Kashmir: The Forgotten Occupation

Since October 7th, the focus of the Muslim ummah has been on the genocide and the occupation of our brothers in Gaza. And there is no issue with this - the focus should have been there long before. But the Muslims are in danger of forgetting that there are plenty of other lands where our brothers’ blood flows as if it is worth nothing. How often do we hear about the Uyghurs these days, or the Rohingyas? In this article, the focus will be placed on our brothers in Kashmir - occupied for decades by India, and now facing greater danger than ever before.

Kashmir may be among the most beautiful places on Earth (I may be slightly biased), but the true story of the region is an ugly one. An in-depth history of the situation would require an entire book, so here is a short summary. When the British Raj was partitioned in 1947, Kashmir’s future was much more unclear than anywhere else - it was populated by mostly Muslims, yet it was ruled by a Hindu king. Predictably, this would only lead to a conflict breaking out, and that’s exactly what happened - to be exact, three wars have been fought over the region (1947, 1965, 1999). These wars have resulted in a situation of constant tension, with both Pakistan and India controlling portions of Kashmir, and both claiming the rest of it.

Recently, these tensions were again brought to the forefront of global affairs, following a massacre carried out in occupied Kashmir against a group of tourists, with 26 killed. This attack has been attributed to the Resistance Front, but India has also alleged that Pakistan itself is to blame for what happened. Before continuing, it’s necessary to note how shameful it is that the deaths of innocent people have been used for political gain. What happened was tragic in the eyes of all sane people, whether they are Muslim or Hindu, but the morals of those who lead India are equally disturbing. The Modi government is a government which does not hide its enmity to Islam and the Muslims - just like the far-right here, they use tragedies as an excuse to spread their nonsense. In fact, there are many who even believe that Modi’s extremist government was itself behind the attack, searching for a precedent to confront Pakistan. I’m not here to make any formal accusations, but I wouldn’t put this past the Hindutva tyrants ruling from New Delhi.

The full extent of the occupation was unleashed from 2019 to the present day. That year, Modi’s government revoked Article 370 - this stripped Kashmir of the limited autonomy it had been granted, allowing the Indian occupation to grow in severity and brutality. According to a conservative estimate, there are at least 700,000 Indian troops active in Kashmir - ask yourself how such an attack could have taken place under such heavy surveillance. The people of Kashmir can’t do a thing without their occupiers knowing, yet they are somehow painted as a bunch of bloodthirsty terrorists hunting for Hindu blood. It isn’t just the invasion of privacy that shows the contempt the Hindutva have for the Muslims of Kashmir.

At the start of the article, I mentioned Palestine before I even got to Kashmir - this wasn't without a purpose. The reality is that there is little to no difference between the Zionists of Israel and the Hindutva of India. They share an ideology which preaches the supremacy of their people, and they share a deep hatred for the Muslims. Both can be described as a project of settler colonialism - by 2018, the Indian army had illegally seized 54,000 acres of land in Kashmir. Just as we defend the Palestinians for their resistance when faced with accusations of terrorism, it must be stated that the Kashmiris also have the right to resist the illegal occupation and theft of their land. The Muslims should be praying for their victory with the same sincerity and determination. Our brothers in Kashmir are being killed, our sisters are being raped, and their homes are being stolen. The Zionists and the Hindutva are arguably equal in corruption, so the Muslims of Kashmir and elsewhere must also display their unity. Just as the oppression of the Palestinians stretches back decades, the oppression of Kashmir consists of decades of extrajudicial killings, rape and torture. The occupying Indian soldiers are not civilised defenders of democracy, but they are comparable to the IDF in their merciless treatment of the people they control.

It is not unlikely that some offended Hindutva extremists will come across this and question the claims I have made. What killing? What rape? In the decade between 2008 to 2018, around 1,080 Kashmiri civilians were victims of extrajudicial executions. Since 1989, at least 8,000 Kashmiris have disappeared - you don't have to be smart to conclude where they may have ended up. These figures have not been provided to me by any propaganda machine in Karachi or Lahore, but by Harvard. Evidently, there is no difference between the Hindutva and the Zionists, neither in ideology nor in action.

The truth is that the Hindutva have become arrogant. You can see from their behaviour online that they believe India to be a superpower, untouchable, capable of destroying all enemies. They call India the world’s largest democracy - a ‘democracy’ which has still failed to deliver its promised referendum to the people of Kashmir. However, someone needs to remind these people that their keyboard warriors are more renowned than any other force from their country. India is a country known for scamming, gang rape, killing people for eating beef, and the list goes on. Yet, Modi and his entourage of extremists are more interested in suppressing the Muslims than fixing these issues. I do not say any of this out of disrespect towards India or its people - the vast majority are indeed good, peaceful people, and I’m also aware that Pakistan has its own fair share of flaws - but I think it’s clear that many of them need a reality check.

Now we come to the most important part of any political article: what can we actually do? What can we do thousands of miles away to help people living under such repression? The most obvious answer is of course to seek the help of Allah. When we make dua for all the different regions where oppression has become the norm - Palestine, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, etc - Kashmir should never be forgotten. But at the same time, the Muslims of Britain, especially my fellow Kashmiri ones, need to realise that the battle isn't really that far from us. Modi’s India is a country which is happy to fight its wars overseas, whether that's by killing Sikh independence leaders in Canada, or by mobilising its UK diaspora to vandalise the Pakistani embassy. Do not forget the issues that Modi's muppets caused in Leicester in 2022 - they will no doubt do it again.

As Muslims living in the UK, we should be committed to keeping our streets safe and orderly. We should not aim to cause problems or incite violence. But people should also be aware that we are not a nation of docile victims - when we are challenged, we respond. We need to remember that the Hindutva are much more delusional than any far-right thug who aims to provoke us. While the EDL alcoholics were smart enough to avoid Muslim areas during their riots, the Hindutva are more likely to be arrogant enough to come and challenge us.

I appeal to the Muslim Kashmiris of the UK to stop wasting time fueling disunity. Many of us believe Kashmir should be completely independent, others believe the whole thing should be part of Pakistan. In fact, some are even content as part of India. But back home, our people are dying. We need unity against the current occupation, not infighting about our desired outcomes.

Overall, the call to action is clear - the Muslims of the UK must stand united in the face of any adversity. After all, this issue is not just a Kashmiri issue or a Pakistani issue - we're talking about the blood of the Muslims. And the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:

“The parable of the believers in their affection, mercy, and compassion for each other is that of a body. When any limb aches, the whole body reacts with sleeplessness and fever.”

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