Hindus subject to hatred and violence online [Maharashtra, India]

[Reported as seen]

Tehseen Poonawalla, a regular fixture on news debate, recently wrote on Twitter emphasising the need for Muslims to issue an unqualified condemnation of the attacks witnessed during the Hindu festivals. He called for every single Muslim leader, entrepreneur, and influencer to publicly denounce the communal riots taking place during Hindu festivals.

He further called for condemnation of those who stereotype Muslims who participate in news debates donning a skull cap and sporting a beard and polarise society with their incendiary rhetoric.
He asked the Muslims to join their “Hindu brothers and sisters” and take them to the streets to celebrate their festival.

Islamists and the so-called, ‘liberals’ attack Tehseen Poonawalla for his tweets calling on Muslims to issue an unequivocal condemnation of violence during Hindu festivals.

“This is an absolute BS take, state-sponsored acts of vandalism designed to provoke cannot be countered by cookie-cutter politics,” said a Twitter user while quoting Tehseen’s Twitter thread on why Muslims should denounce violence taking place during Hindu festivals.

Samriddhi K Sakunia, a far-left journalist, equated “taking to streets during Hindu festivals’ as akin to “desh me rehna hoga Jai Shri Ram kehna hoga.”

Tehseen countered her saying that all his life, he and his wife have celebrated Hindu festivals and that there was a need to defeat the fanatics. But, Samriddhi ploughed on, adding that all Hindus are not secular and that the argument of ‘fanatics’ was problematic.

Several other Islamists raged at Tehseen Poonawalla for asking Muslims to condemn violence during Hindu festivals.
On the other hand, these people were completely fine during the violence and death caused across India. They even justified the violence as ‘provocation’ from the Hindus.

For instance, for some folks, the existence of another faith in itself could be “provocative”, prompting them to take up violence against adherents of that faith. For others, who harbour deep resentment and pathological hatred towards a religion and its followers, processions or perhaps loudspeakers used in those processions provide a justifiable reason for them to be “provoked” to indulge in violence. Thus, the blame is shifted on the victims for” instigating” the culprits into responding with violence.