Drinking Chai and Fighting Oppression

As of today, I am back from my little hiatus. But worry not, I am committed and am getting out all the new content that you are sure to love. Now, let's talk about my title. In this post, I'll be giving you a chai recipe while discussing the connection between my Desi roots and modern American politics.

Chai Concentrate

• 1 Cup Water

• Two Chai Bags

• Cinnamon

• Cloves

• Maple Syrup

Take your water and the chai bags. Microwave the chai in the water for one minute. Then, remove the chai bags after extracting the chai into the water. Now, pour in a little maple syrup. After that, sprinkle in some of the cinnamon and cloves. Viola, chai concentrate. You can just put this in the fridge and use it when you want. You could make a big batch and have a gallon of chai concentrate ready whenever, I don't judge. Or, you could be like me and use it right now.

When you do decide to drink it, you cannot just drink the concentrate; you need milk. Get some milk, about a cup of it, and mix it with your mixture. Microwave that for another minute because your milk made it cool again. Unless you want iced chai, then add some ice cubes instead. Viola, again, now you have a version that was edible in the way God intended it to be.

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Okay, great, you have your chai. Sip with me as I tell you why you have just been sent on this side-quest. You see, I'm Pakistani-American. Do not be mistaken, I was born in Alabama. My dad was born in New York. My mom got citizenship before I was born. I am very legal, for the record, Mr. Trump. But I digress. In Desi culture, chai is huge. Chai is comfort, a celebration, casual, and anything that can fit in between. I love chai. I love making chai, and I love going to my grandma's house where she makes her own. There's something so special about the way her's tastes. I also love drinking chai at Eid events.

This segways into my first situation of fighting oppression that I'm faced with when we look at my roots. Being Muslim. I get a lot of Islamophobia, and I know that now, it's only going to get worse if not presented at a federal level. However, we are not far off considering Anti-Semitism is already being proudly displayed in the Presidential light. Even though it was not the President, it was his buddy, or who used to be his buddy, and neither of them seemed as upset as the public is about it. For the record, I think it is horrible. Let me make one obvious thing blindingly clear: Elon Musk is a bad person. No one in this whole administration is amazing, but since Elon Musk has created hateful acts like this so blatantly, I think it's okay to point out.

So, how can a religion be targeted? It's unconstitutional. Right...? Allow me to remind you of Mr. President's little scare tactic from his last term. He banned the predominantly Muslim countries from traveling to the U.S. It was only for a day or two, and he made it back to normal. It was more of a doing it just to show that he wanted to and could if no one stopped him. But can we stop him now? I don't think so. What does that really entail? I wish I could give a clear, definite answer, but I really can't.

Speaking of Muslim countries, I'm Pakistani-American, as I've said. And that's my second point. I can't and won't lie, Pakistan is not a perfect country, but the hate that it receives from Trump and his side is uncalled for and an excuse for racism.

But now, my identity has made it more and more scary to exist in our country, when the politicians at the top look down at me with hate and disdain, for just existing. Politicians, I beg you, be human, be humane, I'm one of you, I promise. How bad does it have to be that adults are making young people like me wake up with tears and fear, for the ideology they're sharing? When I hear Trump talk about immigrants, and I read about what's happening to refugees, I think about my mother. I think about my grandparents. I hear about discrimination with DEI, and I think about my father. I see myself when I hear about the struggles of young people of color, just trying to keep their heads afloat at school while people in bigger positions than we are are trying to drown us out, constantly pouring gallon after gallon of water over us, showering us.

I said in the title, 'fighting' oppression, so how do I fight it? It's hard, it is, and as tough as I want to seem, I can't lie about it. For my birthday, I donated money to my mosque, not like I'm looking for credit or to be a savior, it's just an example of something other Muslims can do. Even if you aren't Muslim, you can donate money to communities helping with foreign countries, religious struggles, war relief, and immigrants. You can also speak up in general. My way of doing that is writing a blog about all these struggles. You can get in touch with your local Democratic party, even if you aren't explicitly a Democrat, you can see if they have any upcoming protests or marches that you find yourself in support of enough to attend. It will pass, that much I can pray for. It will pass, and we will get through it, but we still have to give effort and fight through it in order for it to pass.