As BFD readers are probably aware, I’m not exactly a fan of Islam — at least, its shouty, stabby, blowy-uppy zealots. But I’m not a fan of shouty, blowy-uppy zealots of any creed. When you talk about destruction, you can count me right out.
And when it’s Muslims on the receiving end of violence and terror, that’s no less evil than the reverse. Religious violence is religious violence is religious violence.
Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati, the 58-year-old head of the powerful Dasna Devi temple in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh (UP), was one of several right-wing Hindu leaders who spoke at an event in Haridwar city, where they openly called for violence against Muslims.
I’ve drawn raised eyebrows when I desisted from “worldly” types who were early adopters of and took great pride in saying, “No, no — it’s Mumbai…” They were bewildered when I pointed out that such name-changes are a political ploy by hard-line Hindu nationalist parties. No less than the Soviets renaming Petrograd Leningrad, Tsaritsyn Stalingrad, and so on. And of course, Istanbul got the works.
But the renaming of cities is the least malign of the Hindu nationalists’ efforts to reshape India.
Mr Narsinghanand is no stranger to controversy. For months, he has been accused of making deeply offensive remarks against women and minorities. His videos and words reach millions on social media, spawning an army of right-wing followers.
He has reportedly called Muslims “demons”, threatened to “eliminate” them and said he is striving to create an India “free of Islam”. In September, police in UP registered three cases against him for allegedly insulting women […]
Critics say his latest comments in Haridwar are aimed at stirring up passions in UP, India’s most populous state, where the BJP’s Yogi Adityanath – who himself has been criticised for anti-Muslim rhetoric – is up for re-election as chief minister in polls starting in February.
Critics allege that Narsinghanand is being protected by his ties to the ruling BJP party. It is also claimed that the BJP is at the same time misusing draconian anti-terror laws to stifle dissent and target minorities.
In October, Mr Narsinghanand was appointed head of the largest sect of Hindu seers.
Weeks before that, a 14-year-old Muslim boy was badly beaten for entering the Dasna temple – Mr Narsinghanand called him a “trained killer”. Police said the boy was lost and entered the temple premises accidentally.
The temple is revered by local Hindus and Muslims, and the grounds host an annual fair for the festival of Dussehra that draws the whole community. But now a banner outside the temple says, “Muslims are barred from entry”.
A poster inside the temple now calls on Hindus to give birth to no fewer than five children, a reference to a popular but baseless right-wing myth that India’s 200-odd million Muslims will soon outnumber its 800 million Hindus.
BBC
While it is true that India’s Muslim population is projected to grow by a staggering 75%, Hindus won’t exactly be sitting on their hands, either. The Hindu population is expected to grow by a more sedate 33% — but will still easily outnumber Muslims four to one.
At the same time, Muslims are easily the majority in some towns, breeding religious resentment. In Uttar Pradesh, followers of Chief Minister Adityanath see him as the “real” leader of the BJP, while Prime Minister Modi, they argue, “has opened avenues for Muslims that has made them very powerful in the past 10 years”.
It must be remembered that the modern state of India was born from staggering violence between Muslims and Hindus. The partition of British India into India and Pakistan was accompanied by the displacement of tens of millions, as Muslims and Hindus fled east and west respectively. Between 200,000 and 2 million were killed. As many as 80,000 women were abducted on both sides.
No doubt the Hindus of Uttar Pradesh, and India generally, feel that their grudges against Muslims are legitimate. Equally certainly, Muslims would say the same back.
But, as the last great French philosopher, Albert Camus, said, When the oppressed take up arms in the name of justice, they take a step toward injustice.
