Intro:The silent and missing thing in India after the attack on the office of French Magazine was street protests by our intellectuals, march of comrades and silence of the top guns of established media that were engrossed in ‘PK’ debates.
The attack by the Islamist terrorists at the office of French satirical magazine left twelve people dead including two policemen. Those who lost their lives include magazine’s staff—cartoonists Chrab, Chabu, Honoroe, Tignous and Wolinski, Bolinksi and two policemen. Their only fault was that they published the cartoons of Prophet Mohammad. The world leaders From British Prime Minister Cameron to US President Barack Obama have condemned the attack at the office of Charlie Hedbo. Prime Mnister Narendra Modi has also expressed his condolence to the French President. The world was in a state of shock to see the terrorists shooting the harmless people and shouting Allah-hu-Akbar. The entire west was on the same wavelength in criticising the attack on French magazine.
What was missing was street protests by our intellectuals with bushy beard, mufflers around their necks, hair grown like nest, jholas dangling on one side of the shoulder and slipper or sandals on with a pair of socks. The comrades were not seen marching hand-in-hand with their followers and heading towards the writers’ building and spiting fire at the Muslim terrorists, despite the statement by the French President that it was an act of terrorism. Not a word was heard from Rahul Gandhi to condemn the killings in terrorist attack. The reason could be, he agrees with Mani Shankar Aiyar’s logics. The people who believe in Freedom of Expression—our very enthusiasts and energetic ‘Kiss of love’ mob who trooped at the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh Jhandewalan office a few months ago, deliberately missed the opportunity by holding out protests in Delhi at the killing of the innocents in Paris. The top guns of established media are like silent guns at the killings of their counterparts in Paris. A female TV anchor, debated and rain(ed) argumets from her studio over Godhra riots, is sounding deafening mum. Another female journalist, who cribbed over declaration of ‘Good Governance Day’ on December 25, is like a missing Ghos(t) in taking on the Muslim clerics. A male TV anchor, gets upset when women are not allowed to speak up their minds at the election rallies of interior Bihar, because village women are hesitant and feel awkward to speak up at the mere presence of male relatives. But same anchor has not ravished taking up the cause of girls kidnapped by Boko Haram and the worst ever treatment meted by IS terrorists in Iraq to Kurdish, Yezdi and Christian women. Intensity of high pitched anchor with a pen was missing at the loss of media fraternity in Paris. A TV anchor had questioned and grilled Hindu saints in the past months but did not invite the Imam in his studio to ask him to denounce the killings in the name of Allah by the Islamic terrorists. The established media to India’s public knowledge has not shown and discussed the contents that led to the killings in Paris. It was the same media that was engrossed in ‘PK’ debates and did not agree with the Hindus who felt offended by the contents of ‘PK’. Recently, Shobha de, on a TV channel referred to ‘PK’—protestors as ‘goondas’ but has not questioned the Muslims what causes them so much hatred that they kill harmless cartoonists?
The question then arises—Why anti-Nationalist Hindu brigade is timid in their criticism of Islamic terror from India to Nigeria, Chechnya to Boston, Canada to Australia, Syria to Iraq? The answer lies in the psyche of the Indian media, Leftists, intellectuals and gen-x who believe in the freedom to do ‘Kiss of Love’.
They are scared of swift, brutal and barbaric response from the Islamic terrorists and would not take a risk to endanger their lives by getting their offices attacked. They just want to enjoy hefty perks, as they don’t believe in what they preach. Till then soft targets are Hindus, who unfortunately know only to smash a few cinema halls, buses and indulge in chakajam and get a bad name in the media!
Manoj Sharma (The writer is a senior columnist)
