Islam is the largest religion in Asia and the fastest growing religion in the world. Islam, therefore, deserves a great deal more attention in this publication which sometimes privileges East Asian stories over others. This is not the only reason why writing and talking about Islam is pertinent. Across the world, Muslims are facing unprecedented persecution. This repression demands our attention, engagement, solidarity and resistance. In the United States there are continued attempts to expand a Muslim ban, in Myanmar there is what the United Nations has called a “textbook” case of ethnic cleansing, in China there are concentration camps, and in India there is a citizenship law that excludes Muslims. This citizenship law passed in the lower house of India’s parliament on November 9, 2019.
On that same day, after months of work, the South Asian Student Association (SASA) put together an incredible discussion titled “Centering Kashmiri Voices: Resisting Occupation in Kashmir.” Clear from the title, this event sought to elevate Kashmiri voices and address the occupation taking place in the world’s most militarized area: Kashmir. Leading the discussion were two distinguished public intellectuals whose work focuses on Kashmir: Dr. Mona Bhan and Dr. Mohamad Junaid.
This event served as a pivoting point for SASA and the role it seeks to play on our campus. This was outlined in the opening remarks prepared by the co-chairs of SASA, Saluja Siwakoti and Ayush Chitrakar. They stated that up until that point SASA’s primary investments (in money and time) had been towards events like Diwali, Holi and Bollywood for Dance Workshop. This inadvertently established SASA as “Colorado College’s culture club.” Siwakoti recounted that when she returned to CC after the summer, she was “met with pictures of Holi at CC’s website, newsletters, TV screens. It was everywhere.”
So, this academic year, SASA collectively decided to forego Diwali celebrations. Instead, SASA concentrated their energy towards nurturing an environment that critically engaged with a region that has been, in past years, represented and essentialized as nothing more than a fun dance or activity. They chose to focus on the occupation of Kashmir, which, since August 5th 2019, lost its special status—this ensured that Kashmir had its own flag and constitution—and became administered by India’s central government in New Delhi. In the aftermath of August 5th, scores of Kashmiri politicians, journalists, artists and activists were imprisoned.
This critical discussion was put together with support from and in coordination with the Campus Activities office, Asian Studies, Feminist and Gender Studies Department, the Center for Global Education and Field Study, as well student groups such as MSA, ASU, KASA and MOSAIC. Such a wide array of groups involved in the culmination of this event provided a profound example of the direction that CC’s supposed “cultural” groups could take as they attempt to shift away from, as Siwakoti put it, “essentializing [themselves] at an institution that expects … [them] to be native informants.”
