“Kashmir: Every dawn begins with a funeral.”
–A Kashmiri activist
There is a murderous continuum between the US government’s genocidal treatment of Blacks, Latinos, Native Americans, refugees & its military & colonial policies in Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Somalia, Palestine, & all of its other continuous wars. Those who look to the US for so-called humanitarian interventions have a problem with making those political connections, a problem not shared by the oppressed in the US or elsewhere.
This 1965 video posted by Toronto For Kashmir shows a Kashmiri politician being interviewed about Indian colonial rule. It’s long before the military occupation making Kashmir ‘the most militarized zone in the world’ but as the politician points out, there was still no democracy for Kashmiris.
This is an old video from when India first occupied Kashmir. Since India’s occupation of Kashmir, the situation has not changed even the slightest. In fact, the situation has gotten worse. This video is of a Kashmiri politician briefing a foreign journalist on the Kashmir situation. He goes on to explain that India’s policy on Kashmir is unfair and also not in favor of the Kashmiris. A lot of people have tried to manipulate the truth by labelling the Kashmiri demand for plebiscite as a communal approach by giving examples of incidents that took place in the early 90s. However, prior to the 90s, Kashmiris were still demanding a plebiscite be held and expressed their concerns and dissatisfaction against the Indian occupation due to their biased policies. India’s military presence was always intimidating and seen as a threat to freedom. This fear that Kashmiris had became a reality as India occupied Kashmir through its military in the coming years leading to thousands of disappearances, rapes, and countless human rights violations. Had the Indian government been more thoughtful and just, the issue of Kashmir might have never arose. The current siege in Kashmir since August 5, 2019 is an attestation to India’s unjust approach towards Kashmir and its people. India’s stand on Kashmir has always been like that of a colonizer. #RedForKashmir #LetKashmirSpeak #TorontoForKashmir #Justice #Peace #Humanity #HumanRights #UNResolution #FreeKashmir #Referendum #Plebiscite #EndTheOccupation #MassGraves #Torture #ExtrajudicialKillings #Freedom #StandWithKashmir #Kashmir
Posted by Toronto For Kashmir on Wednesday, October 16, 2019
Me & Lucia Valdez, October 17, 2015
Facebook didn’t hand me a suspension but I received notice that a tribute I wrote in May 2019 for a young Kashmiri man killed by Indian occupying forces violated their community standards against “graphic violence, hate speech, harassment & bullying, nudity, sexual activity & sexual exploitation.” I asked for a review & they stood by the censure. They must be combing our posts going back months to find a wisp to cling to since there wasn’t one damn thing about that obituary that was inflammatory or hateful. Human rights, not hate, is our métier. If you’re Kashmiri or Palestinian, they’re not even combing for wisps but are just shutting down their accounts.
A disturbing article on how India is using brutalities in Kashmir that were developed in China against the Uyghur Muslims. There is a holistic unity between the genocides in Kashmir, China, Palestine, Burma, Syria, Afghanistan, Yemen, Iraq, Somalia, & elsewhere under the rubrics of the Muslim-hating ‘war on terror’. It is the face of fascism & must be defeated by international solidarity & unity in action.
“My father was handicapped! During the mid ’90s while I was in my boyhood. Forces Cordoned off our locality in downtown area Maharaj Gunj. As a routine, the announcement was made through loudspeakers at midnight. I asked my father to accompany him as he was struggling to make his way out. When we walked down the street, the barrage of sticks was unleashed on my father. He stumbled but shielded myself so that I won’t receive any of the blows. I looked upon his eyes, he pretended to smile as if nothing was happening. In my helplessness, i failed to save my father from hounds. I failed to save my father from humiliation.I failed to prevent wounds of my father. That day I came to really know the curse of occupation! So is the story of each Kashmiri. There is no bigger burden than occupation & its filthy consequences we all are facing and have gone through! It will be bigger blow to my existence to forgive the atrocities committed on us Kashmiris..My wound is occupation and it will remain till it ends..
We don’t need mercy & sympathy! We need Freedom of Kashmir.”
–Aahil Asif
The US just handed over the Syrian Kurds to genocide at the hands of Turkey & the Assad dictatorship & Tariq Ali & other Assadists still claim it’s a ‘US regime-change operation’. When does political corruption become dementia?
Bollywood actors are in Israel this week to promote the India-Israel military alliance (we can cut the crap on the cultural stuff). They are handing us a political opportunity, if not mandate, to forge unity between the Palestinian & Kashmiri struggles, including joining forces for BDS & the boycott of India.
As long as the voices of Kashmiris are silenced, we will need to speak out on their behalf as they spoke out for the oppressed despite the occupation they endured. The best way to amplify their voices is to let Kashmiris living outside Kashmir speak for their freedom struggle–if they can without fear of retribution–because they have a powerful & passionate way with language, including the use of irony & polemic, that doesn’t include a whole lot of bullshit & gets right to the point. I am fortunate to have many Kashmiri friends & with their permission will be sharing more of their work, including articles & commentary. In the fight against the rise of fascism, especially in the form of the Muslim-hating ‘war on terror’, Kashmiris will be leading the way.