July 05, 2007
"If my photographs get published across the world, it is because my emotions are real and my looks are not deceptive. The photos show the anger inside," said the full-time demonstrator, who when off the street looks distincly modest and a little shy.
Shakeel Bhat is a 31-year-old Kashmiri activist who spent 3 years in prison in the 1990s for taking part in the violent Muslim uprising in the disputed territory. Now his only weapon is his face.
Bhat has been detained more than 300 times since he first took to the streets of Srinagar in late 1997. He even travels to other parts of the picturesque Kashmir valley to vent his Islamist anger."Police have registered 40 cases against me for taking part in the protests and I have to shuttle from one court to another to defend myself. I've been in almost every police station," he laughed, clutching a plastic bag full of court papers.
Although not a Shiite Muslim, he says his inspiration is Iran's late revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
"I sometimes leave my home and return days later after being in police lock-ups," said Bhat, whose family run a handicrafts business.
"My family members are very supportive. They know I am not doing anything wrong. I am doing what every Muslims needs to do."
Bhat modestly denied knowledge of his fame in the West:
"I don't believe this! I have no knowledge about all this. Why do they do it?" demanded Bhat, who says he has no idea how to use a computer and the Internet.
But he courageously vowed to continue the jihad, one snarl at a time:
"I don't need any titles. I am a simple Muslim. Yes, I get enraged if someone, somewhere makes derogatory remarks about our religion or Prophet," he said."The Koran is my driving force. I will come out on streets as long as Muslims are victims of oppression, even if it leads to my death."
Crossposted at Not Ready for my Burqua
Update: Who Should Be the New Islamic Idol?
Update II: A Campaign Message from Krispy Khalid
Update III: And Now a Word from Jihad Mickey
Update IV: Day 2 of the Islamic Idol Contest
Update V: Rage Boy Sings
Update VI: And Now, Your New Islamic Idol!
Posted by: noburqa at
11:45 AM
| Comments (4)
| Add Comment
Post contains 416 words, total size 3 kb.
Posted by: Dick at July 05, 2007 01:13 PM (A4jXn)
He's look much better imitating that asshole in Scotland, you know the one who poured gasoline on him self and set himself on fire.......
http://www.mp3.com.au/artist.asp?id=16834
Posted by: doriangrey at July 05, 2007 01:50 PM (XvkRd)
[...]
"The new comprehensive worldwide Pew poll of public opinion conclusively disproves both of those views. The polling data demonstrates that while America's standing in the world is dangerously low on every continent in the world (the sole exception being Christian nations in Africa), pervasive anti-American sentiment has emerged only in the last six years. Prior to the Bush administration, America was respected and admired in most of the world, its values a source of inspiration, the ideals it espoused a source of widespread respect. Those are just facts.
The collapse of America's moral standing in the world -- the intense and widespread contempt in which we are held -- is, without question, a direct by-product of our behavior over the last six years. While America, like every country, has made mistakes and engaged in wrongful behavior prior to that, it was viewed by an overwhelming majority of people in the world as a net force for good. Far from the claim by neoconservatives and their allies that the "international community" is intrinsically anti-American no matter what we do -- and we should therefore ignore it and express our contempt for it -- the widespread respect America commanded and the admiration for our values was, prior to George W. Bush, a vital ingredient of our national security and ability to protect our interests."
[...]
http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2007/07/05/american_credibility/index.html
Read it and weep. This is what we have allowed to happen in just 6 short years.
Posted by: Bo at July 05, 2007 01:50 PM (rMxJF)
Posted by: greyrooster at July 06, 2007 05:46 PM (DYtTi)
34 queries taking 0.089 seconds, 159 records returned.
Powered by Minx 1.1.6c-pink.
