Nothing New Under the Sun
From Northumbria to Palestine: A Cycle of Power, Pain, and Resistance
The phrase “Nothing new under the sun” originates from the Book of Ecclesiastes in the Old Testament—a work of wisdom that reflects deeply on the human condition. It explores the futility of life disconnected from a God-centered existence and famously suggests that history is cyclical: that what has been will be again.
So, what am I referring to that has been repeated?
Let’s return to the years 1069–1070, to Northumbria in northern England. The catastrophic event in question is known as the Harrying of the North—a brutal campaign of scorched earth and slaughter led by William the Conqueror to crush resistance to Norman rule. Estimates suggest that around 100,000 people were starved to death, making it one of the earliest recorded examples of colonial repression.
Historian John Gillingham notes that while looting and violence were not unusual during wartime, the deliberate starvation of civilians was exceptional. William systematically destroyed crops, livestock, and homes—knowing full well the human toll. Still, he gave the order.
Fast forward to the 19th century, and another human catastrophe unfolds: the Great Famine of Ireland. Roughly one million people perished, and another million were forced to flee. Despite the suffering of the poor, Ireland continued to export food. Historians debate just how much, with some claiming Ireland exported enough to feed its population, while others argue exports had sharply declined. What is certain is that imports far outweighed exports during the famine.
Regardless of the numbers, some profited. The Anglo-Irish aristocracy and Catholic Irish gentry evicted tenants who couldn't pay rent—up to 500,000 people were displaced, cast into destitution. Once again: colonialism, greed, and systemic oppression.
Now, in the present day, we witness painful echoes of the past. The treatment of Palestinians by the Israeli state reveals familiar patterns. Women, children, and the elderly—non-combatants—have been killed. Survivors are displaced, imprisoned, or left to starve. With infrastructure destroyed, water cut off, and farmland contaminated, famine and disease loom large.
Nothing new under the sun.
Schools, hospitals, and refugee camps—spaces meant to be sanctuaries—are bombed. The message, consistent across centuries, is that those who resist domination must be crushed. The playbook is the same: dehumanize, devastate, and deny. And as always, global powers look on—some indifferent, others complicit—many with ancestral ties to those Norman conquerors.
The cycle continues.
Modern colonial history brings us to the Balfour Declaration, when Britain endorsed the creation of a Jewish homeland in Palestine. In the aftermath of World War II, it wasn’t Nazi Germany that bore the cost of its horrors, but the native Palestinian people—who happened to live on land deemed geopolitically valuable. Once again, the door was opened to dispossession and exploitation.
Nothing new under the sun.
Historian Dr. Marc Morris, writing on the Norman Conquest, notes that although William I broke no law of his time and would never be condemned in a worldly court, medieval chronicler Orderic Vitalis still decried the king’s cruelty, believing divine justice would prevail:
“The almighty Judge watches over high and low alike; he will weigh the deeds of all in an even balance and, as a just avenger, will punish wrongdoing, as the eternal law makes clear to all men.”
Similarly, the Qur’an condemns injustice unequivocally—both in this life and the next:
“Let there be no hostility except against those who practice tyranny and oppression.”
(Quran, Surah Al-Baqarah, Chapter 2, The Cow, Verse 193)
So let the oppressed of every land, of every faith, rise united. Let us set aside our differences and recognize that the God of justice and mercy calls on us to stand against tyranny. Without justice, there can be no peace, no progress, no harmony on this earth.
Nothing new under the sun...
Reference: Britannica
Dr Marc Morris is the author of The Norman Conquest (Windmill Books, 2013) and William I: England’s Conqueror (Allen Lane, 2016)