The arrogance of the obsession with the religious identity.

   

Violence is fomented by the imposition of singular and belligerent identities of gullible people, championed by proficient artisans of terror.

                                                                                       --Amartya Sen, “Identity and Violence: The illusion of Destiny”

The Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement started as a reaction to the Police Brutalities in the U.S.A. The movement wasn’t a new one, it is just a recent reflection of the struggle that the People of Colour have been continuing since the inception of the U.S.A under their Constitution. It is a movement for the assertion of rights that the Constitution of the U.S.A promises them. But with the technologically advanced connectivity system, that we are having these days, the movement wasn’t restricted within the boundaries of the U.S.A., infact the whole world stood for it. There existed and still, there are existing Twitter #tags, Facebook status, Instagram stories, and many other activities supporting the cause. The movement wasn’t restricted to the intellectuals or activists but the mainstream civil society also supported it, including Film industry persons so-called Stars, and the Athletes or sportspersons (till date there is a sign of BLM before the start of every football game). The trend was also common in our country, India. There wasn’t a single discourse that was contradicting the BLM cause because somewhere Indians being Asian are also covered under this identity of “the Coloured People” when it comes to White Man Supremacy. To this point of racial abuse we have been the common sufferers and we are collective against this injustice.

“People speak sometimes about the "bestial" cruelty of man, but that is terribly unjust and offensive to beasts, no animal could ever be so cruel as a man, so artfully, so artistically cruel.”

― Fyodor Dostoyevsky

The act of conducting the violence is so artistic that even, we the human race, spectators to it are mesmerized by the way it is conducted. Sandeep Chakravorty, India’s Consul General in New York in a private gathering demanded the Israel Model for the governance in Kashmir (source AL JAZEERA). The demand was in relation to suppress the insurgency in Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370. The statement reflects the conscience and morality that we possess toward other Humans just because some of us have different political opinions. The same people who are standing for BLM are purposing another apartheid model that suits their Political motive.  

In a recent report of ‘Human Rights Watch (HRW) “A Threshold Crossed: Israeli Authorities and the Crimes of Apartheid and Persecution,” has stated that Israel’s Police brutalities and atrocities has met the definitions of Apartheid and thus is the crime against humanity. The last time when Apartheid was practiced was against the People of Colour in South Africa. And the whole world stood against South African White regime for its actions and even banned them from the sports and other collective federations until they provide the Justice to the people. Not only this, the same world stood against Nazis for the Holocaust of Jewish people but why we are selective this time? And why there is no support or #tags or Status? Even though there are #tags or Status relating Palestine dispute but they are bifurcated into #indiasupportisrael and #indiasupportpalestine. Why this selectivity?

If we content that it maybe because of our Public Relation with Israel govt. then the question arises if it is Just to support the fascist apartheid regime for Political and economic favours or are we proving that we nothing but another version of them. Or perhaps it is just because we are not able to identify or locate ourselves with the identity of Palestine people.  This selectivity is nothing new because we are the only people who were supporting the BLM of West, when the atrocities being committed against the minorities within our country.

The international agendas regarding the dispute and insurgency existing worldwide can be curtailed into two narratives. The first narrative is an interpellation of the mainstream U.S.A discourse which has been developed after the fall of USSR, i.e. Islamic Terrorism. The rationale behind this narrative is nothing but to make a common enemy, earlier which was Communism and now, Islam in order to maintain the White Man Supremacy of the West. And it is not a surprise that the new emerging common enemy is the Yellow People (China), especially after the Covid-19 situation. The other agenda is of Justice, which I think is enough by its name to define and describe what it is, but the point is that it should not be a selective one, of which we have become an admirer.

To stand against injustice in Palestine is not a duty of the Muslim community only or it will not be solved by renouncing it upon the supernatural faith but it is a duty of the whole human race. To stand against the violation of the right to freedom, including freedom of religion doesn’t mean we have to be a preacher of the particular religion. It is a high time we should try to understand that humans do not have a single identity as mainly described by those in power which is in accordance with their agenda. And in this case their agenda is to restrict the issue to the identity of people’s religion which isn’t appealing to the whole world. It is to be understood that a particular human possesses multiple identities like language, place of birth, class, gender, sex, occupation or part of the particular organisation, or of particular economic interests or political interest. But above all these identities they also belong to the Human race like us.

In this case of the Israel and Palestine dispute, the dispute is not only restricted to the Jews-Muslim (Arab) religious identities clash. Though it has been executed through the tool of this religious dispute, but it is the dispute of the U.S.A. backed imperialism (colonist occupier) against the oppressed people. Thus, it is not only restricted to Muslim identity but it is a dispute which we the people, of the Third World, are also facing through the identity of class and economic status against the Imperialist forces. While I’m writing this article there are Rocket strikes happening in Israel city in the name of counter retaliation of State oppression and the Airstrikes. And I’m in no position to discuss or settle their issue. Now that this is happening, we will stand in solidarity against these militant activities and will pray for strengthening the system to counter the militant activities. But before praying or demanding Peace do we question the occupation of imperialist forces oppressing the people throughout the World, the consequences of which are the same everywhere. The least we can do is to question and condemn every occupation of oppression equally and not only when it suits our political or religious opinion.

By: Himanshoo Atri