I love India, but I’m not proud to be Indian today

I love India, but I’m not proud to be Indian today.

Just a month ago, I was blasting photos of the Indian flag on my Instagram to show support for my country’s cricket team during the World Cup in England. “India Zindabad!” I screamed at the top of my social media lungs.

Weeks have passed since then, and my euphoria for India has diminished. Our fellow sisters and brothers in Indian occupied Kashmir are bleeding. With the revocation of Article 370 from its constitution, India has completely stripped Kashmiris of their humanity.

I grew up in a Hindu family. I have family members in the Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Hindu nationalist regime that is feared among Muslims and religious minorities in India. On Facebook, my BJP uncles shout in all-caps disgust towards “radical jehadis” and show praise for India’s actions in Kashmir. Actions that include a communications blackout, arrests of Kashmiri politicians, and other human rights violations by Indian forces.

Modi and the BJP’s Hindu nationalism are the same “love for country” that murdered perhaps India’s most prominent Hindu and hero: Mahatma Gandhi. His assassin, Nathuram Vinayak Godse, was a self-proclaimed Hindu nationalist. He was an active member of the RSS, the parent party of the BJP. He even ran a nationalist newspaper called the Hindu Rashtra. In his court appearance following his murder of Gandhi, he expressed contempt for the freedom-fighter and the government for being too accommodating of Muslims:

“I bear no ill will towards anyone individually, but I do say that I had no respect for the present government owing to their policy, which was unfairly favourable towards the Muslims. But at the same time, I could clearly see that the policy was entirely due to the presence of Gandhi.”

It is ironic of Hindu nationalists to claim their love for India when their own ideology assassinated the Hindu man that led India to freedom.

But it should not be a matter of religion to recognize that Kashmiris in Indian occupied Kashmir are violated of their human rights. In fact, they are tortured, targeted for being Muslim, are harmed by pellet-firing shotguns, and are gang-raped… the horrifying list goes on and on.

Love for country does not mean turning a blind eye to injustice. Love of country is speaking out vociferously against your country’s malicious actions towards people, regardless of religion, sex, or identity. To love your country is to make it better for all people. All Indians, especially Hindu nationalists, should look to Gandhi to examine what true nationalism entails:

My nationalism includes the prosperity of all nations… I do not want India to ever exploit any human.”

Mahatma Gandhi

Unfortunately, India has continuously exploited 13 million humans in Indian occupied Kashmir for many years.

It’s ok to love our India. It’s ok to love our cricket team and trash talk our Pakistani friends when both teams play each other. But it is completely unacceptable to be complacent to the oppression of Kashmiris by the Indian government, regardless of whatever notion of loyalty or nationalism you may feel.

As Desmond Tutu explained: “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.”