It's all okay & good to use social media, be in activism, raise voices but it is more important to have your presence felt. Conquer the spaces where our presence is negligible. It can be university spaces, opinion pages of leading news websites, 1/n
stages of the protests you participate in, and everywhere else. Be selfish, get recognised. Seeing a Muslim voice in place of none..It's not just your personal achievement, it's our. But also work for it. Work absolutely hard for it. Nobody's giving space here, you take it..2/n
Representation matters. While getting equal representation in policy making bodies will need a long battle, representation in these other spaces, especially popular media, is equally important. Learn to write. Before that, read and reread. 3/n
Make documentaries, films, write songs and slogans and try to be the best at whatever you do. There are thousands of Muslim scholars in India studying about thousand different things. Write about them. Speak about them. Those aren't just for seminars or professorship..4/n
In the times of mass saffronisation of our country, represent us with courage, dignity and respect.
Have a good day.
Assalam Alaikum!
and please forgive me and forget this thread if I sound patronising. I have written this sincerely..in good faith based on my little understanding.
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1) Last year when RAF personnels were attacking AMU students, one could hear them shouting 'Maaro behenchodo ko' and other communal slurs. Same happened in Jamia. While we are well aware that almost every law enforcement agencies are communal
2) we must work upon bringing them to justice. The opposition leaders must take up the issue and try to remedy this situation in the states ruled by them. Just because AMU is not in Bengal or Rajasthan does not mean the Bengal or Rajasthan police is less communal.
3) Unless this situation is remedied, we will find ourselves in dangerously situations. Those of us who led anti-CAA agitations & are part of opposition parties now should try to make it possible. It is least they can do.
1) The Indian Left, self claimed seculars, et al will have to remain grossly Islamophobic, even if they decide not to be. One may argue their Islamophobia is premised upon their collective hatred of Islam, which might be true or not
2) but more because they'd lose all their legitimacy in the majority of majority community the day they start speaking the truth. The good ones in majority community are only good enough to condemn their wrong doing when they've a parallel example from Muslims to condemn
3) A fine example is CPI(M)'s condemnation of both RSS and Jamat e Islami Hind, PFI & SDPI. Once you start pointing out errors in the majority community without ifs & buts, you'd lose your legitimacy. You become evil.
Thread on Hindu extremism, Muslim fundamentalism, same coin, etc:
1) Bringing Muslim fundamentalism into the theorem is a deliberate attempt to invisiblise the lack of political/social capital among Muslims vis a vis Hindus,
2) and more importantly, to hide the failure of the secular parties in fighting Hindu extremism. This "Hindu extremism, Muslim Fundamentalism' analogy is a multilayered attack against Muslims. First, Muslims become victim of crimes committed by Hindu extremists with state support
3) Second, Muslims are made a party in their own killings thus leaving no ground to understand the situation in attacker-defender frame. Third, it invisiblises the anti-Muslim approach of the state via police, judiciary, even in fucking compensation.