Tag: Hindus

  • Inauguration of Ram Mandir- Modi’s Hindutva in full force

    Inauguration of Ram Mandir- Modi’s Hindutva in full force

    Ram Mandir in India is being inaugurated today (Monday) by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with state-sponsored fanfare.

    “This will be our Vatican City, the holiest site for Hindus across the world,” said Sharad Sharma, spokesperson for Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), a rightwing Hindu group, and member of the Hindu trust building the temple. “After 500 years of Hindu oppression, Lord Ram will finally be returned to Ayodhya,” The Guardian cites him as saying.

    Considering the importance the event holds, the ceremony is going to be attended by a huge number of Bollywood celebrities, cricketers, politicians and leading businessmen of the country. A newly commissioned airport in Ayodhya is also in the works. Security has been tightened, while the fear of violence has prompted Muslim residents of Ayodhya to send their children and women to relatives in neighbouring towns.

    Bollywood celebrities at the inauguration of Ram Mandir

    The temple is a reminder of the very inception of this controversy built on the ruins of 16th-century Babri Masjid. It was demolished by a Hindutva-infused right-wing mob in 1992 after decades of disputes. The riots that happened following the demolition killed more than three thousand Muslims.

    The mosque was built in 1527 by Mughal Emperor Babur and was a rare surviving example of the architecture of the early Mughal Empire, which ruled India from 16th to 19th centuries. Muslims worshipped in the mosque for more than 300 years.

    Summarising the history of the site, Dr. Audrey Truschke wrote in Time: “In the 1850s, when India was largely under British colonial rule, the first signs of trouble arose as the Babri Masjid emerged as a key site of Hindu nationalist attempts to rectify perceived historical wrongs by Muslims, an idea inherited from British colonialists. Hindus claimed that Lord Ram, a major god and mythological hero, had been born at the very spot on which the mosque stood. Competing claims of Ram’s birthplace were once attached to many sites in Ayodhya, but the Babri Masjid drew particular fervor because it was a mosque. Some imagined further historical wrongs associated with the Babri Masjid, including claiming that the mosque was built after Babur’s general destroyed a Hindu temple at that location. None of these claims stand up to historical scrutiny. But in the 1980s, Hindu nationalist groups began tapping into these claims to argue that the mosque needed to be destroyed to clear the way for a new Hindu temple, declaring Mandir wahi banayenge (‘The temple will be built right there!’). After years of agitation, their efforts resulted in an explosion of Islamophobic violence on December 6, 1992, when a Hindu mob numbering at least 75,000 descended on Ayodhya and dismantled the Babri Masjid, brick-by-brick.

    Modi’s BJP benefitted from the situation and came to power in 2014. After the second victory in BJP in 2019, India’s Supreme Court—laden with judges affiliated with BJP- the court called the mosque’s destruction ‘an egregious violation of the rule of law,’ but nonetheless ruled that a Hindu temple could be built on the mosque’s ruins.”

    Modi laid the foundation stone at a groundbreaking ceremony in August 2020.

    Posed as a divine moment this is interpreted as a political gimmick by The Guardian because general elections are going to be held in April in India and by invoking the religious sentiments of the 80 per cent majority of the country, Modi is seeking a third term in power. Prime Minister Modi has also declared that God had chosen him as an instrument to be “representative of all Indians” and he had begun 11 days of “strict vows and sacrifice” to prepare for the event.

    Even though many Indians have given in to the political gimmickry, most are reminded that this Vatican City is nothing but a monument built after demolishing Babri Masjid by force with the help of brute majority.

    Dr. Audrey posted, “Today is a dark day for India”. She was then hugely criticised by Hindu extremists over her tweet and the article she shared.

    A Twitter user commented that this is the win of Jinnah’s two-nation theory.

    Pratesh from India shared a clip from ANI where a teacher was teaching dance steps on bhajans in schools to celebrate the inauguration. He commented, “Now what happened to no religion in school? Was it only applicable for hijab?”

    Someone sarcastically trolled Narendra Modi’s poster by writing, “Very hard to say at this point whose temple is being inaugurated.”

    A user named Sabah counted the Bollywood actors that are attending the event just to appease the government.

    Writer and Educationist Raju Parulekar lamented the state of India has lost its secular spirit in a tweet.

    The most viral is that of a kid schooling the government that a Mandir can’t educate and enable people only a school can.

  • ‘First time in history’: PM Shehbaz approves task force for protection of minority rights

    ‘First time in history’: PM Shehbaz approves task force for protection of minority rights

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif has approved the formation of a task force that will look after the implementation of minority rights in Pakistan.

    An official notification in this regard states, “In light of the resolution passed by the National Assembly on May 9, 2022, the prime minister has been pleased to approve the constitution of the task force on minorities to oversee the implementation of rights of minorities in light with the decision of the apex court.”

    The task force will be headed by Member of National Assembly (MNA) Dr Ramesh Kumar Vankwani. It comprises 23 parliamentarians, senators and ex-officio members.

    As chairman of the task force, Dr Vankwani tweeted that such a step had been taken “for the first time in the history of Pakistan”.

    In another tweet, he said, “Recommendations will be made for the solution of the problems faced by the minorities and we will take people from all the segments of the society along with us.”

    In 2014, the Supreme Court (SC) issued an order that there should be monitoring of the practical realisation of the rights and safeguards provided to the minorities under the Constitution and law.

    However, the governments over the years could not implement the SC orders.

    In 2020, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) expressed concern over the surge in blasphemy cases against religious minorities, and the potential for sectarian violence.

  • 18-year-old Hindu girl shot dead for resisting kidnapping and forced conversion

    18-year-old Hindu girl shot dead for resisting kidnapping and forced conversion

    Trigger Warning: Violence/Senstive Content

    Pooja Kumari, an 18-year-old Hindu girl was murdered in Rohri, Sindh. As per media reports, she was shot during a failed abduction attempt. As per reports, the name of the deceased soul is Pooja Kumari Oad.

    Three men reportedly broke into Pooja’s house to kidnap and forcibly convert her. She was shot dead by a man named Wahid Bux Laghari, after she resisted a kidnapping attempt. According to journalist Sanjay Sadhwani, accused Wahid Laghari has been arrested.

    https://twitter.com/TheSindh8/status/1506006522542833665

    Hashtag #JusticeForPoojaKumari has been trending on Twitter, as people are using this hashtag to condemn the incident to demand justice for Pooja and her family.

    Read more- Forced conversion issue in only three districts of Sindh: Noor-ul-Haq Qadri

    https://twitter.com/AsadSol13260604/status/1505883862320226304

  • Politicians extend Diwali wishes to Hindu community celebrating their festival of light

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan took to Twitter and extended his wishes to Pakistani Hindus on the eve of Diwali, the festival of lights.

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif took to Twitter and wrote, “May the festival of lights be the source of peace, love, and joy around the world!”

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto wished the Hindu community and tweeted, “Happy #Diwali to everyone celebrating.”

    Maryam Nawaz tweeted, “Wishing you all the happiness and prosperity. Diya jalaaye rakhna.” [Keep the lights burning].

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) minister Fawad Chaudhry wished the community and tweeted, “Very Happy Diwali to those celebrating… #Diwali.”

    PTI leader Asad Umar tweeted, “Wishing all Hindus a very happy Diwali.”

    PPP Senator Sherry Rehman too wished those celebrating Diwali.

  • ‘Said something in the heat of the moment’: Waqar Younis apologises for his remarks

    ‘Said something in the heat of the moment’: Waqar Younis apologises for his remarks

    Former Pakistan pacer and bowling coach Waqar Younis has apologised for his remarks after Pakistan’s 10-wicket win over India in the ongoing T20 World Cup in Dubai on Sunday.

    A day after the match, the former fast bowler was invited as a guest to ARY News to discuss Pakistan’s comprehensive win. During the discussion, an overexcited Younis said that it was very special for him to watch Mohammad Rizwan offer Namaz in front of Hindus during the match. Opener Rizwan was seen offering prayers during the drinks break in the India-Pakistan game.

    Waqar’s comment drew sharp reactions from the cricket fraternity and from Pakistani fans. Twitter was flooded with reactions lambasting Younis for his unsavoury remark.

    Indian cricket analyst Harsha Bhogle and Akash Chopra had also expressed their displeasure over Waqar’s comments. “For a person of Waqar Younis’ stature to say that watching Rizwan offering namaz in front of Hindus was very special to him, is one of the most disappointing things I have heard. A lot of us try hard to play such things down and talk up sport and to hear this is terrible,” Bhogle wrote.

    Former India cricketer Wasim Jaffer also wrote, “Absolutely vile and disgusting comments from Waqar Younis.”

    Realising his mistake after the criticism, Waqar wrote on Twitter, “In the heat of the moment, I said something which I did not mean which has hurt the sentiments of many. I apologise for this, this was not intended at all, genuine mistake. Sports unites people regardless of race, colour or religion. #apologies.”

    Waqar also apologised in his show on A Sports, saying: “I was all excited that Pakistan won and watching Rizwan praying also made me proud. My intentions were not to harm anyone’s sentiments. I apologise if anyone got hurt by my comments.”

    https://twitter.com/furqanmk9/status/1453141796159213576?s=21

    Pakistan brought an end to India’s near-three-decade domination of them in the most convincing fashion, embarrassing their arch-rivals by 10 wickets in the Super 12 stage of the T20 World Cup.

  • India prioritise Hindus and Sikhs for ‘Afghan emergency visas’

    India prioritise Hindus and Sikhs for ‘Afghan emergency visas’

    India’s government said on Tuesday that it would prioritize taking in Hindus and Sikhs from Afghanistan — a move that drew comparisons to a controversial 2019 citizenship law, enacted under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, that differentiates against Muslims, reported New York Times.

    The country’s home ministry said it would introduce “emergency visas” to allow Afghans to stay in India for six months. 

    However, it did not say whether Muslims, who make up the majority of those seeking to leave Afghanistan as the Taliban take over, would also be considered.

    “We are in constant touch with the Sikh and Hindu community leaders in Kabul,” S. Jaishankar, India’s external affairs minister, said on Twitter. “Their welfare will get our priority attention.”

    For its part, Pakistan’s leadership has stopped short of hailing the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan.

    “When you adopt someone’s culture, you believe it to be superior and you end up becoming a slave to it,” Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Monday in a veiled reference to the United States and Western culture. “In Afghanistan, they have broken the shackles of slavery,” Mr. Khan said at an appearance in Islamabad, “but the slavery of the mind does not break away.”

  • Sindh appoints first-ever Hindu female Deputy Superintendent

    Sindh appoints first-ever Hindu female Deputy Superintendent

    A Hindu woman hailing from Jacobabad District, Sindh has become the country’s first Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) after clearing the Sindh Public Service Commission exam.

    Manisha Rupita, while talking to the media about her feat, said: “After the death of my father in 2007, we faced hardships but my mother refused to compromise on our education.”

    Manisha credited her success to the support of her family especially her mother who did not let her give up on her dream. The 26-year old funded her education by giving private tuitions.

    Read more – 1,300-year-old Hindu temple discovered in KP

    Manisha believes her success will encourage the girls of rural Sindh to break cultural barriers.

    “I don’t look upon myself as a representative of Hindu women alone, rather I think I represent the rural women of Sindh,” said Manisha. “Conventionally and culturally, rural women whether Muslim or the Hindu are expected to stay at home and refrain from going out to realise their dreams.”

    “My message to them is to break these barriers and try their luck in the world that is full of promise.”

  • Indian jewellery ad slammed for showing Hindu-Muslim couple

    Indian jewellery ad slammed for showing Hindu-Muslim couple

    Popular Indian jewellery brand Tanishq has withdrawn an advertisement featuring an interfaith couple after a right-wing backlash on social media, BBC News has reported.

    Opponents of the adverts argued that the ad, which shows a baby shower organised for the Hindu bride by her Muslim in-laws, promotes “love jihad”, a term radical Hindu groups use to accuse Muslim men of converting Hindu women by marriage.

    The description for the 43-second ad – promoting a jewellery line called ‘Ekatvam‘ (Hindi word for unity) – reads: “She is married into a family that loves her like their own child. Only for her, they go out of their way to celebrate an occasion that they usually don’t. A beautiful confluence of two different religions, traditions and cultures.”

    The ad sparked outrage among a section of conservative social media users who led calls to boycott the brand, taking it to the top of Twitter trends. On the other hand, many joined in to condemn the abusive posts and comments.

    The brand first disabled comments and Likes/Dislikes on the advert, posted to Facebook and YouTube before removing the video altogether. In a statement, the jewellery brand said: “We are deeply saddened with the inadvertent stirring of emotions and withdraw this film keeping in mind the hurt sentiments and well being of our employees, partners and store staff.”

    Congress party MP Shashi Tharoor, who posted the advert to his Twitter account, said: “Hindutva bigots have called for a boycott for highlighting Hindu-Muslim unity through this beautiful ad. If Hindu-Muslim ‘ekatvam‘ irks them so much, why don’t they boycott the longest surviving symbol of Hindu-Muslim unity – India?”

    https://twitter.com/ShashiTharoor/status/1315833504253374464?s=20

    Other prominent personalities also argued that the ad promoted inter-faith harmony and should not have been taken down.

    https://twitter.com/RichaChadha/status/1315906312417415168?s=20

    Read more – Hindu couple gets married at a mosque in India

    Kangana Ranaut, on the other hand, stood with the right-wingers and slammed the ad for promoting love-jihad.

    “As Hindus we need to be absolutely conscious of what these creative terrorists are injecting in to our subconscious, we must scrutinise, debate and evaluate what is the outcome of any perception that is fed to us, this is the only way to save our civilisation,” wrote the actor on social media.

    https://twitter.com/KanganaTeam/status/1315912815509598208?s=20

    Most Indian families still prefer weddings arranged within their religion and caste; and marriages outside these boundaries have sometimes led to violent consequences, including women – sometimes even men – being killed by their relatives.

    According to the India Human Development Survey, only about 5% of all marriages are inter-caste and interfaith couples are even rarer.

  • Pakistani Hindus reject Indian offer for citizenship

    Pakistan’s minority Hindu community has rejected India’s offer to grant them citizenship under a new law, a private media outlet reported.

    Citing the harassment of minorities in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan, the Indian parliament recently amended its citizenship law, offering citizenship rights to Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, Parsi and Jain communities migrating from these countries.

    The law, however, excluded Muslims, triggering mass protests across the country.

    “Pakistan’s Hindu community unanimously rejects this bill, which is tantamount to dividing India on communal lines,” Raja Asar Manglani, patron of the Pakistan Hindu Council, told Anadolu Agency.

    “This is a unanimous message from Pakistan’s entire Hindu community to Indian Prime Minister [Narendra] Modi. A true Hindu will never support this legislation,” he said.

    He added that the law has violated India’s own constitution.

    Anwar Lal Dean, a Christian member of the Pakistani parliament’s upper house or Senate, also said the law is meant to pitch religious communities against each other.

    “This is a clear violation of fundamental human rights. We categorically reject it,” said Dean, a leader of the opposition Pakistan People’s Party.

    “Through such unjust and uncalled steps, the Modi government wants to pitch religious communities against each other,” he said, citing scrapping of Jammu and Kashmir’s longstanding special rights law, Indian Supreme Court’s judgment on Babri Mosque, and growing violence against minorities in India.

    Pakistan’s tiny Sikh community has also denounced the controversial law.

    “Not only Pakistani Sikhs but the entire Sikh community in the world, including those in India, also condemn this move,” said Gopal Singh, leader of the Baba Guru Nanak.

    “The Sikh community is a minority both in India and Pakistan. Being a member of a minority, I can feel the pain and the fears of the Muslim minority [India]. This is simply persecution,” he said.

    Singh urged Modi not to push minorities “back to the wall.”

    While introducing the citizenship law, Indian Home Minister Amit Shah told parliament that non-Muslim population in Pakistan has alarmingly decreased over the years.

    He said the minorities comprised 23% of Pakistan’s population in 1947, when it was formed. “But now it has decreased to a mere 3.7%,” he said, adding that this means either they have been killed, migrated or forced to convert their religion.

    The official figures available with the Pakistan Census, however, contest his claims.

    The minority population was never 23% in the then-West Pakistan (present-day Pakistan).

    According to the 1961 census, the non-Muslim population was recorded at 2.83%. A decade later in 1972, the census recorded non-Muslim population at 3.25% of the total population. That means, it increased by 0.42%.

    In the 1981 census, the non-Muslim population was 3.30%. In the next census carried out in 1998, it was recorded as 3.70% of the total population.

    Though Pakistan carried out a fresh census in 2017, its religious data has yet to be released. However, according to Pakistan Hindu Council leader Manglani, Hindus make up 4% of the total 210 million population. Nearly 80% of Hindus — Pakistan’s largest minority — inhabit the southern part of the Sindh province.

    Pakistan’s government has accused India’s government led by Bharatiya Janata Party of toeing the ideology of “Hindutva Supremacy.”

    “The Modi government continues to curb and undermine the rights of minorities in accordance with Hindutva supremacist ideology,” Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said in a series of tweets on Monday.

    “Illegal annexation of Kashmir, [handing over of] Babri Masjid [to Hindus], and [the] Citizenship Amendment Bill which excludes Muslims, are all targeted towards subjugation of minorities,” he added.

    Condemning the use of force against students protesting against the controversial bill in different parts of India, Qureshi said: “Concerned about the brutal and indiscriminate use of force by the state on Indian Muslim students of Jamia Millia Islamia and Aligarh Muslim University, protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Bill.”

    Pakistan’s main opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif too decried the Modi government for stifling the voice of dissent through state force.

    “Disturbing news and images emanating from India. The state fascism being perpetrated on students of Jamia Millia Islamia and Aligarh Muslim University, is a reminder that Modi’s hatred of Muslims is ideologically driven,” he said in a twitter post.

  • Babri Masjid case: Indian SC decides in favour of Hindus

    Babri Masjid case: Indian SC decides in favour of Hindus

    Putting to rest the decades-old Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute case, the Indian Supreme Court (SC) on Saturday decided in favour of Hindus as it allotted Ayodhya land to Ram Janambhoomi Nyas (Ram Birthplace Trust).

    Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas is an organisation to promote and oversee the construction of a temple in Ayodhya at the Ram Janmabhoomi, the reputed site of the birth of Rama, the seventh and one of the most popular avatars of Hindu God Vishnu.

    With a five-judge bench pronouncing its unanimous judgment that was reserved last month on the Ayodhya case involving the 1992 demolition of the Babri Masjid, it ordered allotment of five-acre alternative land to Muslims for setting up of a mosque while deciding in favour of Hindus.

    The ruling said the Indian government will formulate a scheme in three months to set up a board of trustees for the construction of the temple at the disputed structure.

    “This court must accept faith and accept the belief of worshippers. The court should preserve balance,” Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi said while reading out the judgement.

    The court said Hindus believe that Lord Ram was born under the dome, adding that faith is a matter of individual belief.

    It said there is evidence that Ram Chabutra, Sita Rasoi was worshipped by the Hindus before the British came. The court said evidence in the records shows that Hindus were in the possession of outer court of the disputed land.

    “Arguments were made on archaeology report. Archaeological Survey of India’s credentials are beyond doubt and its findings can’t be neglected,” the court said.

    The court said that titles can’t be decided on faith and belief but on claims. The judgement stated that historical accounts indicate the belief of Hindus that Ayodhya was the birthplace of Lord Ram.

    The Indian SC dismissed the plea of Shia Waqf Board on a claim to the Babri Masjid, saying there was no evidence that Muslims abandoned the mosque. Hindus always believed the birthplace of Lord Ram was in the inner courtyard of the mosque, the verdict added. 

    According to the court, it is clearly established that Muslims offered prayer inside the inner courtyard and Hindus offered prayers in the outer courtyard.

    Ahead of the verdict, appeals for peace were made by the Hindu and Muslim organisations and various political leaders, including Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi.

    Meanwhile, Delhi Police said it will initiate strict legal action against mischief-mongers or those found indulging in any activity that may adversely affect peace and public order.

    “Activities on social media platforms will be under observation,” said the police.

    Earlier, authorities banned the assembly of more than four people at one place in and around Ayodhya, a town in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh while the government ordered all schools and colleges to remain closed until Monday.

    BABRI MASJID DESTRUCTION:

    Babri Masjid was a mosque in Ayodhya, India. Located in Ayodhya district, at a spot believed by Hindus to be the birthplace of Hindu deity Rama, it has been a bone of contention between the Hindu and Muslim communities since the 18th century.

    The destruction of the mosque in 1992 sparked massive Hindu-Muslim violence that left around 2,000 people dead.

    Hindu hardliners say the mosque was built after a temple dedicated to the Hindu god was destroyed by Muslim invaders. After the demolition of the mosque, Hindus and Muslims took the issue to a lower court, which, in 2010 ruled that the disputed land should be divided into three parts — two for Hindus and one for Muslims.