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On Fascism and Terrorism

A call to chop someone's head off. Another wants criticism to be punishable by severing the criticizer's finger. Public floggings. Indoctrination camps for children. Women forced to wear a certain kind of clothing.

When I speak of these things, what comes to your mind? Is it the Taliban? Or ISIS? Maybe Al Qaeda too, but they've gone out of fashion a bit, don't you think? I think you will agree, dear reader, that this indeed was the case. My first paragraph made you think of the Taliban and the ISIS.

But, no. Not one of these threats was made by an Islamic extremist organisation. All of them were made by various persons linked - directly or indirectly - to the Bharatiya Janata Party. Those making these threats ranged from spokespersons to an occupant of the Chief Minister's chair.

Naturally, there has been some outrage regarding these statements. 



Most of the criticism, however, has been in the form of statements like those in the tweets above. The comparison is with ISIS or Islam. Can we not criticise Hindutva fascism without having to drag Islamic extremism into the equation? By making these comparisons, we are positing that the ISIS/Taliban or even Islam has set the template for brutality. Now, the others are only following it or imitating it. Or that Hindu terrorism is simply a reaction to Islamic terrorism. Everything is the fault of the Muslims and their violent religion. Under such a view, Islam sets the bar (maybe benchmark and not "bar" *wink wink*) for everything that is perceived "barbaric", "backward" and "uncivilized".

In truth, this is not the case. Beating down dissent, punishing crimes brutally, control over women and children are inherent to Hindu texts and mythology. Even in the much hailed Rama Rajya, these traits can be observed. One only needs to look at Sita's "agnipariksha", her exile and the story of Shambuka to get a sense of the brutal control exercised by Rama. Let us not forget that the caste-system, which is integral to Hinduism, is one of the most oppressive systems ever  conceived. Ajay Singh Bisht (the real name of the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh) has constantly reiterated his desire to establish Rama Rajya in his state. So, it is hardly surprising to see such threats being issued. It is part of the agenda. It is not a reaction or an imitation, but an inherent part of the Hindutva mission.



In the past, I have been guilty of this false comparison too. I once called the right wing in this country as the "Indian Taliban". I take it back. Terror and fascism seek to control, strike fear and make punishment a gruesome spectacle. This is not unique only to the Taliban nor did they invent it. Such has been the case for a long time.
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Comments

  1. Satish PVG9 December 2017 at 20:13

    You've fallen victim to the same folly as the people you've condemned in this article-- equating mythology with history. I'm yet to come across a history textbook which says Hindus persecuted people of other faiths. This "Hindu extremism" is certainly a modern phenomenon and is a reaction to the growing fundamentalism in other religions. Sure, it's not a welcome development as it disrupts the peace more often but we cannot tackle it without addressing the root cause.

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    1. Unknown10 December 2017 at 12:35

      I'm not equating mythology with history. I'm just pointing out how in the much hailed "Rama Rajya", there never was any justice. It was an embodiment of the Vedic laws of punishment, where neither women nor the "lower castes" have any importance. There are also historical accounts of violence, which I can also provide. I feel that you've missed the point about my post. Violence and terror have always existed. Religion is one way to legitimize this terror and violence. It is not peculiar to any one religion.

      You haven't read any historical accounts of Hindus persecuting others? You're living in an echo chamber then. What is the caste system if not persecution and exploitation of Dalits and exclusion of tribes?

      If you think Hindu extremism is a reaction, I have nothing more to say to you.

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