Destined for Sermons

This is not a new thing. Now in India activism has become a very flourishing profession. A large number of secularists, communists, Islamists, NGOs, journalists, etc., are employed in this business and minting tons of money. There is one Tirupati Desai, raiding Hindu temples with her brigade. But there is one thing common, all this activism is directed towards Hindus and Hinduism.

During Diwali, in the name of pollution control, so many types of restrictions and bans are imposed. On Holi, in the name of water conservation, all type of activists mock Holi. On Ganesh Puja, Chath Puja, Durga Puja etc., so many types of restrictions come into existence, especially on immersion of idols. In Tamilnadu centuries old game Jallikuttu is almost banned citing cruelty on animals. 

This ailment is so ridiculous that all type of dissections is banned in labs, educational, institutions and research institutes.  Even one cannot kill a cockroach, earthworm, rat, fish, frog etc., for the purpose of education or research in laboratories. This all activism either targets Hindus or Hinduism or national interest.

But all these activists are totally silent when evils of Islam or other minority groups are concerned. On Eid al-Adha (Id-ul-Zuha or Bakr-Id), Muslims slaughter animals. Millions and billions of healthy animals, animals giving milk and animals used in agriculture are slaughtered in most brutal manner. But all are silent on this evil and cruelty against animals. All internal critiques, activists, rationalists and reformers and even the liberal Lefts has played into the racial intolerance against Hindus like Trump.   

Here Hindus or Muslims are not an issue. The issue is why secularism has become a questionable concept. And secular leaders are seen with suspicion even in a secular nation. The reactions of secularists, leftists and liberals have been ineffective to the rise of Islamic fundamentalism in India. It seems that secularists, leftists, and liberals have no agenda, except that of xenophobic belligerence and lies about demographic changes. And yet they are shockingly popular. Secularists, leftists, and liberals milk the ignorance of masses by the help of corrupt media and they create false issues and sensationalize the non-issues.

The main reason for the failure of secularists, leftists, and liberals is that they almost support Islamic fanaticism and terrorism. People like Owesi, Azam Khan etc., flourish because of secularists, leftists and liberals take a stand on issues that support Islamic fanaticism. Their behavior is wrong but they remain valid in political galleries.

Here I recall talking to a poor farmer in Utter Pradesh. The farmer, a graying old man in his sixties and Jat by caste, wanted me to understand why he was going to vote for BJP. He said, “I am a secular man, but I am worried about my safety. I want my children must be safe in my own country. I want to celebrate my festivals without any fear and restrictions.

Issue of Bangladeshi’s invasion

Before we laugh on the Communists and secularists on such fears, we need to ask ourselves: would we dismiss similar fears expressed by an aborigine in Australia or Africa? Very few would. If so, what is it that makes us downplay the fears of Hindus and local people about losing their identity, resources, and land? So the current focus on intruders is very genuine.  Nobody can say that intrusion from Bangladesh is good.  But the seculars and the liberal Left always support intruders that rightist politicians and nationalists take them up — and play with the issue without any solutions.

The liberal Left also has a penchant to short-circuit all internal democracy and critiques. It thus dumps that entire space to the ‘othering’ xenophobia of nationalist politicians. For instance, in most liberal Left circles, it is very hard to critique Muslim societies as containing gender inequality, burqas, triple talaq, slaughtering, jihad, Sharia, madrassas etc.. The moment an Indian Muslim or any secular Hindu aim such a critique at interpretations and practices within Islam formations, they are accused of catering to the West or playing into the hands of BJP or other nationalist groups.

For instance, by focussing on the sati, purdah, dowry, Hindu puja system etc., Hinduism was defined in a very bad way but on matters like multiple wives, zenana, veiling, gender inequality, burqas, triple talaq, slaughtering, jihad, Sharia, madrassas etc., Muslim societies are never criticized in that manner by secularists and communists. Such definitions — in the above cases, Muslims are never questioned but Hindu societies were stereotyped as oppressing women and oppressive faith.

Similarly, on the issue of Dalits, Hindus are brutally attacked but on the repression of Shias, Voharas, Kadiyanis, Ahmedias, Kurds, Yezdis, Balochs, etc., they are all silent or supportive.

The reverse side of Liberal Lefts

Let us say that some Hindu circles do not give women the full freedom to choose their profession, education, or attire but the condition of women in Islam is very bad. But on Islam, Left-liberal is silent or supportive. Isn’t such a behavior is just the reverse side of secularism  — that is, we cannot talk about one culture as we are afraid of  them (or Muslims), but we are very aggressive on one because they are secular and liberal ( or Hindus). By doing so, we allow secular discourses to take over our complex realities, and hence surrender the complexity of our secularism to Islamic fanaticism. The secularism of left-liberal model has reduced the spectrum of our secularism to the special minority (Muslims) and Hindus.

But to react to this by decreeing that one cannot talk gender inequality or oppression in Muslim societies is to do something similar: put in place a discourse that denies the complex realities on the ground. This also encourages reactionary maulanas and maulvis in our societies to claim that they are just perfect — or Hindus are imperfect!

Interestingly, the liberal Left is quite critical of the flaws of Hindus and Western societies: for instance, it strongly condemned the ‘West ban on burqas and radical Islamic practices. But for the French equivalent of Hindu fear, this looks lopsided: after all, a large number of left intellectuals and NGOs are getting liberal aids from Islamic countries. Very recently in a local feud in Dadri over cow theft, one Akhlaq was killed. But these left liberals defamed the nation and Hindus, all over the world, as intolerant and violent. Even they started a movement of ‘award wapsi’ grasped by them due to their left connections. But these elements were silent on the killing of Hindus in Kashmir, Godhra, Mathura, Ayodhya etc.

Even the demand of Common Civil Code is opposed very vehemently by liberal Left but they are very strong supporters of slaughtering of cows. It is good that you oppose the caste or dowry ban, but how about also supporting the hijab, burqa, triple talaq, multiple wives, madrassas etc., ? But much of the liberal Left has chosen not to speak or support. And hence we get Modi, BIP, and Co.