CIHS – Centre for Integrated and Holistic Studies

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OIC selective amnesia, attempts to interfere in India’s affairs

Undermining Indian values may not help Muslim outfit, especially when it falls in line to support terror modules, their handlers Since its inception, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has made serious moves to interfere in India’s affairs periodically to constructed inaccurate, selective and misleading narrative that contravenes facts. During the recent violence heaped on peaceful Ram Navami processions last week, OIC came into the ring denouncing one side and following a set pattern. In the statement, OIC general secretariat said, “It has followed with deep concern the acts of violence and vandalism targeting the Muslim community in several states in India during the Ram Navami processions, including the burning of a madrasa and its library by an extremist Hindu mob in Bihar Sharif on March 31, 2023.” It continued, “The OIC General Secretary denounces such provocative acts of violence and vandalism, which are a vivid manifestation of mounting Islamophobia and systemic targeting of the Muslim community in India. The OIC General Secretary calls upon the Indian authorities to take firm actions against the instigators and perpetrators of such acts and to ensure the safety, security, rights and dignity of the Muslim community in the country.” In a befitting reply to these unwarranted one sided comments, official spokesperson of Ministry of External Affairs, Arindam Bagchi, said on April 4, 2023, “We strongly condemn the statement issued by OIC secretariat today regarding India. This is one more example of their communal mind set and anti-India agenda. OIC does its reputation damage by being constantly manipulated by anti-India forces”. Facts were contrary to what OIC said in its press statement. Across states like Bihar, West Bengal, Maharastra and Jharkhand, islamists had targeted peaceful Ram navami processions when they passed through muslim majority areas provoking reaction from the faithful Hindus in a couple of places. On March 30, 2023, Ram Navami procession near Panjrigar mohalla in the Vadodara district of Gujarat was attacked by Islamists who pelted stones at the procession. In Uttar Pradesh, an incident of stone-pelting on a Ram Navami procession passing in front of a mosque was reported in the state’s capital Lucknow. In Maharashtra, Hindu processions were attacked in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jalgaon, and Mumbai. A Ram Navami procession in the Malvai region of Mumbai’s Malad suburb was attacked by an Islamist mob as it passed by a Masjid near gate no. 7 area. In West Bengal, clashes broke out between two communities during a Ram Navami procession in the Dalkhola area of Islampur town of North Dinajpur. One person was killed and 5-6 policemen were injured in clashes in a Muslim-dominated area. Failure of the muslim religious and political leadership to rein in the rioters and violence perpetrators from their side seems to be root cause of violence, arson and friction. One key question is why does violence always happen during Hindu festivals that denote tolerance, bonhomie and boisterous with bhajans, singing and dance? Why’s it that violence invariably happens in Muslim majority areas? And, why’s it that Muslim leadership maintains a deafening silence on violence by jihadists and islamists of every hue and colour? This is not the first time OIC made attempts to interfere in India’s internal affairs violating global norms of diplomacy, decency and engagement in sane manner. Previously OIC had come up with a dubious statement on purported ban on Muslim female students from wearing hijab in the state of Karnataka. The statement had read, ‘the continued attacks targeting Muslims and their places of worship, the recent trend of anti-Muslim legislations in different states and rising incidents of violence against Muslims on flimsy pretexts are indicative of the growing trend of Islamophobia.’ Here again, the issue was misrepresented. Karnataka state government had only asked all students including female Muslims to adhere to uniform code set for colleges and schools. The issue was blown out of proportion after about half a dozen girls made hijab an issue as activists of banned organization, Popular Front of India (PFI). OIC also seems least bothered about partial or complete ban on hijab imposed by some of top Islamic countries. Chad, Egypt, Cameroon, Morocco, Algeria, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Uzbekistan, and Gabon are some of the prominent Islamic countries that are members of OIC that have not made wearing of hijab mandatory. Prior to that, the notorious organisation trumpeted its concern on reported Haridwar hate speech describing that as a public call for genocide of Muslims by Hindu followers. Muslims genocide has never ever happened in India’s history of millennia. In fact, it was the other way round. In Kashmir, thousands of Hindus had to migrate out over last three decades owing to constant attacks, humiliation, loot, rapes and abuse at the hands of muslim terror outfits fanned, funded and indoctrinated by Pakistani ISI. OIC, in its meeting on the side lines of 76th U.N General Assembly, pressed India to reverse its decision to remove Jammu and Kashmir’s special status. In fact, abrogation of article 370 of Indian Constitution was an internal administrative decision of the duly elected sovereign government through a due process of law enacted by Parliament, the highest democratic institution in the country. In 2020, Delhi riots, OIC selectively said that riots had caused arson and vandalism of Muslim-owned properties. On the contrary, facts have come to fore where Hindus lost lives, properties and got severely abused at the hands of gun trotting Muslim terrorists.  Way back in 1969, Muslim world collaborated to form its own international organisation to act as collective voice of Muslim world named the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, later renamed as Organisation of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in 2011. After United Nations, OIC is the world’s second-largest international body with 57 member countries, all of which are Islamic nations or countries with Muslim majority. India, despite being home to second-largest Muslim population country in the world with over 210 million muslims is not a part of the OIC. OIC is managed by Saudi Arabia, although Pakistan, as the only Islamic country

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Majority Sikhs with India, against Khalistan

Western powers allowing handful Khalistanis to over their streets, resort to vandalism may be a way to pressurise India on Russia Neha Dahiya / New Delhi                       Barring a miniscule, vociferous and terror prone variety, majority Sikhs in India and elsewhere may not subscribe to the very concept of Khalistan. Silent majority may not have come out openly to say so. But, groundswell opinion of Sikhs may not be found in columns of print media, digital networks or TV shows that are beamed across. Whether Sikhs want a separate homeland called Khalistan becomes increasingly significant in wake of recent developments in Punjab and noisy, violent as well as aggressive protests being staged across world capitals. Also, for a research-based organization like Centre for Integrated and Holistic Studies (CIHS), gauging the mood of Sikh society was important before making out a case on the issue. Ground inputs, media reports, publicly available intelligence suggests that there’s no popular support for Khalistan whatsoever either within or outside India. Violence and demonstrations orchestrated by Khalistani proponents is only to drum up support for their elusive concept of a separate homeland. There’s enough documentation in public domain to drive home the point that Khalistan and Kashmir (K2) were a project of Pakistan’s dirty tricks department, ISI to foment trouble in Indian Border States by propping up sub-nationalism, religious activities. Otherwise, Amritpal Singh, a small time businessman from Dubai is just a handle with drug lords that are pushing narcotics illegally from across the border. He’s a fugitive with no popular support and seen by some as a ‘robin hood’ variety. And, Amritpal is not a ‘preacher’ as made out by the Western media that lacks basic understanding of the issue. Otherwise, there’s no reason why Sikh leaders in India and abroad would dare come out against this fugitive on the run from law enforcement agencies in India. They are of the view that Amritpal and his outfit Waris Punjab De may have captured imagination of a few misled youth. But, publicly influential Sikh leaders hold the view that he has ruined dignity of the Sikh community and teachings of Gurus.  On March 19, 2023, Khalistani protestors pulled down the Indian tricolour and made an attempt to storm the Indian High Commission in London. Prior to this, Khalistanis have had derided India and called martyr Bhagat Singh as a traitor or a terrorist, defaced statues of Mahatma Gandhi in western cities and did not spare Hindu religious places scribbling provocative, anti-India, anti-Hindu and Pro-Khalistan slogans on the walls of the temples. Silent majority in Sikh society have begun to speak out slow but cautiously. For instance, President of Takht Sri Patna Sahib managing committee Jagjot Singh Sohi condemned the incident of pulling down our national flag. It has sent the wrong message across the world. “We would request the London government to take strict action against those people responsible for this shameless act. There are few people living outside the country and engaged in such work. The people of the Sikh community are doing great work in the world, but time and again, such people malign the name of our community”, added Jagjot Singh Sohi. “No one else except Gurpatwant Singh Pannu — founder of banned Khalistani terrorist organisation — is behind this episode. He is a controversial person and keeps on doing such things. He has no followers in India, and he has only a handful of people supporting him”, Sohi said. There’s considerable underlying anger within the Sikh society on tactics, activities and posturing by the Khalistani elements.  Insult to Indian flag has disappointed several prominent leaders that do not subscribe to Khalistan or dissociate from India for a separate homeland. Balgendra Singh Shami, a sikh community leader from Washington DC partly blamed the western media for the ‘hype’ around Khalistani activists violence unleashed in San Francisco and the American capital Shami said, “There are more than a million sikhs who live in North America and out of that only 50 show up outside Indian Embassy (San Francisco) to protest.”  Sounding a word of caution and reconciliation  Balgendra Singh Shami, “Whatever happened in Punjab is very unfortunate. I also condemn the violent incident that happened in the United Kingdom and the Indian consulate in the United States. As we are a democratic country, we have full right to protest, but it should be peaceful”.  Another Sikh leaded Jasdeep Singh was quoted as saying “We condemn any violence that has happened outside the Indian Embassy in San Francisco or the desecration of the Indian flag in London. Everybody has a right to protest, but it should be peaceful & no violence or vandalism should happen”. Moderation has been hallmark of most sikh leaders in western cities. Interestingly, not many have even referred to Khalistan or even offered lip sympathy.  Former president of Haryana Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak committee, Baljit Singh Daduwal, said, “We should not take any such step which will affect the sikh community across the world. Punjab needs peace, brotherhood and development”. Most sikh and Hindu leaders have pushed the development plank as a meeting point for larger peaceful co-living within and outside India. United Kingdom Member of Parliament, Bob Blackman summed up the violence in Western cities by a handful of Sikhs. Blackman said, “this (Khalistanis) is a very small, ultra-small section of the sikh community. Vast majority of sikhs in this country (UK) absolutely reject the Khalistani project. It’s not going to happen, as we know… My message is very simple to the police, when this (violence) happens; those people need to be arrested and dealt with properly.” President of Shiromani Akali Dal Sukhbir Singh Badal was more emphatic notwithstanding his party’s rejection in the last couple of state elections. Badal pointed out, “The people of Punjab do not know Amritpal. Media has built him up and media has created the fear that Khalistani sentiment is reviving and growing in Punjab. We Sikhs do not want Khalistan. We want a strong and

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NCCM & WSO Exposed: Unmasking their biased and misleading RSS Report

The joint report by the NCCM and WSO titled “Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Network in Canada” is a poorly executed attempt to push a malicious agenda of misinformation and opinion-based claims. The report appears to be driven by individuals and entities with an anti-India, anti-Hindu, and anti-RSS agenda in Canada. It is clear that the report’s objective is to further public opinion-building exercises that promote anti-Hindu and anti-India rhetoric, rather than providing facts and credible evidence in front of the average Canadian.By making baseless accusations against the Hindus and RSS, the report puts the security and well-being of thousands of people of Indian origin at risk in Canada. It also attempts to silence the voices of Hindu-centric organisations that do not share the views of the NCCM and WSO. This report only serves to promote Hinduphobia and could lead to the normalisation of the persecution of Hindus in Canada. It is essential to demand answers from NCCM and WSO as reports that are based on bias, misinformation, and opinion can cause real harm by promoting harmful stereotypes and dividing communities. Only by seeking facts and objectivity can we create a more equitable and just society for all.

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Explainer: Ulterior Equality Labs, a controversial council member and Seattle City’s absurd anti-caste discrimination law

The Seattle City Council enacted an amendment on February 22, 2023, which added “caste” to its anti-discrimination statutes. This makes Seattle the first city outside of South Asia to pass anti-caste discrimination legislation. According to the ordinance (now the legislation), caste is a system of social stratification that has been prescribed by law, traditions, and religion. In contrast, the passage of this Act is predicated on the discrimination of Hindus under the guise of an effort to abolish discrimination. In the West, motivated and agenda-driven organisations like the Equality Labs and contentious council members have used the opportunity to rally support to malign Hindus and Hindu practises, furthering falsehoods about Hindus and fueling hatred towards Hindus. The legislation derives its rationale from a 2016 report by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on minority issues, which asserts that caste is a global issue and cites Equality Labs which provides a local context and sees it as a human rights issue. However, the hasty ordinance rests its reasoning on the phenomenon, but fails to give statistical or scientific data to support its reasoning. As a result, the ordinance promotes institutionalise prejudice against a specific Hindu minority group. In this explainer, we analyse the anti-caste discrimination ordinance, its backers, and their possible reasoning for supporting an anti-Hindu and anti-Indian legislature.

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NYT, BBC fall into the pattern

Anti-Hindu, India propaganda unleashed with intent, based on agenda. Their journalistic pursuits come under scrutiny It is not India’s proud tradition of a free press that is at stake. It’s anti-India and anti-Hindu propaganda unleashed with impunity by certain media houses that has taken centre stage. First, it was the BBC that went whole hog against Hindus and India. Now, The New York Times has joined the bandwagon of some international media outlets that have been on campaign mode against India, Hindus and Prime Minister Narendra Modi as their whipping boy. If the NYT editorial board claims of ‘shrill Hindu nationalism’ being the culprit for anything purportedly to have happened to press freedom in India, it’s grossly wrong. The New York Times editorial board comment in its edition of February 12, 2023 on the issue of press freedom in India is completely flawed seeking to set a particular narrative. Sweeping remarks on purported ‘Intimidation, Censorship, Silence or Punishing independent news media in India’ is not factually correct, untrue and a figment of Imagination. India toeing an independent alternative line on issues different from left leaning self-proclaimed liberalists cannot be dubbed as anti-press freedom. Hindus worldwide and in India believe, profess and push for an open, transparent and clean diverse society governed sans corruption, nepotism and exclusivity. India celebrates oneness in its diverse amalgamation of cultures, religious faiths under the Sanatan Dharmic umbrella. Thousands of years of classical civilizational heritage is testimony to Hindus ‘all embracing’ nature and spirit. Not understanding Hindus from their perspective leads to a false notion of ‘shrill nationalism’ kind of narratives that are superficial and erroneous. Neither France based Reporters without Borders (RSF) has the means, bandwidth, methodology or credible data to prove that press freedom was at stake in India. NYT justifying its editorial comment on the questionable World Press Freedom Index report of this organization seems to be fuelled by anti-India and anti-Hindu agenda nursed carefully to meet its objective. If hitting at the famed growth story is the objective, then The New York Times should definitely know that India is invincible and the fake narratives may not work. Leave alone the downgrading India on Press Freedom Index, even the Indian map has been displayed wrongly by the Reporters Without Borders. NYT’s editorial comment is based on reports that depict Kashmir without acknowledging the illegal occupation by Pakistan and China’s occupation of Aksai Chin areas of the North Eastern Indian region. The New York Times editorial backed a BBC documentary that was aggressively anti-Hindu and anti-India in nature. This was called out by British Member of Parliament Bob Blackman who described the BBC documentary as ‘poor journalism, badly researched’. Leave alone The New York Times, even the BBC cannot deny its left wing bias and accept an alternative, independent philosophy of Hindus based on ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, world as one big family.  BBC’s left wing bias is known to Britishers. In Margaret Thatcher’s government of ‘80s, several members of the British Parliament brought home this point. Conservative MP Tebbit had aptly described the BBC as ‘stateless person’s broadcasting corporation’. Another conservative MP Peter Bruinvels termed the BBC as ‘Bolshevik Broadcasting Corporation’ pointing to Leftists control over the news coverage. To say that press freedom came under attack after 2014 following Narendra Modi’s ascent to be Prime Minister and Hindu nationalist shrillness is again grossly misguided and propagandist owing to a colonial mind-set of extreme nature. Late Prime Minister Smt Indira Gandhi had banned BBC from India coverage on two occasions owing to its ‘biases’ in its earlier documentaries also. Perhaps, NYT may not have a plausible explanation for such a ban in late ‘70s.   The BBC was in trouble in India in the early 1970s. Even at that time, the Indian diaspora was outraged by BBC documentaries named Calcutta and Phantom India.  Louis Malle directed French documentary mini-series Phantom India painted a biased picture of India by emphasising the underdeveloped regions as opposed to the developing ones. If Press freedom was under attack as propagated by BBC and NYT, how’s it that the editorial in The New York Times was not taken down? Thousands of stories filed by a strong network of foreign media professionals based in India that are critical of the government have hit the wires, newspapers and TV outlets freely each day. So, the charge that India, Hindus and by extension Narendra Modi have suppressed ‘free media’ is only agenda peddling by some media houses.

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Brief: Amazon’s Hindu bigotry challenged!

Anti-Indian and anti-Hindu groups have continually generated systematic and organised campaigns against Sanatan Dharma. Leading technology companies play a prominent part in the same. Amazon, an American multinational technology corporation, routinely builds a negative connotation of Hindutva, a positive and tolerant way of life for millions of Hindus around the world. Amazon’s removal of the book “Modi and Me: A Political Awakening” by Sourav Dutt’s about India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi-related book citing “Hindutva literature” from its platform is a recent example of its Anti-Hindu bigotry that has come to light.

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Explainer: BBC, a repeat offender

India: The Modi Question is the most recent attempt by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) to taint the image of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a worldwide scale. The documentary tries to revive the Indian Supreme Court decided issue of the 2002 Godhara violence that ensued after the burning of the Sabarmati Express, which killed 59 Hindu Pilgrims on February 27, 2002, and attempts to portrays Modi as a key instigator of the violent Hindu-Muslim clashes and a major source of hatred against Muslims in the country. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs correctly labels this documentary a “propaganda piece” and made with a “colonial mindset” as it misleads viewers, especially a western audience in numerous ways to shape negative “public opinion” about Narendra Modi and the Modi-lead Indian government ground breaking work for the people of India and humanitarian works world-wide.

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Why the tirade against ‘Hindus’?

Does this point to intellectual bankruptcy of ‘The Guardian’ or part of an agenda driven journalistic pursuit that needs to be debunked Hindus neither spew hatred nor Chauvinism ever. By belief, Hindus are tolerant and all inclusive in nature, thought and practice. ‘Vasudaiva Kutumbakam’, entire humanity across world is a large family is the concept which Hindus in India and elsewhere have believed and are wedded to. In blatant diatribe, ‘The Guardian’ editorial “Modi’s India: the danger of exporting Hindu Chauvinism” (Sunday edition of November 27, 2022) is an unacceptable position on Hindus that have lived for ages peacefully and contributed socio-economically in about 100 countries including US, the UK and Europe. India and Hindus over the years has had been a victims of radicalization and imperialistic aggression of every shade and variety including that from United Kingdom for over two centuries. Plunder, abuse and destruction of the entire Hindu civilization was at the root of this anti-human invasion that happened all in the name of business. In fact, these historical facts were hidden from the younger generations in UK forcing a few British youngsters to recently take up a project to explore afresh the abuse that was heaped on Hindu civilization over centuries by Britain. Whether ‘The Guardian’ as a media house likes it or not, India’s leadership at G-20 and its lead in cleaning up the environmental mess created by industrialized western economies cannot be questioned. This ‘clean up’ act of India continued immediately after Paris accord was concluded by the then COP 26 though the much promised $ 100 billion funds and technology in support from the western polluters never happened. With regards to state of Muslims in India, ‘The Guardian’ editorial board and the management seems to be clueless on tremendous strides made by 200-odd million people (State of Religious Minorities in India) across sectors including political spectrum. Muslims are neither intimidated second class citizens as claimed by ‘The Guardian’ nor have they been targeted as suggested in the edit. Hindus have never ever supported hatred of any kind in stark contrast to what has been pushed as ‘agenda’ based writing through ‘The Guardian’ editorial that lacks basis, evidence or testimony. Blowing out of proportion, a few handful incidents to denigrate the entire Hindu civilization, India and its political leadership by extension is rather bankruptcy of worst kind seen in recent times. While BBC had pursued a similar ‘anti-Hindu’ and ‘anti-India’ editorial line, the British broadcaster had to face huge protests from otherwise peace loving Hindus living in United Kingdom. ‘The Guardian’ has built its reputation over decades and moving towards disrepute through such flippant commentary does not augur well for British media at large. Denying Prime Minister Narendra Modi visa while he was chief minister of Gujarat was an unpardonable mis-adventurism that US administration had resorted to. Realizing its mistake perhaps was understandable to say the least. ‘The Guardian’ did not care to recognize the sequence of Godhra riots of 2002 when peaceful Hindus that included women and children were burnt alive by a frenzy misled radicalized Muslim mob. US Commission on International Religious Freedom has been on an anti-India and anti-Hindu trip over the years. Why should Hindus become the whipping boys in managing larger political posturing by political parties in US? Hindus and India are well within their right to debunk biased and inaccurate observations made in the reports dished out periodically to suit the predominant US diatribe. Birmingham and Leicester attacks were clearly aimed at Hindus that were executed in a premeditated fashion by design. Whether ‘The Guardian’ acknowledges or not, harsh reality is that targeted attacks on Hindus and fermenting Hinduphobia is on the rise. Several media houses including ‘The Guardian’ have peddled half-truths and lies that masjids were attacked by Hindus. Henry Jackson Society’s centre on radicalization and terrorism in its detailed report has exposed this ‘false narrative’ on Hindus in the Leicester attacks by Muslims. Tolerance and forgiving the perpetrators of colonial rule and radicalization has been trademark of Hindus and not the other way.

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Explainer: Weaponisation of social media against Hindus in UK

Leicester, the heartland of the Hindu community in the United Kingdom, is home to the second-largest Hindu populace in Europe. Widely known for its vibrant Hindu culture and stunningly beautiful Hindu festivities throughout the world. Since late August 2022 until September 2022, the city’s minority British Hindu community had been the target of deliberate, organised, and systematic acts of violence including vandalisation of a local Hindu temple by South-Asian origin Muslims in the UK. For nearly a month from late August until September 2022, Hindus were overwhelming victims of violent crimes like attempted stabbings, looting, organising to commit crimes, vandalism, and hate speech. Despite assurances of safety from the local authorities and Leicestershire police, British Hindu homes and business establishments in Leicester were targeted by organised, violent Islamist mobs. Extreme Islamist groups in the UK waged a systematic terror campaign against British Hindus while they were in Leicester, subjecting them to extreme threats, assaults, and trauma. A large-scale mobilisation of violent extremist Islamists and criminals to Leicester with the intention of damaging the city’s Hindu population was made possible by online hate campaigns that were planned both within and outside of the UK to incite hatred and spread misinformation against Hindus. This was reiterated by a recent research entitled “In a Cyber Social Swarming Precedes Real World Riots in Leicester: How Social Media Became a Weapon for Violence” released on November 17, 2022 by the National Contagion Research Institute (NCRI), a cyber threat intelligence organisation. In this explainer; we discuss its findings…. read more

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Brief: Cybersecurity, Meta and The Wire Fiasco

In October 2022, a media outlet called the Wire, which presents itself as a critical dissenting voice and champion of free speech, published a three-story series alleging that Meta, the big tech and social media giant, had given unchecked authority to Amit Malviya, the head of the Indian ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Information Technology (IT) Cell. It claimed that by using Meta’s XCheck Program, Malviya and his staff could censor content on Facebook and Instagram that they did not agree with. Meta rejected the dubious assertions made by the Wire. Read more…

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