They Saw My Hijab Before They Saw Me: When Injustice Depends on Who You Are
Some people have called the recent police lathi-charge on protesters "the murder of democracy." Maybe that's how it feels to them. But I cannot help asking one uncomfortable question: Why does democracy seem to die only when certain people are hurt? Why was it silent when others cried for the same justice? These thoughts were first shared with me by a close friend and they forced me to look back not just at the headlines but at my own life. Many Indians still remember the events surrounding the protests of 2019-20. For many Muslims, those images from Jamia Millia Islamia, Aligarh Muslim University, Shaheen Bagh and other places were not just news clips. They became memories of fear, pain and a feeling that their voices did not receive the same empathy that others receive today. Whether one agreed with those protests or not one question remains relevant: Should our compassion change depending on the identity of the people who suffer? That question stayed with me because I...
