The Hindus have every right to protect and survive on the land of their origin
Brig (Retd) G B Reddy
Islamist radicalism is an existential threat for Hinduism as Indian History abundantly testifies. Ipso facto, Hinduism stands decimated in neighbouring Pakistan and Bangladesh with Pakistan hosting ancient Hindu civilisation.
The recent spurt in communal clashes includes Saharanpur, Meerut, Hashimpura, Muzaffarnagar. According to official data of 2016, communal violence increased by 17 per cent from 2014 to 2015.
The latest communal outburst in Baduria which falls in Basirhat in North 24 Parganas district in West Bengal that broke out over an objectionable post on Facebook is a grim reminder of communal crisis escalation in posterity. As per media report, the post put up by a student showed “objectionable images’’ linked to the Prophet and Kaaba Sharif in Mecca went viral in Baduria. Followed a Muslim mob vandalising Hindu shops and homes, and setting fire to
vehicles, triggering retaliatory attacks and resulting in Kartik’s lynching.
Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee’s silence over the lynching of Karthik Ghosh speaks volumes of her Muslim appeasement politics. No need to remind her of the Partition communal carnage.
Appeasement Politics
The story of the Noakhali riots, a series of semi-organised massacres, rapes, abductions and forced conversions of Hindus into Muslim and looting and arson of Hindu properties organised by the All India Muslim League and perpetrated by the Muslim community in the districts of Noakhali in the Chittagong Division of Bengal (now in Bangladesh) in October–November 1946, a year before India’s Independence from British rule, should act as a grim reminder of what is likely to unfold in the now turned “Majority Muslim” populated districts of Bengal.
After all, the ISIS is making a strong bid to entrench itself in
neighboring Bangladesh which will be used as a springboard to neighboring West Bengal and Assam.
If Mamata Banerjee does not shed her pseudo-secular credentials and act in a resolute manner, she can as well drop her suffix “Banerjee” and replace it appropriately with “Begum”. Be that as it may, Mamata Banerjee belongs to the clone of the Congress Party and its ally today.
In retrospect, the pseudo-secular political parties and their leaders, spearheaded by the Congress Party, are squarely responsible for its build up due to their minority appeasement vote-bank politics.
If allowed to continue as hitherto fore, the clash of civilisations is inevitable in South Asia with radical groups increasingly becoming polarised on communal lines.
The Growing Threat
At the cost of repetition, let me highlight that diehard Muslim followers believe that Islam is a young religion with claims of par excellence. They consider other
religious followers as “Kafirs”. None can also deny that it is the
fastest-growing major religion. Due to highest fertility rate, its surge is unstoppable. It is expected to decline only to just above the global replacement rate (2.1 per woman) beyond 2050.
According to projections by the Pew Research Center, by 2050, the number of Muslims (280 cr, or 30 per cent of the world’s population) and Christians (290 cr, or 31 per cent) will for the first time be at near parity.
The writing on the wall is clear. Islam will challenge Hinduism in South Asia and Christianity for pre-eminence on the global plane. Only blind pseudo-secularists can not see the writing on the wall.
Most important, 1947 Partition heralded abundant proof of communal carnage in both neighbouring nations. What followed thereafter is virtual
decimation of Hindu minority aided and abetted by the State in collusion with non-state actors and Saudi Arabian finance.
Rabid Communalism
Next, what can one expect when minority political leaders indulge in rabid communal polarisation politics in the name of democracy? For example, Owaisi brothers–suave but vitriolic Asaduddin and his firebrand brother Akbaruddin–surpass Jinnah, the founding father of Pakistan, and also the Kashmir separatist leaders in the Valley by all counts many times over with their “Hate Hindu” speeches.
In the past, Shahi Imams of Delhi Royal Masjid like Syed Abdullah Bukhari were in the forefront of Muslim polarising vote-bank, at one stage the Congress Party offering them a Ministerial berth.
Not to be left behind in Muslim
minority appeasement, Kerala CM, Pinarayi Vijayan, has gone one step ahead by dubbing Israel as a “Terrorist State” and slamming Modi for trying to build an India-Israel alliance. Such an outburst is but natural with the Kerala Muslim youth returning from the ISIS fold. After all, those who joined the ISIS on the “Holy Jihad” ideological lines cannot be expected to turn overnight into secularists.
For the sake of power and pelfs, many regional political parties and leaders succumb and yield to such “Radical Islamists” demands like reservations. For example, K C Rao, Chief Minister of Telangana has
conceded to the demand of 12 per cent reservations. Majority of political parties host grand “Iftar” parties to the Muslims whilst the same gusto is not demonstrated to other religions.
Surprisingly, the collusion between the Muslim and Christian ideologues and fringe groups to destabilise the Hindu society by appeals and
attractive allurements to SC and ST groups is real.
The Hindu value of “Tolerance” is antiquated in today’s vicious politics on grand display. After all, the World is transforming in a more disruptive and destructive manner than ever
imagined before with radical Islam making deep forays all around in India.
De facto, there is wholesale
transformation of structure of Indian society in West Bengal and Kerala with the Muslims gaining majority in quite a few districts/areas so as to make them deciding and determining the fate of political parties and ruling regimes.
Major Worry
The real concern is the Muslim growth rate continues to be 24.64 per cent. According to data from Census of India, Muslim population is estimated to be 18.4 crores in 2016 (out of 134 crores). The acerbic leader Asaduddin Owaisi claims higher number of Muslims over 18 per cent today, that is, around 23 crores as on date.
Most critical it is to note that the growth data of Muslim population in West Bengal and Assam is certainly a matter of national security concern. In West Bengal, Muslims constituted 19.85 per cent in 1951; and 27.01 per cent (2.45 crore in real numbers out of total 9.12 crore) in 2011.
The highest concentrations of Muslims are in three districts
bordering Bangladesh: Murshidabad-66.28 per cent; Malda-51.27 per cent; and Uttar Dinajpur-50.92 per cent.
Next, according to 2011 Census, Islam is the fastest growing religion in Assam. In 1951, Muslims accounted 0.199 crore constituting 17.62 per cent. As per 2011 census, Muslims accounted 1.068 crore out of total
population of 3.12 crore constituting 34.22 per cent of its population.
Nine out of 27 districts particularly bordering Bangladesh, have significant Muslim majority population (Over 50 per cent): Dhubri-79.67 per cent;
Barpeta-70.74 per cent; Darrang-64.34 per cent; Hailakandi-60.31 per cent; Goalpara-57.52 per cent; Karimganj-56.36 per cent; Nagaon-55.36 per cent; Morigaon-52.56 per cent; and Bongaigaon-50.22 per cent. Three districts have over 30 per cent Muslim population to include: Cachar-37.71 per cent; Kamrup-39.66 per cent; and Nalbari-35.96 per cent.
Even in Kerala, Muslim surge is real—from 0.78 crore in 2001 to 0.88 crore in 2011. Whereas, the Hindu
population has declined from 1.82 crore in 2001 to 1.78 crores in 2011. And, Muslims are in significant numbers to influence outcome of elections in districts to include: Mallapuram-70.24 per cent; Kozhikode-39.24 per cent; Kasargod-37.24 per cent; Kannur-29.43 per cent; Palakkad-28.93 per cent; and Waynad-28.65 per cent.
In sum, Hindu civilisation is atop a precipice to crash into abyss. No wonder, the right wing Hindu nationalist leaders are responding to the threats escalating all around them in a strident manner–natural reaction.
(The writer is Hyderabad based
strategic expert)
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