Hindus urged to curb ‘Muslim threat’ by having big families
Maseeh Rahman in New Delhi
Thursday November 20, 2003
The Guardian
A radical Hindu political party in Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous
state, which is a key ally of the country’s ruling party, is
encouraging Hindus to have more children because of fears of a Muslim
population explosion.
The militant Shiv Sena party announced that it had identified 50 Hindu
couples with five or more children in the parliamentary constituency of
the Indian prime minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
“We will honour these couples at a special function next month by
conferring the title ‘Awakened Hindu Family’,” said the Shiv Sena’s
state chief, Vijay Tiwari. Couples with more than 10 children would be
given gifts of gold or silver.
The call runs counter to the Indian government’s policy of controlling
the country’s burgeoning population by promoting family planning. The
“awakening” that the Shiv Sena wants to bring about stems from the
belief that India’s Muslim population, already estimated to be about
140 million, will overtake the Hindu, even though Hindus account for
85% of India’s population, now more than a billion.
Demographic experts assert that high birth rates are related to
illiteracy and poverty, and have nothing to do with religious beliefs.
Radical Hindu leaders claim the percentage of Muslims has been rising.
Their propaganda finds a response among Hindus who resent the Muslims’
separate civil law permitting men four wives - though most Muslims are
too poor to practise polygamy, and educated Muslims reject the idea.
“Even Hindus who do not support parties like the Shiv Sena or the
ruling Bharatiya Janata party [BJP] believe that most Muslims have four
wives and lots of children,” said Dipankar Gupta, a sociologist. The
issue even figured in the Gujarat state assembly elections last year,
with the BJP’s chief minister, Narendra Modi, mocking Muslim families
for their “25 children each”.
Now the BJP’s political ally, the Shiv Sena, hopes for mileage in the
spectre of the “Muslim population bomb”.
Mr Tiwari said: “When the Muslims become 30% of the population
democracy and peace will disappear from India. To maintain the social
balance, and to save the nation, we are now asking Hindu couples to
have a minimum of four children each.”
Mr Tiwari claimed there had been a positive response from Hindus in
Uttar Pradesh. But analysts are doubtful.
“The Shiv Sena’s appeal has always been its focus on pragmatic issues,
such as jobs for its supporters,” said Mr Gupta. “Such a madcap
campaign could rebound on the party.”
Comment:
Poltical parties are supposed to win over people based upon policies on how to improve the living standards of the nation. But parties like the BJP and their allies resort to anti-Islamic rhetoric to frighten the hindu masses who fear the return of Islamic rule to India. Under Hindu rule we have seen many pogroms and massacres against the muslims and many masjids destroyed all this while the ruling elites turned a blind eye and gave their tacit approval. Under Islamic rule hinduism survived up to today and their places of worship are still intact. This is because non-muslims under an Islamic system have many rights i.e their life, property and honour is protected and their is no conversion by force.
