Sharjeel Usmani Profile picture
Muslim | Mau, Azamgarh, Aligarh, New Delhi
প্রদীপ্ত মৈত্র (Pradipto Moitra) Profile picture . Profile picture Zaira జాయిరా زائرا Profile picture 3 subscribed
Feb 22 6 tweets 1 min read
I have absolutely no intentions of discrediting or downplaying Umar Khalid’s contributions & interventions before and during the anti-CAA agitations. However, it is absolutely wrong on behalf of his father to outrightly single out Umar as the only constitutional voice and discrediting others as unconstitutional and even attempting to throw others, specifically Sharjeel Imam bhai and others, under the bus. Umar’s lawyers have done so in court, and his father has repeatedly made such statements in media and other public gatherings.
Aug 25, 2023 7 tweets 2 min read
The Muzaffarnagar school video is every bit horrifying and painful. A couple of years ago, 14-year-old Asif was beaten up and tortured by Hindu men for drinking water from inside a temple premise. That incident was recorded by the perpetrators themselves, for their own PR, if I may say. At that time, our well meaning and conscientious Hindu friends did their bit by writing #SorryAsif on their social media. As much a good gesture it might’ve seen, the truth was that visitors and devotees to the temple in Dasna only increased after the incident. Locals took pride in what had happened.
Jun 12, 2022 10 tweets 2 min read
Afreen Fatima's father, Mr Javed Muhammad is being called a local community leader. But what does that mean?

He was president of the Kala Danda Muslim graveyard, one of the oldest and largest in the city. He used to file petitions in courts against illegal encroachment on the graveyard lands, and would then take the court order to police and seek their help in removing the encroachers. He had been threatened by local goons and builders multiple times over the past 6 years I have known the family. His work needed him to have good terms with the
Jun 12, 2022 6 tweets 1 min read
Factual mistakes and absurdities in the demolition notice served on Javed Mohd's house:

Last night at about 11 pm Allahabad police stuck a demolition notice on the house of Javed Mohd. The back dated notice was served in the name of Javed Mohd, even though the house not only belongs to his wife, but in fact the land it stands on is her ancestral property, with Javed Mohd having no legal stake in it. The notice also mentioned service of a prior notice on 10 May, a hearing on 24 May and orders passed on 25 May,
Jun 11, 2022 10 tweets 2 min read
To set the records straight: Afreen Fatima's father, Mr Javed Muhammad, who is a community leader in Allahabad was not arrested initially. Dozens of policemen reached his residence in Kareilly area of Allahabad and asked him to accompany them for some 'baat cheet'. His father, a man of honour and courage, was at his residence the entire day and was not involved in the protests nor was his family. This is not to say those who were part of the protests are rightly criminalised. His father refused to with the police in their vehicle.
Apr 10, 2022 7 tweets 3 min read
Flames from a Mosque in Khargone. The camera moves for a second, and one can see policeman silently watching. Muslims pelting stones at peaceful Hindi devotees during Ramnavami rally as per MP administration and local media.
Dec 14, 2021 7 tweets 2 min read
#Thread: December 15 marks a brutal, bloody and dark day in India’s already blood-stained history. On this day, 2 years ago, Muslim students in Aligarh and Jamia were targeted and attacked by police and RAF. The students were protesting against a law that made way to revoke 1/n their membership in Indian society. Several students were severely injured, some students lost their eyes, got their hands amputated - and all - suffered trauma. Police, RAF used assault guns, tear gas cannons, stun grenades - weapons that are banned in actual wars - against 2/n
May 23, 2021 10 tweets 3 min read
#Thread: I never wanted to explain myself but after 4 FIRs and one Rs 50,000 bounty post my release on bail in 4 other FIRs on my tongue, I believe it is important that some things are made clear. Even in Pune #ElgarParishad I spoke about collectively fighting the hate 1/n and asked people from Hindu society to check on the radicalisation of their kids, hinted who are causing the rot in the society, et al. However, media as well as wokes of all political spectrums gave more attention to that one sentence without considering the speech 2/n
May 9, 2021 4 tweets 5 min read
#Thread: RSS linked organisation Hindu American Foundation has filed a lawsuit worth 75 million US dollars (525 crores in rupees) against @raqib_naik for writing this expose of them getting COVID relief from US govt.

aljazeera.com/news/2021/4/2/… The HAF has hired a law firm which in past has represented Donald Trump amongst others. This is RSS's another attempt to silence its critics in the US. I sincerely hope civil rights' bodies & activists would stand in solidarity with @raqib_naik
May 2, 2021 5 tweets 1 min read
#Thread: I've said this before & I'll say this again that India's political community is slightly better than social community. TMC fielding less Muslim candidates, Congress getting less Hindu votes in Assam than expected are examples that political community cannot 1/n afford to be seen with Muslims or as Muslim sympathizers. Even if a politician wants to speak on a Muslim issue, society will not allow that. This is also one reason of rampant both sideism of so-called champions of social justice. They cannot afford to call out their own 2/n
Apr 30, 2021 5 tweets 1 min read
#Thread: Liberals and centrists continue to amaze me. Rohit Sardana was a horrible man who justified killings, dehumanised entire community and profited from it. Please stop preaching us how to react to his death, and stop sermonizing decency and humanity. 1/n It is amusing how they react when people from oppressed communities reject to speak within their defined limits. Yours may just be difference of opinion with him, but him advocating for our killing is not difference of opinion for us. It is a straight death threat 2/n
Apr 27, 2021 8 tweets 2 min read
#Thread: When the state has failed its people and left them to die at the mercy of their immunity, there are people of all age and gender who've dedicated themselves in more ways than they can afford to provide help to those who need it urgently, it is truly, 1/n to quote Charles Dickens, the best and the worst of times. Community led organisations, particularly those run by Muslims and Sikhs, coming forward with plans like Oxygen langar (case in point, the Hemkunt foundation) and creating a 100 bed COVID hospital in a week's time 2/n
Mar 23, 2021 5 tweets 1 min read
Thread on elections:

1) Only CPIM can compete with BJP in hypocrisy and shamelessness. I mean they are calling the opposition coalition (Muslim League + Congress) communal in Kerala, equating Muslim League with RSS and subtly consolidating Hindus using Islamophobic 2) campaigns while in West Bengal they're themselves in alliance with Congress and a Muslim party ISF, founded by an Islamic cleric. In West Bengal they are appealing on the lines of social justice, Dalit emancipation and Muslim empowerment.
Mar 14, 2021 8 tweets 2 min read
Thread on #SorryAsif:
Have been seeing a lot, quite a lot of Hindu people writing and saying #SorryAsif for what one "gumrah" OBC youth did. I do not subscribe to watching this whole incident as an isolated incident or the attacker singularly as one misled youth.

1/n
Those apologizing to Asif (on Twitter & Facebook) are just covering up the mass radicalization of Hindu youths in India. There are too many misled youths out there in the Hindu community. Such incidents are too frequent to be seen in isolation and

2/n
Mar 13, 2021 8 tweets 2 min read
Thread on being stupid:

The issue is not that Muslims do not resist. The issue are the people who decide which 'actions' qualify as resistance and which don't. These people, mostly occupying central space in the anti BJP discourse in India,

1/n
have been there doing nothing but patronizing, schooling, appropriating and even disqualifying the anxieties, anger, struggle and resistance of Muslims since long. They appear to be woke and concerned at the outset but when you examine them closely,

2/n
Jan 28, 2021 14 tweets 3 min read
Indian left/liberal activists ke liye ham products hain. Agar Zinda bache hue hain to inke liye dari bichayeñ aur inke inqalab ke naghme sune aur agar mar jayeiñ to inki kitaaboñ aur chutkuloñ ka mauzu ban jayeiñ..bas itni hi haisiyat hai inki nazar meiñ hamāri. Inse puchiye kabhi Hindu radicalisation par apne logoñ par taqreer kyuñ nahi karte. Hamko aakar bata rahe ho ki Modi bahut bura hai..jaise hameiñ pata hi na ho. Inki kitaboñ mein lynch karne wale par tabsara nahiñ milega, lynch hone wale par milega.
Jan 24, 2021 6 tweets 1 min read
Thread for young Muslims:

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
Dec 15, 2020 6 tweets 2 min read
Thread on RAF, Police, Muslims:

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.