Kashmiri Hindus- 3 decades of apathy, 7 centuries of injustice, 1 millennium of unhealed wounds
- In History & Culture
- 01:58 AM, Nov 17, 2019
- Dimple Kaul
Earlier this year, as we, Kashmiri Pandit Hindus, completed yet another year away from home, it was another year of unchronicled, ignored, glossed over pain, for,
Their violence has been hailed as freedom of expression
Our expression of pain has been silenced as intolerance
The organised, ethnic cleansing of Kashmiri Hindus (Pandits) by Islamic fundamentalists in Kashmir, and the world’s continued apathy, is a burden on the collective soul of humanity.
Those who remained mute spectators to the physical, cultural and emotional genocide of Kashmiri Hindus (Pandits), either out of ignorance or unconcern, might not realise it now, but sooner or later, the blood of innocent Hindus spilled in Kashmir by fundamentalists, across centuries, will seek accounting and atonement.
It has been THIRTY YEARS since Kashmiri Hindus (Pandits) received the ultimatum of of convert, flee or die.
Why does every citizen of India NOT know this?
Why are there no cautionary messages spread about Islamist Fundamentalism across the world despite what radical fanatics did in the valley?
Why has the world chosen to ignore the persecution of no less than half a million Kashmiri Hindus (Pandits)?
Where is the United Nations conclave on the existential crisis that has loomed over a minority community for centuries?
And before someone accuses me of Islamophobia, despite me having every reason to be scared of a doctrine that has terrorised and persecuted me personally and my ancestors, over centuries, I would like to know why is any caution against Islamist Fundamentalism stifled as Islamophobia?
How does ANYONE get the right to invalidate our lived reality?
Why is genuine fear of Islamist terror purposely misinterpreted as hatred towards Muslims?
Who are these evil people busy guilt tripping the world using incorrect interpretations?
Raising awareness about Fundamentalist Islamists is NOT Islamophobia.
Glossing over the atrocities perpetrated by Islamists across India and the world, over centuries, however, is most certainly a crime against humanity.
What my community of Hindus has faced, is a gross violation of Human Rights at the hand of Islamist terrorists and I have every reason to call it out and I shall - as long as I am alive.
And NO, it does NOT mean that I hate Muslims.
I do NOT, for, I don’t engage with people based on their faith. I engage with them based on who they are; based on their essence!
Am I wary of anyone who exhibits typical Islamist fundamentalist outlook? You bet I am. I have lived through it all.
If you are unable to understand how both are possible, perhaps you need to question your own self first.
Contrary to what those who control the narrative would have you believe, and guilt trip into, it is very much possible to have cordial rapport with Muslim brethren even while denouncing Islamist fundamentalism and terrorism.
People who cannot comprehend this basic fact are busy in either brushing away the atrocities perpetrated against Hindus for years together, or painting our genuine anguish for acknowledgement and healing as bigotry.
Critical thinking is as foreign to them as pluralism-the core of Sanatan!
All I would expect fellow Indians (and the world) to do is to wake up and find out what happened to Kashmiri Hindus (Pandits).
We are not cowards. We chose to lose it all for our faith.
THAT takes courage!
I am proud of my community that braved an orchestrated progrom, with its faith intact as Hindus!
The world should be proud of us too.
Our lives are a lesson of human spirit triumphing over all kinds of adversities; of knowledge trumping ignorance; of an entire generation choosing to spend its present entirely in taking care of its past (parents) and nurturing its future (children).
Our lived reality is a huge lesson for humanity - in resilience and resurgence against persecution.
A lesson that the world needs to pay heed to, in order to not only find out what happened to us but also ensure that in this 21st century modern world, no society allows such a recurrence ever.
Is the world listening?
Comments