“In line with our brethrens in Quetta who are with the bodies of their loved ones in this freezing weather waiting for the State to act, we here in Karachi and people across the country are staging such sit-ins.”

—

In one voice, Pakistani Shias and Sunnis condemn Quetta killings.

Solidarity. Pakistanis are out on the streets showing support for each other. I’m (not) surprised about the lack of local and international media coverage these protests in Pakistan are receiving. Maybe it’s because we haven’t done anything “angry Mozlem!” for them to go insane over.

(via mehreenkasana)

12:50 pm  •  13 January 2013  •  127 notes

joethought:

We’re told everyday by the media about violence between ethnicities in India, about militant Jihadi groups, about the rise of Hindu nationalism, and so many other headline-hungry stories, that some truly heart-warming examples of unity get sidelined. Stories like that never find prominence through media cycles. We’re only told of “pseudo-secularism” and of other doom-saying prophecies that threaten to tear us apart. 

Every Indian has learnt about India’s “Unity in Diversity” (Anekta mein Ekta) concept. Well, this is my attempt to show that it’s not just a social studies class for us. We live in it every. single. day. And sometimes, don’t even realize it. I think we have it in our blood to tolerate our religious and cultural differences. Way more than we think. And way more than our media thinks.

This blog is to remind them that we are ONE people.Here are a few examples that are iconic of this concept of unity amidst impossible diversity:

_____________________

1. The nationwide slogan for Queer-pride marches (meaning: Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christian, Heterosexuals, Homosexuals, .. are all brothers).

_____________________

2. A Hindu temple in Bihar, set up with help from Muslims (land, money and labor):

_____________________

3. The world’s only Temple-Church!:

_____________________

4.  A Sikh rebuilds a Mosque for Muslims, that was destroyed during the partition:

_____________________

5. Muslim children in India play Holi (a Hindu festival) with their neighbors:

_____________________

6. A Muslim (Yusuf Pathan), a Hindu (Virat Kohli) and a Sikh (Harbhajan Singh)  carry the world’s greatest batsman (Sachin Tendulkar), on their shoulders after winning the World Cup:

_____________________

7. A Hindu father adopts a Muslim son in Lucknow, and raises him in Islamic faith:

_____________________

8. Hindus help Muslims break their fast by sharing their food in flood hit Bihar, Muslims help Hindus by offering shelter during their pilgrimages:

_____________________

9.  The old Parle-G “Crack jack” ad-campaigns!: 

_____________________

10. A Muslim family takes their son dressed as Krishna (a Hindu God), for his fancy-dress competition at school:

_____________________

The day is not far off when we unite as one people, stand together against injustice, and fight to bring our capsized brothers into prosperity.

~Satyameva Jayate.

6:38 pm  •  19 October 2012  •  817 notes

mehreenkasana:

A side of Pakistan big news channels won’t show. 

On September 23rd tens of hundreds of people showed up from 8-year-olds to 60+ senior citizens in different cities of Pakistan to clean up the mess created by the few individuals who somehow always end up defaming Pakistan. To all of today’s participants, you’re the reason why we have a good future.

Pakistan is proud of you.

Man, this is beautiful. Oh, Pakistan.

5:11 pm  •  29 September 2012  •  148 notes

“Had Twitter been an invention of the Victorian era, London sophisticates would, no doubt, have LOLed to each other (#sepoyrage!) about the credulity of dusky savages so worked up about a little beef tallow.”

—

Islamophobia, Left and Right

Zing.

(via mehreenkasana)

12:56 am  •  23 September 2012  •  110 notes

hummussexual:

Excerpt:

California employers face new restrictions against shunting Sikh and Muslim workers to backroom jobs out of public view based on their wearing of turbans, beards and hijabs, under a law signed Saturday by Gov. Jerry Brown.

“This bill, AB 1964, makes it very clear that wearing any type of religious clothing or hairstyle, particularly such as Sikhs do, that that is protected by law and nobody can discriminate against you because of that,” Brown told some 400 Sikhs and supporters at a rally of the North American Punjabi Assn. on the steps of the Capitol.

Brown also signed SB 1540, which requires the state Board of Education to consider a new history framework for schools that the governor said will include “the role and contributions of the Sikh community in California.”

1:52 pm  •  10 September 2012  •  51 notes

desitotkay:

mehreenkasana:

I often receive questions from you lovely folks about how should one start reading up on issues and intellectual discourse related to South Asian affairs of all sorts including our history, politics, ideology(s), economy, rift(s) and a lot more. Since it’s an extremely rich history, it can get (quite naturally) tough to know where to start from. You don’t need to worry for now because I’ve brought four of my personal favorite South Asian history/information links. Let’s see what we got:

• Columbia’s archive of South Asian history under the title of Indian Routes consists of a timeline of events throughout the region with interesting commentary and analysis. Just ignore the horrible font chosen: Comic Sans.
• Another great link is offered by Berkeley under the title of Colonial India. This is one aspect of South Asian history that is constantly discussed by those attempting to instill stability in a post-colonial region. Offered in the form of extensive chapters, this website has been a great source of knowledge for me and the students I’ve taught. Best part? It’s not in Comic Sans.
• Then we have - oh, this is a great treat for righteously angry brown discourse - Sepia Mutiny. Recently ended, SM still maintains an active Twitter account where you can send questions and comments regarding contemporary South Asian political, cultural, social debates. Sepia Mutiny offers one of the best slam downs on racism, discrimination, immigrant issues among other important issues.
• Last but certainly not the least, Chapati Mystery. Maintained by Manan Ahmed (whom I’ve met off Twitter and become friends with - thanks for the book by Frantz Fanon, Manan!) who “holds a Ph.D in the history of Islam in South Asia from the University of Chicago, blogs under the sobriquet sepoy. He can also be found hanging out at Juan Cole’s Informed Comment: Global Affairs.” Chapati Mystery tackles the subjects of neo-orientalism, Islamophobia, political ideologies in South Asian history, Jinnah and Gandhi’s swag, Pakistan’s terribly brutal history with Bangladesh and much more. It’s one of the many e-libraries I love spending hours in.

That’s one, two, three and four. Four links on South Asian history, political dynamics, various religions and modern day issues for you to browse through. I’ll share more next time. Till then, happy uncolonized learning!

Adding SAMAJ to this list: “The South Asia Multidisciplinary Academic Journal (SAMAJ) is a peer-reviewed journal devoted to social science research on South Asia. It specializes in the publication of comparative thematic issues as well as individual research articles, review essays, and book reviews. Committed to disseminating rigorous scientific research to the widest possible audience, SAMAJ is fully and freely accessible online.”

(via )

9:06 pm  •  7 September 2012  •  262 notes

mehreenkasana:

Pakistan Youth Alliance held a thematic demonstration urging for sectarian harmony and peace in the country while showing support for the Shia minority in the country. Sunni youths united with Shia citizens to show solidarity in Islamabad.

More photos here.

This is amazing. More power to them.

Hope.

4:13 pm  •  5 September 2012  •  141 notes

mehreenkasana:

Sunni protesters in Lahore, Pakistan show their support for the persecuted Shia minority. Urdu sign says: “We severely condemn the murders of our Shia brothers and sisters.”

[x]

This is a bold, brave statement. Bravo.

Yes.

3:35 pm  •  5 September 2012  •  164 notes

mehreenkasana:

whatifweknew:

“He, who is silent, is also a criminal.”

At the Pakistan Youth Alliance protest against Shia killings in Pakistan.

Sunni-Shia solidarity. Umeed.

10:56 am  •  5 September 2012  •  737 notes

mehreenkasana:

whatifweknew:

Pakistan Youth Alliance protest against Shia killings in Pakistan.

“We, Pakistani Muslims, do not support these killings. Those of us in Pakistan who think all innocent Shias are wajibul katl (worthy of being killed) need to go over the Quran and point out to me what Ayat supports this nuisance.” 

Yes.

10:16 am  •  5 September 2012  •  235 notes

“Without recognising the colonial function of the use of torture, we miss the point that structurally the [‘War on Terror’] is a war against racialised peoples for the retention of ‘first world’ domination.”

—

Elizabeth Philipose quoted in Nathaniel Mehr’s smart review of Feminism and war: Confronting US Imperialism.

All the values of feminism are contradicted - if not rendered impossible to achieve - by the realities of war and the machinery of war-making.

- Leslie Cagan

[…]

Berta Joubert-Ceci reminds us that US wars are being paid for by large cuts in social welfare, with poor working class families bearing the brunt. The overarching class dimension of the analysis is encapsulated by Leilani Dowell: ‘It is the policies of the ruling class - including policies that institutionalise sexism and racism in society; policies that fuel war and aggression and take money away from jobs programmes, education programmes, healthcare; policies that create poverty - which promote and perpetuate this violence.’ 

You might want to read this.

(via mehreenkasana)

11:11 am  •  3 September 2012  •  78 notes

“In Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, Deepa Kumar, an Associate Professor of Media Studies and Middle Eastern Studies at Rutgers University in the US, identifies a cluster of such myths: that Islam is a uniquely sexist religion, that Muslims are irrational, that Islam is inherently violent and that Muslims are incapable of democracy and self-rule. Underlying each of these, she argues, is the view of Islam as a monolithic religion. This, according to Kumar, is the original sin from which all other Orientalist fallacies flow, for it is only by ignoring the conspicuous diversity and historical contingency of Middle Eastern societies that generalisations about ‘Muslim culture’, ‘Islamic civilisation’ or the ‘Muslim mind’ can gain any intellectual credibility.”

—

Racism at the Heart of Empire. Tom Mills reviews Deepa Kumar’s book Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire.

Her book is rooted in the basic, but crucial, understanding that racism is not born simply out of ignorance, but is intimately linked to questions of power and equality. Kumar therefore does not concern herself with sketching the ideological contours of anti-Muslim racism, but attempts to detail the complex historical interplay between power and ideas, placing racism at the very centre of modern imperialism. […] Kumar notes:

“During the Cold War and up until the Iranian revolution of 1979, the United States enthusiastically supported forces that could Islamize the Middle East and serve as a counter to those that posed a challenge to its domination—secular nationalists and the left. In the period after the 1970s, policy makers forged alliances with those Islamists who were on the side of US imperialism and militated against those who refused to play this role.”

Deepa Kumar’s book is superb; She analyzes US and European imperialism and Islamophobia with astute detail. This book is a great reminder for everyone who assumes USA and Europe “got nothing to do with the religious rage in Muslim countries.” Don’t forget the then-American president Reagan and Pakistani dictator Zia’s tight friendship. Pakistan still suffers because of it - even after their deaths. Dozens of other instances where the Empire bolstered oppressive regimes in the Middle East and South Asia. Only to deny all responsibility later on.

(via mehreenkasana)

4:42 pm  •  2 September 2012  •  107 notes

deafmuslimpunx:

TOTALLY RADICAL MUSLIMS zine is now out!!! Issue #1… GET YOUR COPY!! my free verse/ rap poetry piece ‘THE ISLAMOFASCISTS’ is published in this zine. I have a few copies to give out.

#Taqwacores #IslamicPunk #MuslimPunx #UptheTaqx #DesiPunk #BharatSwag

(Source: badass-bharat-deafmuslimpunkstar, via freshmouthgoddess)

10:25 pm  •  29 August 2012  •  126 notes

“Islamic leaders in Pakistan on Monday came out in support of a Christian girl with learning difficulties who is being held in prison, in an unprecedented public denunciation of the blasphemy law by hard-line mullahs.”

—

The All Pakistan Ulema Council, an umbrella group of Muslim clerics and scholars, which includes representatives from fundamentalist groups, joined hands with the Pakistan Interfaith League, which includes Christians, Sikhs and other religions, to call for justice for the girl, Rimsha, who is accused of blasphemy. They also demanded that those making false allegations be punished. [x]

This is simply excellent. Interfaith solidarity Pakistani style.

(via mehreenkasana)

YES.

(via mehreenkasana)

5:35 pm  •  27 August 2012  •  158 notes

mehreenkasana:

rcabbasi:

Shades Of The Old Punjab

The Ghuman family of Sarwarpur, near Ludhiana, cannot understand what the fuss is about. Ever since Sajjan Singh Ghuman, an NRI Sikh living in England, rebuilt a mosque in his native village that was damaged during Partition, the shrine, as well as his family back home, have attracted the curiosity of  outsiders. “We never imagined we would be on a Punjabi TV channel just because my elder brother rebuilt this small mosque for the poor Muslim families of our village. For him, it was just a gesture towards restoring the collective heritage of our village,” says Sajjan’s brother, Joga Singh, who manages the family’s lands in Sarwarpur. Sure. But what Joga and his family, or even the TV channel, do not know is that the sentiment that inspired his brother’s act is being manifested in scores of villages across Punjab, with Sikhs and Hindus joining hands to either rebuild old and damaged mosques or build new ones. Odd? Perhaps. But Punjab, as admirers of its unique religious synthesis say, has always defied stereotypes to do its own thing.

Beautiful. Read the rest

So, so beautiful. The world should follow their example.

Yes.

8:44 pm  •  25 August 2012  •  525 notes