Muslim Journalist Booked For Calling Hindu Militant Leaders ‘Hatemongers’
Journalist Mohammed Zubair, co-founder of the Indian news portal Alt News, was booked in Uttar Pradesh state for “hurting religious sentiments” after he called three openly anti-Muslim Hindu militant leaders “hatemongers” on Twitter.
In a series of Twitter posts, Zubair was referring to Mahant Bajrang Muni ‘Udasin,’ who threatened to drag Muslim women out of their homes and rape them in public; Yati Narsinghanand, who called upon Hindus to wage war against Muslims; and Swami Anand Swarup, who urged Hindus to boycott and “pick up swords and guns” against Muslims.
The ludicrous complaint against Zubair was filed by a local Hindu extremist group leader, Bhagwan Sharan, who reverentially referred to the three Hindu supremacists as “priests” and claimed that Zubair was “inciting Muslims to murder Hindu leaders.”
Alt News editor-in-chief Pratik Sinha has slammed the case as “a clear case of selective targeting,” pointing out that “the three concerned individuals have been called hatemongers by several media organizations.”
Police Brutality & Harassment Forces Muslim Men To Leave Delhi’s Jahangirpuri
Muslim men have reported extensive police harassment in Jahangirpuri, a neighborhood in the Indian capital New Delhi, following a bout of communal violence triggered by aggressive Hindu supremacist rallies during April. Women have also reported being harassed by police, while some Muslim men have been forced to leave the area for fear of wanton imprisonment.
“Men are picked up almost every day. This has created a chaotic and fearful environment. Almost all of them are innocent. My worst fear is that these young kids, barely in their teens, are being taken into custody and being beaten up,” said Akhlaq, a Muslim resident.
“My husband and sons have left the city in a bid to avoid wrongful incarcerations. They weren’t even here when the [Hanuman Jayanti] violence happened. But the police came knocking at our door, asking us to ‘surrender’ them. They threatened my young daughter and said that she will be ‘picked up’ if we do not tell them the whereabouts of my sons,” said one Muslim woman.
“We are never fully free, we are constantly being watched and surveilled – from what we are eating and where we are going to the toilet, they are monitoring everything. We have become prisoners in our own homes,” Akhlaq added.
Jahangirpuri was the site of an anti-Muslim demolition drive in the aftermath of the violence, during which Muslim-owned homes and businesses were bulldozed as retribution for “rioting.” Meanwhile, Hindu supremacists faced no consequences for attacking Muslims.
Hindu Supremacists Threatened To Break Into Karnataka Mosque & Perform Puja
Tensions are high in Karnataka state after Hindu supremacists threatened to break into the historic Jamia Masjid and perform puja, or a Hindu prayer, inside the mosque.
Hindu supremacists from militant Hindu groups like Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal have openly called for others to join in on the invasive threat using social media, calling it the “Srirangapatna Chalo” program.
Jamia mosque is over 200 years old and was built by Tipu Sultan, a Muslim ruler and resistance leader against British colonial rule.
Hindu Extremist Politician Demands Anti-Conversion Law In Goa After Pastor’s Arrest
Hindu extremists in Goa state have been clamoring for the implementation of a harsh anti-conversion law following the recent arrest of Christian pastor Dominic D’Souza and his wife Joan, who have been accused of “forcibly converting” Hindus.
Fear-mongering against Christians has now increased in Goa, including from Power Minister Sudin Dhavalikar, who falsely claimed that it has been “proven” that Christians are forcibly converting Hindus.
“It is very much proven with recent incidents that religious conversions are taking place in the state… It should be stopped. If it is not stopped then people will take law in their own hands and unwanted things will happen,” Dhavalikar claimed.
However, anti-conversion laws have proven to only increase discrimination against Muslims and Christians, giving Hindu supremacists the opportunity to attack these vulnerable minorities with impunity.
