In Britain’s Leicester, Hindus have been declared culpable. A rather extraordinary campaign is now underway, and is gaining a lot of traction across the United Kingdom — that of viewing all Hindus as inherent ‘sanghis’ that subscribe to the ideology of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Hindus are casually being painted as adherents of the ‘Hindutva’ ideology. This is all a load of bunkum. Even if some British Hindus are indeed sympathetic to the RSS, and subscribe to the ideology of Hindutva, does that make them lesser humans? What has unfolded over the past few days is being completely stripped off all context. Hindus are being blamed for the ongoing tensions because they took out a supposed ‘Hindutva’ rally through “Muslim areas” of Leicester. As if that is not ridiculous enough, Hindus chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogans are now being blamed for triggering the violence that has been unfolding on the streets of Leicester.
Tensions have been running high in the British city of Leicester for over two weeks now. Violence erupted in Leicester following the defeat of Pakistan by India in the Asia Cup match on 28 August. Hindus were targeted, violent acts were committed against them openly — on the driveways of their houses, on the roads; their houses targeted and properties vandalised. Innocent Hindus huddled inside their homes as Islamist mobs ran a riot on the streets — with complete impunity. The police did little to intervene.
So, on 17 September, which was Saturday, Hindus decided to protest against the rampant attacks being inflicted on them. In videos from the protest, Hindus can be seen chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogans and moving through lanes with majority Muslim populations. This was reason enough for Islamists to mobilise and unleash terror on the streets of Leicester as they, without any fear of the law, attacked Hindus and their symbols of faith — including a holy saffron flag of a temple inscribed with the ‘Om’ symbol. Private messages, Instagram and WhatsApp stories were used by Islamist mobs to gather at specific locations and mount an offensive against Hindus.
The Islamist mob tried to keep Hindus, including children, hostage. Cars and other Hindu-owned properties were also toppled and vandalised. British media conveniently ignored all the anti-Hindu violence and vandalism that has been occurring in Leicester for weeks now. Islamists, on their part, came out on social media to play victims, saying it was the Hindus that instigated the violence and targeted them by shouting ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogans.
Suddenly, Hindus became the culprits. How dare Hindus take out a protest rally through “Muslim areas” despite the fact that they are being made subjects to Islamist monstrosity? It is almost as if Islamists and their sympathisers are saying Hindus are not allowed entry in areas where a majority Muslim population resides, no matter what crimes Islamists commit. British media, and a section of it back home as well, is readily picking this narrative and turning Hindus into some sort of oppressors. Leicester has a 19 percent Muslim population. Yet, Hindus hailing victory to Shri Ram are the culprits, and not Islamist mobs that have made life hell for Hindus over the past few weeks.
Leicester Was Waiting to Happen
Street violence between Hindus and Islamists in Leicester should not shock anybody. Such anarchy was waiting to happen, given the fact that Islamists have the demographic advantage on their side. What is unique in Leicester, though, is the fact that Hindus themselves constitute about 15 per cent of the city’s population. So, Hindus have significant numbers as well, and while in other cities where Hindus are not numerically strong, Islamist crimes are tolerated, the case with Leicester is different. Hindus here seem to have drawn a line. For them, enough is enough.
That is what makes Hindus the perfect culprits in Leicester. Call it what you may – a protest or a show of force, Hindus standing up for themselves triggered Islamists to the extent that they gathered on streets and began rioting. The more important question here is why Islamists did not once think about the repercussions of the anarchy they were about to unleash. What motivated them to openly attack Hindus and their symbols of faith? Was a saffron flag bearing the inscription of ‘Om’ part of a supposed RSS ploy too? If not, why was a Hindu temple vandalised when, according to Islamists, the enemies are only those who subscribe to Hindutva?
The answer is simple. Islamists have penetrated deep into British society, and they hate all Hindus. For many British Muslims, their religious identity is paramount. What is preached to them in madrassas and mosques is what they implement on the streets with little to no fear of the law. In 1961, the United Kingdom had a total of less than 10 mosques. Today, there are about 1700 mosques in the country. Same is the case with madrassas, where young and impressionable Muslim children are turned into radical Islamists as they grow older. Setting up mosques is not criminal. However, the exponential rise in their numbers across the United Kingdom does indeed tell a tale of planned demographic expansion.
The Political Free Pass
An ideology that has a global track record of violence was not just welcomed in the United Kingdom, it was, in fact, utilised by political forces to reap electoral benefits. Islamist settlements, where only people of one community reside are today lucrative vote banks for politicians in Britain. Islamist clerics exercise massive control over the electoral choices of their adherents. So, all that British political parties need to ensure is that they do not antagonise Islamic clergy. Since clerics are among the most radical, entire British governments have over the years, ended up giving free passes to Islamist toxicity and crimes.
Where crackdowns were required, consecutive British governments worked overtime to slide Islamist crimes under the rug. Where radical religious preachers needed to be punished, they were empowered. In fact, where immigrants of certain countries were supposed to be kept an eye on, they were provided with disproportionate political representation. For example, in the 2019 parliamentary polls, about 70 Pakistanis were provided with tickets by both British parties to contest the elections.
Attacks on Indians have been rampant in the UK. What did successive British governments do to address this menace? Did they identify the root cause of such attacks, or did they sit back like idle ducks? Evidently, the latter, as the Indian High Commission in London has itself been subjected to attacks by Islamists.
Has the country been able to control the menace of Islamists organising entire sex scandals and duping innocent women into forced physical relationships? Not really. In fact, the United Kingdom spectated mutely as Sharia law began becoming the go-to avenue for Muslims to settle their disputes. Instead of banning such kangaroo Sharia courts, Britain did little to curtail their powers. Despite not being recognised as a part of the British legal system, Sharia courts are a sensation among Britain’s Muslim community.
And then, there is the penultimate driving force for British governments to not act against Islamists — the fear of being called ‘Islamophobic’, or worse, of being branded outright Islamophobes. In the West, this fear can shape long-term policies of entire governments. That is what happened in the United Kingdom. British governments turned a blind eye to Islamists, and today, they are showing their power on the streets of Leicester. What is happening in Leicester today will happen across British urban centres eventually.
Hindus in Leicester stood up to Islamists. However, years of pampering and appeasement has made Islamists rather very uncomfortable to opposition, which is why a bunch of Hindu men chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’ riled them up so much that they began rioting on the streets and calling for backup from all over the country. For Britain, taking control of the streets might be very difficult now. Its demographic reality can no longer be salvaged, and will get only worse here on. The United Kingdom has nothing but its united resolve of pampering Islamists to blame for the mess it finds itself in.
