DECOLONIAL FEMINIST STATEMENT ON #METOO IN KASHMIR

We have been witnessing the series of allegations brought by women journalists – both Indian and Kashmiri – against some prominent male Kashmiri journalists. Firstly, we would like to add our unqualified and unambiguous support to the women who have been naming these abusive men in the journalistic community. We hear you. We believe you. We are with you.

We would also like to address the current perception amongst some who support the movement for self-determination that the women bringing these allegations are merely lending a shot in the arm to the Indian state’s occupation. It is true that the Indian state and its votaries will seize upon anything to discredit the Kashmiri Muslim community, and by implication denigrate the movement for self-determination and freedom. We especially reject the Islamophobic rhetoric that emerges in these moments. It is all too easy to smear the communities these men come from, even though every single passing day yields new evidence of male sexual predators from all communities and countries across the globe. For every Fahad Shah, there is a Tarun Tejpal, a Gautam Adhikari, a Matt Lauer, a Charlie Rose.

However, even as we caution against the absorption of these women’s complaints into tired Islamophobic and pro-occupation narratives (example: “they seek freedom, but look at how they will treat their women”), we insist that those who support the movement for Azadi must be wary of dismissing women’s complaints and brushing them under the carpet in the name of protecting the resistance. For a due process to take place, it is important that victims be believed, and space is created where women feel that they are able to voice their experiences without censure, stigma, or rebuke.  Concern about women’s rights should not emerge only in moments when it exposes the brutalities of the Indian occupation but be a parallel social concern; the silence of men in these cases is especially detrimental to the eventual cause and resistance. Thus, as we raise our voice to oppose the Indian occupation, we must prioritize the well-being of all women on an immediate and ongoing basis, rather than placing that agenda on the back burner for “after Azadi.” We, therefore, exhort all those who support the movement for self-determination and Azadi to remain attentive to these cases in our midst and to support women who are bravely coming forward with their complaints. A fair and just society for people of all genders must be an integral part of our vision for Azadi.

Finally, we would like to draw the attention of Indian women in the #MeToo wave to the circumstances faced by Kashmiri women, who have had cause for years to say “Me Too” in the face of an overwhelming threat and reality of sexual assault and violence by Indian forces. The widespread denial across India of the mass rapes in Kunan and Poshpora must be seen as one manifestation of the refusal to believe survivors. If the movement is to truly stand up for women, everywhere, then supporters of #MeToo must move beyond communitarian and nationalistic affiliations to fight against all perpetrators, including agents of the state and realize the truth of occupation in Kashmir.

  1. Essar Batool
  2. Mona Bhan
  3. Haley Duschinski
  4. Hafsa Kanjwal
  5. Mir Fatimah Kanth
  6. Deepti Misri
  7. Natasha Rather
  8. Ather Zia
  9. Omer Aijazi
  10. Mohamad Junaid
  11. Arsilan Aziz
  12. Alia Chughtai
  13. Sabika Abbas
  14. Burooj Ghani
  15. Sumayya Syed
  16. Aamir Ajaz
  17. Saiba Varma
  18. Samia Mehraj
  19. Muntaha Amin
  20. Sagrika Kissu
  21. Suvir Kaul
  22. Qazi Zaid
  23. Tabish Rafiq Mir
  24. Kashmiri Cabbage Walker
  25. Adeela Shah
  26. Imaad Nazir
  27. Sadam Hussain
  28. Tanzeel Khan
  29. Fayaz
  30. Tooba Towfiq
  31. Arif Nazir
  32. Ubaid Mushtaq
  33. Suhail Siddique
  34. Shuddhabrata Sengupta
  35. Apoorva Yarabahalli
  36. Supriya Kissu
  37. Sana Fazili
  38. Nishita Trisal
  39. Anneeth Kaur Hundle
  40. Sabra Shafiq
  41. Snigdha Jayakrishnan
  42. Arshiya Syed
  43. Malik Aabid
  44. Carin Fischer
  45. Ikram Ullah
  46. Dr. Glen David Kuecker
  47. Sarbani Sharma
  48. Parveez Rasheed
  49. Babur Hussain
  50. Kasturi Basu
  51. Amit R. Baishya
  52. Shivani Rajput
  53. Azin Mir
  54. Nishant Upadhyay
  55. Shaista Aziz Patel
  56. Shazia Ahad
  57. Aalia Shaikh
  58. Towfeeq Wani
  59. Haziq Qadri
  60. Ayshia zahgeer
  61. Qadri Inzamam
  62. Tayba Sheikh
  63. Sabina Yasmin Rahman
  64. Amjad Majid
  65. Nanky Rai
  66. Apeksha Priyadarshini
  67. Khalid Bashir
  68. Abhishek Shah
  69. Satyadeep
  70. Emily Doerner
  71. Ruwa Shah
  72. Zarka Shabir
  73. Akash Bhattacharya
  74. Ayushi Malik
  75. Annapurna Menon
  76. Dina M. Siddiqi
  77. Zulkarnain Banday
  78. Ubaid H Tantary
  79. Ishtyaq Qadri
  80. Mridu Rai
  81. Abid Faheem
  82. Alana Hunt
  83. Marina Sofi
  84. Rabail Sofi
  85. Huma Zereen
  86. Farooq Sofi
  87. Tapsi Mathur
  88. Ravneet Param
  89. Huzaifa Pandit
  90. Utsa Sarmin
  91. Sharanya Deepak
  92. Saadat
  93. Azad Essa
  94. Mahir Al Hossain
  95. Rifat Mohidin
  96. Freny Manecksha
  97. Nitasha Kaul
  98. Haifa Peerzada
  99. Samiya Latief
  100. Sharika Thirangama
  101. Aman
  102. Suneel Wattal
  103. Sanjay Kak
  104. Rafiq Kathwari
  105. David Barsamian
  106. Aneeqa Khalid
  107. Sumaya Teli
  108. Shruti Kapur
  109. Amina Mahmood Mir
  110. Zara Bakshi
  111. Eisha Hussain
  112. Richa Jairaj
  113. Sasha Bhat
  114. Umesh KP
  115. Lina Krishnan
  116. Kavya Kartik
  117. Shohini Sengupta
  118. Maria Hearty
  119. Goldie Osuri
  120. Aakriti Suresh
  121. Pankaj Thapa
  122. Fozia Qazi
  123. Mariyeh Mushtaq
  124. Yashaswini Venkatadri
  125. Inamul Ashraf Bulbul
  126. Noor Greeshma
  127. Ushmayo Dutta
  128. Qazi Muhammad Hashim
  129. Seema Kazi
  130. Tanveer Ajsi
  131. Peerzada Shuaib Amin Parsa
  132. Denzil Chetty
  133. Inshah Malik
  134. Irfan Mehraj
  135. Idreas Khandy
  136. Divyansha Agrawal
  137. Vishal Manve
  138. Tahir Ahmad wani
  139. Mehroosh Tak
  140. Wahid Bhat
  141. Madhusruthi Neelakantan
  142. Sabah Maharaj
  143. Mouris Bashir
  144. Tasin Amin
  145. Ajachi Chakrabarti
  146. Meghna Singh
  147. Gauhar Siraj
  148. Sabygha Bazmy
  149. @kabwrites
  150. Dr.Bijaya Biswal
  151. Simran Sharma
  152. Amala Dasarathi
  153. Ria De
  154. Danish Muhammed
  155.  Narjees

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