Zaheeruddin Babar
Pope John Paul II once said that “Violence is a crime against humanity, for it destroys the very fabric of society.”
THOSE who believe in human values and rights should be very much happy to see how the UAE princess Hend–Al Qassimi openly criticized the BJP government and its attitude towards the Muslims and other religious minorities of India. People who are aware of the influence that India holds in the UAE are consequently somewhat astonished to see how one royal family member came forward to openly condemn India’s government.
Now, it is an open secret that India’s hateful attitude is not directed towards any religion or race, rather it is directed to all the religious communities in India which are not Hindu. In previous months, the Indian government introduced a controversial citizen act, against which Indians from various different religion, even Hindus, openly condemned Modi’s government and termed it fascist. Actually, the majority of the sensible Hindus believe that, as a nation, their power lies in secularism. India has itself claimed to be the biggest democracy in the world, it is also true that, from independence till date, the democratic system is still functional in India, however with it extremism has also lived and flourished.
Some observers believe that UAE princess’ condemnation is the first of many, with many more condemnations coming from various governments around the globe. The time has come to realize the fact that extremism is never linked with any religion or race, it is the mindset which must be tamed and controlled. It is quite clear that it is in India’s own interests that they suppress the BJP and its extremist agenda, with the harsh reality being that the Indian media supports the BJP’s anti Muslim agenda. The hatred policy is based on anti-Islam, Muslims and Pakistan.
The important aspect of the matter is that Pakistan and India are neighbouring countries, with both countries being declared atomic powers. Consequently, as war would be extremely deadly for both, the rational approach is that Pakistan and India settle all their disputes through talks. Some unbiased observers are very much aware of the fact that Pakistan never want confrontation with India.
On the statement of UAE princes regarding Indian atrocities against minorities, the statements have badly exposed the image of shining India. It is important to know that millions of Indians never fully supported the BJP and its hatred agenda, and they have serious concerns about how Gandhi’s country has turned out. It is really embarrassing for sensible Indians when the BJP senior minister openly stated in an interview with the foreign media that Hindus and Muslims are not equal citizens. Unfortunately, the majority of countries in our world have two faces, one is for internal polices and other is for foreign policy. The concern of human rights is very much important but when their interests contradict with human right issues, they prefer their national interests.
One suggestion is that the thinkers around the globe should form pressure groups against state sponsored unjust policies. The time has come that those who truly believe in human rights must come forward. World is called a global village but the question is why is it difficult to raise voices for any anti human activity. We all know that Noam Chomsky and Arundhati Roy and many other scholars have raised their voices against powerful states but the challenge is when and how these voices become so powerful that, in our surroundings, violations of human rights will be stopped.
—The writer is freelance columnist based in Islamabad.
