I am Zakir, born and raised in Afghanistan. I was 16 years old when we were trapped in the middle of a devastating conflict in Afghanistan in 1992. Every day felt like a fight for survival. The sound of violence surrounded us, and fear became a constant part of our lives. There were many nights when I lay awake, wondering if I would live to see the next morning. In those dark moments, I kept asking myself: If I survive this, what will my future look like? Will I ever have the chance to dream again?
"Whenever I hear a Western pundit or politician go on about 'democracy,' I say to myself, 'Oh hell, give it a rest. Nobody’s buying that crap anymore.' I think that people serious about Palestine and decolonization more broadly react skeptically to the term because we understand it to be the vocabulary of our own dispossession."
Join the Centre for the Study of Race, Class and Empire for the public lecture by Professor Steven Salaita, renowned Palestinian intellectual, scholar and novelist on Wednesday, 8 April 2026, 5.45-8pm.
The OU has capitulated to a pro-Israel lobby group about the use of the term ‘ancient Palestine’.
It has been five years since renowned Delhi University linguistics professor Hany Babu was arrested on 28 July, 2020. He is being held without charge in India’s notorious Taloja Central Jail on the outskirts of Mumbai. Here his former student takes a roll call to remember his name, because “naming is work we do for one another.”
M. Zakir Stanikzai is a development professional with a strong background in humanitarian and develo …
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