Hindu Extremists Burn House of Muslim Ex-Minister

By Yousuf Ali

In India, there have been concerns about increasing Islamophobia motivated by Hindu Nationalism. In particular, according to TRT World, the former foreign minister Salman Khurshid had his house attacked by what were likely hindu nationalists. The immediate context was Khurshid writing a book entitled ‘Sunrise over Auodhya’ in which he compared the HIndutva ideology to ISIS. The context is the BJP ruling over India with a Hindu nationalist ideology which has made many Muslims be concerned. 

According to the TRT “The Times of India reported that the group had set fire to an effigy of Khurshid, fired shots and threatened the daughter-in-law of the caretaker with a gun. Salman Khurshid, a Muslim from the main opposition Congress party, published a book last month in which he compared the kind of Hindu nationalism that has flourished under Modi to extremist groups like Daesh.” This is what activists are attributing the attack on minister Khurshid’s home to.

The background is a Hindutva ideology which many have compared to fascism in the sense that its goal is to make India as Hindu as possible. This is because many of the founders and proponents of the Hindutva ideology regularly praised Hitler and Mussolini who were two the leading fascists in the 20th century. 

According to Al Jazeera, there have been other examples of violence against non-HIndus because of Hindu nationalism “ Modi’s government rejects having a radical “Hindutva” (Hindu supremacist) agenda and insists that people of all religions have equal rights.Uttarakhand state, where the latest incident took place, appears to be a particular hotspot.

Last month, a mob of about 200 people reportedly attacked a church in the state. The local head of the BJP said the building was used for “suspicious gatherings”.” Members of the opposition have responded in defense of the former minister including Shashi Tharoor, “is a statesman who has … always articulated a moderate, centrist, inclusive vision of the country domestically”. “The mounting levels of intolerance in our politics should be denounced by those in power”