September 24, 2021
Kashmir in DC
During a balmy September evening, an ably-arranged gathering organized by the World Kashmir Awareness Forum convened in the greater Washington DC area to pay tribute to Kashmir icon, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, who passed away on September 1, at the age of 93. Syed Geelani commanded respect from across the aisle, even from those who had opposed him. In my remarks, I called him a true Sher-e-Kashmir and a genuine Shaheed.
Based in held-Kashmir, Syed Geelani passionately maintained that Kashmir’s future was intertwined with that of Pakistan. To that end, his political Qibla remained steadfast and unwavering. He also was cognizant about the perils of a demand for an independent Kashmir, knowing fully well that it was inconsistent with applicable UN resolutions urging for a fair, full, and free plebiscite under UN auspices. Further, he understood its entrapping implications that it would divide Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control and inadvertently play into diversionary schemes of Delhi.
Syed Geelani called himself a de facto Pakistani, and never considered himself Indian. He had the moral clarity to say “no” to India. Azadi for him meant merger with Pakistan.
For me personally, it was a point of privilege that he studied at Oriental College, Lahore, which was just a stone’s throw away from my alma mater, the old Punjab University Law College.
When President Musharraf came up with a dubious plan for Kashmir, Syed Geelani did not hesitate to openly voice his dissent.
All those who came in contact with him, friend and foe alike, vouched for Syed Geelani’s incorruptibility. Throughout his life, he maintained an austere lifestyle of simple living and lofty thinking. Syed Geelani was bereft of a defeatist mindset, which has been the bane of Pakistani elites. I made the point that, 100 years from now, many a temporary inhabitant of power in Pakistan will be long forgotten, but Syed Geelani’s name would endure.
Inclusivity was notable about the event honoring Syed Geelani in that it featured participation by prominent American Muslim leaders who clubbed together Kashmir and Palestine as an ongoing twin struggle.
How then to honor Syed Sahib? My response at the podium was never to give up the fight. The time is ripe to make a transition of the Kashmir cause from Sarkari custody into a broader Civil Society mission. But for that, the young ones in the West have to be made mission-ready.
The threat to the Kashmir cause is not from its enemies, but from apathy within. Lest it be forgotten, momentum of pressure created by civil society compelled a doughty proponent of Apartheid, F W de Klerk, to reach his own conclusion that, in order to avert a looming self-destructive bloodbath in South Africa, he had to take two steps: (1) release Nelson Mandela, and (2) dismantle Apartheid. Thus did the seemingly impregnable fortress of Apartheid crumble.
My contention was, that when it matters most, highly educated classes have let down their own people by not standing up, by not speaking out, and by not fostering awareness. Of what use is top-notch schooling when it is not accompanied by the confidence and faith to urge fair play and to utter Kalma-e-Haq? It has been said that ability can take you to the top, but only character keeps you there. This explains the chilling statistic that almost all Pakistan’s ruling setups have exited with ignominy. Cited here were the examples of American Muslim icons Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali, who were initially shunned by mainstream Black leadership, but who, by not quitting the good fight, ultimately prevailed and are now embraced. A current acclaimed film, “Blood Brothers,” documents the bond between X and Ali, and is being shown on Netflix.
Britain’s Guardian newspaper on September 9 highlighted a major conference entitled “Dismantling Global Hindutva,” co-sponsored by more than 53 universities, including Harvard, Stanford, Columbia, and Berkeley.
( https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/09/death-threats-sent-to-participants-of-us-conference-on-hindu-nationalism ). Conference panelists and organizers have come under vicious, orchestrated attack, including but not limited to threats of murder, rape, and killing of children. Participating universities have been inundated with hate mail. The Guardian reported that “at Drew University in New Jersey, more than 30,000 emails were received in just a few minutes, causing the university server to crash.” Faced here with this existential challenge to its self-respect, would Muslim youth choose to play possum? The real battles are fought in the mind.
American Muslim youth, prone to be intimidated by post-9/11 Islamophobia in America, need to vigorously reach out by meeting people different from them, reading books, asking questions, striving to learn, and not passively yielding to bullying. And staying engaged and informed about the unfinished tasks.
When Syed Sahib left his mortal abode, his spirit was unbroken and the Kashmir cause he espoused remains unconquered.
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