Date: June 30, 2022 (Revised on July 5, 2022)
The lack of condemnation from the international community and western media concerning the gruesome killing and decapitation of Kanhaiya Lal (a Hindu) in Udaipur, India on June 28, 2022, by two Islamic terrorists is yet another example of bigotry when the victims are Hindus. By distancing themselves, the international community wants to show that this is India’s internal matter. However, when the victims are Muslims or Christians or any other religious minority, they are very quick to write editorials and publish articles questioning India’s human rights records — indeed, this has happened on massive scale over the last four weeks over a selectively edited video file circulated by a Muslim, Mohammad Zubair, that contained some impromptu remarks made by Ms Nupur Sharma concerning Islam during a heated live television debate that took place in the last week of May 2022.
Kanhaiya Lal – a tailor by profession – was killed and decapitated on 28th June 2022 by two Muslim terrorists after he publicly supported Ms Nupur Sharma. Using quotations from some authentic Islamic texts, during a live television debate, Ms Sharma had made an attempt to expose the hypocrisy of Muslims who claim that their religion is superior to anyone else’s. She made her remarks during a heated panel discussion after getting provoked by Muslim panellists who made derogatory remarks about Lord Shiva, a Hindu God. The day after this debate, Ms Sharma invited Islamic scholars for a discussion and promised to apologise if they could prove that what she said was false. That invitation was not accepted by anyone. Instead, media and Muslim leaders such as Mr Owaisi of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) whipped up nation-wide hysteria claiming that ‘radicalisation is spreading in India’. Muslim panelists who provoked her by denigrating Hindu Gods received no such blame. Alt News co-founder Mohammad Zubair selectively edited the video file and circulated it on social media, tagging New York Times, Washington Post, Al Jazeera, and other international media outlets. In the aftermath, Nupur Sharma received numerous threats of rape and murder. Some organisations offered cash award for anyone who beheads her: Pakistan-based Tehreek-e-Labbaik party announced on its Twitter account that “Ghustaak-e-Rasool (impudent towards Prophet Mohammed) Nupur Sharma beheader will be given Rs 5 million reward -Labbaikians TV” (Rs 5 million = USD 25,000/-). Ms Sharma has gone into hiding. This is the true state of Hindus in India who, in their own country, are not safe from Muslim terrorists. Despite these facts, there has been a sustained campaign on massive scale in the western media to build a biased narrative against Hindus in general and against Ms Nupur Sharma in particular. They have completely ignored the fact that Mohammad Zubair, who circulated the video file on social media, had deliberately edited it to cause provocation and has no credentials as a fact news checker –he has now been duly imprisoned by the Govt of India. By targeting Ms Sharma, the international media and the international bodies have effectively conspired to suppress the truth and to suppress a woman’s right to the freedom of expression.
Recognising that sentiments had been hurt by her remarks, Ms Nupur Sharma had publicly apologised unconditionally but it seems that the written apology from her was not enough. These two Islamic terrorists decided to set an example by beheading Kanhaiya Lal – an innocent and hard-working tailor in Udaipur – after he publicly supported Ms Sharma. In this incident, the violent nature of Islam is evident as these murderers filmed the murder as it happened and released its video recording on social media, appealing Muslims worldwide to kill anyone who criticises Prophet Mohammed. It has been confirmed that one of the terrorists has links with Dawat-e-Islami, a Pakistan-based organisation that has offices worldwide. This heinous killing in the name of Islam is not a one-off event: on June 21, Umesh Kolhe — a chemist in Amravati, India — was also killed by Islamic terrorists just because, like Kanhaiya Lal, he too posted his support for Ms Nupur Sharma on social media. On July 4, a video went viral on social media in which Ajmer Dargah’s Khadim (servant) Salman Chishti threatened to kill Ms Nupur Sharma and offered his own house as bounty to anyone who decapitates her.
Following the Nupur Sharma controversy in May 2022, ambassadors of several nations expressed their concerns admonishing religious intolerance in India. However, there has been no such outpouring of emotions to condemn the religious bigotry of Muslims that prompted these pre-planned heinous killings of innocent Hindus by Muslims. Western media are also silent on this issue. It is hard to comprehend this lack of reaction from both the international community and media. It seems that the politicians and general public believe that this is India’s internal problem. Well, it is not. It is time for the world community to wake up and condemn Islamic violence, because it does not recognise international boundaries. The ideological training, imparted formally and/or informally, to create the religious bigotry is the real culprit. Such violent acts have been seen in the UK, USA and Europe and will continue to rise unless the world comes together to fight this menace of Islamic terror.
