Why Hindu nationalism threatens India’s free speech and secularism

Some of India’s most prominent scientists have signed a petition and returned awards to draw attention to India’s growing intolerance. The petition accuses the governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of curtailing free speech and stoking Hindu nationalism. Signatories include Ashoke Sen, who won the Fundamental Physics Prize, the world’s most lucrative academic award in 2012. Pushpa Bhargava who founded the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology in Hyderabad. D Balasubramanian, former president of the Indian Academy of Science. And Dr Vineeta Bal of the National Institute of Immunology in New Delhi. The statement reads: “It is the same climate of intolerance, and rejection of reason that has led to the lynching in Dadri of Mohammad Akhlaq Saifi and the assassinations of Prof Kalburgi, Dr Narendra Dabholkar and Shri Govind Pansare.” Professor Malleshappa Kalburgi’s murder shocked India. Who would murder a “straight-talking, rationalist researcher of ancient Kannada literature”? As local media described him. One theory is that Hindu nationalists murdered him in response to his criticisms of idol worship. The founder of the right-wing Hindu group Sri Rama Sene, Pramod Muthalik, rejected any links to Kalburgi’s murder. He also threatened to cut off the tongues of writers if they continue to [...]

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Glasgow Based Hate Incident Shows Aggression Levels That are Concerning

Two Glasgow based young female Muslims contacted Tell MAMA today. The young women are aged 16 and 21 years old and with the younger female wearing a Hijab and the older one, a Hijab and a Niqab. On Saturday the 17th of October at 11 pm, the girls were waiting to enjoy some desserts in

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Woman admits urinating in front of Muslim family

In Plymouth’s Crown Court yesterday, Claire Farrell, 36, admitted urinating in front of a praying Muslim family. The incident took place on August 16 in Plymouth’s Central Park. Claire Farrell, 36, plead guilty to religiously-aggravated threatening and abusive behaviour causing harassment. Natalie Richardson, 32, plead guilty to the same offence last week. Richardson has several

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Rotherham Community Relations Under Tension

Sadly, if there is one town which has become the focal point for the press and for child sexual exploitation – it is sadly the town of Rotherham. Many residents speak disparagingly about the way that their town has been viewed by people across the country, including extremist and far right groups overseas who regularly

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Anti-Muslim Abuse on Train to Bushey, Though Perpetrator May Have Issues

Another video has surfaced showing anti-Muslim bigotry on what seems to be, a train to Bushey. The abuse is clearly anti-Muslim in nature though the perpetrator seems somewhat unstable and either seems to be intoxicated or may have other issues related to his well-being. The video has some explicit language on it and we would

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Meet the Keyboard Warriors who Spout Anti-Muslim Bigotry

Recently, we posted up an article on our Facebook page for communities to collectively tackle hate, intolerance and prejudice. The picture showed some visibly Muslim females and it also highlighted the need to report in anti-Muslim prejudice. The responses we received are sadly not really shocking anymore and highlight how far right and anti-Muslim sympathisers

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“You Wearing That Niqab is Going Back to Traditions of the Victorian Era,” Says Perpetrator

This is a case that came into Tell MAMA a few days go. Nazleen (the identity has been altered), wears a Niqab and an Abaya, (the black body over-garment) worn by more socially conservative Muslim women. Nazleen is 22 years old and she was travelling on a bus when a white female, aged around 40

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E-Bay Hosts ‘Halloween Burqa’ Costumes For Sale

You would think that mocking the clothing of people based on their religious beliefs is offensive and stereotypical, particularly if it plays to tropes that develop a sense of fear of the other, or when it seeks to dehumanize the wearer. However, who would have thought that E-Bay would decide to sell the following? The

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We Understand the Fears in Muslim Communities, But Our Country is Still One of the Safest

It would be foolhardy to state that recent events of anti-Muslim abuse on buses in London have not had an impact on Muslim communities in the capital and beyond. They have and given the way that the material has been shared online, the comments and the videos of the abuse have sickened many who saw

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Response from Faith Matters to Counter-Extremism Measures Announced Today

The announcement from the Prime Minister regarding a raft of measures as part of the counter-extremism strategy primarily looks to disrupt extremist activities including the use of venues, the posting of extremist material and tougher measures on radio and television channels showing extremist content. These are a raft of measures that will be implemented in […]