#MuslimGenocideInIndia

[mullahusman]

Hashimpura Massacre

It was the 22nd of May 1987, Ramzan and Friday, just like today, when 'secular' India's most shameful and horrendous custodial kil-ling took place at #Hashimpura. That day, after the Friday prayers, in the midst of the ongoing Meerut riots, some 600-700 Muslims..

were dragged from their homes by army personnel, CRPF, PAC, and police and were made to sit on the footpath near Gulmarg Talkies. — The young and the strong among them were chosen, loaded in a PAC truck URU 1493, and taken to Upper Ganga Canal in Murad Nagar..

and later to Makanpur in Ghaziabad only to be shot cold-blooded and thrown into the canal. — This was totally an anti-muslim crime by the state, though the documented facts are known to everyone, three points are worth mentioning:

A) On May 23, 1987, at Meerut Circuit House, the next day after the massæcre, there was a meeting attended by Veer Bahadur Singh, the CM, Daya Shankar, the DGP, SK Mukherjee, the IG, Nasim Zaidi, the Ghaziabad DM, Vibhuti Narain, the Ghaziabad SP and other senior officials.

There were discussions that can the bodies of 42 be thrown away in the canal just like Malyana, never to be found? Could the 3 survivors under police protection also die? Would anyone expect justice from them? #HashimpuraMassacre

B) One of the survivors Zulfiqar Nasir had a press conference in Delhi with Syed Shahabuddin and Subramanyam Swami, narrating the nightmare he went through. There was a shameless press brief the next day addressed by Meerut DM RS Kaushik, SSP Girdhari Sharma, nd frmr SP VKB Nair.

Not only did they claim that no massacre happened at Hashimpura but also that no one with the name of Zulfiqar ever lived in Hashimpura. Shouldn't they have been punished too for propagating blatant lies. #HashimpuraMassacre

3) There were three 'Sarkari Musalmans' sitting at the vital position throughout the investigation. Just to show the Indianness in them, they did very little to ensure Justice. Syed Khalid Rizvi, who headed the CID failed to link the role of Major Satish Kaushik whose brother..

Prabhat Kumar, a RSS terrœrist, was killed the previous day; who was present at Hashimpura during the whole incident. Mr Nasim Zaidi who later became chief Election commissioner failed to act responsibly and tell the outside world about the heinous crimes.

And Ms Mohsina Kidwai, the then MP of Meerut who later became the General Secretary of AICC, not only refused to ensure medical care to one of the injured survivors but kept silent about the gory crimes.

— Hashimpura, like the Bihar killings of 1946, Nellie of 1983, Bhagalpur of 1989, Delhi Pogrom of 1984 and 2020, Muzaffarnagar of 2013, Gujarat pogrom of 2002, and numerous others remain a disgraceful instance of the merciless and barbaric use of brute state force..

and a spineless, politically expedient government lying prostate before its own men - The Killers. Hashimpura is not just an instance, it's a phenomenon that goes deep into the mindset of Indian society. Justice is awaited. #HashimpuraMassacre

"I wish the dead could have eyes for once, they could look into the Indian State with tears and anger and say that irrespective of any political party at the government, you have been inherently anti-muslim"

[alabamamasala-blog]

The looseHindu

Yesterday I made a pilgrimage. Yes, a literal Hindu pilgrimage. It was quite the experience and a true testament to my faith. I went to the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple in a city in India called Tirupati. It is one of the largest Hindu temples in the world, and it sits on top of the Tirumala Hills. The view is absolutely breath taking, and it’s one of those places where elephants, monkeys, and humans all coexist in harmony.

According to the temple’s website “Lord Sri Venkateswara, also known as a form of Lord Vishnu, made Tirumala his abode five thousand years ago. (In Hinduism you have three gods that are responsible for the creation, maintenance, and destruction of the Universe. Those gods are Brahma [creator], Vishnu [maintenance], and Shiva [destroyer].)  Since then, many devotees have continued to construct grand entrances on the ramparts of the temple over generations. The temple complex is spread over 16.2 acres of land.”

Basically, this temple was home of one of the most important gods in all of Hinduism. This temple is equivalent to the Vatican for Catholics or Mecca for Muslims. It’s a pretty holy place. People travel from all over to climb up a  7 mile hill to wait in a 5 hour line to pray to God for literally 5 seconds, if you’re lucky. 

That’s devotion. Apparently. 

Well, apparently, I am not that devoted. I did not climb up a 7 mile hill. I drove. I did not wait in a 5 hour line. I paid 300 rupees to skip everyone and waited 2 hours. At the end, I did get my 5 seconds with the Big Guy himself. Just long enough to pray that I don’t get crushed by the herds of people trying to also get their 5 seconds of prayer time. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the crowd. The 2 hour line I was in is not a normal line. It’s actually barely a line. It’s thousands of people packed in between two barricades pushing and shoving to the prayer spot. The entire time people are pushing and shoving. It’s like Walmart on Black Friday times 100. I saw some of the non-Hinduest Hindus in this line. Just rude. I guess people will do anything to be with God, right? Wrong? Who knows?

While I waited in this line, I got a lot of self-reflection done. My first reflection question was

“What the fuck?”

My second reflection question was

“Maybe this is a test from God? A test to prove my faithfulness?” 

My third reflection question was

“Why the fuck would God want me to waste time in this long-ass, crowded line with these rude-ass people when I could be feeding the poor or building homes for the homeless or teaching underprivileged children…???” 

That’s when it really hit me. The difference between faith and being a Hindu. I have faith, but I am not a Hindu. (My mother is reading this and just died a little on the inside. Sorry Mom.) Or maybe I am a new variation of Hinduism. I am the looseHindu. 

I pray all the time like a good Hindu even though I don’t know any Hindu prayers. I pray when my students are getting on my last nerves. I pray every time the Saints are playing football (because Lord knows, we need all the prayers.). In Nashville, I try to go to the Ganesh Temple every Sunday. I do 4 things at this temple. 

1. I pray for my mom and my brother. 

2. I pray for my students. 

3. I pray for my friends especially those going through tough times. 

4. I give gratitude. Lots of thanks for my health, my wealth, and the loving people around me. 

I don’t like to pray for myself. I only pray for myself if I am suffering an illness or having a mental break down. I feel like when people start praying for themselves or for material goods, you might as well be talking to Santa. I basically pray for the people in my inner circle because if they are happy, then I am happy. And at the end of the day, if I was praying for myself, I’d pray for happiness. 

But I do a lot of non-Hindu things too. I curse, I drink, I wear “provocative” clothing, I make inappropriate jokes…the “sinful” list goes on. And I am never apologetic for it. My theory is as long as you are not hurting yourself or others, God is looking down and saying, “live your dreams.” 

But I do have faith that there is something up there - God/Allah/Jesus/the Vortex/Superior Being/Invisible Hand/The Big (Wo)Man Upstairs - something. I know this because the few times I have prayed for myself, my prayers were always answered. When I was in 8th grade, I wrote a letter to God, asking for the courage to kill it at my high school dance company auditions. And I did kill it. And I made the company. A few days ago, I prayed for cooler weather and the mental/emotional strength to get me through this pilgrimage. And guess what? One of the hottest cities in India was so cool, you could wear a sweater at night, and I made it through my pilgrimage without bitch slapping anyone. 

Faith. 

But then I thought, do I really have faith in this Divine Being or do I have faith in myself? Because at the end of the day, I don’t know if something really lives in the Heavens, but I do know I am the only person I can always count on to persevere through tough times. In a way, I am my own Vishnu (maintenance) and my own Shiva (destroyer). I can get myself over any obstacle, but I can also self-destruct in any given second. Every situation is all about your mindset.

So I have faith. Faith in God or faith in myself. Or a perfect balance in both. 

Now, some less looseHindus or more religious people may be reading this and thinking that I’m crazy for being so loose. But this is what I’ve seen from people of all religions:

- I’ve seen Hindus say ugly things about Christians and Muslims (especially Muslims).

- I’ve had a Muslim tell me he wouldn’t date me because I was a Hindu.

- I’ve had multiple Christians tell me I am going to Hell because I am a Hindu. 

I don’t know Vishnu, Muhammad, or Jesus personally, but I don’t think discrimination in any form is something they taught. Compassion. Love. Understanding. Now, those sound like more familiar teachings. 

I say all this because I asked my mom, “Mom, if God is everywhere why are people making such a fuss to come pray at this temple? Why do the rich people get to skip everyone in the prayer line? Aren’t we all equals in God’s eyes?” 

My mom’s answer: “It’s blind faith.” 

That set off so many red flags. As a historian, I have learned blind faith causes one to be more vulnerable to political manipulation. It has led to abyssianswar,jihadistmovements,buddhistuprisings,thesevenyearswar,thecrusades,thethirtyyearswar,thereformation,thecounterreformation,muslimgenocideinindia,hindugenocideinpakistan,imperialconquestsoftheamericas,israelpalestineconflict,battleofkashgar,yugoslavwars,thefrenchwarsofreligion, and so forth. If it’s in the name of God, people will do anything! Even being totally evil. The dark irony of religion.

So in my mind and historically speaking, blind faith = greater likelihood to hate/discriminate someone with a different faith because you’re so devoted to your own faith. 

Which is fucked up, and it is not a very Hindu/Christian/Muslim/Jewish/Buddhist/[insert religion here] thing to do. 

How about this notion: open faith = loving everybody despite of their differences?

What harm could a little open faith lead to?  

I’d choose open faith over blind faith any day. Even if it means that society will always see me as the looseHindu.