Khurram Parvez on the extrajudicial execution of Shahid Bashir Mir on Tuesday, August 22nd:

“Another civilian killed in fake encounter. Fake encounters will stop if government ends the policy of monetary rewards for killing militants. This policy of rewards has incentivised extra-judicial executions.”

Condolences to the families & friends of the young US sailors who died when a navy destroyer collided with an oil tanker near Singapore. Traditionally, the US antiwar movement has not considered soldiers our enemies. That isn’t a tradition in every country, understandably in those under military occupation. But active duty soldiers & veterans have played a central role in educating against & protesting most US wars & that is also true among antiwar veterans of the Israeli army.

I have three brothers, countless relatives, & many co-workers who were in the military, including during war time. None came back the better but many came back opposed to war & often less racist. Veterans have a certain moral authority when it comes to denouncing the horrors of war.

The sailors who died in this accident were just barely in their twenties. They were working class kids who often enter the service to get skilled job training they couldn’t afford elsewhere. They aren’t our enemies but our brothers, sons, & fathers.

May they Rest In Peace.

Unframed Histories by Rollie Mukherjee

Rollie Mukherjee is holding an exhibition & sale of 60 pieces of her art work portraying the Indian occupation of Kashmir, particularly highlighting the sorrow & resistance of Kashmiri women.

The exhibition & sale will be held in Kashmir in the first week of September with a major portion of proceeds shared between orphans & the Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP).

Rollie’s commitment to Kashmiri freedom has educated & inspired thousands of people around the world. So please consider attending the exhibition & contributing. We can provide details of exactly when & where it will be held.

(Painting is “Unframed Histories” by Rollie Mukherjee)

On the extrajudicial execution of Kashmiri Shahid Bashir Mir

Shahid Bashir Mir Aug 24 2017

This young Kashmiri man’s name is Shahid Bashir Mir. The story of his death isn’t unusual & that’s what makes it so outrageous. Reports differ on his age but most sources say he was 21. His dad, who is a carpenter, said his eldest son left home late Monday afternoon to buy cigarettes at a local shop. Some reports claim he left home Monday morning with a herd of sheep for grazing in the forest but he was a college student & not likely to be working as a sheep herder. They may have thought that because his body was found in the forest where the Indian Army was engaged in a hunt to kill operation.

When he didn’t return home, his family went looking for him & also filed a missing person report at the police station. When your son doesn’t come home in a country under military occupation it must be cause for considerable alarm.

This is where the story begins to fall apart & indicates the need for a formal investigation. Shahid was reportedly killed on Tuesday, the day after he went missing. That must have been determined by the medical examiner. Did the army kidnap him on Monday & hold him? Where did they kill him? Walking down the road? In crossfire somewhere? In the forest? Was he taking a shortcut to the cigarette store through the forest? Some reports also claim his face was disfigured with acid. His funeral photos show that something was done to disfigure his face. That would indicate torture or mutilation of a corpse. Those allegations have to be disproven or prosecuted.

Apparently the army notified the police on Tuesday that an unidentified body was lying in the forest & requested them to pick it up. The police later confirmed that no weapons were recovered with Shahid’s body. He was identified later by doctors doing the postmortem.

There were protests throughout the Handwara area in response to his murder & thousands attended his funeral. There’s no point asking why the army would execute a young man not engaged in any criminal or political activity. The number of young men executed when not engaged in militant activities, stone pelting, or protesting is an indictment of the entire occupation.

May Shahid Bashir Mir Rest In Peace. Our condolences to his family.
End the occupation. Self-determination for Kashmir.

(Photo is Shahid Bashir Mir)

Do you think Trump has the nuclear code? Or were they smart enough to give him a dummy code? If he has it, that imaginary deep state has to take him out & not in a soft coup but a hard one. They weren’t smart enough to keep him out of office so things are not hopeful. Make your final arrangements for meeting your maker. Amen.

What Hillary Clinton is saying about Trump stalking her on stage during one of the debates is actually quite important. Forget her stinking politics; she’s speaking honestly & expressing regret about keeping her composure whilst being sexually harassed by Trump on stage. She confirms the point that I make in this article: when you are old & gray what you will regret are those moments in life when out of fear, confusion, a desire to be polite, or in her case, a desire to appear tough, you did not stand up for yourself & let someone intimidate you. Never allow someone to disrespect you.

http://thegirlgod.blogspot.com/2015/09/ending-verbal-abuse-by-mary-scully.html

The desperate plight of Rohingya refugees in Malaysia

Rohingya refugee in Malaysia (Ziaur Rahman) Aug 23 2017
This is an account by a Rohingya refugee in Malaysia of the life of another Rohingya man. It is a story repeated for undocumented immigrants all over the US, particularly in the border region, & all over the world. Refugees are not pitiful creatures but human beings with sacred inviolable rights due them simply because they are human. Open the damn borders.
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“He is a Rohingya from Myanmar. He fled to Malaysia by boat because of persecution by Myanmar militaries. He is surviving in Malaysia more than five years. He went to UNHCR office many times since he arrived to Malaysia. Unfortunately, he didn’t get the opportunity for the registration and medical facility.

For his daily base, “He wakes up early to collect plastic and metal to sell. On a good day, he can make around RM30. But not every day is a good day. There are days when he only makes RM20,” He has been doing this since he arrived to Malaysia. He can’t find any job. He has a wife with five kids living in Batu 4. Apart from this, nobody helps either. What choices does he have on for his family?

As we know, Refugees in Malaysia are officially prohibited from working, so most of them seek employment illegally in order to support their families. This desperation places them in a perpetually precarious state where they are left at the mercy of their employers. Sometimes they are made to work long hours for cheap pay. Sometimes they fire from the job. Sometimes they are exploited. This is a problem repeatedly I raised everywhere.

Despite carrying valid UNHCR documentation, often face the risk of arrest by the authorities. Even though I have encountered with the authorities several times while I was working at restaurant as waiter and UNHCR as an interpreter in Kuala Lumpur & visiting some places. Often leading me to having to bribe police to escape detention for few days or 13 days until asking from UNHCR. “That’s become normal for Rohingya in Malaysia.”

This is the concrete life of Rohingya in Malaysia. we continue to live here. Struggling to keep our dignity as we fight to survive.”

Ziaur Rahman
Victim of Human Traffickers

(Photo is the fellow Ziaur is describing with his children)

Rohingya Means to Run All Over the World in Pain

Rohingya Means to Run All Over the World in Pain

Written by Ziaur, a Rohingya refugee exiled in Malaysia

I have been a refugee all of my life. It has not been easy being a Rohingya. It has not been easy being a refugee for almost twenty-four years in three different countries. It has also not been easy being stateless.

Being a Rohingya means to run, to run all over the world in pain …
Being stateless has meant that I have had no bargaining power whatsoever. Being stateless has meant that governments have continued to ignore my plight because of policies of non-intervention. Not only have governments done this, but most people around the world have also turned a blind eye.

Being a Rohingya means to run, to run all over the world in pain …

There are tens of thousands of us who have lost our strength and we can no longer fight against continuous cruelty. We are in exile. We have become both damned and unwanted.

Being a Rohingya means to run, to run all over the world in pain …

For how long will I be kept in this refugee life?
For how long will I be eaten by insects?
For how long will I be someone that you cannot see?

Being a Rohingya means to run, to run all over the world in pain …

I want you to acknowledge my right to exist, not as an unwanted refugee, but as a human being in a country where I can feel at home and call home, just like you. My fellow Rohingya refugees and I remain silent while we suffer torture, discrimination and harassment. We were once lost at sea on our journey to seek a new home, but we remain lost to this day.

Being a Rohingya means to run, to run all over the world in pain …

Ziaur Rahman

Palestine Info Center tweet July 31 2017

An Egyptian engineer raised the Palestinian flag in front of a pro-Israel rally at a university in South Africa. More information is not available but it’s a very dramatic moment.

(Tweeted by Palestine Information Center)