Earlier this week on the ANI podcast, which touts a substantial 6.02 million subscribers, Hindu nationalist Anand Ranganathan made a reprehensible comment: suggesting that Kashmiri Muslims should be dealt with in an Israel- like solution. Anand Ranganathan, is a Hindutva author and commentator.
There are indeed parallels which can be drawn between the terroristic nature of the bloodthirsty Zionist regime and Hindutva extremists.
On May 6th 2024, the deployment of illegal chemical weapons, namely White Phosphorus was used by the occupying forces against civilian populations in Kashmir. Bodies are seared when white phosphorus burns through human skin, dissolving tissues deep within the body. This underscores the profound cruelty and sadistic nature of the Hindutva occupation.
Notably, the depiction of India through rose-tinted lenses of pre-Modi India overlooks India’s longstanding colonisation of Kashmir.
Kashmir has been denied the right to self-determination over seven decades!
Nehru orchestrated the military occupation of Kashmir. India’s historical marginalisation of Indian Muslims, as well as other non-Brahmanical and non-Hindu communities.
The enduring resistance of Kashmiri Muslims against India’s occupation highlights Islam as the pillar of strength and hope amidst severe oppression. It serves as the guiding beacon illuminating their struggle, the defining dialect of their pursuit for justice, and the unwavering pledge rendering surrender inconceivable. Similarly, Palestinian Muslims have drawn unmeasurable strength from their faith—to overcome their darkest and most testing times, inspiring many around the world to research Islam and what it provides for people.
As articulated by Prof. Kanjwal:
“Aside from the families associated with the client regimes of the Indian government, Kashmir's Muslim-majority did not maintain any allegiance to or nostalgia surrounding Article 370. Kashmir's 'special status,' enshrined in the Indian constitution, was built on the understanding between the Indian leadership and its client state in Kashmir that integration to India would be a hard sell for the vast majority of Kashmiris after partition."
It is widely recognised that Kashmiri Muslims either aspire for independence or desire to join Pakistan.
Indian secularism has deeply embedded Hindu norms in political and juridical structures. Meanwhile, it has marginalised the norms of other communities, especially Muslims, and imposed strict regulations on the expression of their faith.
In 2022, The education minister of the state announced the government’s intention to introduce the study of the Bhagavad Gita into the school curriculum for all students. This decision was defended by asserting that the Bhagavad Gita is not only significant for Hindus but for everyone. Concurrently, the wearing of the hijab was prohibited in Kashmir. We see here how Occupied Kashmir conspicuously lacks secularism, operating instead as a state that blends elements of secularism with Hindu nationalism.
The extent of the oppression of Kashmiris has been evidenced on numerous occasions.
According to a Human Rights Watch Report in 2023, Indian authorities are implementing internet shutdowns frequently. The majority of these shutdowns have occurred in Kashmir, where Indian security personnel are employed to suppress protests and restrict access to information.
Security forces have been implicated in a range of abuses, including systematic harassment and maltreatment at checkpoints, arbitrary detentions, and extrajudicial killings.
In 2021, two Kashmiris were…“arrested under the terror law” for cheering during Pakistan’s T20 cricket victory against India.
In November 2021, Khurram Parvez, a notable Kashmiri human rights activist, was arrested on politically motivated charges under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). Parvez holds the positions of program coordinator for the Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society and chair of the Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances. His efforts in documenting enforced disappearances and probing unmarked graves in Kashmir have made him a frequent target of Indian authorities due to his relentless human rights work.
Journalists in Kashmir endure escalating harassment by security forces, encompassing raids and capricious arrests on terrorism charges. 35 journalists in Kashmir, since 2019, have been subjected to baseless allegations for their reporting, physical assaults, and threats.
Furthermore, the Hindutva are repeatedly attempting to use smear campaigns against diaspora Kashmiris who are engaged in indefatigable activism, such as our brother Muzzammil Ayyub Thakur:
We must never forget the relentless oppression and enduring struggle of our brothers and sisters in Kashmir. May Allah (swt) bring swift liberation to all who suffer under tyranny..Ameen.
