Title of this article sounds strange, isn’t it? We often hear and say ” Humanity is above all religions”, “I am Human and my religion is Humanity”, and so on.
But what if I say, now a days, Humanity has chosen a religion! Our Humanity has become selective! We can see and raise our voice for Rohingyas but we become blind & choose to be silent over the plight of Kashmir Pandits (KPs).
I hope you know who are Rohingyas, about their dreadful condition, their population, their terrorism and everything else. But how much do you know about KP exodus?
No no, I’m not going to narrate you incidents of KP exodus (19 January 1990), that ethnic cleansing of Kashmiri Hindus. How they were expelled from their own homes, women raped, children killed. I’m not going to narrate how even today after 28 long years KPs could not get justice in our “Temple Of Justice”. How even today KPs are living as refugees in their own country.
Our humanity does not move us when the victims are Hindus but we do protests, raise banners and slogans for Rohingya Muslims, for Junaid, for Afrajul, for Akhlaq. We do label such crimes as “Hindutva Terrorism” but when ISIS kills innocent people, beheads kids, rapes women, we don’t choose to or i should say dare to call it “Islamic terrorism”. Why? Because we think religion teaches love, brotherhood, HUMANITY and not hatred. Terrorism has nothing to do with religion. But when Junaid is lynched by a mob we call it Hindutva terrorism, then suddenly we associate crime with religion. All thanks to our overwhelming “Selective Humanity”.
When a Muslim is killed media specifically mentions religion of the dead but do they do the same when the dead is Hindu? Obviously No!
We compassionate Hindus have deep sympathies for Palestinians, but we hesitate in supporting Jews of Israel who always stood by us. This is not because we don’t want to support Israel, this is because earlier (during UPA rule) our foreign policy relating Israel and Palestine was much dependent on internal ‘Vote-bank’ (Indian Muslims). We willingly or unwillingly supported Palestine over Israel, why? Because we were made to believe that Israel is oppressor of ‘poor’, ‘landless’, ‘innocent’ Palestinian Muslims but we are not told about atrocities committed by Muslims on Jews.
When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited India, Indian Muslims were unhappy and called him “Mass Murderer Of Muslims”. Indian Muslims show their solidarity for Palestinians but they never speak a word in support of Kashmiri Hindus. Why is it so? Just because Palestinians are Muslims we sympathize and support them calling it Humanity. Some us sympathize with Kashmiri separatists who say we want ‘AZADI’ from India and want our Kashmiri pandit brothers back in valley but at the same time raise slogans as “Azadi Ka Matlab Kya, La Ilaha Ill allah”. Our Humanity does not push us to raise our voice for Pakistani and Bangladeshi Hindus, being killed, converted, raped. Hindus in Pakistan and Bangladesh are living in worst conditions, Hindu girls are abducted, converted to Islam and forcefully married to Muslim men. But we remain silent, when do we speak up? When victim is Muslim!
You might be thinking, I’m full of hatred for Muslims, I’m communal minded, or even that I wish for a Hindu Rashtra, I’m from RSS etc etc. But trust me, I don’t blame you! We live in such a society where if I being a Hindu, talk about Muslims, their rights, about the so called “secular fabric of India”, then I’ll be considered a modern, secular, open minded kind of individual. But if being a proud Hindu I talk about Hindus, our rights, our miseries, about how Hindus are treated as second class citizens in a Hindu majority country, how our religious institutions are controlled by state and so on, I become communal minded, Hindu bigot, Sanghi, Bhakt etc.
Who made our society like this? Political party which ruled us for almost 60 years? Left Liberals? Jihadis? Education system? Yes, but who actually made our society like this is WE HINDUS OURSELVES. As it was us who allowed our politicians to take us for granted, it was and us who were and are divided, It is us who are apologetic, it is us who raise banners for AFRAJUL(nothing wrong in that), but not for RUDRESH, not for PARESH MESTA.
You may admit it or not but we have become selective in our approach towards Humanity, Human Rights and peace.
We Hindus our very much responsible for our deplorable condition. Deplorable condition? Like really? Yes, crimes, conversions, Love Jihad, intellectual terrorism do not happen on Mars, all this happens in front of our eyes but we either choose to remain ignorant or fail to identify the wrong at the right time.
What big favor am i asking you for? Just to be aware, to be respectful towards your culture, religion, roots. To be proud of your traditions not just on occasion of festivals but everyday, don’t just post a selfie wearing Saree or Kurta Dhoti on Holi, Diwali saying #FeelingTraditional. To be a proud Hindu, to have Humanity for all and not just for a particular community, to have humanity for humans, animals and nature.
Humanity is not a book, not a religion. Humanity is the base of Hinduism. You are not a true follower of Sanatan Dharma if you don’t have humanity.
So don’t mind saying I am human and my religion is hinduism.
