It has never been so bad ever in India! At the end of a disastrous fortnight – nationally and internationally -India cannot quarrel with the ignominy of being called ‘a shamed nation!’ The writing was on the wall years ago: a good section of ‘we the people’ were convinced that the ‘happenings’ were mere aberrations and just passing; there were many who felt as long as it is not happening to me ‘why bother?’; there were others who deep down felt that ‘they (the other) deserved what they were getting; fear and selfishness gripped several; but the largest segment were those with a ‘don’t care attitude’. Most of the political opposition seem to have abdicated its moral duty on being a responsible and credible alternative to preserve the sanctity of the Constitution. There were, however, some strong voices of sanity, that were clearly foretelling the inevitable. But few were listening, fewer were responding.

Now India is shamed. The effects are felt in India and across the globe. The victims, as always, are the marginalised and the minorities, the excluded and the exploited, the poor and the other vulnerable sections of society. India is faring badly in every sphere of political, social and economic life. The perpetrators are those belonging to the fascist regime, their crony capitalist friends and their ilk – the vested interests who toe their line and spew venom on others. The latest to hog the headlines are the derogatory statements made on the Prophet by the official spokesperson of the ruling regime. Then came the damning report on religious freedom in India by the US State Department.

Nupur Sharma, the spokesperson of the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), is no stranger to controversy. No one, however, is being fooled. What she says and does has apparently the approval of her political masters. So, when on 26 May, she participated on a TV Channel show on a debate on the Gyanvapi Mosque dispute, she was there not in her personal capacity but as the spokesperson of the ruling party. During the debate she made some derogatory remarks on the Prophet. Naturally, these obnoxious remarks were not taken kindly by the Muslims and by large sections of the society. What she said, on a programme that was widely viewed, was without doubt, totally unacceptable. 

Sharma, in a typical politician-response, denied it at first, claiming that it was “heavily edited”. When there was irrefutable evidence and mounting criticism from all over, the channel deleted the entire video from YouTube. Subsequently, Sharma apparently started receiving rape and death threats prompting the  Delhi police to provide security cover. Though a series of FIRs against her were filed in different parts of the country, for full ten days nothing happened to her. Naveen Jindal, media head of the party's Delhi unit, had also posted a provocative and derogatory tweet. 

Finally on 5 June, the BJP ‘suspended’ Nupur Sharma, and also expelled Naveen Jindal who had repeated the remark. The Indian Express quotes an unnamed ‘senior party leader’ as saying, "Being a spokesperson for the party for the national media, Nupur Sharma should know that the BJP sets its agenda and narrative around 'sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas, sabka prayas'. The controversy over her remarks and Jindal's tweets has not only hurt our development agenda but also dented the image of the government and Prime Minister at the international level." Later, Sharma said that she was "unconditionally" withdrawing her statement, but also made an attempt to justify them claiming that they were in response to the "continuous insult and disregard" towards the Hindu deity Shiva. 

Too little said and done! For much ‘lesser’ matters (even non-existent ones) in the country, exemplary citizens and institutions have been hounded and harassed, intimidated and investigated, illegally incarcerated and even killed. Both Sharma and Jindal should have been jailed immediately. That has not yet been done. On the other hand, the Government has been making every effort to call Sharma and Jindal just ‘fringe elements’ and that ‘their views do not reflect the views of the Government of India.’ Declaring that Nupur Sharma's statement "has no impact on the government" since she is not a government functionary, he said "The Foreign office has come out with clarification and BJP has taken necessary actions. We have good relationship with these countries and it will continue.” Obviously, there are few who believe in such empty rhetoric.

Social media in India has been going hammer and thongs at the remarks of both Sharma and Jindal. Tweets include, “Remember that while Munawar, his friends and an Amazon employee were thrown behind bars for offending Hindu sentiments, Sharma and Jindal have only been suspended from the party;” “Why has not yet UAPA been slapped against Nupur Sharma? There has already been violence in Kanpur because of her derogatory remarks.” There are young Indians who were charged with the stringent UAPA and thrown into jail over the Delhi riots two years ago. They have been charged with incitement -- the same allegation levelled against the erstwhile BJP spokespersons. The youngsters include JNU and Jamia Millia Islamia students, alumni and activists such as Devangana Kalita, Natasha Narwal, Sharjeel Imam, Umar Khalid, Safoora Zargar, Asif Iqbal Tanha, Meeran Haider and Gulfisha Fatima.

The remarks by the BJP spokespersons have resulted in widespread international outrage and condemnation. By 4 June, "Insult to Prophet Mohammed" was trending among the top 10 hashtags in several countries across the world. The Grand Mufti of Oman called the remarks "insolent and obscene rudeness" and characterised it as war against every Muslim. He called for a boycott of all Indian products and confiscation of all Indian investments in Oman. The Government of Qatar summoned the Indian ambassador and asked for immediate condemnation and an apology for the remarks. 

Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iran, Qatar, the UAE, Oman, Indonesia, Iraq, the Maldives, Jordan, Libya, Bahrain, the 57-member Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and Pakistan have strongly condemned the remark by the BJP spokespersons. Indian diplomats have been trying to placate these countries. India shares cordial relations with most of them; but the storm is far from over, it still continues to rage. India should be concerned. There is just too much at stake. India's trade with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which includes Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman and the UAE, stood at $87 billion in 2020-21. Millions of Indians live and work in these countries and send millions of dollars in remittances back home. The region is also the top source for India's energy imports.

The Indian economy is in terrible shape. The ruling regime and their ilk have systematically destroyed the economy leaving millions impoverished. If the Islamic bloc of nations chokes the trade between India and them or stops the flow of the foreign remittances to India – then it could very well be disastrous for the nation.

In the midst of all these, the US State Department brought out its annual report on International Religious Freedom 2021. Released by the Secretary of State Antony Blinken on 2 June, the report highlights attacks on members of the minority communities, including, killings, assaults, intimidation that took place in India all through 2021. The report is not only scathing but damning! At the Press Conference, Blinken stated, “…in India, the world’s largest democracy and home to a great diversity of faiths, we’ve seen rising attacks on people and places of worship.” The US Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, Rashad Hussain added “…in India some officials are ignoring or even supporting rising attacks on people and places of worship.”

The ‘India section’ of the report dealt with evidence on a wide range of issues in which religious freedom was denied to the minorities – particularly to the Muslims and Christians. These included the slew of anti-conversion laws and the many ways by which the ruling political regime and their officials denied the minorities of their legitimate rights. It also claimed that the Modi government had failed to release data on communal violence for 2021.

“The government did not release data on communal violence during the year. Government data from 2020 reported a large increase in communal violence compared to 2019, largely due to the February 2020 violence and protests following passage of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA),” the report claimed. The 2021 Report on International Religious Freedom also touched upon criticism reportedly levelled by NGOs operating in India, against the amendments made to the Foreign Contributions Regulation Act (FCRA).

True to its word, the Government went on a denial mode. It failed to realise that some of the data used in the Report where from the official Government of India records. In a pathetic response to media queries regarding the release of U.S. State Department 2021 Report on International Religious Freedom, the Official MEA Spokesperson said, “We have noted the release of the U.S. State Department 2021 Report on International Religious Freedom, and ill-informed comments by senior U.S. officials. It is unfortunate that vote bank politics is being practiced in international relations. We would urge that assessments based on motivated inputs and biased views be avoided. As a naturally pluralistic society, India values religious freedom and human rights. In our discussions with the US, we have regularly highlighted issues of concern there, including racially and ethnically motivated attacks, hate crimes and gun violence.” He did not have the honesty and humility to accept that the minorities in India are consistently targeted. 

In a statement dated 8 June, the Editors Guild of India said, “The Editors Guild of India is disturbed by the irresponsible conduct of some national news channels for deliberately creating circumstances that target vulnerable communities by spewing hatred towards them and their beliefs…. Expectedly, there was a riot in Kanpur accompanied by an unprecedented trenchant reaction from many countries that were offended by the remarks of the ruling party spokespersons. In their angry statements they wondered about India’s commitment to human rights and freedom of religion….The incident that caused unnecessary embarrassment to the country could have been avoided if some of the TV outlets had been mindful of the nation’s constitutional commitment to secularism, as well as the journalistic ethics and guidelines that the Press Council of India has issued to handle a volatile communal situation…Some of these channels prompted by the desire to increase viewership and profit were seemingly inspired by the values of Radio Rwanda whose incendiary broadcast caused a genocide in the African nation.” The statement ends with the assertion, “The media is in place to strengthen the Constitution and the law and not break it through sheer irresponsibility and absence of accountability.”

Rajmohan Gandhi concludes an excellent opinion piece on the NDTV portal (9 June) saying, “India is a mighty country. But it does not live alone on the planet. In great parts of the world vital to our life and economy, Muslims or Christians form the majority. And Indians, including Hindus, live right amidst them. The Gulf is conspicuous for obvious reasons. But can we afford to forget that Muslims form 42 percent of the people of vast Africa, and that Christians form 49 percent of that continent's population, not to mention other parts of the world? Not regarding Muslims and Christians as India's equal citizens, not recognizing that along with Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Parsis, Jews, agnostics, and any others, they are co-owners of India, is not just unconstitutional, it is the height of foolishness in the 21st century.”

The outrage by the Editors Guild, Rajmohan Gandhi and by several leaders of civil society from across the board must be taken seriously. The unscrupulous leaders and activists of the ruling party have shamed the country. The Editors Guild reminds us of what took place in Rwanda a few years ago. Wake up to stop the rot – to reclaim our space in a democratic, secular and pluralistic India – where the rights of all are respected and protected! 

(Fr Cedric Prakash SJ is a human rights, reconciliation and peace activist/writer. Contact: cedricprakash@gmail.com)