Targeting of Muslim Community: Commentators Recalled the Apartheid Regimes of South Africa and Nazi Germany
By Ram Puniyani for
New Age Islam
24 July
2024
Let’s Imagine the
Implications of Such a Directive. Most Commentators Recalled the Apartheid
Regimes of South Africa and Nazi Germany. In Nazi Germany, The Jews Were On the
Receiving End of Fascist Politics. They Were Asked to Display The 'Star of
David' In Front of Their Establishments and Wear the Same On Their Body
------
The recent
order requiring eateries in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand to display name
plates — which has been stayed by the Supreme Court — has drawn chilling
comparisons to apartheid-era South Africa and Nazi Germany, where Jews were
forced to identify their businesses, precursing brutal persecution.
In the 2024
general elections, the decline of the electoral clout of the Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP) and its failure to reach the majority mark sparked hope that the
democratic decline in values of pluralism and diversity may see a recovery.
During the
elections, himself having realised that Ram Temple magic is no longer
effective, Narendra Modi resorted to divisive language all through. He blamed
the INDIA bloc for doing mujra (a bowing salutation, in Muslim tradition) for
the minorities, whom they want to please. It was also said that the INDIA bloc
will change the Constitution to take away reservations of SC/ST/OBC and give it
to the Muslims.
To add
further punch to his rhetoric, the prime minister frightened the Hindu majority
by saying that Hindu women’s Mangalsutra
(chain indicating the marital status of some Hindu communities) will also be
taken away and given to Muslims, among other such derogatory issues. As the
matters stood, this hate speech failed to benefit the BJP, and it slid down
from 303 seats to 240 in the Lok Sabha.
This gave
hope that now minorities will be targeted less often and an atmosphere of amity
may get promoted. The developments of the past few weeks in the National
Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by the BJP, have dashed this hope. The
statements and actions of the saffron party leaders and the government in the
BJP-ruled states show that they will pursue their old tactics as far as
possible.
Hemant Biswa
Sarma, the Assam chief minister, notorious for such outpouring, stated that
Assam will soon become a Muslim majority state. As per him, the percentage of
Muslims in 1951 was 12% (later he revised this figure to 14%) and now Muslims
are 40% of the state population. His figures are totally fake, intended to stir
up fear and alarm among Hindus. The percentage of Muslim population in 1951 was
24.68% as per census figures and as per 2011 census figures Muslims in Assam
are 34.22%. Old habits die hard for many. A classic case is here to be
witnessed.
In West
Bengal, where the BJP bit the dust coming down from existing 18 MP seats to 12
this time, party leader Suvendu Adhikari, put the blame of BJP’s decline on
Muslims, and proclaimed: “We do not need to talk about Sabka Saath and Sabka Vikas
(everybody’s development, taking along everybody). We will decide who supports
us, and we will support them. Stop this talk of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas.” Many from the BJP stable disowned his
statement, but Adhikari’s words and tenor reveals the real political goals of
this party.
To cap it
all in Muzaffarnagar, the deputy inspector general of police (DIG) issued
instructions that on the route of the Kanwar
Yatra (a Holy procession devoted to Lord Shiva) all the eateries, stalls
and hotels should display the names of owner and workers right in front.
Notably,
the Supreme Court on Monday (July 21) stayed these directions issued by the
Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand governments, that directed eateries in Kanwar
Yatra route to display names. A bench of Justices Hrishikesh Roy and S.V.N.
Bhatti passed an interim order prohibiting the enforcement of the government
directives.
As per the
directive that was issued by the Uttar Pradesh local administration, "All
the food outlets, eateries and food joints across the state will have to put up
a “nameplate,” displaying the names of owners/proprietors and staff
members."
"This
has been done to maintain the 'purity of faith' for Hindu devotees who
undertake the Kanwar Yatra, in the month of Shravan (a holy month as per the
Hindu calendar),” the administration had claimed, justifying the move.
Uttarakhand had joined Uttar Pradesh in announcing the rule, and multiple other
BJP-governed states were set to follow suit, signalling a broader adoption of
this policy.
In the face
of criticism, the state administration added that this has to be done
voluntarily. This is a very interesting order, where does the volition exist
for those who are supposed to follow it? The honourable prime minister, the
supreme leader has maintained a stoic silence on this order, indicating that
this is the policy of the party. This move has been criticised by the BJP’s NDA
allies like Janata Dal United (JD(U)), Lok Janshakti Party (Ramvilas Pasvan)
(LJP (Ramvilas Pasvan)), among others. This is a case where we come to know
that in the coalition, the allies of the BJP don’t matter to the prime
minister, and the BJP will rule the roost.
However,
this is probably the most divisive step taken by the BJP. Already Muslims
employees of Hindu establishments on the route have been laid off. The whole
notion of purity and pollution should not be applicable in present times. The
Kanwar Yatra from Haridwar to the local Shiva temples is a fairly old
phenomenon. It became more prominent during the last few decades, from 1980s
onwards, quite in tune with the rise of politics in the name of religion,
beginning with the Ram Temple movement. Now lakhs and lakhs of people participate
in it.
Let’s
imagine the implications of such a directive. Most commentators recalled the
apartheid regimes of South Africa and Nazi Germany. In Nazi Germany, the Jews
were on the receiving end of fascist politics. They were asked to display the
'Star of David' in front of their establishments and wear the same on their
body. Their persecution became easy as already their establishments could be
easily identified. On the Kanwar route the step seems to be an anticipatory one
and it is likely that the BJP in other states, on other pretext may find this
an easy way to identify Muslims.
At present,
it seems that sectarian politics has deep roots in the body politic of the
nation. Electorally defeating this party and its opportunist allies is a mere
first step to restore pluralism in the country. The targeting of Muslim
community is also running parallel to decline in their political
representation. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-BJP (RSS-BJP) ideologues are
arguing that they tried to de-communalise Muslim politics.
It is a
hoax as the present episode shows. Still they are totally silent on why the BJP
does not have a single Muslim MP in Lok Sabha, not a single Muslim minister in
the Cabinet at any level. They argue that now the BJP is trying to link with
the Pasmanda Muslims. Do they realise who is the biggest victim of the BJP's
politics? Just in the case of the present Kanwar Yatra episode, one can tell
that the Pasmanda Muslims would have been the biggest losers with the present
move of the BJP, if the apex court didn't stay the directions.
One feels
the INDIA coalition should vociferously oppose such a move of the BJP as it is
imperative that the inclusive values have to be brought to forefront to
confront such regressive policies aiming at further splitting the society and
taking one more step towards a Hindu nation.
New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism