Hindutva elements have been at the forefront of whipping up an anti-Muslim frenzy in the country, unchecked and unrestrained
Dr Syed Ali Mujtaba
A HATE speech again by rabid Hindutva proponent and head priest of a temple in Uttar Pradesh’s city of Ghaziabad has incensed the Muslim community across the country. In various cities, protests have erupted and FIRs have been lodged against Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati, over his sacrilegious remarks against Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
“If you have to burn effigies on every Dussehra, then burn the effigies of Muhammad (pbuh),” the ‘Peethadheeshwar’ of the famous Dasna Temple said during an event late last month in the village of Sultanpur in Uttarakhand’s Haridwar district.
The fact-checker Alt News has confirmed the authenticity of the viral quote with video footage of the intemperate remarks made by the Hindu priest.
Hindutva elements have been at the forefront of whipping up an anti-Muslim frenzy in the country, unchecked and unrestrained. The question arises as to when the government would act decisively against them. But all indications are that the official apathy would continue as the ruling party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) itself thrives on these hate campaigns and has gathered electoral strength by its polarisation tactics.
This is not the first time Narsinghanand has stirred controversy with his hate speeches. In December 2021, he called on Hindus to use better weapons against the “threat of Muslims”. He delivered the speech at the congregation of Hindu saints in Haridwar called ‘Dharm Sansad’. There are several cases registered against Narsinghanand, but all is hunky and dory in the Narendra Modi raj. This includes an open call for the genocide of the Muslims in India.
The disrespectful comment about Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) by Narsinghanand has led to an eruption of Muslim protests all over India. The protests were witnessed in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and cities like Hyderabad and Srinagar.
Narsinghanand is reportedly detained by the UP police and kept in an undisclosed location. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, in a firefighting exercise, has commented that derogatory remarks against deities, “great figures” or saints of any caste, religion, or sect are “unacceptable.” Any violation would be dealt with strictly under the law. At the same time, he added, “vandalism” in the name of protest will not be tolerated and those doing so would also face the consequences.”
Recently the US government’s commission has alleged a worsening of religious freedom in India and called for it to be designated as a “Country of Particular Concern.” In response, the Indian government has rejected the US commission as “biased” and termed its report as “malicious.”
A similar kind of response came from India when Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei directed attention to the Ummah saying that Muslims cannot be oblivious to the suffering of people of their faith in India.
“The enemies of Islam have always tried to make us indifferent about our shared identity as an Islamic Ummah. We cannot consider ourselves to be Muslims if we are oblivious to the suffering that a Muslim is enduring in Myanmar, Gaza, India, or any other place,” Khamenei has said.
These comments drew sharp criticism from the Ministry of External Affairs. “We strongly deplore the comments made regarding minorities in India by the Supreme Leader of Iran. These are misinformed and unacceptable,” an MEA the ministry said.
On May 27, 2022, a BJP spokeswoman Nupur Sharma, on a ‘Times Now’ TV debate on the Gyanvapi Mosque dispute took objection to the Prophet’s marriage to Bibi Aisha Siddiqua. Nupur Sharma questioned the Prophet’s character for marrying an underage girl. Her remarks evoked worldwide protest including strong reactions from over 50 Muslim countries. The BJP immediately removed Nupur Sharma from the coveted post so as not to antagonise several of these countries that are providing livelihood to lakhs of non-Muslim Indians.
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Dr Syed Ali Mujtaba is based in Chennai. He can be contacted at syedalimujtaba2007@gmail.com
