‘Pigs as Pets’: New Tool to Intimidate Indian Muslims
In Delhi’s Tri Nagar, some Hindu families appear to have embraced a new form of devotion and a way to deter Muslim neighbours — pigs
[Gemini AI generated image for reprsentation.]
In Delhi’s Tri Nagar, some Hindu families appear to have embraced a new form of devotion and a way to deter Muslim neighbors — pigs. The animals are kept in cages at homes, while the walls display posters of a powerful, pig-faced deity adorned in jewellery, much like other gods. (The Print)
This is happening in the locality near the Muslim neighborhood. The pigs in the cage are named “Abdul” or some other Muslim sounding names, and when any Muslim passes by, these names are shouted loudly.
Parallel to this is the wall decorated and adorned with armaments picture of Hindu Lord Varaha, supposed to be the third reincarnation of Hindu Lord Vishnu.
While some claim that this trend has started a year ago, others hold that this is just a few months old phenomenon.
The dislike of Muslims for pigs is well known and this is a method to provoke Muslims in some way. Such techniques are usually applied as a prelude to creating the walls of hatred amongst the communities.
One does not know whose fertile and hateful imagination has started this trend. One does not know whether this is restricted to only one locality in Delhi, but surely the danger of this, one more divisive tool, will be picked up in more places adding to the armamentarium of those who benefit from spreading hate and thereby violence.
Interestingly, Islamophobia has become a dominant global phenomenon after 9/11, propagated by the US media by coining the phrase Islamic terrorism. So, it was eye opening and interesting to find that a similar thing took place in New York, in front of the house of its mayor Zohran Mamdani.
As per reports, MAGA supporters in New York last month organised a pig roast in front of Muslim Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s office. But the funniest part about such incidents remains that they are based on a misunderstanding rooted in ignorance. Hindus and Christians can eat all the pork they want and keep pigs as pets—that does not bother Muslims.
In the last few years pig was not much of a pretext, it was cow which dominated the scene. The pig was also used as an instrument for communal politics during the freedom struggle by the communal forces. That time pig and cow both were in the forefront as the pretext of instigating violence.
One recalls the outstanding mini serial ‘Tamas’ by Govind Nihalani, based on the award-winning book by Bhisham Sahni. In this story, Nathu, an outcaste, is given some money by the Muslim politician to kill a pig and put it in the mosque. The communal politician is very clear that this will lead to the violence, increasing his social -political stature.
In recent times, there have been scattered incidents in which beef was kept in the temples to instigate the violence. In most of the cases it was Bajrang Dal activists who had kept the beef. Four people, including Moradabad district president of Bajrang Dal Monu Bishnoi, have been arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Police for slaughtering a cow and trying to implicate a Muslim man in a false case. They have also been accused of conspiring against the police.
Lot of cases of vigilante groups have been arrested for attacking those carrying cattle. There is a big chain of such vigilante groups making merry in the name of opposing cow slaughter.
As such the cow related violence has led to the emergence of a phenomenon of lynching. There are horrific cases and over 100 lynching have taken place during the last 10 years. Starting from Pehlu Khan in Dadri, the intensity of lynching has been reaching very horrific proportions.
All these cases are heart wrenching.
One of Junaid is particularly very disturbing. 16-year-old Junaid Khan along with his brother was riding on a train. He was asked to provide a seat by an elderly man which he immediately did. B ut subsequently a crowd of 25 men surrounded him and began chanting “beef eaters” and “Pakistani”. Junaid was stabbed and died.
What one is disturbed about is how the communal forces devise new mechanisms to create hatred after which violence follows.
A lot has been written on Hate Speech by those indulging in communal politics. While right from PM downwards new hate slogans are floated and passed downward, the foot soldiers of these tendencies take it further down and make the life of Hindus and Muslim communities more miserable as after this they cannot live in the neighborhood.
They are more troubled after such incidents.
The famous one from PM like ‘Hum do, Hamare do’ (we two, ours two), to they can be recognised by their clothes. From Adityanath’s batenge to Katenge (If we (Hindus) are divided, we will be killed) are supplemented by equally dangerous one’s from the likes of Akbaruddin Owaisi, who had said that if police is withdrawn for even 15 minutes the Muslims will show their real might.
The most disturbing aspect of the present introduction of pig (Varaha) in the political battle ground of communalism is the capacity of the divisive forces to introduce newer mechanisms into their politics.
The intercommunity closeness which was the hallmark of our culture of Ganga Jamuni Tehzeeb (Syncretic culture) is going down for a toss. This pig element will ensure that Hindus and Muslims can’t even live in the neighborhood.
Already Muslims are being forced to living in ghettos. With the pig element coming in, being introduced by the new social engineering now the partitions between the communities (Hindus-Muslims) will become wider unless we nip it in the bud.
Unless we ensure that the artificially introduced adoption of pigs by Hindus is not discouraged.
People are free to choose their pets and gods so far they don’t cross the limits to humiliate the other community.
Just a reminder, the Hindu Lord Varaha had come as a savior, the adoption of pigs in the present manner will have the opposite implications.
[Ram Puniyani, is former Professor of IIT Bombay, writer and well known author.]
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