I just saw a comment that genuinely crossed the line; not just a misstep, but something hateful, dehumanizing, and deeply communal. It invoked Partition violence in a way that glorified massacre. Thatโs not just a dogwhistle, thatโs a foghorn.
As most of you know, Iโm a light-touch moderator. I tolerate a lot. I believe in messy dialogue. Iโve been fair on my WhatsApp groups, fair on BP, and generally try to err on the side of letting things play out. But this? This wasnโt a close call. It was a clear failure of moral language.
Even if the commenter didnโt โmean it,โ this kind of rhetoric has consequences. When youโre speaking about events like 1947, where entire families were destroyed, you need to speak with care, not contempt. Thereโs no room for casual violence, coded language, or historical gloating. None. Zero.
Before this commenter contributes further to the blog, he will need to fully retract and apologise for the communal language he used. Criticism is fair game. But hate speech is not. Kabir can be theatrical, yes but he does not traffic in dehumanization. The standards must be consistent, and that comment clearly crossed the line.
Please observe this on the thread. Iโm traveling, and this is an open post. Iโll be back with more soon. Iโve written a bit in my newsletter but I will expand on those.
In the meantime:
โก๏ธ Yes, it appears Pakistan is running smart diplomacy โ both with Iran and the U.S.
โก๏ธ I don’t have time to share the links (plane about to take off); theyโre all Google-able.
โก๏ธ But credit where itโs due. There is no infallibility in foreign affairs. But when someone cannot stand to see Pakistan get anything right, it reveals more about their own biases than about geopolitics.
This isnโt about defending states or “sides”; itโs about defending basic decency in discourse.
Huma Yusuf on the importance of the humanities:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1928636/humanities-learning
“Pakistan’s Gendered Tourism Revolution” by Anmol Irfan
https://www.dawn.com/news/1928288/pakistans-gendered-tourism-revolution
“Saeed Mirza & Harsh Mander on the decades-long erosion of the idea of India”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WO0WRYFbls
“Bangladesh is turning its former prime minister’s residence into a revolution museum”
https://images.dawn.com/news/1193926/bangladesh-is-turning-its-former-prime-minister-residence-into-a-revolution-museum
You are only now asking to be banned.
Retract what you wrote, comprehensively and unconditionally apologise for it otherwise if you continue commenting, as thought nothing happened, you will join Q as the second person to be blocked on this website.
@X.T.M. – I apologize profusely for saying things which were hurtful and hateful. This will not happen again.
Thank you for the apology, but I need to be clear: a vague expression of regret doesnโt address what actually happened.
You invoked the 1947 massacres in a way that glorified violence against Muslims. Thatโs not a matter of interpretation โ it was unmistakably communal and dehumanizing. Simply saying your comment was โhurtful and hatefulโ without acknowledging what you said, or why it was wrong, does not reassure anyone that you understand the gravity of it.
Before you comment further on this platform, Iโm asking for a full and unambiguous retraction. That means:
This isnโt about punishment. Itโs about setting a moral standard for discourse โ especially on a forum where history, identity, and trauma are deeply felt.
Until then, your comments will remain unpublished. Youโve often shown no restraint when mocking Pakistanis, Muslims, and their identities. But now, when called to account, youโre suddenly at a loss for words. You know what you said. You know what you meant. Itโs time to interrogate it.
We donโt allow genocidal rhetoric on this blog. Period.
Let me clarify, I never “glorified” violence against Muslims. Was just pointing out the idiocy in @Kabir’s wet dreams of “unifying the Sikhs” against India (which is separatist violence against Indians which you are permitting btw) when Sikhs themselves were at the forefront of violence against Muslims/Pakistanis during partition and were against Pakistan in the first place.
That is what my comment was – “Try telling that to the Sikhs who were killing Muslims back in 1947”. Not an expression of violence, but just a reality check on his delusions that the people who were opposed to partition in 1947 would suddenly become bosom allies.
And I never mock Muslims, Pakistanis yes but never Muslims considering 200+ million of them who are my countrymen. There isn’t a single comment you will find where I have mocked Muslims. In fact, I have openly celebrated the triumphs of Indian Muslims.
Unless you like @Kabir and Q (and millions of Pakistanis) conflate “Pakistani” with “Muslims”, which would be odd considering you are a Pakistani non-Muslim.
I apologize if my comments seemed hurtful as I never advocated genocide of Muslims (Pakistani or otherwise). The statement was purely meant to give a reality check to @Kabir’s wishes (which does border on genocidal considering the violence of separatist movements). If anyone felt that way, I am sorry and I will refrain from using such language.
You claim you werenโt โglorifyingโ violence; just offering a โreality check.โ But a reality check doesnโt involve dredging up imagery of Sikhs โkilling Muslimsโ unless the intent is provocation. You werenโt analyzing history; you were gleefully weaponizing it. Thatโs what made it dehumanizing.
You say you donโt mock Muslims, just Pakistanis. As if that distinction holds up when youโre reducing both to genital jokes, ethnic slurs, and communal dogwhistles. You โcelebrate Indian Muslims,โ you say, as though that somehow sanitizes the subtext.
And no, I donโt conflate โPakistaniโ with โMuslim.โ But I do know hate speech when I see it and you used it. Youโd never dare invoke the flip side. Your glee is evident: in your logic, violence against Pakistanis and or Muslims is karmic payback for a millennia of conquest. You might deny it now, but the tone of satisfaction gave you away.
Youโve now apologized twice without saying anything of substance. A third is on the way, I imagine.
This is not a back and forth and I am getting weary.
Kabir says we are a soft Hindutva blog and I regularly expound on Akhand Bharat.
But I will never condone or allow ethnic cleaning or genocide condoned.
Please do better in your next response or you & Q can co-process in spam purgatory.
“Unpacking Hindi Cinema’s Muslim Representation” by Sumanyu Satpathy
https://thewire.in/books/unpacking-hindi-cinemas-muslim-representation
If you need to go somewhere to think about how very, very little you (or any other human) matters, visit a Hindu temple. Multi-billion year cosmologies, sacred animals, and a general sense that you are at the mercy of the natural world seem to contribute quite a bit to the current Indian mentality. I see so many Indians quoting great thinkers like Einstein and Schopenhauer, but what about the people doing everyday jobs such as garbage collecting? Do they think the same way about India?
Is that what you feel in a temple? Hinduism is more an umbrella term encompassing both philosophy and ritual worship. You can choose to contemplate the universe or just follow ritual, or lose yourself in blind faith. It is not at odds with Einstein or Schopenhauer.
Menial workers in India might not be into philosophy and cosmology but they are very much into politics. There is tremendous political agency even at the lowest strata in India.
As Indians we see the rise of China and bemoan how our democracy is holding us back. How you get anywhere is just as important in life.
Is Illiterotard, Hindu?
No idea. The moniker puts me in mind of the Joker from the dark knight. An anarchist who wants to burn the system to the ground. Books have covers to judge them by.
well….,
i) trump is making modi as a super human figure.
ii) is america lost for india?
iii) will india take rahul gandhi seriously?
iv) hindus were denied credit of a victory over occupying british in 1947. the freedom movement was a hindu victory.
v) looks like there will be a india- pak conflict within this year.
vi) what is shabaz sheriff’s status in pakistan, if asim munir is going to u s a often. will he replace zardari?
Asim Munir is not going to replace President Zardari. That rumor has been rubbished by both the civilian government and by ISPR.
Shahbaz Sharif is the Prime Minister. However, everyone knows that in Pakistan PMs serve at the pleasure of the Army. The Sharifs have also learned from Nawaz Sharif’s last experience of being ousted in 2017. Shahbaz is content not to make waves and hold the post of PM. If the Sharifs play their cards right, Mariam Nawaz will be PM when the next elections are held in 2029.
Imran Khan does need to be freed though I feel..
There are cases against him and he’s been convicted in one ( I believe it was the “Tosha Khana” case for corruption). You do not get to incite people to attack military installations without consequences.
Pakistan Army is in no mood to do a deal with him. But if he wants to get out of jail he needs to never criticize Pak Army again.
Thatโs a bit weird and totalitarian tbh
OK, I would revisit that last sentence. He can criticize the Army. But what he is actually being charged with is inciting his followers to attack military installations (GHQ, Core Commander’s house). This would be unforgivable in most countries and certainly in Pakistan.
The punishment for treason is the death penalty. I don’t think Pak Army is in the mood to hang him because they don’t want to make him a martyr and also his death would provoke widespread rioting in the country.
More realistically, this being Pakistan: At some point the Sharifs will step out of line and then they will find themselves in jail and Imran will be out. After all, Pakistan is a “hybrid regime” not a democracy.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1929686/opposition-leadership-crisis-will-test-ptis-political-acumen
Yes true
“Richard Eaton: India’s self-destructive war on the deep roots of the Mughal Empire”
https://scroll.in/article/1085273/richard-eaton-indias-self-destructive-war-on-the-deep-roots-of-the-mughal-empire
“Dancer Leela Samson on how Bharata Natyam adapted Indian music, literary texts, and languages”
https://scroll.in/article/1084893/dancer-leela-samson-on-how-bharata-natyam-adapted-indian-music-literary-texts-and-languages
“What Threatens the Govt to Ban 25 Books in Kashmir?” by Victoria Schofield
https://thewire.in/rights/what-threatens-the-govt-to-ban-25-books-in-kashmir
for once karan thapar and wire are on back foot. anb. navtej sarna was very educative.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ra-d0XoQQYs
events!! will india standing up to trump become a 1947 type event when indian independence led to the decolonisation of africa???
in cold war none of the allies on either side stood up to their masters. now, in all reality, why should southern europe be scared of a weak russia? what is the need for switerland to buy 35 f35s? canada is getting its first breeze of independence from u s a.
oh! we live in very interesting times!!
“I Wonder Who Is the Bookworm Who Smelled ‘Sedition’ in the 25 Banned Books on Kashmir” by Anuradha Bhasin
https://thewire.in/books/bookworm-sedition-25-banned-books-government-anuradha-bhasin
“Ipsita Chakravarthy on resistance and storytelling in Kashmir: Southasia Review of Books podcast #30”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9e-C4-NM1k
I have a request for some of the people moderating this forum.
Just so that we do not stoke the sense of victimhood that right-wing Indian commentators seem to feed on, can someone write a post about the differences between Pakistan and actual socialist societies?
From each according to their means, to each according to their needs does not look like any time Islam.
Qureshi is that you?