Dealing with India’s Hindutva Problem

Zafar Bangash

Jumada' al-Akhirah 29, 1443 2022-02-01

Opinion

by Zafar Bangash (Opinion, Crescent International Vol. 50, No. 12, Jumada' al-Akhirah, 1443)

Hindutva fascists have become so emboldened that they are now openly calling for the genocide of Muslims in India. This was evident from speeches delivered at their so-called Religious Parliament (Dharma Sansad) held in Haridwar, Uttarakhand state from December 17 to 19, 2021. What makes this particularly worrying is that the central government in India led by Narendra Modi is infested with such fascists. With the power and resources of state at their disposal, the Hindutva fascists feel no constraints to carry out their demonic agenda.

The risk of genocide of Muslims has increased alarmingly. It is also quite revealing that Modi has not uttered a word against such blood-curdling threats against the 200 million Muslims of India. Alarmed by these developments, the founder of Genocide Watch, Dr. Gregory Stanton was forced to warn of the Muslims’ impending genocide in India. He compared the situation in India under the Modi regime to events in Myanmar and Rwanda. Dr. Stanton had warned of genocide in Rwanda five years before it occurred in 1994 that resulted in the slaughter of some 800,000 Tutsis.

The Genocide Watch founder drew attention to the fact that his organization had been warning of a genocide in India since 2002 when Modi was chief minister of Gujarat state. An estimated 2,000 Muslims were hacked or burned to death by Hindu extremists while Modi prevented the police from coming to their help. Dr. Stanton made these remarks during a congressional briefing titled ‘Call for Genocide of Indian Muslims’, organised by the Indian American Muslim Council.

“At that time [February 2002], the chief minister of Gujarat was Narendra Modi, and he did nothing. In fact, there is a lot of evidence that he actually encouraged those massacres,” he said, adding that Modi, now the prime minister of India, had used “anti-Muslim, Islamophobic rhetoric” to build his political base.

Dr. Stanton pointed out that by revoking the special autonomous status of Indian-occupied Kashmir in August 2019 and passing the Citizenship (Amendment) Act that was especially anti-Muslim, Modi was pandering to his majoritarian Hindu base. The threat of genocide of the Kashmiri Muslims is also real, warned Genocide Watch as early as 2019-2020.

Given these grim facts and the existential threat facing Muslims in India, what is to be done? While words of condemnation and warnings are important, on their own they will not prevent the genocide of Muslims in Indian-occupied Kashmir or India. Much more drastic action is needed.

The first step is to launch a boycott of Indian goods and products. Indian food products in particular pose a serious health risk to people. Most of these products are laced with cow urine. Hindus consider cow to be sacred. They call it their “mother”. Its urine is sprinkled on food products for “blessings”. People, especially Muslims should feel revulsion at such filthy practices.

While there is little to be expected from the pathetic Arabian rulers that are pursuing policies to embrace Hinduism and its practices, other Muslims can take the lead. There are greater expectations from countries like Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, Malaysia, Indonesia and a host of others. They should launch an effective boycott of Indian goods and products. Some countries like Pakistan and Malaysia have already done so. Others must join this campaign.

Similarly, there are millions of Muslims residing in Western countries. They can play a useful role in not only boycotting Indian goods but also creating awareness about the health risks of Indian products to fellow citizens whether in Europe or North America. In the West, people are very health conscious. If people resist genetically modified food products and are turning away from meat, it should not be difficult to persuade them to stop consuming products sprinkled with cow urine.

There is something even bigger and more ambitious that can be undertaken. India is a vast but artificial entity. There are hundreds of languages spoken in the country. There is no such thing as a homogenous Indian culture or people. The Caste system also divides people and compartmentalizes them into rigid caste structures from which there is no escape. Discrimination based on caste is rampant.

Geographically, linguistically and culturally, India is ready for some major internal rearrangements. Throughout history, India’s borders have been flexible based on who ruled the country. Its current borders are completely artificial. Given its unwieldy nature and the rise of Hindu fascism, for the sake of regional and global peace, India needs to undergo further division.

For instance, people in the north-east are completely detached and different from people in the north-west of India. Similarly, those in the south of India have a different culture and languages. It is also interesting to note that much of the trouble is created by Hindu fascists residing in the north-west of the country.

Both the Kashmiris and Sikhs have struggled for decades to achieve independence from the yoke of Indian colonialism. A quick glance at India’s map would show that it can be partitioned into at least six separate independent states.

The Hindutva fascists do not want Muslims in their midst. Let us help them by establishing a separate Hindu state for them while five or six other independent states should be created out of India where people will live like normal human beings.