India: Muslims observe Muharram by attacking Hindus, waving Palestinian flags, shouting provocative slogans

Crowds of semi-naked men indulging in self-harm with sharp knives, others brandishing swords and weapons alike while parading in public space is already an unsightly exhibition to begin with. But Muharram processions in India are not limited to these disturbing scenes alone; they proceed to unleash violence on Hindu families and attack women and children unprovoked.

On July 14, participants in a Muharram procession attacked a Hindu family traveling in their vehicle near Sardarganj Chowk in Dalsinghsarai, Bihar. Secular media tried to whitewash the Islamic hooliganism as a clash between “two groups”; the victims, however, asserted that the attackers had deliberately targeted them. According to the police, two Muslim groups created a disturbance while carrying out tazia, the Shi’ite ritualized expression of grief over the death of Hussein, Muhammad’s grandson. The frenzied mobs started breaking down random vehicles on their way. The Hindu Amitesh Kumar, his wife, and minor son were left stunned when some Muslims attacked their car with swords, injuring the child in the process.

It is baffling that in India, scores of self-proclaimed intellectuals from media and entertainment shame the Hindus for celebrating Holi and Diwali because the noise of firecrackers or the claim that the colors may harm people or animals, but have systematically steered clear of condemning the gory scenes exhibited during Muharram procession. Perhaps they know that exactly five minutes after they criticize an Islamic practice, they will have a similar mob baying of their blood outside their window.

The silence of frightened intellectuals and citizens has only emboldened some Muslims, who have given a revised definition to observing Muharram mourning. They now demand that all Indians convert to Islam. A mob of Muslims shouted the slogan “Hindustan mein rehna hai, Ya Hussain kehna hai,” which translates to “If you want to live in India, you have to say ‘Ya Hussain,’” outside a police station in Amethi. Photos and videos of this sloganeering went viral on social media platforms, compelling Superintendent of Police Anoop Kumar Singh to file a complaint and detain several persons involved. Seven of these detainees were minors, which demonstrates how the ideology of jihad is instilled in children from their earliest years.

In other news, massive stone-throwing was reported from the Hariharganj Jaggu Chowk area at the Bihar-Jhadkhand border area; police personnel were also not spared, and sustained grave injuries. Participants in the Muharram procession surrounded the houses of two Hindus and began hurling stones after the light on their route went off. Miscreants from the mob invaded the Hindu-owned house, broke windows and doors, and started beating the occupants. Another local, Gangotri Kunwar, recounted how some men forcibly entered their home and struck her and her daughter. Some reports suggest that the attackers also began shooting. Subsequently, the administration had to impose Section 144. Section 144 “authorises the Executive Magistrate of any state or territory to issue an order to prohibit the assembly of four or more people in an area.”

Reports of violent altercations, which led to half a dozen people being critically injured, were reported in Nakardei village of the Sugauli police station area as well. The chaos erupted during the tazia, and following the regular pattern, concluded in stone-throwing and gunfire. People wounded by the shooting and sword fights were admitted to a local hospital. After arriving at the scene, authorities recovered four bullet pellets and deployed police in the area to ensure law and order.

While such clashes, uproars, and bloodshed are nothing new during Muharram, what stood out this year was the waving of the Palestinian flag in various parts of the country by Muharram participants. One such incident was first reported from a Muslim neighborhood in Vadodara, Gujarat. Even the local police were astonished to find the Palestinian flag, and promptly took it down. While no arrests were made, again, three minors were being questioned in connection with the case. The tactfully employed pattern of involving minors in such cases is a cunning ploy on the part of the Muslims involved. They are aware that the administration is hesitant to act against Muslim minors, lest the narrative of the Hindutva administration victimizing Muslim kids get blown out of proportion, creating the warped narrative of “poor Muslims” that attracts global attention. Such questionable activities, hence, more than often, go unpenalized.

Palestinian flags were also spotted at the Muharram procession in Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir, after the administration imposed several conditions on the procession to ensure it was without any disturbing incident, such as sloganeering or waving any banners or flags. Unruly processions defied all of these mandates; these were not obscure gatherings, but processions with thousands of Shia Muslim participants. In the garb of “mourning,” Muslims shouted pro-Gaza chants, accompanied by anti-US and anti-Israel slogans.