At a women-led protest site in India, Muslims navigate identity, hope, and despair

https://qz.com/india/1778891/delhis-shaheen-bagh-women-keep-indias-caa-nrc-protest-alive/

At Shaheen Bagh in New Delhi, hope and passion coexist with despair.

It’s been over two weeks since women—mostly Muslim—have been sitting in protest against India’s newly-introduced Citizenship Amendment Act and the proposed National Register of Citizens. This protest has been a nerve centre of unwavering voices against what has been perceived as a discriminatory law. Yet, do they now fear becoming irrelevant, and eventually being silenced? What do they hope to achieve from this protest?

They want the Act, which excludes Muslim immigrants from the swifter path to Indian citizenship, repealed. They are confident of an eventual win. The women of Shaheen Bagh have weathered one of Delhi’s worst winters, the fear of being forced out of their protest site, and their revolution being usurped by political organisations. Yet they soldier on, despite confusion over the leadership of the protest.

In an inversion of the darbars (king’s court) of yore and the panchayats (village councils) of today, the women sit in protest while the men stand outside a neat perimeter, looking on with keen interest.

They’ve been chanting slogans of azadi (freedom), patiently listening to various speakers talking to them about the Indian constitution and human rights. Celebrity visitors look at these women with as much interest as the protesters view the guests.

Abutting Jamia Millia Islamia, the university in Delhi where the current countrywide agitation against India’s new citizenship Act began abruptly last month, the Shaheen Bagh locality is rarely on the radar of privileged Delhiites. However, the passion of the women—and some very enthusiastic children—of this tiny colony has brought it national fame. The protests have been devoid of violence, and visitors are welcomed with a kind smile, a cup of tea, and sometimes a sweet or savoury treat from the community kitchen.


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