The patriotism of the Indian Muslim has once again been dragged under the scanner thanks to a Times Now report about the shocking emergence of an audio recording that urges Indian Muslims to rise up against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and prevent him from hoisting the tricolour at the Red Fort this Independence Day.
The report says, “A chilling plot to divide the country has been hatched by the ‘Break-India’ lobby”. It says Indian Muslims are being instigated by the said lobby to end their affiliation with the country and its BJP government, and threatened with dire consequences should they refuse. The use of the words ‘Break-India lobby’ is significant as it is a clear throw-back to the ‘Tukde Tukde Gang’ and thus brings under its purview a variety of dissenting voices and clubs their identity with that of Indian Muslims… a sinister move with dangerous ramifications for the Indian Muslim community and voices of dissent at large.
The channel played an audio recording of a man’s voice saying, “The construction of the Ram Temple at Ayodhya was the first step in laying the foundation for a Hindu Rashtra in India. I appeal to all Muslim brothers and sisters to come together and prevent Narendra Modi from hoisting the national flag on August 15. We should draw inspiration from our Sikh brethren who are putting together Referendum 2020 for the creation of Khalistan. We too should work towards creating a separate state for Indian Muslims named Urgistan. Allah Hafiz.”
The channel’s reporters say that they have sourced the recording from their fellow journalists in Uttar Pradesh where this audio recording is being shared via phone calls. The calls reportedly started on August 6, just a day after the ‘Bhoomi Poojan’ ceremony at the site of the proposed Ram Temple in Ayodhya. IVRS messages in different languages including English and Arabic have been allegedly sent to people. Such messages are not allegedly being sent to Indian Muslims as well as journalists, in places ranging from Uttar Pradesh to Delhi to Bengal.
However, instead of reporting on efforts made to authenticate the recording and find out the people behind it, the channel immediately jumps to a clip of Mohammed Yahya, the Chairman of the Bengal Imam Association saying that anyone who supports an anti-Muslim government is anti-Muslim. Even Muslims who are supporting the BJP should stop as BJP is anti-Muslim. This appears to be a rather polarizing form of reportage where two stories are being merged together to create further distrust for the minority community amidst an already communal atmosphere.
This also appears to be a sinister ploy to undermine the credibility of movements such as those against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), given how key speakers at these for a have been members of the Muslim community such as the grandmothers of Shaheen Bagh, the female students of Jamia Millia Islamia who rescued a man being brutally beaten by policemen or women activists like Safoor Zargar.
The plan appears to be to vilify all Muslims by showcasing them as secessionists bent on dividing the country and thus being enemies of the state. This is very dangerous, not only for the minority community but also Sikhs who have been dragged into the controversy thanks to the Khalistan Referendum 2020, a short-lived campaign by a fringe group. Is it acceptable now to cast aspersions on the intentions of entire communities, thereby posing a grave threat to their wellbeing by normalizing hate against them? Is it de rigueur now for news channels to shed their secular credentials and sport communal hues so blatantly?
The video report by Times Now may be viewed here.
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