Noam Chomsky is one of the leading peace workers in the world. In the wake of America’s attack on Vietnam, he brought out his classic formulation, ‘manufacturing consent’. The phrase explains the state manipulating public opinion to have the public approve of it policies—in this case, the attack of the American state on Vietnam, which was then struggling to free itself from French colonial rule.
In India, we are witness to manufactured hate against religious minorities. This hatred serves to enhance polarisation in society, which undermines India’s democracy and Constitution and promotes support for a Hindu nation. Hate is being manufactured through multiple mechanisms. For example, it manifests in violence against religious minorities. Some recent ghastly expressions of this manufactured hate was the massive communal violence witnessed in Mumbai (1992-93), Gujarat (2002), Kandhamal (2008) and Muzaffarnagar (2013). Its other manifestation was in the form of lynching of those accused of having killed a cow or consumed beef. A parallel phenomenon is the brutal flogging, often to death, of Dalits who deal with animal carcasses or leather.
Yet another form of this was seen when Shambhulal Regar, indoctrinated by the propaganda of Hindu nationalists, burned alive Afrazul Khan and shot the video of the heinous act. For his brutality, he was praised by many. Regar was incited into the act by the propaganda around love jihad. Lately, we have the same phenomenon of manufactured hate taking on even more dastardly proportions as youth related to Hindu nationalist organisations have been caught using pistols, while police authorities look on.
Anurag Thakur, a BJP minster in the central government recently incited a crowd in Delhi to complete his chant of what should happen to ‘traitors of the country...” with a “they should be shot”. Just two days later, a youth brought a pistol to the site of a protest at Jamia Millia Islamia university and shouted “take Azaadi!” and fired it. One bullet hit a student of Jamia. This happened on 30 January, the day Nathuram Godse had shot Mahatma Gandhi in 1948. A few days later, another youth fired near the site of protests against the CAA and NRC at Shaheen Bagh. Soon after, he said that in India, “only Hindus will rule”.
What is very obvious is that the shootings by those associated with Hindu nationalist organisations are the culmination of a long campaign of spreading hate against religious minorities in India in general and against Muslims in particular. The present phase is the outcome of a long and sustained hate campaign, the beginning of which lies in nationalism in the name of religion; Muslim nationalism and Hindu nationalism. This sectarian nationalism picked up the communal view of history and the communal historiography which the British introduced in order to pursue their ‘divide and rule’ policy.
In India what became part of “social common sense” was that Muslim kings had destroyed Hindu temples, that Islam was spread by force, and that it is a foreign religion, and so on. Campaigns, such as the one for a temple dedicated to the Hindu god Rama to be built at the site where the Babri masjid once stood, further deepened the idea of a Muslim as a “temple-destroyer”. Aurangzeb, Tipu Sultan and other Muslim kings were tarnished as the ones who spread Islam by force in the subcontinent. The tragic Partition, which was primarily due to British policies, and was well-supported by communal streams also, was entirely attributed to Muslims. The Kashmir conflict, which is the outcome of regional, ethnic and other historical issues, coupled with the American policy of supporting Pakistan’s ambitions of regional hegemony, (which also fostered the birth of Al-Qaeda), was also attributed to the Muslims.
With recurring incidents of communal violence, these falsehoods went on going deeper into the social thinking. Violence itself led to ghettoisation of Muslims and further broke inter-community social bonds. On the one hand, a ghettoised community is cut off from others and on the other hand the victims come to be presented as culprits. The percolation of this hate through word-of-mouth propaganda, media and re-writing of school curricula, had a strong impact on social attitudes towards the minorities.
In the last couple of decades, the process of manufacturing hate has been intensified by the social media platforms which are being cleverly used by the communal forces. Swati Chaturvedi’s book, I Am a Troll: Inside the Secret World of the BJP’s Digital Army, tells us how the BJP used social media to spread hate. Whatapp University became the source of understanding for large sections of society and hate for the ‘Other’, went up by leaps and bounds. To add on to this process, the phenomenon of fake news was shrewdly deployed to intensify divisiveness.
Currently, the Shaheen Bagh movement is a big uniting force for the country; but it is being demonised as a gathering of ‘anti-nationals’. Another BJP leader has said that these protesters will indulge in crimes like rape. This has intensified the prevalent hate.
While there is a general dominance of hate, the likes of Shambhulal Regar and the Jamia shooter do get taken in by the incitement and act out the violence that is constantly hinted at. The deeper issue involved is the prevalence of hate, misconceptions and biases, which have become the part of social thinking.
These misconceptions are undoing the amity between different religious communities which was built during the freedom movement. They are undoing the fraternity which emerged with the process of India as a nation in the making. The processes which brought these communities together broadly drew from Gandhi, Bhagat Singh and Ambedkar. It is these values which need to be rooted again in the society. The communal forces have resorted to false propaganda against the minorities, and that needs to be undone with sincerity.
Combating those foundational misconceptions which create hatred is a massive task which needs to be taken up by the social organisations and political parties which have faith in the Indian Constitution and values of freedom movement. It needs to be done right away as a priority issue in with a focus on cultivating Indian fraternity yet again.
Prof V Nagaraj, who has nearly three decades of experience, had never expected that the girl students of the National Law School of India University would revolt against him for his comments and expose their legs in a bid to “demoralise” him.
Comments
Please koi hamara muhalle me bhi aaye.....baarish hogaa
Dirty nangi girls ..they should go to work with sunny Leone...
Good idea of professors.
If they want to see the girls naked, scold them
Professors can get it.
What to wear and not to that solely defending on students discretion...nobody can interfere with their interest...that is it....if muslim students wear headscarf and abaya....that is their choice nobody should interfere with their dressing code....
BIBLE SAYS: 1 Corinthians 11:5:6 - But every wife who prays or prophesies with her HEAD UNcovered DISHONORS her HEAD, Since it is the same as if her HEAD were Shaven. For if a wife will not cover her head, then she should CUT her hair short. But since it DISGRACEFUL for a wife to cut off her HAIR or SHAVE her HEAD, let her cover her HEAD.
VEDA SAYS : Rig veda book no 8 Hymn no 19 : When Brahma has made YOU a WOMAN, You should lower gaze and should not LOOK UP. You should put your feet together and you should not reveal what the garment and the veil conceals.
QURAN Chapter 33 V 9 : O prophet ! say to your Wives and your daughters and the women of the FAITHFUL to draw their outer garments close around themselves, that is BETTER that they will be recognized and not ANNOYED. and ALLAH is ever forgiving, Gentle.
People say they are christian, hindu & muslims... but they never follow what they say. Many people follow the MEDIA which mostly controlled by those who doesnt believe in God and Ignore what is taught in the RELIGIOUS books which is enlightened by the Prophets of GOD to MANKIND
Dont be a follower of MEDIA rather study the Scripture and be a faithful believer in GOD which will be successful.
What is wrong to come to college with Mini Shorts, If the girls want to show their assets free of cost for boys and men our guys welcome.
But may be the professors has seen his Daughter in that Girl, Let these Girls grow and one day Their Daughters wear this type of reveling thighs and deep necks , and some people will when they stare at them in front of their own eyes, Proud woman will become more proud.
My Dear Bharath kay Nariyo irrespective to any Religion you will not become beautiful by shedding your cloths.
Just and example for all those girls and women who want to wear revealing cloths, your are like a exposed Healthy Dish Surrounded by filthy flies around rotten flesh.
Protect your modesty, beauty is not in nudity.
Why girls are fond of shorts? are they RSS workers?
Sexist professor Vs sexy students.
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