In a recent turn of events, instances of prominent Islamic preachers engaging in openly propagating hate speeches targeting the religious faiths of Hindu community, whom they considered ‘Kafirs” (infidels) have come to the light. The sudden rise in divisive rhetoric poses a significant threat to the existence of Hindus, underscoring the need for a nuanced understanding of religious tolerance and promoting a serious question about the boundaries of free speech.
The proliferation of hate speeches directed at Hindus are not only limited to traditional platforms, but have also made a prominence presence on digital platforms. Islamic preachers delivering speeches where they are openly propagating for a hate against Hindus are widely shared on platforms like YouTube, garnering hundreds of thousands of views. Notably, these videos are shared mainly on channels holding Muslim names, having a viewership in lakhs. The widespread consumption of such divisive content by millions of people underlines the urgent need to address the propagation of hate against Hindus.
In this analysis report, we aim to meticulously document and scrutinize hate speeches delivered by a 76-year-old Sunni Sufi Muslim scholar and radical preacher Hashmi Miyan who tries to instill anti-Hindu narratives among the masses through his inflammatory speeches. Our research started by examining digital platforms like YouTube where we unveiled a series of videos featuring him. He is recognized as Ghazi e Millat (warrior of the community) and is also known for opposing the CAA bill, which aims to provide refugees to persecuted minorities in Islamic countries.
Many speeches of Hashmi Miyan are available on YouTube. We found one such speech video titled ‘Hashmi Mian Ki Takrir 2022’ which was uploaded on a channel named ‘Pure Bareilly Network’ which has around 105K subscribers.
In the video around 5:20 mins, radicalized preacher Hashmi remarks “Amma kaun hai? Kisko hum apni mata kahenge? Jiski kokh se humne janam liya wahi humari maa hai. Aurat ki pet se humne janam liya to wahi humari maa hai, pashu ke pet se janam nahi liya jo koi pashu mata ban jaye. Aurat ki aulaad bano, janwar ki aulaad kyun ban rahe ho” (Who is mother? Whom will we call our mother? The one from whose womb we are born is our mother. If we are born from a woman’s womb she is our mother, we are not born from an animal’s womb that’s why they can’t be our mother. Become a child of a woman, why are you becoming a child of an animal?) The remark was targeted at Hindus who revere cows and consider them mothers as they provide life-sustaining milk.
Further in the video around 12:30 minutes, he makes a statement suggesting a mockery of the Hindu concept of the incarnation or avatar of a deity in earthly form. Hashmi Miyan inserts “Jiski janambhoomi hai wo khuda nahi hai. Jiski janambhoomi hai, jisne janam liya hai wo khuda nahi hai. Aur jo khuda hai wo janam leta nahi hai.” (The one who has a birthplace is not God. The one who has taken birth is not God. And the one who is God does not take birth).
In the 14-minute time frame, Hashmi again takes a dig at Hindus for worshipping cows and makes a derogatory statement to belittle their sentiments by saying, “Hum jisko maa mante hain, uske doodh peete hain. Hum apni maa ka doodh bechte nahi” (We drink the milk of the one we consider our mother. We do not sell our mother’s milk).
The attempts to ridicule the faith of Hindus do not stop here. About 18 minutes into the video, Hashmi makes a disparaging comment, “Ye kitne murakh hai, apne haath se apna khuda banate hain aur fir use bane ko mahaan kehte hain” (How foolish these people are, they make their own God with their own hands and then call the created one great). His apparent intention was to mock the practice of Hindus of making and worshiping idols of their gods. The statement reflects a disrespectful attitude towards Hindu religious practice, disparaging idol worship.
In the second part of the video, Hashmi, conveys a derogatory and mocking message about the Hindu community’s belief system. He suggests that, in his opinion, the Hindu community lacks prophets, and he implies that this absence leads to a lack of understanding about the number of gods they worship. He starts by stating that “Allah ko manne ke liye zarurat hai nabi ki. Khulam khula kahunga, jis kaum ke paas nabi nahi hai uska haal dekho. Jinke paas nabi hai unke paas ek hi khuda hai. Jis samuday (Hindu) mein nabi nahi hai, unhe ye bhi nahi maalum khuda kitne hai.”
He further mock Hindus for worshipping nature elements like trees and river. He also ridicules the practice of offering milk to snakes, implying that Hindus do it out of fear. He insinuates that if instead of being afraid of snakes, Hindus were afraid of khuda (Allah) they would start worshipping (Ibadat) him. He provocatively questions the Hindu understanding of the number of gods by remarking “How many gods? Unhe nahi pata kitne khuda hai. Unhe ye bhi nahi malum Bharat mein khuda jyaada hai ya pujari jyaada hai.”
Another channel called Anas Raza Official, which has around 25K subscribers, has shared another video where Hashmi in a similar pattern is seen ridiculing Hindus. The interesting thing is that the video has received seven lakh views.
At the beginning of this video, he again questions the Hindu practice of worshiping multiple gods, asserting that the Muslim community to which the Prophet belongs has a clear understanding of one God. This radical preacher explicitly states, “We (Muslims) are teachers, they (Hindu) are fatichars.” The term “teacher” used by him for Muslims probably refers to the religious guidance provided by the Prophet, while on the other hand, his use of the pejorative term “fatichar” for Hindus refers to a lack of guidance or a disparaging view towards the Hindu community for not having a similar Prophet like figure.
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Furthermore, in our research, we found another outrageous video which has received an astonishing 2.7 million views on YouTube. This video is available on a channel named Shahbaaziya Agency which has around 6 lakh subscribers.
At the beginning of the video, Hashmi Miyan uses an insulting tone while preaching to his followers that what one should not do to convert to Islam. In the statement “Islam mein aane ke liye janwaro ko maa nahi kehna padta” (One does not have to call an animal a mother to convert to Islam), he stressed that one should not call an animal a mother in order to convert to Islam. He once again referred to the Hindu practice of considering cows sacred in a derogatory manner.
Continuing his derogatory remarks, he hit out at Hindus for idol worshipping, saying, “Islam mein aane ke liye pathharo ke aage nahi jhukna padta” (One does not have to bow before stones to convert to Islam). Here, he used the word “stone” (stone) to refer to the idol of Hindu deities. The implication of this statement is that those who wish to convert to Islam should not bow before statues or stones, criticizing the Hindu tradition of idol worship. By associating the act of idol worship with negative connotations such as “stones”, he not only mocks the Hindu practice of idol worship, but also tries to convey that such practices are unworthy or substandard. Since, in many of his speeches, Hashmi Miyan has targeted Hindus for idol worship, it is important to point out that Islam does not allow idol worship.
Apart from ridiculing the religious beliefs of Hindus, Hashmi Miyan also believes that Hindus are second class citizens in India and that the country originally belongs to Muslims. To support his belief, he argued, “We (Muslims) are the children of Adam (considered the first human in Islamic tradition) who set his foot on the land of India and asserted his authority over this land.”
Hashmi Miyan’s videos containing his problematic views on the Hindu community have been shared on multiple channels with substantial audiences. Additionally, we examined the comments section of these videos, which revealed that viewers supported or endorsed Hashmi Mian’s views on Hindus, indicating a level of agreement or alignment with the divisive content presented in the videos.
In conclusion, the compiled instances of hate speech delivered by radical preacher Hashmi Miyan paints a disturbing picture of a targeted communal attack on the Hindu community. These speeches not only ridicule the religious beliefs of Hindus but also propagate divisive narratives against them. The contrast between these Islamic preachers openly mocking the sentiments of an entire community and the harassment faced by Nupur Sharma for quoting hadith in response to derogatory comments on the Hindu deity Shiva, underlines the glaring double standards in addressing religious insensitivity.
