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Communalism Hate Speech Minorities

Multiple incidents of Muslims being targeted by extremist reported, attacks included hate speech and discrimination

Patna, Haryana, Uttarakhand: From Pravin Togadia to Bittu Bajrangi, Muslim community being targeted with impunity

Image: Getty Images

“The idea was that if you were a Muslim, you were liable to be attacked anywhere, anytime.”

– Ghazala Jamil,
An assistant professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi

 

There is no refraining from the fact that attacks and hate crime incidents against the country’s Muslim minority by members of the Hindu majority are now occurring more frequently and vehemently than it has in the past, evident from the number of incidents of discrimination, violence, and abuse being committed and reported against the Muslim community every week. Troubling incidents have surfaced on the social media, depicting how the Muslim community is being targeted and otherised, which are as follows:

  1. Dehradun, Uttarakhand

A video showing a Muslim juice seller being harassed and heckled by a Hindu far-right leader went viral on the social media. In the said video, which was accessed by us on July 2, a woman could be seen shouting at a man working in a juice shop. The far-right leader could be heard alleging that before having the juice, she had asked about the man’s name to determine his faith, upon which the man had told her his “Hindu name”. After she had the juice, while paying him through online transaction, she found out that man was a Muslim. While she is shouting at him and narrating this to a crowd that has gather, the juice seller can be seen and heard denying that he told her any false name. The far-right woman with her extremist and divisive ideology can then be heard saying “I do not eat or drink anything that is made by a Muslim. We do not eat anything that has been spit upon.”

The video can be viewed here:

  1. Panchkula, Haryana

A video showing Rashtriya Bajrang Dal leader Dr. Mukesh radicalising Hindu youths, including minors, with anti-Muslim hate and vitriol has been doing rounds on social media. In the said video, he peddled conspiracy theories, advocated the use of violence and administered an oath in his audience to fight for the establishment of a Hindu nation. In the oath, he states that it is the responsibility of Hindus to work towards getting India declared as a Hindu nation, and it is also their tradition to fight anyone who comes in between this. The speaker also brought up the Kashmir exodus, Godhra train burning and Pulwama martyrs, portraying the Muslim community has the perpetrators, to incite the audience. This hate speech was delivered on June 16, but the video surfaced on July 2.”

Extracted speech:

“It is okay if we move away from the non-violence path advocated for Gandhi, it is alos okay if 2-4 corrupt ministers are slain. We will not live our lives as saints anymore, we will break the hands of whoever comes in between.”

“It is in our hands now to ensure that the issues faced by Hindus are prioritised, and that can only happen if this country becomes a Hindu nation. By Hindu nation, I mean that a country where there is “Ram Rajya”. And just like Ram had taken an oath to get rid of all the demons by making them run away or killing them, we have to do the same.”

“Did you know that these Muslims are giving UPSC in Urdu? Since 2014, Urdu language was made a part of Urdu. These Muslims give their paper in Urdu, which is checked by another Muslim, and then they become IPS, Ias and IFS. Check the list, all these Muslims have given Urdu papers. This is a Jihad.”

“We have to ensure that the Hindus feel safe in this country, which can only happen after a Hindu nation is established. When people like Aamir Khan say that they do not feel safe in India, just imagine what is happening to the Hindus staying here.”

The video can be viewed here:

 

  1. Jamalpur, Haryana

In a video that was uploaded on July 2, a local journalist can be seen reporting an incident where a large amount of cows can be seen walking on the road. The journalist claims that the cow protection group of Haryana, led by their leader Bittu Bajrangi, have been able to rescue these cows. A large group of men could also be seen in the video, donning orange and raising slogans of ‘Jai Shri Ram’.

Another journalist is then shown interviewing a Muslim man, from whom the cows were confiscated. The elder man can be heard stating that there is a wedding in his family, and a these members of the Bajrang Dal militia, along with the police, forcefully confiscated 70 dairy cows and goats based on false allegations of their intended use for consumption. The elder man then states that these cows and goats have been with the family since long, almost 25-30 years, and were being used for milk and dairy purposes only.

The video can be viewed here:

 

  1. Patna, Bihar

Pravin Togadia, president of the Antarashtriya Hindu Parishad, delivered yet another communal speech targeting the Muslim community. In his speech, he peddled conspiracy theories, engaged in fear-mongering, raised demands for laws on Love-Jihad, forced religious conversions, and cow-slaughter. The video of the said hate speech was accessed by us on July 3, 2023.

Extracted speech:

“We will not let the Hindus bow down, we will not let them lose, we will stand on the chests of our enemies and come out as victories.”

“We will do the work of ensuring that crores and lakhs of take to the street if even one Hindu is humiliated.”

“Hindus are in danger because if the population of these Muslims increase, the ones had not let the Kashmiri stay in their houses in the past, our sisters and daughters will not be safe, and our sons will not be spared.”

“To stop the increasing population of Muslims, there should be a Population Control Bill, to safeguard our sisters and daughters, there should be a law on Love-Jihad. There is also a need for union anti-Conversion Act, Union Civil Code as well as a law on cow-slaughter and cow protection.”

“We should detect all these illegal Bangladeshi Muslims by their DNA and then deport them.”

The video can be viewed here:

 

 

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