Opinion – Hajj house protests prove Indian Islamophobia is growing

Why are people protesting?

At 10 am on Friday, hundreds of people gathered at an empty ground in Dwarka, New Delhi. The gathering included members of a residents’ federation, BJP leaders, and right wing outfits.

Also present were heads of several villages who said that they did not want the government to construct a Hajj house with taxpayers’ money. They said that it wouldn’t be of any use to them.

As a matter of fact, the All Dwarka Residents’ Federation has written to Lt Governor Anil Baijal urging him to cancel the land allotted for this construction.

A village leader who was part of the protest said, ‘when a masjid came up, we did not say anything because it was not constructed by the government. These are Hindu-majority areas. We strongly oppose the construction of the Hajj House. Our cultures do not match with theirs.’

Okay, I’ll be the first to say that this is absolutely atrocious. Gee, thanks for not meddling in the internal affairs of another religious group that do no concern you at all. What can I say? We’re truly indebted to you.

Along the same lines, AAP politician Abdul Rehman said, ‘why should anyone have a problem if a few people come together for a short stay before embarking on a pilgrimage? The land where the house is being built does not belong to any private person, nor has it been usurped or encroached by anyone.’

Yet, in addition to being intrusive, this demonstration has also come under scrutiny for being ironic in nature.

The blatant hypocrisy

Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta says that there are many plots in Delhi belonging to the Islamic Waqf board, so a Hajj House can be built there. He added that there is a shortage of schools, colleges, and hospitals in the city.

Protesters carried placards reading: ‘Hajj House hi kyun? School, college, hospital kyun nahi?’ (Why a Hajj house? Why not a school, college, or hospital?)

Now, if you’re from a developed country, this might seem like a fair logic to you. However, in India, religion has always been mixed with politics.

If truth be told, this slogan is only being raised because the land in question is being used for Islamic purposes, and the community is a minority in India.

In fact, a similar debate was going on a few years ago as part of the Ayodhya dispute. There is a plot of land in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, which both the Hindu and Muslim community claim as a sacred site.

Since this was a sensitive topic, some were demanding that a school or hospital be built on the land. In the end, Hindu organisations won the disputed plot, and guess what’s being built there now?

That’s right: a temple.

If they didn’t build a school on the land that was allotted to them, (which they were even advised to do by many) what gives them the right to demand that the Islamic community build a school on their land?

They’re disguising their hatred as a movement for infrastructural development, and that is absolutely unfair. Heck, even I’m in support of building more schools, colleges, and hospitals in India. But not like this, no.

Where is this protest headed?

AAP politician Abdul Rehman said, ‘Our country is a land of many religions. People want to live peacefully. Some are out to divide the country on religious lines and we request the government to act against such motivated protests.’

That very day, the Delhi Police registered an FIR against several protestors for violating COVID guidelines.

A senior police official said that a case under appropriate sections of the law has been registered and further investigation is under way

To me, the most disheartening thing about all this is not just the islamophobia; these protestors are able-bodied individuals who are out fighting for something that is completely unnecessary.

In a country where people die of starvation and poverty every day, these self-proclaimed nationalists choose to fight for a cause as trivial as supremacy? What a shame.

At the end of the day, it’s not just about this one incident; it’s about many such incidents that shall follow if this mentality persists. So, what can we do about it?

It’s simple: question everything.

Question your friends, question your politicians, question the news you’re reading. You know what? Question this article even.

And, if at any point, you feel like some political groups are trying to pit you against your fellow citizens, ask yourself this:

‘What rights do you lose when they gain their rights?’