a friend)
2. Go through and list specifics (e.g. tea blends, songs, friends)
3. Schedule them throughout the year, evenly spaced. (Eg. “on Nov 6 I will drink lemongrass tea”)
Journaling prompts to embrace the new year:
How can I get more support?
How can I have more fun?
How can I connect with nature? With community?
What am I looking forward to?
How can I give myself more small things (tasty snacks, nature walks, dances break, time with friends) to look forward to?
How can I get more support?
How can I have more fun?
How can I connect with nature? With community?
What am I looking forward to?
How can I give myself more small things (tasty snacks, nature walks, dances break, time with friends) to look forward to?
December 31, 2025 at 9:30 PM
Relatedly, a fun way to get hype for the year:
1. List small, doable ways to spark joy (e.g. tea, dance break, walk with a friend)
2. Go through and list specifics (e.g. tea blends, songs, friends)
3. Schedule them throughout the year, evenly spaced. (Eg. “on Nov 6 I will drink lemongrass tea”)
1. List small, doable ways to spark joy (e.g. tea, dance break, walk with a friend)
2. Go through and list specifics (e.g. tea blends, songs, friends)
3. Schedule them throughout the year, evenly spaced. (Eg. “on Nov 6 I will drink lemongrass tea”)
Journaling prompts to release the year:
What can I forgive myself for? What can I forgive someone else for?
What problem am I ready to stop focusing on?
What was one big fear that simply didn’t occur?
(If your brain keeps going “BUT EVERYTHING SUCKS,” start with 1-3 pages of handwritten venting)
What can I forgive myself for? What can I forgive someone else for?
What problem am I ready to stop focusing on?
What was one big fear that simply didn’t occur?
(If your brain keeps going “BUT EVERYTHING SUCKS,” start with 1-3 pages of handwritten venting)
December 31, 2025 at 9:01 PM
Journaling prompts to release the year:
What can I forgive myself for? What can I forgive someone else for?
What problem am I ready to stop focusing on?
What was one big fear that simply didn’t occur?
(If your brain keeps going “BUT EVERYTHING SUCKS,” start with 1-3 pages of handwritten venting)
What can I forgive myself for? What can I forgive someone else for?
What problem am I ready to stop focusing on?
What was one big fear that simply didn’t occur?
(If your brain keeps going “BUT EVERYTHING SUCKS,” start with 1-3 pages of handwritten venting)
The best book I read in 2025 was The Hollow Half by Sarah Aziza.
Gorgeous, visceral, shattering, a book that refuses to contort or conform, to dim the blaze of love and life and rage, a book that is love and loss and refusal and remembrance all at once.
It made me miss my grandma.
Gorgeous, visceral, shattering, a book that refuses to contort or conform, to dim the blaze of love and life and rage, a book that is love and loss and refusal and remembrance all at once.
It made me miss my grandma.
December 31, 2025 at 8:57 PM
The best book I read in 2025 was The Hollow Half by Sarah Aziza.
Gorgeous, visceral, shattering, a book that refuses to contort or conform, to dim the blaze of love and life and rage, a book that is love and loss and refusal and remembrance all at once.
It made me miss my grandma.
Gorgeous, visceral, shattering, a book that refuses to contort or conform, to dim the blaze of love and life and rage, a book that is love and loss and refusal and remembrance all at once.
It made me miss my grandma.
Reposted by Sophia Babai
Entire families in Gaza are being drowned and frozen, their tents washed away, their deaths utterly ignored. I have so many loved ones I can’t reach. I’m so scared and so exhausted of the unending brutality. How much cruelty can one body, one people, one planet bear?
December 31, 2025 at 4:40 AM
Entire families in Gaza are being drowned and frozen, their tents washed away, their deaths utterly ignored. I have so many loved ones I can’t reach. I’m so scared and so exhausted of the unending brutality. How much cruelty can one body, one people, one planet bear?
Reposted by Sophia Babai
The Gaza peace plan has divided the Strip into color-coded zones that determine where Palestinians can live and rebuild, and half of Gaza is off-limits indefinitely. I reported on the stalled ceasefire and why phase two might never materialize. @newyorker.com www.newyorker.com/news/the-led...
A Reckoning for the Stalled Gaza Peace Plan
A meeting between Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump may determine whether the agreement advances—or hardens into a permanent order.
www.newyorker.com
December 31, 2025 at 6:04 PM
The Gaza peace plan has divided the Strip into color-coded zones that determine where Palestinians can live and rebuild, and half of Gaza is off-limits indefinitely. I reported on the stalled ceasefire and why phase two might never materialize. @newyorker.com www.newyorker.com/news/the-led...
Reposted by Sophia Babai
As I continue the agonizing process of verifying with GoFundMe so Hani’s family can finally receive the money you all generously poured forth, they continue to suffer. Last night their tent collapsed in the winds. Please donate if you can: 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
December 31, 2025 at 8:56 AM
As I continue the agonizing process of verifying with GoFundMe so Hani’s family can finally receive the money you all generously poured forth, they continue to suffer. Last night their tent collapsed in the winds. Please donate if you can: chuffed.org/project/help...
As I continue the agonizing process of verifying with GoFundMe so Hani’s family can finally receive the money you all generously poured forth, they continue to suffer. Last night their tent collapsed in the winds. Please donate if you can: 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
December 31, 2025 at 8:56 AM
As I continue the agonizing process of verifying with GoFundMe so Hani’s family can finally receive the money you all generously poured forth, they continue to suffer. Last night their tent collapsed in the winds. Please donate if you can: chuffed.org/project/help...
Entire families in Gaza are being drowned and frozen, their tents washed away, their deaths utterly ignored. I have so many loved ones I can’t reach. I’m so scared and so exhausted of the unending brutality. How much cruelty can one body, one people, one planet bear?
December 31, 2025 at 4:40 AM
Entire families in Gaza are being drowned and frozen, their tents washed away, their deaths utterly ignored. I have so many loved ones I can’t reach. I’m so scared and so exhausted of the unending brutality. How much cruelty can one body, one people, one planet bear?
I was running to catch a bus in East Harlem after a rainstorm and I slipped. A group of strangers grabbed my scattered stuff, helped me to my feet, and held the bus for me. The kindness of New Yorkers, especially in communities where people have to take care of each other, never fails to amaze me.
I would like to hear about a time someone, a stranger even, was very kind to you without any prompting, ulterior motive, or strings attached.
December 31, 2025 at 2:50 AM
I was running to catch a bus in East Harlem after a rainstorm and I slipped. A group of strangers grabbed my scattered stuff, helped me to my feet, and held the bus for me. The kindness of New Yorkers, especially in communities where people have to take care of each other, never fails to amaze me.
Reposted by Sophia Babai
I slept poorly and I wish to smile. Tell me something good about your 2025. No matter how small.
December 29, 2025 at 8:51 PM
I slept poorly and I wish to smile. Tell me something good about your 2025. No matter how small.
Just to be clear when I type 🥳 I’m going “woo!” and when I type 🙌🏽 I’m going “mashallah!”
December 30, 2025 at 3:12 AM
Just to be clear when I type 🥳 I’m going “woo!” and when I type 🙌🏽 I’m going “mashallah!”
Reposted by Sophia Babai
I’m not going to give up on Palestinians. This platform can keep deleting their accounts but I’ll always boost their voices so long as I can.
December 29, 2025 at 8:25 PM
I’m not going to give up on Palestinians. This platform can keep deleting their accounts but I’ll always boost their voices so long as I can.
I am either a momfluencer or a murderer so naturally I choose murder
December 29, 2025 at 9:03 PM
I am either a momfluencer or a murderer so naturally I choose murder