In a gesture of solidarity with war-torn Palestine, well-known poet Rupi Kaur has declined a Diwali invitation by Kamala Harris, Vice President of the United States. In a strongly worded statement against the Biden administration, released on November 6, Kaur said, “Today, the American government is not only funding the bombardment of Gaza, they continue to justify this genocide against Palestinians, regardless of how many refugee camps, health facilities, and places of worship are blown to bits.”
Kaur is an Indian-Canadian poet and illustrator with roots in Punjab. Her poems that she originally published on Instagram grew to widespread popularity and she now has several published poetry books to her name. In her statement, Kaur added that the US policy on Palestine does not align with the “spirit of Diwali” and further noted, “As a Sikh woman, I will not allow my likeness to be used in whitewashing this administration's actions. I refuse any invitation from an institution that supports the collective punishment of a trapped civilian population, 50% of whom are children.”
Kaur also said in her statement, “They [the US] reject the call for a humanitarian ceasefire—a baseline action being demanded by the United Nations, organisations like Doctors Without Borders, Red Cross, and a majority of countries. Over 10,000 Palestinians have been killed. The UN says 70% of the dead are women and children. We have seen Israel use white phosphorus bombs, which Amnesty International says must be investigated as a war crime. We've seen footage on CNN of Israeli settlers kicking out and occupying the homes of Palestinians in the West Bank.”
She urged others in the South Asian diaspora to hold the administration accountable and call for justice.
“As a community, we cannot remain silent or agreeable just to get a seat at the table. It comes at too high a cost to human life. Many of my contemporaries have told me in private that what's happening in Gaza is awful, but they aren't going to risk their livelihood or [take a] ‘a chance at creating change from the inside’,” Kaur said, adding, “There is no magical change that will happen from being on the inside. We must be brave. We must not be tokenized by their photo-ops. The privilege we lose from speaking up is nothing compared to what Palestinians lose each day because this administration rejects a ceasefire.”