Thousands of Muslims in India's Kerala protest rising Islamophobia, Hindu fascism

Thousands of Muslims in India's southern state of Kerala have rallied to protest growing Islamophobia and violence against Muslims across the country amid rising Hindu nationalism.

Protesters chanted slogans against Hindutva fascism, a right-wing political ideology based on Hindu nationalism aimed at establishing India as a Hindu nation -- rather than a secular state, as well as growing Islamophobia, media outlets in the country reported Monday.

According to the reports, the peaceful protest rally on Saturday was organized by the Kerala Muslim Jama-ath Federation (KMJF) to mark its 40th anniversary in the coastal city of Kollam in efforts to address current concerns of Indian Muslims.

Participants in the rally further raised their voices against the proposed legislation such as National Registration of Citizens (NRC) and Uniform Civil Code, as well as the growing violence against Islamic seminaries and mosques across India.

They demanded protection of the rights of Muslims -- as the largest religious minority in the country -- and called for unity among the Muslim population.

Muslims in India mourn loss of historic library

The library at a school in the town’s Murarpur neighborhood was attacked by a mob.

Back in December 2019, Muslims across India waged mass protest rallies against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, which was enacted into law on later that month, and against the nationwide implementation of the NRC.

Muslims in all regions of the country, the reports added, remain concerned that the upcoming compilation of the NRC might be used to deprive Muslims of Indian citizenship.

The Uniform Civil Code is a proposed bill in India to formulate and implement personal laws of citizens which apply to all citizens equally regardless of their religion, gender and sexual orientation.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan also attended the event and blamed the Sangh Parivar (family of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh RSS) for distorting the image of Kerala through false narratives and employing fascist tactics to propagate lies.

The Sangh Parivar is used as an umbrella term to refer to the collection of Hindu nationalist organizations, including the center-ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and is backed by the RSS ideology, an Indian right-wing Hindu nationalist volunteer paramilitary organization.

Vijayan further emphasized that the Sangh Parivar is attempting to disrupt religious celebrations by inciting violence, praising Kerala state for successfully protecting its citizens from the influences of religious extremists.

He also voiced his concerns over the sudden exclusion of prominent figures who crafted modern India, like Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad from school textbooks.

Vijayan clarified that the state’s intention is not to exclude history from the curriculum, but to teach it in accordance with the Sangh Parivar’s ideology.

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Observers say anti-Muslim rhetoric has flared more aggressively since the BJP came to power in 2014.

Recently, a controversial movie, The Kerala Story, directed by Sudipto Sen, hit the theaters in India, which revolves around the story of Hindu women who falsely claimed they were forcefully converted to Islam by Daesh.

The movie has been strongly censured for misusing cinematic artistry to sow discord among diverse ethnic groups, including the “worst kind of hate speech” and “audiovisual propaganda”.

Ever since the Hindu nationalist BJP rose to power in 2014, India's film industry has been blamed for producing propaganda movies, such as The Kashmir Files.

These films are aimed at fulfilling Hindutva's divisive instigations, often focused on blaming Muslims for the problems of India, or glorifying the Hindu religion amid the BJP rule.

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