Once again Hannah Ellis Petersen has written an anti-Hindu article. This time it is the oft repeated moan about freedom or lack of it under Hindu nationalist BJP.
A stand up comedian called Kunal Kamra had called a prominent Maharashtra politician a traitor. In response the Habitat Club where the comedian was performing was vandalised by the supporters of the politician. Hannah needs to know that even in the UK if you say or imply anything defamatory about any living person you expose yourself to a backlash. If you call a prominent politician a traitor then do not expect a bouquet of flowers.
Hannah goes on to give the example of a Muslim comedian who was put in jail on the charges of making derogetary remarks of Hindu God’s. She is talking about a Munawar Faruqui. According to Hannah, Faruqui was persecuted even though he had not made jokes of Hindu God’s. As usual the readers of the Guardian are fed half-truths. In 2021 Munawar Faruqui had uploaded a video on utube using a derogatory swear word about Lord Rama. The hurt caused to a almost billion Hindus does not seem to matter to Hannah. For her the Hindu nationalist BJP is shrinking the space for freedom of expression. The Chief Minister of Maharastra Devendra Fadnavis has said that freedom of expression has to have its limitations.
Funnily enough(pardon the pun)these comedians only target Hindu Gods. They dare not target God’s of other religions or their revered figures. They self sensor themselves because they know that the backlash would be far greater. Would Hannah dare to defend the disparaging of God’s of other religions? Hindus are considered too laid back to take umbrage from humiliation of their God’s. Hannah should know that her Hindu nationalists are no longer the soft target they used to be. This is because the whole of India is Hindu nationalist. Hindus are the majority in India and they will not any more ignore continuous barking by people who hate them.
Nitin Mehta
25 March 2025.
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