Amid the heatwave and a looming electricity crisis, do you know who decides to resume his foreign trips?

Yes, him. Our prime minister.

I mean, we’re all looking for ways to beat this heat. But, the masterstroke definitely has to be from none other than the globetrotter himself.

Germany and France, I mean, who can ignore, right?

It’s alright if we continue to have power cuts in this heatwave. I mean, for someone who laughed about demonetization’s impact on common man and didn’t bat an eyelid when lacs of people died due to covid and suffered immense trauma, expectations are at the bare minimum.

When the entire energy is focused on fancy dressing himself and reading out of teleprompter, he’s bound to get tired? A trip to Europe is just the right call to enjoy on taxpayers’ money.

I hope no one there brings about the topic of ‘Global warming’ to him. He might just explain it to them. It’d be good if he just hugs and shares his abbreviation-filled speeches.

While we Indians will hope that nature takes care of the heatwave because expecting this communal government to do anything of value is plain stupid.

Most likely, Muslims in India are going to celebrate Eid on Tuesday. Unless, of course, the crescent decided to show up tomorrow in India itself after missing from the gulf skies today. Highly unlikely.

This Eid-ul-Fitr will be the first one post-covid. Grateful that we got to observe Ramadan without the fear of the coronavirus. Of course, there were other viruses affecting peace throughout the country.

And that takes up a lot of our mental bandwidth. And most likely, will do so in the nearest future.

In times like these, it’s easy to feel, ‘what’s the point’ to celebrating when houses are being demolished and people are being put behind bars or slapped with court cases.

But, I feel, especially this time, we need to put our best selves forward and celebrate Eid the way Allah intended for us to. It’s a blessing bestowed upon us after a month of fasting, and we should honor it.

With at least two days left, do make it a point to prepare for the day as per the sunnah of Prophet Muhammad PBUH. Get some suitable clothes for yourselves and your family, clean up and decorate your houses, and most importantly, ensure you’ve paid out your Zakat and Fitra.

Yes, things are difficult. But, honestly, when they were not? If you look back on the stories of our Prophet’s companions, they faced worse, and yet they persisted. Have your tawakkul and use it as your strength.

If it doesn’t come naturally to you, think of the joy Eid brought you when we were all kids. Perhaps, that and just that can make you reconnect with the joy and happiness we’re all meant to enjoy.

May Allah be pleased with us and bring peace everywhere.

We all live in bubbles within our circles, communities, regions, and social spaces. Issues that we talk about, raise our voices on and seek solutions to are confined within the boundaries of these bubbles.

It’s so easy to be surrounded by agreeable audiences that share the exact cause or pain. There’s the validation of your thoughts and a mutual acknowledgment to shout out loud -YES, even I wanted to say that.

I definitely know that outside this bubble, there are polar opposites and similar bubbles of others in place. For instance, when I’ve resumed writing on Facebook, I can imagine myself being in a bubble. Interactions are limited to those who have the same concerns- mostly Muslims. And a few here and there.

But this doesn’t trouble me. It used to, a few years ago. So, what changed?

I realized that people could only empathize with others if it affects them. Not saying people don’t have empathy. They do. But, they can only empathize if they can feel something similar happen to them. Either now or in the future. Essentially, if they can’t fit your shoe onto their feet, it becomes a chore for them to empathize.

A few, definitely, force themselves to try and fit it. As they think that it’s the ideal way. But, unless there develops a pseudo empathy system, they give up. Even console themselves that they tried to clean their conscience.

If what I said above doesn’t make sense, then try to picture the number of so-called Islamic countries that have done to raise any voice against the lynchings of Indian Muslims. Or, think about that friend you shared a biryani with a few Eids earlier.

Of course, no one is to be blamed. It’s human nature to ONLY care about what affects them directly.

And that’s why being in these bubbles doesn’t bother me anymore. It’s a way to give voice to others who might not be able to articulate the pain. Writing is the sole craft that I can contribute to this, and I will. Even if it means these thoughts remain restricted to our echo chambers.

I do hope that Insha Allah when we come out of this that we develop empathy for even those that have a different pain than us, and we burst a few of these bubbles.

The primary reason why they’ve not been able to shift the entire blame on Muslims as easily as before is because of video evidence. Videos recorded by Muslims capture the whole tamasha. 

Documentation is always going to be necessary. I wish we could all afford to install CCTV cameras outside every mosque in India. We’ll need to ensure evidence is captured against these goons. Else, a sizeable number will be put behind bars without bail. 

This is Ramadan, and hence, a larger crowd is present in the mosques. I hope the numbers drastically don’t reduce in troubled areas; else, there won’t be anyone to protect that itself. But, it’s a reality we will need to be ready for. 

Of course, cameras or evidence don’t scare them now. Even if some of them are put behind bars, they are welcomed with garlands when they come out. Getting arrested is like an induction session for them.  And yet, we all have to think of strengthening the security of our mosques and madrasas. Relying on the state will be foolishness. The force itself is corrupt and willing to stand by and watch our mosques being burnt and vandalized amid the cheers of Jai Shree Ram. 
Document everything. Voice out and speak regularly. Don’t care what anyone else will think of ‘soo many posts’ or ‘being political.’  Not all of us can always hit the streets or join politics, nor can we all articulate what’s going on. If you can, do what’s possible from your end. 

Ramadan is also a month for charity. Contribute to your local mosques in whatever you can to help improve their security.
Whatever happens, will happen according to Allah’s will only. But, there are still a few things we should do. Documenting things is one of them. 

After Ram Navmi, now it’s time for rallies for Hanuman Jayanti. The intent is clear—assertion of authority. Ensuring that they keep creating scenarios where violence can happen—awaiting for retaliation to bundle up as many Muslims behind the bar as possible.

We should brace ourselves for more such rallies, decorated with loudspeakers, saffron flags, sticks, swords, and the loud noise of these ‘bhakts’.

This is the only way the BJP can provide any kind of employment anyway. So, we’re bound to see this charade of fake religiosity being displayed more often. Such a convenient way to transfer our taxes to these jobless thugs without giving them a job. This is a job too, which they seem to be enjoying.

It won’t be limited to just these festivals. We should anticipate some innovations in Eid as well. They asked school kids to celebrate Vajpayee’s birthday on Christmas. They’ve even created a ‘Matr-pitr was on Valentine’s day. Legit. Perhaps, because our festivals’ date doesn’t get decided until the very end, it’s playing a spoilsport in planning for them.

We should remind some of them that this approaching Eid isn’t the one where we sacrifice. They’ll have to wait for a couple of months for their animal love to outpour.

Looking forward to the trend of Hanuman Chalisa being played with the azaan everyday. I hope they learn it by heart instead of reading it like those shared videos. Even I can recite half of it, thanks to the films and television we watched growing up.

We will retaliate. Not with violence. Allah will take care of us. In a way, our Imaan and taqwa are only getting strengthened because of it. Perhaps, this is Allah’s way of teaching us a lesson to leave everything to him.

They’re going to come for everything. Clothes, food, language, appearance, jobs, and everything you can name don’t fit into their idea of a Hindu Rashtra. It won’t matter in the spectrum of religiosity or privilege where you mark yourself. Whether you fancy yourself to be ‘moderate,’ ‘liberal,’ or ‘practicing.’ They’ll come after all. Your name is enough.

In the last 5-6 years, we’ve all had discussions about leaving the country with family and friends. Toronto, Dubai, New Jersey, Sydney, and Istanbul are not just destinations to travel to but viable discussion points on ‘where all you can go.’ A life far away from the maddening crowd that keeps encircling cities and states. Color-coding them in shades of saffron.

We’ve all stopped watching news channels, stayed away from mindless discussions, and even cut ties with many to keep our sanity intact. The online world has the handy unfollow button at our disposal, but the real world is yet to follow suit. We wish.

None of us mind the zoom fatigue as it helped us stay enclosed within our safe spaces. Offices, cafeteria, and the outside world before the pandemic ceased being that post the dawn of ’14. It’s much easier to watch them go ballistic on a comment section chanting slogans while justifying why we are rightly being treated this way.

We’ve watched transitions. From those asking, ‘Biryani Kahan hai?’ to ‘asking for a halal ban.’ From a concern, ‘your community should allow girls to study’ to ‘why is hijab allowed in college’ while sharing holi pictures from their college campuses with captions ‘hashtag memories.’

Expectations. We don’t have any. We start with the assumption that you’ll get one day to vote for a ticket for us to a camp far away. Sighing away at the ashes that burn through those chimneys. Maybe make movies about it years later and sob on stage years later. Don’t worry. A few of us will still remain somewhere.

For year’s, we’ve all grown listening to,’both sides’, ‘we should behave this way’, and gyaan from within the community and of course from outside. Now, we’re at a point where we don’t care.

It isn’t our battle alone. Even if we’re the first casualties. We no longer want to bear the burden.

What’s the worse they’ll do? We’ll be here. Waiting.

Not Toronto, Sydney, Dubai.

Here. Come at us, with whatever you got. #Day1.