Calling all peoples of faiths conscience. It's time that we stand-up and defend the peoples of Kashmir from India's brutal violence and crackdown.
Join us for the STL March to Free Kashmir this Sunday, Aug. 25th in the Delmar Loop. We will hold a rally in the common space next to the U-City Farmers Market.
JOIN THE PROTEST ON FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/events/2101838733441860/
After the rally which will include speeches we will march up and down Delmar Loop and conclude at the same location.
We will also be collecting signatures for letters that we will send to our elected officials and sharing the telephone numbers of officials to call. Below are the details of what's going on in Kashmir and why we are protesting.
I would like to draw your attention to a grave humanitarian crisis and an abrogation of special protections for the indigenous people in the Indian-occupied province of Kashmir. As my representative in the United States Congress I urge you, along with your Washington colleagues, to issue a statement condemning the armed occupation of Kashmir and to call on Secretary of State Michael Pompeo to take steps to ensure the safety of U.S. citizens, residents, and their families who are currently in the region.
As a Missourian who has been following the occupation and humanitarian crisis, I would like to highlight my concern about events unfolding in Indian-administered Kashmir, the world’s heaviest militarized zone, where the two nuclear-armed nations of India and Pakistan are on the brink of conflict.
Using a false pretext of terrorist attacks backed by falsified televised evidence, the Indian government has enforced a total lock-down in Kashmir. All communication has been severed, including cellphone, internet, and landline connectivity. Reportedly 800 people have been detained under the Public Safety Act, many of them political leaders who have been transported to secret jails in India.
The extreme nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in India has unilaterally bifurcated the disputed region and illegally scrapped the special provisions in the Indian Constitution that protect the indigenous people in the region. There are gross human rights violations taking place, and without any means of communication, it has been impossible to ensure that the sick and hospitalized are receiving medicine, that infants are receiving nourishment, and that the six million individuals under lockdown and curfew are receiving food. Shops and grocery stores have been shut down and religious freedoms are being curtailed as armed forces have shuttered mosques where people congregate to worship.
Indian law enforcement agencies have total immunity and are protected by the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, which has enabled them to escape prosecution for human rights abuses well documented by the United Nation’s Human Rights Council, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch.
Given the unilateral and irresponsible actions of the Indian state, mass protests are likely. You have a responsibility to raise awareness about this armed occupation and humanitarian crisis. I urge you to ensure the Indian government’s adherence to the Fourth Geneva Convention (GCIV), and to do everything in your power to end the occupation and protect Kashmiri civilians from further harm. I implore you to call on Secretary of State Michael Pompeo to seek a negotiated settlement of the dispute and protect the human rights of civilians in the region. It is imperative that Indian authorities recognize that the conflict in Kashmir can only be resolved by peaceful means and according to the wishes of Kashmiris.
Muslim ladies are invited for the 1st democratic primary debates of the 2020 election. Have deep discussions on the policy dictating this upcoming election session. All ages and political viewpoints welcome.
