“It is high time that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi issues a public apology to Muslims worldwide for the BJP’s strong anti-Muslim slant or be prepared for tensions to rise from the small firestorm it is now to an all-out backlash by the Muslim world”
Raggie Jessy Rithaudeen
ڤرتي يڠ دتراجوا ڤردان منتري اينديا سداڠ ممارقكن اسلاماوڤهوبيا
India’s ruling Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) is no stranger to controversy when it comes to people of Islamic faith in India and has long been associated with Islamophobic policies, actions and statements, all well documented.
One news channel put it that “Islamophobia has always been part and parcel of the BJP’s governing strategy,” and I couldn’t agree more, what with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi making direct connections between Muslim figures from India’s distant history and current-day “terrorism and religious extremism.”
Modi reportedly made these connections in two of his public speeches, implying that India’s Muslims should be held responsible and punished for the alleged crimes committed by their “ancestors.”
So what can you expect from leaders of the party he represents, who themselves made countless anti-Muslim speeches, a bulk of them during the last state assembly elections?
Take BJP’s Yogi Adityanath for instance – the affiliated chief minister of Uttar Pradesh went on record to put state elections down to “a battle between the 80 percent (non-Muslims) and the 20 percent (Muslims).
Then we have the case of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who, according to a news report, called the execution of two Muslims – one a minor – by police officers “an act of revenge” for past “martyrdom” of non-Muslims.
In other news, right-wing groups held processions in Muslim neighbourhoods earlier this year and made hate speeches during celebrations in several states.
In some cases, men wearing saffron scarves –with some carrying sticks and swords – played provocative songs laced with threats of genocide outside Muslim homes and mosques, and raised hate slogans.
Not only did the BJP do little to counter the menace, its leaders passed countless Islamophobic policies and laws to the detriment of Muslims in India, including laws prohibiting the “triple talaq” and the slaughter of cows.
And today, a spokeswoman for the ruling BJP has taken things a notch further by making disparaging remarks about the Prophet Muhammad during a televised debate.
Enough is enough.
It is high time that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi issues a public apology to Muslims worldwide for the BJP’s strong anti-Muslim slant or be prepared for tensions to rise from the small firestorm it is now to an all-out backlash by the Muslim world.
