Aleena Qasim: Decolonization

Aleena Qasim's Beliefs on Settler Colonialism 

Aleena Qasim has called for the decolonization of all settler-colonial states. Qasim realizes that this makes some people on the internet quite angry; especially those who dedicate their careers to destroying the livelihood of activists. Qasim believes that military occupation should end on all occupied lands, this includes places such as Kashmir, Turtle Island, and Palestine. Qasim has spread love and admiration for the brave Palestinian people who have suffered under Israel's military occupation. Additionally, Qasim stands behind the Free Palestine movement with pride and hope after witnessing the expulsion of Palestinians from their homes and the constant bombardment experienced by those residing in the West Bank and Gaza Strip by Israel's government. Aleena Qasim realizes that states built off the ethnic cleansing of an indigenous population are illegitimate, however, Qasim also realized that many people do not care about oppressed people outside of the context of western society. Such an example can be seen in moving through the world as a Muslim woman.  Aleena Qasim is a Muslim woman located in Edmonton, Alberta. While Qasim is indeed Muslim herself, she has no problem in acknowledging that many Muslim countries operate unjustly by treating minorities within the country as second-class citizens. 

Aleena Qasim's Pakistani Identity 

Aleena Qasim recognizes the widespread corruption that exists in Muslim countries because she is Pakistani. Pakistan is a country where religious minorities suffer daily because their faith is viewed as secondary to that of the majority Muslim population. For instance, Qasim recognizes the Shia genocide, in which Sunni Muslims continuously demean, belittle, and kill Shia Muslims. Qasim frequently spreads social media posts urging her Pakistani brothers and sisters to recognize the corruption that exists in Pakistan. Given all this information, Aleena Qasim understands what it is like to face harassment for being a Muslim woman in Canada, however, Qasim does not use her faith to justify ethnic cleansing and genocide that occurs in the name of religion. As a result, Aleena Qasim understands that the Free Palestine movement is not antisemitic, as it is often claimed to be. This is consistently oppressing and genociding a  marginalized group is not an inherent quality of any religion in this world. Rather, Aleena Qasim recognizes the many disgusting and sick actions that occur in the name of religion; one who calls out the injustice in Muslim countries is not automatically Islamaphobic. Similarly, one who recognizes that the "Jewish" state is committing crimes against the Palestinian people is not automatically an antisemite. Contrarily, those who believe in the freedom of Palestine are often from marginalized identities themselves. 

Aleena Qasim's Beliefs on the Liberation of Palestine

Aleena Qasim notices how many attempts to delegitimize the Free Palestine movement by claiming that it is inherently anti-Semitic. In response, Qasim asks: "why is the land theft and genocide viewed as an innate quality of Judaism? And is making such a claim not antisemitic." Qasim implores people to use their common sense and logical thinking when exploring the conflict between Palestine and Israel. It is IMPERATIVE to think about why a group of people who were already living on that land must be exiled to create the "Jewish state". Does the issue really lie in the fact that it is a so-called Jewish state? Or does the issue lie in the fact that it is a state built off driving an indigenous population away from their land and genociding them? Aleena Qasim implores people to open any news outlet in the world and really ask themselves: Why does Israel need to bomb Palestine every few months to establish itself? Why is Palestinian resistance demonized so widely, especially after looking at web pages that are dedicated to doxxing and vilifying pro-Palestinians online