This anti-Muslim doctrine is currently being “exported” to other countries as Hindutva ideologues have risen from the margins of Indian society to the centre of power. When a bulldozer decorated with the image of Uttar Pradesh’s chief minister who also doubles as a hardline Hindu holy man participated in an Indian Independence Day parade recently, it caused a stir in the US state of New Jersey.
In India, homes were demolished as Muslim communities were terrorised. The hatred is growing, and the most repulsive example of Hindutva in a foreign country recently occurred in the British city of Leicester. Since Pakistan and India’s Asia Cup game on August 28, when Indian fans reportedly chanted “death to Pakistan,” the city has been on edge.
After 200 men conducted a violent march in the Midlands city while yelling “Jai Shri Ram,” the situation worsened. Indian Muslims are accustomed to hearing this refrain, which, thanks to the Sangh Parivar, has been repurposed as a rallying cry against Muslims.
Muslim community members have organised counter demonstrations, and according to local police, 47 people have been detained in connection with the disruptions. This is one of a “series of provocations,” according to the Muslim Council of Britain, an advocacy group, which also includes chanting outside mosques and targeting Muslim homes and businesses.
These ominous events suggest that Hindutva now seriously threatens intergroup peace in the West. Members of the Democratic Party in New Jersey have requested that the US government look into US-based Hindutva organisations as “domestic branches” of “international hate groups,” demonstrating the gravity of the threat.
The threat that organisations linked to the Sangh Parivar represent to Western governments’ domestic security must not be understated. Pro-Hindutva zealots must be scrutinised just as closely as Muslim extremists in order to prevent them from causing racial strife in the West.
In addition, it’s important to look into the numerous Sangh Parivar-affiliated NGOs operating in the West to make sure no money is being transferred to India to support anti-Muslim animosity. Progressive Hindu organisations in the US have condemned Hindutva mischief there.
Leaders of the Hindu, Muslim, and Sikh communities must collaborate in order to thwart the plans of fanatics and stop communalism’s poison from spreading further throughout the diaspora.
