Hindu extremism is flourishing in India under Narendra Modi’s rule. Whether it is lynchings of Muslims over suspected cow slaughter, disenfranchisement of the community through discriminatory citizenship laws or communal statements made by those in power, hateful anti-Muslim rhetoric has very much become part of mainstream discourse in India.
This type of extremism in India is not a new phenomenon; India’s founding father, Mahatma Gandhi, himself was shot dead by a fanatic, Nathuram Godse, in 1948 for his perceived soft corner for Muslims. Although Hindutva bared its fangs in its first mass display of power during the Babri Masjid’s demolition in 1992, since Narendra Modi came to power in 2014 the Hindutva brigade has been given a shot in the arm.
One recent event in the state of Uttarakhand illustrates how the forces of hate are free to preach in today’s India. The meeting was attended by some of the leading lights of Hindutva, where the extremists of the Sangh Parivar threatened violence without inhibition.
According to Indian media, the “hate speech conclave” was organised by Hindutva leader Yati Narsinghanand in Uttarakhand’s pilgrimage city of Haridwar, where multiple calls to kill minorities and attack their religious spaces were made. A general secretary of the Hindu Mahasabha issued a recruiting call for “100 soldiers who can kill 20 lakh of Muslims” while one swami called for a Myanmar-like anti-Muslim pogrom in India.
But Muslims were not the only target at this hate fest. One participant said he wished he had killed former Sikh prime minister Manmohan Singh, while another said he had asked hotels in his area not to host Christmas celebrations. Indian media also reported that some BJP leaders also attended the summit giving the event a level of political encouragement from the ruling party.
As expected, there has largely been silence on part of the BJP government when it comes to such atrocities that are not taking place with increasing frequency. The Modi government has damaged the social fabric of the country by exploiting religious sentiments and giving rise to communalism.
Why are the international community and Islamic world silent about this visible preparation for genocide? This is the greatest tragedy of our times; so-called economic interests overweigh any moral code; the choice left with the Muslim community in India is stark; to fight or perish.
This wave of intolerance will soon engulf the whole country affecting not just each and every religious minority, but will also be detrimental to regional peace. New Delhi should not be allowed to hide behind the façade of being the “oldest or largest democracy” in the world because the ground reality is very different.
We have witnessed that Islam being linked with extremism but these people are the real extremists. With more and more minority religious groups now becoming the target of the BJP government’s extremism, it remains to be seen if India will be held accountable for its actions.
