"Enough”

Sulaiman's curious, compassionate, and courageous words in these scary times. Radical, rest, and restful. Always.

Words are weapons. Use them wisely.

The world is in crisis. The world is fucking scary right now.

We know what’s happening. We know these are scary times of global poly-crisis. From Afghanistan to Australia, Bolivia to Bangladesh, Chilee to Congo, Haiti to Hawaiʻi, India to Iraq, Sudan to Suriname, Thailand to Turtle Island, Pakistan to Palestine, Vietnam to Vanuatu, Ukraine to the United Kingdom and everywhere in between, we know.

From multiple genocides to ableism, inaccessibility to a lack of critical thinking, climate inequity to the biological crisis, Disability hate crime to eco-terrorism, from climate catastrophe to inaccessible housing, Islamaphobia to deliberate Disabled oppression, extreme weather (such as recent events in Florida) to forced Disabled poverty, lovelessness to a lack of interdependent community care, racism to resource-grabs, imperialism to capitalism, white supremacy culture to anti-queer legislation, eco-ableism to ecocide and everything in between, we see you.

In the UK, this may look like:

• A winter arriving,

• risk of more severe flooding,

• a farming and food crisis in the UK is made worse by Brexit (61% of UK farmers think they will lose their business in the next 18 months due to climate-impacted poor crop yields)

• a Cost of living crisis, or is it a scandal?

• A genuine fear about heating our homes,

• Pensioners who are being further hit by cuts to their winter fuel allowance,

• and the “meanness” of means-testing our safety nets.

Through my Disabled sixth sense of observation, I always feel and notice everything. So, I’m nothing and questioning who suffers most.

Poor people? Old people? Global Majority people? Queer people? Disabled people? Unhoused people?

I believe it’s all us.

Politicians and society have gone from heartful to heartless. Enough.

We can’t act like the world (and our sacred ecosystems) aren’t on fire and dying.

We have a collective responsibility and duty not to tolerate the easy path for tangible change to create collective liberation of all kin (human and more-than-human).

Image description: On an abstract white background is an illustrative human heart in red with black text superimposed over it. The text reads “[Open Quote] “My heart aches” [End Quote]. In black, Sulaiman’s new personal logo that says “Sulaiman R. Khan” in Urdu is in the top right and English on the bottom left. The “R” in the English part of his logo is cursive. End.

We feel the pain of this.

We refuse to accept this.

We know this because we are this.

We are not mere witnesses. We are catalysts for change. This time in history will transform us, and in turn, we will transform the world around us.

We will never stop fighting for collective liberation for our kin (including our human and more-than-human kin, our flora, fauna, and funga kin, and our inner and outer selves).

This time is not about me whatsoever or my comfort. I’m using my power and privilege not to stutter where I wheel (standing is so overrated!) and to let there be no doubt about who I am and my values, even if it costs me a lot, including income. Therefore, I publicly declare (past, present, and future) that all my existence, energy, businesses, and platforms take (and will always take) an anti-oppressive stance that’s grounded in Disability Justice, pro-funga/fungi, pro-blackness, pro-fatness, pro-Disability, pro-d/Deaf, pro-regenerative ecosystems, Access Intimacy, interdependence, and Revolutionary LOVE® until beyond the end of time as part of my legacy and my lifetime commitment to my (human and more-than-human) ancestors + descendants–British-Pakistani (currently), Disabled, Queer–and me.

From my first breath. With every breath. Until my last breath.

That’s not up for debate.

My wholehearted Disabled AF Oracle existence is not only a miracle but also political, creative, and cultural from my first breath with every breath until my last breath.

As a Global Majority¹ Disabled AF, continual work-in-progress, I know I may not always get things right, and I will make mistakes. But in Crip Time², I’m being curious, compassionate, and courageous enough to speak truth to power and push back against the cis-able neocolonial-racist-supremacist heteronormative patriarchy.

I give a fuck. The politics of palatability is no longer allowed to corrupt my existence.

We must be curious, compassionate, and courageous in our existence.

We all are facing death (in every aspect of the word) right now.

We must be like fungi and, through death, create life. Disability Justice embodies this. Below is a haiku I wrote a few months ago about Disability Justice that demonstrates this:

Image Description: On an abstract Green Viridescence background is a Haiki about Disability Justice titled “Disability Justice” in white text, and below the Haiku reads, “Heartful love unfolds like fungi, unseen, vital. Oracle within.” In white, Sulaiman’s new personal logo, “Sulaiman R. Khan,” in English and Urdu, is at the top right and bottom left. On the top right is Sulaiman Rashad Khan in Urdu. On the bottom left is Sulaiman R. Khan in English. The “R” is in script. End.

Also, the heart of Disability Justice is rooted in decolonial, anti-military occupation, anti-imprisonment, anti-apartheid, pro-black, pro-fat, pro-Disability, pro-d/Deaf, pro-regenerative ecosystems, anti-eugenics, anti-ableist, anti-racist, anti-capitalist, and anti-oppressive praxis.

In these times of unimaginable trauma, loss, violence, and gaslighting, I can’t stay silent on genocide and any form of oppression in all its forms.

With unfiltered, unconditional, uninhabited, and radical Disabled interdependence and Revolutionary LOVE®, I’m in community and solidarity with all oppressed people, especially my oppressed Disabled sisters and brothers.

Thank you to living legends Alice Wong of Disability Visibility Project, Sins Invalid, The Triple Cripples, YK Hong, Aotearoa Liberation League | ALL, Jen Deerinwater, Indigenous Peoples (and pro-indigeneity rooted in Indigenous Wisdom), Matilda Feyiṣayọ Ibini, Martha Awojobi, JMB Consulting, fungi, whales, and my Disabled kin (by blood and bond, especially Global Majority Disabled people, globally) for leading by example. You give me the courage to keep going in an ableist and racist society.

Disability Justice shows me how to live a life worth living and fighting for.

From first-hand experience, my family and I know how horrific colonialism, Islamophobia, displacement, occupation, capitalism, ableism, eco-ableism, eco-terrorism, racism, white supremacy culture, and oppression have been on our lives and acutely understand the impact of this on us all. We abhor any form of violence against anyone and any organism and ecosystem.

My ancestors and descendants demand and deserve better from me and for me.

Onwards and upwards. 🔥

I believe in rejecting binary thinking. Antisemitism and Islamophobia are never acceptable. Eco-ableism and ecocide are never acceptable. Ableism and racism are never acceptable. Toxicity and oppression in any form are never acceptable. Harm and violence against anyone are never excusable.

I believe in remaining in solidarity with all oppressed people everywhere, particularly oppressed D/deaf and Disabled people.

I believe that the only imposter in “imposter syndrome” is the toxic, structural manipulation and trauma of the systems of oppression.

I believe in joy, interdependence, and Revolutionary LOVE® as a tool for anti-oppression.

I believe in the knowledge and wisdom that the liberation of all oppressed peoples is inextricably tied together.

I believe in the knowledge and wisdom that our liberation cannot happen without Collective Liberation (both for human and more-than-human, and for our inner and outer selves).

Ultimately, despite the (physical and emotional) harm and violence I have faced, I believe in continuing to fight all systems of oppression by centring Disability Justice, interdependence, and love. Revolutionary LOVE® is the centre of my entire existence. One breath at a time. From my first breath. With every breath. Until my last breath.

Radical healing demands radical dreaming, and radical dreaming demands radical healing. So, by reimagining a liberated future for all of us and always actively doing love, I will be radical in my healing and dreaming.

So, right now, in these scary times, I ask that we all come together with an open heart and mind. We can only become the sacred change we want to be through critical thinking, “Uncomfortable (and compassionate) Conversations”, community care, equitable ecosystems, and radical love for ourselves and each other. Together, let’s dismantle and destroy injustice and oppression for our collective freedoms!

Are you in?

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Listening to “Enough” by Amahla

1. People of the Global Majority: coined by Rosemary M. Campbell-Stephens, MBE is “a collective term that first and foremost speaks to and encourages those so-called, to think of themselves as belonging to the majority on planet earth. It refers to people who are Black, African, Asian, Brown, dual-heritage, indigenous to the global south, and or, have been racialised as 'ethnic minorities'. Globally, these groups currently represent approximately eighty per cent (80%) of the world's population, making them the global majority now, and with current growth rates, notwithstanding the COVID-19 pandemic, they are set to remain so for the foreseeable future. Understanding that singular truth may shift the dial, it certainly should permanently disrupt and relocate the conversation on race.” (R. Campbell-Stephens, 2020). This term aligns wholeheartedly with my Disabled AF British-Pakistani existence and Queer creative energy. It is my way of wheeling away from all systems of oppression, including but not limited to me no longer being capitalism’s plaything, ableism’s commodity, racism’s tool for power, colonialism’s puppet for violence, white supremacy culture’s fetish for manipulation, cis-able neocolonial-racist-supremacist heteronormative patriarchy’s armour for bullying, and oppression’s pawn for harm.

2. Like nature, particularly Fungi, I live, work, exist, play, and love in Crip Time. In short, Crip Time is the bending of time (and time travel) that Disabled people are experts in practising, and centres Disabled bodies and minds by and for Disabled people through interdependence and Revolutionary LOVE®.