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.
Comments
Cheddi mind washed bekaris who doesnt think, will alwz praise and rise to please their EVIL masters .... come YAAR forget the leaders... They cannot help U when YOUR life is taken back by the one who Gave this LIFE.
Our Heart felt condolences, but what Master Blasterr Ravi what was he? how many Criminal cases against him???? looks like sadooo!!!!! Gangasara Anna Naren you really a Bull of the Gate!!!! might have Drink your Gangasara and did this Crime. Coastal digest writing the real news not like you chealas says whats what??, if you can not digest ignore Gangasara Anna, You Bajji, Ranjji, RSS now Chaddi gone Trouser came will not change their habits.
coastal digest can only write news which jihadists can digest ...look at the frustration level of muslim commentors ... love it ... i do remember one verse in kautilya neethi ... \ raja shakthi shaali aadashtu , rashtradrohi galige frustration suru agattanthe \"' , i dont see any good articles in cd nowadays .. highlights owaisi statements , who asked for the slaughter of hindus .papa editor ge mostly antha news hudko kelsa .. anyways swalpa saabi galanna urisona jai sangh parivar ... jai bajrangdal ... jai ho babu bajrangi ... intifada maadthini anthiro jihadist galanna shivana paada seristiro israel ge jai .... hara hara modi .... thalaiva shri shri narendra modiji ki jai ... namak haram owaisi ge dikkara...."
Killing own people and blaming others to destroy peace...god will punish one day and no one will save them and that day will come soon
What more proof need for our honorable Home minister to declare RSS as Terrorist Organisation?? He is just waiting more bloodshed and property loss in our State?? who is going to pay compensation for those who lost their property ?? is there is any rule and law applicable for RSS goons in our country??
This report is more violent than the BJP's protest. Why the hell coastaldigest always depicts saffron groups as anti-social elements?
Common, follow some ethics of journalism!
well these days we see lynching, honour killing, individual rivalry etc., In this case we dont have full details, wonder why so many guys are over reacting just because BJP worker is attached to a person!
What you have said is true, you start a ill activity, it chases you back and the parties mentioned you are known to create Hatred in the soceity.
So only BJP workers should go on killing whomever they want? Cops should arrest the culprit irrespective who is killed.
When MM Kulburgi was murdered by these saffron terrorists, the BJP leaders mocked the ‘award wapsi’ protest and called it ‘anti-nationalism’. For them, this kind of violence is nationalism. It is sad that my India has become a breeding ground for terrorists these years.
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