WASHINGTON, Jan 02 (APP):As calls from Hindu nationalists grow for massacring Muslims to make India a Hindu nation, American media has begun to take notice of the turn for the worse of the already desperate situation of minorities in that country.
Writing in The Washington Post, Rana Ayyub, a prominent Indian author, referred to the explosive speech of Pooja Shakun Pandey, a leader of Hindu Mahasabha leader, at a recent religious conference in Haridwar, near New Delhi, in which she called for Muslim genocide, and pointed out that inciting violence is a crime but she and the other speakers remain free.
“The police are supposed to be investigating but have been very slow to act — since they know full well these leaders have the protection of the ruling political class,” Ms. Ayyub wrote in an opinion piece.
“In fact, these Hindu leaders have now been emboldened to form a paramilitary force of monks who they claim will lead an armed fight against the 220 million Muslim population in India,” she added.
Days after the conference, Tejaswi Surya, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s handpicked youth leader and a BJP member of parliament, called for bringing Indian Muslims and Christians back to Hinduism, “the mother religion,” it was pointed out.
Author Rana Ayyub then posed critical questions:
“What is happening in India, where calls for genocide and ethnic cleansing are a centerpiece of our political debates? Where the Hindu nationalist who assassinated Mohandas K. Gandhi, a global symbol of nonviolent resistance, is glorified by national leaders.
“What is happening in India, where the majority Hindu community fails to repudiate acts of terror unleashed in its name? Where Muslims are lynched on the streets, where Christmas celebrations are attacked, where the government has blocked the charity of human rights icon and Nobel laureate Mother Teresa from receiving international donations.
“What is happening in India, where Suresh Chavhanke, the influential owner of a right-wing nationalist news channel, calls for people to “fight, die and kill if required” to make India a “Hindu nation” at an event on Dec. 19 in the national capital as the cameras rolled and the police looked on.
“What is happening in India, where law enforcement is more likely to investigate journalists over tweets and the sons of critical public figures over alleged marijuana possession, than go after fanatics calling for mass murder?
“What is happening in India, where the captain of the Indian cricket team, Virat Kohli, loses his position for defending a Muslim colleague who was targeted for his faith?
The answer, Rana Ayyub said, was as loud and clear as the hate spewed at those events, as the mobs that have been given a free pass to attack minorities.
“Not only does Modi’s silence give encouragement to the most dangerous elements threatening India, but the silence of our allies is also enabling them,” she wrote.
During the “Summit for Democracy” hosted earlier this month by President Joe Biden, Modi claimed to be a champion of free speech, rule of law and a secular and pluralistic ethos, but the world is seeing how he and his party are willing to rely on threats, dog whistles, intimidation and violence to consolidate control, the article said.
Is this the type of “democracy” Biden and other allies are championing,” Rana Ayyub asked.
“Modi has cultivated this type of hate for decades. We know what’s happening in India now. I fear what will come next,” she said in conclusion.
In an article in Foreign Policy, a prestigious American magazine, Sumit Ganguly, an Indian-American academician
also painted a grim picture of India’s religious minorities.
“Hate speech had reached an apogee,” he wrote.
“In 2021, both hate speech and physical attacks against minorities and their places of worship rose in India. In the first nine months of the year, there were at least 300 acts of violence directed against religious minorities across the country. But few of the perpetrators have faced any consequences. Although authorities have lodged a hate speech case against one of the speakers at the Haridwar meeting and unnamed others, they have not yet made any arrest.
“Meanwhile, state governments have pursued laws that justify this bigotry. On Dec. 23, the lower house in the state of Karnataka passed the Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Bill, which is designed to prohibit conversion from Hinduism to another faith. Violating the act could lead to significant fines or even incarceration. Although the law makes no explicit reference to Christianity or Islam, its intent is evident: to make religious conversion as costly as possible. Even if the upper house, where the Hindu nationalist BJP is in the minority, rejects the bill, the lower house can override its decision with a simple majority.
‘The national government has not condemned the hate speech or attacks against minority groups. Neither Modi nor Indian Minister of Home Affairs Amit Shah, who is responsible for the maintenance of law and order, have commented on the disturbing developments in recent weeks.”
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