Jaina Maina, a Kashmiri exile, did many remarkable memes & educational posts about the Kashmiri struggle before FB suspended & closed down her account demanding she prove her identity. Kashmiris under lockdown may not know of her remarkable work before she was shut down. All of her many brilliant posters were deleted along with her account. This is one of many memes she created which I got from her after she was shut out.

For the information of Kashmiris who may not know because of the telecommunications blockade: among those individuals & governments that publicly, even enthusiastically, endorsed India’s lockdown are Putin for Russia, the Assad regime, Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand (who was all over Modi ‘like white on rice’ at the UN), US presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard, Trump for the US (where Modi was treated like a rock star), Israel. The only one that sounds discordant is Ardern who proved she is guided by realpolitik, not principled objection to fascism, genocide, or persecution of Muslims.

Another form of social media censorship of Kashmiris: this is what some Kashmiri contact numbers get when they try to use WhatsApp

Is this new ‘most relevant’ comment system on Facebook annoying, or what!? Why would Facebook, which is too busy to have customer service, concern itself with ranking relevance in our discussions?

As many Kashmiris return to social media, we should keep in mind those several Kashmiri activists in diaspora whose social media accounts were shut down because they spoke out so effectively against the occupation. They remain deeply missed.

When Trump again offers to mediate with India about Kashmir (decidedly not for Kashmiris), keep in mind the monstrous fraud he just perpetrated against Palestinians. The US sells arms to India to use in the occupation of Kashmir as it does Israel for occupation & genocide. There isn’t a scintilla of concern for Kashmiri self-determination in his offer.

“Salam. Our victory is inevitable, no room for any creeping doubt, we shall overcome the apparently insurmountable odds. InshaAllah.”

–Mir Laieeq after nearly six months of lockdown in Kashmir

“Liberation” by Kashmiri hip-hop artist FaisAll to welcome back our Kashmiri friends whose polemics, reports, sarcasms, insights were deeply missed on social media. Facebook was like a ghost town without them.

Posted January 29th, 2020

The world’s dumbest president: ‘the Al-Aqua mosque’.