Aneeka Pasha is a Muslim who lives in the UK. She fought hard for the treatment of her twin, Parvaiz. Martin Luther King Jr. also was a civil right activist, who spoke out to draw attention to the mistreatment suffered by African American communities. Martin Luther King Jr. was a strong advocate of civil resistance in his methods, communities, and people he considered to be family. It took courage and strength to stand for their beliefs when the opposition thought that they were wrong or unneeded. I was more in tune with MLK’s movement because of all they have been through.
MLK, Aneeka, and others have shown different ways of demonstrating civil disobedience. They include sit-ins via video, traveling, and media. MLK used “nonviolent action” such as sit-ins, marches, and other forms of protest to help further the negotiations for African Americans. After these failed, MLK knew that it was important to go to Birmingham, the most segregated American city, to draw attention to the injustices felt by those oppressed across the country. His message was one of peace, hope and the future. He justified his actions by stating that he would “collect facts to determine if there are injustices, negotiate, purify myself and take direct action”. (King, 1). To have the chance to make history, King made a calculated journey to Birmingham. The media broadcasted the peaceful protests of King in the hope that they would influence the opposition’s minds (King, 2 ). King wanted equality for economic and civic right, as well as an immediate end to racist practices. In this case, the public saw the treatment of the black community for exercising its First Amendment right. Aneeka, however, used the same techniques in a totally different way. She wanted Parvaiz returned to the UK so that he could be properly buried. She was determined to find her brother after learning of his murder. She did not give a hoot about her sister Isma’s or Karamat Lone’s opposition, she was determined to reach her brother. Her anger turned into grief when the British government and the Pakistani government refused to help Parvaiz go home (Shamsie). Aneeka was driven to act in a way that was not only personal but also for “justice” she deserved. It was her way of calming her frustrations with her life and her treatment by the British Muslim population. She felt that her brother’s actions were forgiven and shouldn’t have defined his personality. She felt that she must go to Pakistan but also knew that it would be against British law. She created an over-dramatized video of the moment she received her brother’s body in order for others to feel compassion (Shamsie, 235-236). MLK & Aneeka were willing to try different techniques in order to get attention for their ideas.
MLK and Aneeka believed that family was an important component in civil disobedience. MLK wanted to make sure no one would be left out of his family. He shared the title “brotherhood”, a term that is used by all (King 9). King kept his real family close, even as a political activist. King wrote in his letter that it hurt him to hear his daughter question why she didn’t get to go places and do things with white people. She was the innocent child who had been plagued by the idea that she was inferior without apparent reason. MLK’s real family was never ignored during the nonviolent direct action. Aneeka did not see her brother as a family member, but rather her own. Aneeka’s relationship with Isma is strained by the end, and she doesn’t know what happened to her lover Eammon. She ignored her family and their comments when she realized that they did not support her decision to mourn her brother’s death. His death was public, so she felt she had to show that she cared about him. Parvaiz was her everything because he shared an openness and was her only relative by birth (Shamsie 44). She felt a part of herself missing after he died.
Both King’s communities and Aneeka have very different connotations. African American’s were loyal to MLK. He wanted a united, peaceful world where everyone could live. MLK’s Children’s March illustrated that civil rights was not only for the adults he dealt with. Children of every age sang hymns and songs to God about standing together with others in the face of hardships without violence. King, 3). MLK described blacks as his brothers. MLK did not think only of himself, but also the betterment of all. King added other members of the society to his supporters list, including white Christians. The more non-black people he had, the better. Aneeka focused her actions on Parvaiz and herself. Her cousin warned her about the dangers to the Muslim community. She ignored this warning. She did not need or want anything that would not benefit her in her present position.
MLK’s movements seemed to be more well-founded, despite the fact that both men fought an extremely hard fight, both mentally and physically. I appreciate that he was able to clearly state his goal when he approached civil disobedience. He was honest and did not deviate from his core values. He used his Christian values as well to demonstrate that God’s intentions were not his alone. He used both the Bible and the U.S. Constitution in order to support his beliefs. His methods were not a violation of the law. He wanted to make a point with segregationists.
MLK, Aneeka and their fight for the right were united by community, family life and civil resistance. The two had the same goal to make a difference, but their methods of achieving it were quite different. These individuals found ways to bring together family members or community members for a goal. Both had a positive impact on the public, resulting in newfound awareness and open hearts. Although both activists were passionate about their causes, King gave people the power and knowledge to fight injustices in today’s world.
