Azra Hoosen | ah@radioislam.co.za
1 February 2024 | 17:00 CAT
6 min read

Following Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s consecration of the Ram temple, built on the ruins of a mob-destroyed 16th-century Babri mosque, the Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) has condemned Hindu extremist violence against Muslims and Christians in the wake of Ram Temple ceremonies, and urged the international human rights organisations & civil society groups to take note of the deteriorating situation in India, which they believe has the potential to turn into a ‘full-blown Muslim and Christian genocide.’

The IAMC stated that extremist groups have weaponised ensuing celebrations, convening massive processions to attack Muslims and destroy Muslim-owned businesses, homes, and mosques.

The council has also called on the US State Department to ask the Indian government to stop stoking the anti-Muslim sentiment, punish the Hindu extremists involved in anti-Muslim violence, and accept the recommendation of the United States Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) to designate India as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC).

The Associate Director of Media and Communications of the Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC), Safa Ahmed, believes the Ram temple is the product of a much deeper problem – the radicalisation of a large portion of the Indian population.

“It is not about religion; it is about declaring Muslims to be subservient and normalising violence against the minority group. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has a long history of using the Babri Musjid as a threat to Muslims. Flaunting the demolition and inflicting revenge on the Muslims. BJP leaders have many times outright stated explicit threats of violence against Muslims,” said Ahmed.

Safa Ahmed took Radio Islam on a historical leap back in time, providing insight into the hype surrounding the Ram temple, analysing the implications of this development for Muslims and other minority groups in India.

“The Babri mosque in Ayodhya City was constructed during the Mughal rule and British colonisation in 1500, but only became a focal point of conflict in the 1800s when the Hindu community started claiming that the mosque was erected on the exact birthplace of the deity Ram. However, these claims gained significant momentum only in the early 1990s with the emergence of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, which popularised and mainstreamed these assertions.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), currently the ruling party in India, fully embraced the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, propelling it to widespread popularity. The party advocated for the demolition of the mosque and instilled the idea that a temple needed to be constructed at this site. The BJP’s support found resonance, particularly among Hindu militant groups, which have a historical association with promoting Hindu supremacy. The narrative is closely tied to the concept of Hindu glory in India, fostering the belief that the Babri mosque was constructed on a previously demolished Hindu site. This distorted claim fueled the notion that they needed to reclaim what was perceived as taken from them by the Muslim community.

The BJP played a prominent role in leading a gathering of around 150,000 people, predominantly militants, who converged on the Babri mosque in December 1992. This mob not only demolished the mosque but also unleashed violence on neighbouring Muslim communities. The ensuing chaos included the burning and attacking of houses, sparking widespread violence across the country, resulting in the killing and targeting of Muslims, along with the destruction of other mosques. This tumultuous event laid the foundation for the longstanding dispute over the land.

Upon assuming power in 2014, the BJP promised to build a temple at the disputed site, but it was not until the controversial ruling by the Supreme Court of India in 2019 that progress was made. The court declared the demolition of the Babri mosque as illegal and found no evidence supporting the claim that a temple was previously demolished to construct the mosque. However, the court awarded the land to Hindus. This decision led to the unfortunate politicisation of the issue and sparked celebrations among Hindu supremacists surrounding the construction of the temple in Ayodhya,” Ahmed explained.

Ahmed told Radio Islam that while Modi emphasises showing faith over aggression, he has never addressed the troubling rise in aggression by powerful militant groups that carry out daily hate crimes. News reports often highlight hate crimes against Muslims, including mob attacks and lynching for merely being Muslim. Hate speech from powerful BJP politicians and Hindu militant leaders further contributes to a widespread Hindu supremacist mindset. Modi’s absence of explicit condemnation raises concerns about the government’s stance on these issues, fostering an environment where such actions are not decisively addressed.

She emphasised that we are witnessing the product of the deep normalisation of hatred in India in every sector of society. “Impunity has become the norm because there is so much hate speech, not just incidents involving teachers abusing, threatening or using slurs against students for wearing the hijab, but from the students themselves. There are a lot of Hindu students who protest against the hijab. But there is no condemnation from the government and no sense of accountability,” said Ahmed.

Ahmed said it comes as no surprise that people are saying the Ram temple is part of the election campaign from the way it is being celebrated, and the way the BJP is speaking about it shows it is a monument that does not symbolise more than Modi’s campaign of hatred to erase the countries pluralistic, democratic legacy and turn it into a Hindu-ethno state.

“The BJP has a common go-to tactic for regional and national elections, which has been documented by several news outlets globally, and that is hate speech. They rely on hate speech to polarise the voter base to get more Hindu votes and to demonise the Muslim base and the opposition base. Due to that spike in hate speech during election season, what that means for the Muslim community is that this demonisation will escalate; there have been several riots and horrific mob attacks on Muslim individuals, and this is a sensitive time with the elections coming up,” she added.

The IAMC urges the international community to speak out forcefully against the repeated calls for violence and genocide of Muslims by BJP supporters before these threats materialise into tragic consequences.

“India needs to see outside pressure, like visa bans; they should be treated as inciters of violence and genocide. Whatever measure can be taken should be taken to prevent the world’s largest democracy from losing that title,” said Safa.

Indian activists are alarmed by the radicalisation of youth, evident in disturbing videos of students making violent statements, celebrating the Babri mosque’s demolition, and marching against their own peers. Militant groups operate freely, posing a significant challenge to India’s recovery from the lasting damage inflicted.

Safa reiterated that it is the responsibility of the Indian government to seek justice for the countless Muslims who have lost lives, family members, homes, and businesses due to extreme politics of demonisation and genocidal rhetoric.

“The onus falls on the majority community to work towards reconciliation and unlearning that type of hatred toward minority communities. There is a lot of responsibility on the Indian government to prosecute the inciters of violence, including members within the government who need to be held accountable for the crimes against Muslims, Christians, all minorities and Indian democracy as a whole,” Safa said.

LISTEN to the full interview with Mualimah Annisa Essack and Associate Director of Media and Communications of the Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC), Safa Ahmed here.