I as a Muslim have been shocked, and I am sure many others (Muslims, Hindus and others faithful or outside the fold of faith), at the level of anti-Islamic pontification put on this site by Instabloggers from India. For the record: I, of course, am not writing about most Indian bloggers just the handful but vocal minority that is disparaging Islam and Muslims on this forum. And vocal they are.
I have seen numerous comments, submitted links and stores on how Islam is an evil faith. On how Muslims are a threat, at worst, or at best a problem. The people pretend to attack only extreme interpretations of Islam and Muslim radicals, but what they are in fact doing with intention is attacking Islam specifically and Muslims generally. Such rhetoric is uncalled for hate speech.
The irony here is that these anti-Muslim fanatics are the image of the Islamic fundamentalists they deride. As with Muslims fundamentalists, these posting are being put up by Hindu fundamentalists. They are Hindu nationalists who want a pure Hindu India without, of course, the over 200 million Muslims in the country. Just like Bin Ladin and other Muslim radicals, they are intolerant of other people. They do not want them around or, at least, have them be subdued second-class citizens.
There are several right-wing extreme anti-Muslim and also anti-Western Hindu parties in India and their ideology is akin to those Indian Hindus writing anti-Islamic creeds. Some might even be party members. Those, like these Hindu nationalists, who themselves preach and practice xenophobia, intolerance, “exclusivism,” and Fascism have no credibility when they self-righteous decry other people’s extremisms.
Apparently, for these Hindus radicals, their abhorrence is fine while others are uncalled for. In truth, all extremism is vile. So before you read another anti-Islam posting from these zealots, think of the lecture they should be getting rather than giving.
Gandhi preached Muslim-Hindu unity. This is not the way to honor the memory of the man who bequeathed independence to India and is to this day its most important, world famous and cherished icon.
P.S. Cheers to my decent and tolerant Indian Hindus friends. I know those voices do not represent you.
