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Karnataka: Video of youth performing ‘burqa dance’ at Kodagu cultural event goes viral, leaves Islamists fuming

OpIndia Staff
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Karnataka: Video of youth performing ‘burqa dance’ at Kodagu cultural event goes viral, leaves Islamists fuming

On Tuesday, an event organised by the West Kolakeri Village Development Committee in the Kodagu district of Karnataka received sharp criticism after a video of a ‘burqa dance’ by students went viral on social media. The event was hosted on the occasion of the completion of 75 years of the committee on May 28 and 29.

According to the local reports, some of the students wore burqas and performed an entertainer sequence on the Kodava Valaga music at the cultural event, the video of which went viral over social media. The video has however attracted sharp criticism from the community.

Islamists enraged over the viral video of the burqa dance

The Islamists, who were hurt by the performance, claimed that their religious sentiments were hurt and demanded an apology from the committee. Asfar Kodlipet, State General Secretary, SDPI Karnataka also called for legal action against the community. “I urge the prosecution to file a voluntary case against those who have committed an act of disrespect to the community by dressing shamefully at the diamond jubilee of the Rural Development Association in Kodagu district”, his tweet in Kannada roughly read.

Another Islamist stung by the burqa dance tweeted: “Sheer mockery of #Burkha in a stage program at #Kodagu dist’ arranged by ‘West Kolakeri Gramabhivriddhi Sangha’ presided by Katoleri Kuttappa on its diamond jubilee celebration on May 29. This program was supposed to be attended by BJP MLA K.G Bopayya, a BJP & Congress MLCs.”

Still another Islamist demanded strict legal action against the performers for “creating unrest in society by making a mockery of a society/community dress.”

Reportedly, MLC Veena Achaiah was also present at the event. The organizers called for a press meet on May 30 and apologized for the incident. “A few kids danced wearing burqa as part of the entertainment program. However, this was not hosted to hurt any religious sentiments,” said K Muddaiah, president of the committee.

The President further clarified that MLC Veena Achaiah was present for the inaugural ceremony but was not present during the burqa dance. The committee stated that there was communal harmony in the village and that the event or the dance was not organized with the intention of hurting the religious sentiments of the Muslims.

Xinjiang Police Files reveal Chinese govt’s involvement in unlawful activities against Muslim Uyghurs in prison-like ‘re-education centers’

OpIndia Staff
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Xinjiang Police Files reveal Chinese govt’s involvement in unlawful activities against Muslim Uyghurs in prison-like ‘re-education centers’

The ‘Xinjiang police files’ that were leaked recently revealed that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) led by Xi Jinping is involved in brazen human rights abuse against Muslims in Xinjiang. The communist leaders are involved in practicing human rights atrocities against thousands of Uyghurs through a network of detention centers and prisons in the Xinjiang region.

According to the reports, the Chinese government has detained Muslim Uyghurs in the concentration camps which China terms ‘vocational skills education and training centers’. At these centers, Uyghurs are brainwashed to be ‘trustworthy persons’ for the Communist government.

The matter came to light when the ‘Xinjiang police files’ were published last week by the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation with cooperation from 14 media outlets from 11 countries. The files gave the world an inside view of China’s ‘re-education camps’ and the ‘prison-like’ conditions that Uyghurs are made to face.

Training is given to detainees in the ‘vocational skills education and training centres’ to make them more ‘trustworthy'(Image Source- BBC)

The files include leaked internal police documents and over 2,884 photographs of detained Uyghurs, including some as young as 17 released first as part of a research article authored by Dr. Adrian Zenz, Senior Fellow, China Studies, at the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation in Washington, DC. The Files also include material such as police training presentations as well as sensitive files and speech transcripts. According to Dr. Zens, the entire material found was ‘unprecedented’ as the speech included in the files implicated China’s top leadership like Chen Quanguo, Minister Zhao Kezhi, and President Xi Jinping and contained blunt language.

Internal speech by Chen Quanguo, a former Communist Party secretary in Xinjiang, in 2017, had allegedly ordered the guards to shoot to kill anyone who tried to escape and had called for officials in the region to exercise firm control over religious believers. Also, a 2018 internal speech by public security minister Zhao Kezhi mentioned direct orders from Xi Jinping to increase the capacity of detention facilities. After initially denying their existence, the country claimed on May 25 that the facilities are vocational training schools, attended voluntarily, and aimed at stamping out religious extremism.

The Chinese government also said that the issue is about countering violent terrorism, radicalization, and separatism, not about human rights or religion. “The Chinese authorities are taking a host of decisive, robust, and effective deradicalization measures. The region of Xinjiang now enjoys social stability and harmony as well as economic development”, the statement from the Chinese government read in an attempt to counter ‘lies and disinformation on Xinjiang’.

Earlier last week, the consortium of 14 media outlets including the BBC and USA Today published the report as the UN high commissioner for human rights, Michelle Bachelet visited the region in Xinjiang. The data was hacked from the Public Security Bureau computers from Konasheher and Tekes in Xinjiang and then was provided to Dr. Zens who later researched and submitted it to the consortium of 14 media outlets. The consortium verified the data and found that the files containing more than 5,000 police photographs and the internment details for more than 20,000 Uyghurs are of real, existing people.

Uyghurs and other minorities in China

The Xinjiang region which is located in the northwest region of China is home to the Uyghur population which is ethnically different from the mainstream Han Chinese people. According to the reports, many Uyghurs consider their own culture distinct from that of the Han Chinese majority. The relationship between the community and the government has been under severe stress as the Chinese government has designated many Uyghurs groups and individuals as terrorists and extremists. The Chinese government has also made several attempts to resettle more Han Chinese people in the Xinjiang region for top jobs, leading to some resentment among Uyghurs.

Chinese Media reported several incidents of ethnic clashes between Uyghur Muslims and Hans dating from the year 2000 to 2016. In the year 2013, the BBC reported that nearly 21 people were killed in the ethnic clash incident between the Uyghur Muslims and Hans Chinese community including 15 police officers. Later 35 people were killed in clashes which Chinese official media reported as a result of the attack on a police station and government building by a group of 17 knife-wielding Uyghur men. The Chinese authorities pronounced the event a terrorist attack and prevented the foreign media outlets to investigate the matter. Meanwhile, the World Uyghur Congress blamed the event on ‘continued suppression and provocation’ by Chinese authorities in the region.

The incidents continued till the year 2016 resulting in over a hundred deaths and thousands of injuries in the Xijiang region. The Chinese government then began seeing the Uyghur Muslims as a problem and threat to the country. Since the year 2018, international organizations reported the detention of Uyghurs in large numbers in China. The country however kept on denying such reports. It said that the Uyghurs were being given vocational training. It maintained that some of the camps that have been constructed, as confirmed by satellite images, were ‘de-radicalization’ and ‘counter-terrorism’ centers. However, the Xinjiang police files leaked recently revealed that around 2 million Uyghurs are in these camps.

What more do the Xinjiang police files reveal?

According to the report, some of the photographs of the 2884 detainees of the ‘re-education camp’ show guards standing by, armed with batons. It refutes Chinese claims that there is no coercion at these camps. The report also mentions that many of them have been detained for no reason or for unsound reasons. The Xinjiang Police Files further contain another set of documents that shows detainees photographed in the prison-like surroundings of these ‘re-education camps’ that China insists are ‘vocational schools’.

Image Source- BBC

Blindfolds, handcuffs, and shackles mandatory for ‘students’ being transferred between facilities or even to hospitals, backed with an extreme level of physical control are a common sight. The documents further show Chinese authorities treating the ‘students’ as they usually treat the detainees in the detention centers. They also run the indoctrination centers at these camps, again making no differentiation between the camps and the prison.

Global response to the report

As the UN high commissioner for human rights, Michelle Bachelet visited the region last week. The US and the UK have both expressed skepticism over what could be realistically achieved on Bachelet’s trip. Caroline Wilson, the British Ambassador to China said on May 23 that she had stressed the importance of unfettered access to Xinjiang to ensure private conversations with the people. “There is no excuse for preventing UN representatives from completing their investigations”, she tweeted.

Also, British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said that the latest reports add to the already extensive body of evidence against China’s human rights violations. “We reiterate our longstanding expectation that China grants the UN high commissioner for human rights full and unfettered access to the region so that she can conduct a thorough assessment of the facts on the ground, and we are following her visit this week closely. If such access is not forthcoming, the visit will only serve to highlight China’s attempts to hide the truth of its actions in Xinjiang”, Truss was quoted as saying.

Further, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock called for a transparent investigation into what he claimed was a ‘very serious human rights violation’. The US said that it was appalled by the findings and that the ‘ongoing genocide’ by China unfortunately continues. Expressing the concerns, the US ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield tweeted, “Horrified by the Xinjiang Police Files, which spotlight China’s mass incarceration of Uyghurs and other ethnic and religious minorities.” She asked her office to take a hard look at the faces and press Chinese officials for full, unfettered access and answers.

The ‘re-education camps’ in Xinjiang

As per the satellite images accessed by the consortium of 14 media outlets, the camps are located in southern Xinjiang, Konasheher, or ‘Shufu’ as termed in Chinese. Also, there’s another such camp in the northern part of Xinjiang named ‘Tekes Detention Centre’. Dr. Zenz in his research report has revealed that a total of 22,762 residents of southern Xinjiang ie more than 12 percent of the adult population have been housed either in a camp or a prison in the years 2017 and 2018. If the data for the entire Xinjiang is considered, more than 1.2 million Uyghur and other Muslim minority adults have been in the camps, claims which China has always dismissed.

‘Abhi Maare Jayenge Sab’: Farooq Abdullah makes controversial remark after the targeted killing of a Hindu teacher in Kashmir

OpIndia Staff
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‘Abhi Maare Jayenge Sab’: Farooq Abdullah makes controversial remark after the targeted killing of a Hindu teacher in Kashmir

National Conference MP Farooq Abdullah made a controversial remark following the targeted killing of a Hindu woman, a teacher who was shot dead by Islamic terrorists in Kashmir earlier today.

“Abhi Maare Jayenge Sab,” Abdullah said when asked about the killing of Rajni Bala, the wife of Raj Kumaar of Samba district, who was working at a High School in the Gopalpora area, outside which some Islamic terrorists shot her to death today morning.

On May 31, the Kashmir Zone Police informed on Twitter about another targeted killing of a Hindu migrant teacher in Kulgam district’s Gopalpora area. This is the second such cowardly incident within a week and the third this month where a Hindu migrant has been targeted by Islamic terrorists in the valley.

Kashmir Zone Police informed that the woman teacher received critical gunshot injuries and was admitted to a hospital. Unfortunately, the teacher succumbed to her injuries.

The area has been cordoned off and the security forces are on the lookout for the terrorists involved in the dastardly incident. The Kashmir Police has assured that the terrorists will soon be identified and neutralised.

An alarming increase in the spate of targeted killings of Hindus in Kashmir

The number of such cowardly targeted attacks by Islamic terrorists has recently increased in the valley. On May 25, OpIndia reported about the killing of a TV actress and singer named Amreen Bhat in the Budgaon district in Jammu and Kashmir. According to police sources, actor Amreen Bhat and her 10-year-old nephew Farhan were fired upon by terrorists outside their home at Kongoipora-Hushroo. Both of them were immediately rushed to the hospital, but Amreen succumbed to the injuries. The police informed that three terrorists of the banned terror group LeT were involved in this heinous terror incident.

On May 12, a Kashmiri Hindu youth, working for the revenue department, Rahul Bhat was killed by militants in Budgam district. Within 24-hours of the dastardly killing of the government employee, the security forces neutralized the three terrorists involved in the act.

‘Deaths are happening in Kashmir…a large part of the UT is filled with army personnel’: Farooq Abdullah at an event in Delhi

Earlier yesterday, Farooq Abdullah said he would not be at peace until the centre won the hearts of the people in Jammu and Kashmir.

Addressing an event in Delhi, Abdullah said, “I will not be at peace until you win the hearts of the people in Jammu and Kashmir. There cannot be peace in Jammu and Kashmir till you win the hearts of the people…”

“Deaths are happening every day in Kashmir. There is not a single day when deaths are not taking place in the Union Territory. A large part of the Union Territory has been filled with army personnel. The Army cannot always win the hearts of the people. Instead, love is needed there. They (the Centre) need to understand that,” Abdullah said while implying that attacks in Kashmir are happening because the Centre continues to deploy Army in the Valley.

Dear Aamir Khan, please leave Hollywood classics alone! After ruining Memento, Prestige, and Pirates of the Caribbean, Aamir comes for Forrest Gump

Amit Kelkar
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Dear Aamir Khan, please leave Hollywood classics alone! After ruining Memento, Prestige, and Pirates of the Caribbean, Aamir comes for Forrest Gump

From all available evidence, it appears that Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan hates Hollywood and will do anything he can to ruin the most loved Hollywood films of all time. The trailer for the Forrest Gump copy Laal Singh Chaddha starring Aamir Khan came out on Sunday, 29th of May, and if the trailer is any evidence, Aamir has made a parody of the Tom Hanks starrer Hollywood classic.

Aamir Khan, who has already used the same facial expression to play Phunsuk Wangdu in 3 Idiots, Samar in Dhoom 3, and PK in PK, has now repeated it in Laal Singh Chaddha in his parody remake of Forrest Gump. Even if you ignore the terrible Punjabi accent put on by the Bollywood megastar, you just can’t ignore the terrible facial expressions as Aamir tried to play the ‘slow-witted’ Forrest Gump.

Even one of the best ever “box of chocolates” quotes from the original Forrest Gump is ruined by making it about eating ‘golgappe’, maybe they confused Forrest Gump with Diljale, a movie in which Gulshan Grover keeps praising golgappe all the time.

This is not Aamir’s first rodeo, he has a history of taking Hollywood classics and destroying them so bad that everyone rushes to watch the original to get the taste of Aamir’s version out of their mouth. The films may still mysteriously make a 1,000 crore at the box office thanks to contributions from China, but you will be hard-pressed to find someone who will say Aamir did justice to any of the Hollywood films he copied.

Memento- Ghajini

Memento earned Christopher Nolan his first Oscar nomination, little did he know that he will also have to suffer Aamir hamming his way through a terrible remake of the film for the same. To be fair to Aamir Khan, he may not even have seen the classic starring Guy Pearce since the film was remade in Tamil first in 2005 with the same name ‘Ghajini’ and then later made in Hindi.

The Prestige- Dhoom 3

Perhaps one of the biggest sins Bollywood has ever committed is ruining Prestige for the Indian audience with the terrible remake called Dhoom 3 and Aamir Khan was once again at the center of it. Another Christopher Nolan classic, which keeps you engaged for 130 minutes before blowing your mind off with the ending, deserved a better remake than Aamir Khan starrer Dhoom 3.

In Dhoom 3, there was no surprise, no curiosity, no mystery, well except the mystery of Mumbai cops investigating a crime in Chicago. Even as an atheist, I pray to God that Nolan has never seen Dhoom 3, he would have stopped making films.

Pirates of the Caribbean- Thugs of Hindostan

Perhaps the biggest box-office debacle of Aamir Khan’s life (even bigger than Mela which he did for his brother) was Thugs of Hindostan. Boasting massive names like Aamir Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, and Katrina Kaif, the film sank without proof at the box office. Aamir’s version of Pirates of the Caribbean was so bad that Johnny Depp would have gladly married Amber Heard again if that could have avoided this film. Thankfully Johnny never saw the film, nor did anyone else for that matter.

We have no idea what Aamir Khan has against Hollywood classics because he has done decent original Hindi films, but when it comes to remaking Hollywood films, he really goes all out to destroy them. Perhaps he wanted to be a Hollywood star and is frustrated that he never got a chance there, perhaps he just hates western filmmakers, Nolan in particular. Whatever it is, can we just request Aamir Khan to stop ruining any more Hollywood classics and let Forrest Gump be the last one?

Anger, affection, and desperation: A roller coaster ride for a Hindu family in Chhattisgarh whose daughter has fallen prey to love jihad

OpIndia Staff
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Anger, affection, and desperation: A roller coaster ride for a Hindu family in Chhattisgarh whose daughter has fallen prey to love jihad

A new case of love jihad has emerged in Chhattisgarh’s Bhilai district, where an 18-year-old Hindu woman eloped with a Muslim man last year. Following the incident, a sequence of episodes occurred, resulting in a tumultuous journey for the girl’s parents to get her out of what they call a ‘love jihad trap.’

Mokshika Verma, the daughter of Vandana and Purshottam Verma, has married a Muslim man named Majied, according to an exclusive Swarajya story. Mokshika’s parents are unhappy with the marriage, claiming that their daughter fell victim to a love jihad trap. They claim that their daughter is innocent and that Majied dodged her and persuaded her to marry and stay with him.

The beginning of the incident dates back to 2021 when Mokshika left her house with her lover Majied on July 8, last year. Her uncle, who works for the police, later tracked her down at a hotel in Bhilai. When back home, Mokshika’s parents tried to convince her to stay away from Majied but she didn’t listen to them. She continued to ignore her parents, and after repeated persuasion, she reacted by consuming phenyl and attempting suicide. Following this episode, her father took her to the police station, where she phoned Majied. On that day, her father severed all relations with her and informed her that she would never have a portion of his house or property. Mokshika walked away with Majied, stating she didn’t want anything from them.

However, after an emotional roller coaster, Mokshika’s parents consented to accept her in January of this year when she expressed her desire to meet them. Her mother claims that when she returned, they realised that she had changed. She used to like visiting temples, but she had stopped praying to God. Majied continued visiting her hometown, but her parents relocated her to Berala, a village near Bemtara where a relative of theirs lived. Atish Kumar Verma, Mokshika’s cousin, kept her company in the meanwhile and even tried to refocus her attention on her academics and profession.

Mokshika managed to contact Majied and returned to him in mid-February. On February 21, her parents filed a missing person’s complaint (number 11/2022) at Kandarka Police Station in Berala Tehsil of Durg district. Purshottam contacted the state women’s commission after weeks of following up with the police station yielded no results. Mokshika was summoned to the police station and stated that she wanted to live with Majied and did not want to return to her parents. The authorities let her accompany the man following her statement.

After some time, the worried parents contacted the Women’s Commission’s office once more. This time, they met with Dr Kiranmayi Nayak, the chairperson. She launched an inquiry after learning about their plight. On May 9, Mokshika and Majied were called to appear before the Durg sub-district magistrate. On 4 May, just before the summons, they married in an Arya Samaj temple in Raipur.

Majied Khan changed his name to Mohit Arya in order to marry Mokshika. On May 10, Mokshika posted a video on her Instagram account in which she stated that she married Majied of her own free will.

Mokshika posted photos of their marriage certificate and an FIR (number 538/2022) filed at Durg Kotwali on Instagram. Mokshika’s parents were charged under IPC sections 294 (sings, recites, or utters any obscene song, ballad, or phrases in or near any public place), 506 (criminal intimidation), 323 (voluntarily inflicting pain), and 34 (acts done by several persons with the same intention). Majied Khan is the one who had filed the complaint. It is worth noting that Majied had converted but continues to use his old identification.

Vandana describes the police’s treatment of her and her husband as “insensitive.” She claims she has lost communication with Mokshika and is concerned for her well-being. Mokshika’s father works at the Bhilai steel plant, and the family is well-off. The parents are anxious about their daughter’s future.

‘If we knew there was a Shivling, we would have destroyed and removed it’: President of Rashtriya Bunkar Action Committee gives controversial statement on Gyanvapi

OpIndia Staff
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On May 29, Zee Hindustan aired a sting operation in connection to the disputed structure at Gyanvapi in Varanasi. The channel questioned Muslim preachers, locals and prominent personalities of the community about their views on the disputed structure. Following the sting operation, Sarfaraz, who is the President of Rashtriya Bunkar Action Committee, said during a debate that if they [Muslims] knew there was a Shivling [at Gyanvapi], they would have demolished and removed it from the premises.

He said, “I have said this earlier off the record, and I am saying it on the record that if we had a hint that there was a Shivling, we would have demolished and removed it from the premises.” While giving such a highly controversial statement, there was a grin on Sarfraz’s face without a sign of guilt or remorse.

The sting operation revealed what Muslim leaders think about the issue

During the sting operation, the reporter talked to several leaders, Maulanas and locals, about the ongoing dispute over Gyanvapi. While speaking to Maulana Afsar Khan of Darul Uloom Deoband, the reporter asked him about his views on the matter. Maulana Afsar said, “I am with the truth. If there is a shivling, it should be given back.”

When asked to shed some light on his thoughts about the Shivling found at the premises, he said, “I cannot talk in favour of the religion. I cannot even tell about the truth. As of now, they have found a Shivling. If it is a Shivling, let it be. Those who have faith in the Hindu religion believe it is. If it is a symbol linked to the God, we have to believe it.” Speaking about the video getting viral on social media that showed clear images of the Shivling, he said, “The shape that is visible, I think it is a Shivling.” When the report repeatedly asked, he nodded his head in ‘yes’.

‘My father believed it was Shivling, and so do I’, said a local

Zee Hindustan talked to locals about the matter. One of them named Nadeem, who lives nearby the disputed structure, said, “The truth is there was a temple. It should be built again.” Speaking about the video, he said, “I believe it is a Shivling. It is the city of Baba Vishwanath. I used to ask my father if there was a Shivling. He used to tell me that he was there before [the mosque]. He was right. When he believed in it, I believe in it too.”

He explained how Wazu is done in other mosques and how the fountains look like inside mosques’ premises. He said, “In every mosque, you will see a pipe where we stand in line to do Wazu. (He showed a kettle) This is the shape of the fountain.” He further added that he did not believe that the structure found in Gyanvapi was a fountain but a Shivling.

Speaking to the reporter, President of Rashtriya Bunkar Action Committee Sarfaraz said, “I would like to tell you off the record. There was a temple. It was demolished. There is no doubt about that. What was built and who built it is a different case altogether. There is no proof as the Britishers took the documents with them to London. Their aim was to create communal problems in the country.”

He further added, “If they are saying it is a fountain, then it has to be called a fountain. If you have alleged that it is a Shivling, there should be an investigation.” Notably, after the sting operation, he said that the Muslims would have demolished the Shivling if they had any idea it was there.

Speaking about the historical evidence, a historian named Kunwar Mohammad Naseeb Raza Khan said there was a temple that was demolished. He further said there could not be only one Shivling, and must be many of them in the past.

Serious allegations against Anjuman Committee

Speaking to Zee Hindustan, Maulana Shafeeq raised serious allegations against the Anjuman Committee that takes care of Gyanvapi. He said, “There was a time when Shringar Gauri was worshipped on the premises. Then-Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav stopped it during the 90s. I am not sure what the date was, but it was in the 90s. You should ask him why he took such a step.”

He further alleged, “Anjuman Committee is not under our control. We do not know much about it. The members of the committee are a sort of land mafia. They have taken over mosques where earnings are high. 32 mosques are under their control. Otherwise, mosques are under the control of local people.”

Raising more allegations against Anjuman Committee, he said, “The committee is completely under Wahabis of Deobandi. We are connected to Mazars. That is not our committee. It is different. Wherever terrorists have been found, there are of Deobandi Wahabi. You will never find a terrorist who goes to Mazar. United Nations have given proof of how these committees are funded. It is being done via hawala and other methods. We cannot trust them.”

Neither OpIndia nor Zee Hindustan can independently confirm the allegations raised by Maulana Shafeeq.

The Gyanvapi dispute

The controversial Gyanvapi structure is located next to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple. Five woman petitioners are at the centre of the case involving the disputed Gyanvapi complex in the holy Hindu city of Kashi.

Several cases have been filed at the Supreme Court, Allahabad High Court, and local Varanasi Court over the mosque erected in the 17th century by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb after demolishing the holy Kashi Vishwanath Temple.

In the court-ordered video survey, several pieces of evidence were found pointing toward the structure being a temple before it was demolished by Aurangzeb. A Shivling was also found on the premises, after which the area was sealed off by the local court. The Supreme Court upheld the local court’s order to preserve the structure and transferred the case to the district court.

Another Hindu woman, a teacher shot dead by terrorists in Kashmir, a week after the murder of a woman TV artist

OpIndia Staff
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Another Hindu woman, a teacher shot dead by terrorists in Kashmir, a week after the murder of a woman TV artist

On May 31, the Kashmir Zone Police informed on Twitter about another targeted killing of a Hindu migrant teacher in Kulgam district’s Gopalpora area. The slain teacher identified as Rajni Bala, wife of Raj Kumaar of Samba district, was working at a High School in the Gopalpora area, outside which some Islamic terrorists shot at her today morning. This is the second such cowardly incident within a week and the third this month where a Hindu migrant has been targeted by Islamic terrorists in the valley.

Kashmir Zone Police informed that the woman teacher received critical gunshot injuries and was admitted to a hospital. Unfortunately, the teacher succumbed to her injuries.

The area has been cordoned off and the security forces are on the lookout for the terrorists involved in the dastardly incident. The Kashmir Police has assured that the terrorists will soon be identified and neutralised.

“#KulgamTerrorIncidentUpdate: Injured lady teacher, a #Hindu & resident of Samba (Jammu division) #succumbed to her injuries. #Terrorists involved in this #gruesome#terror crime will be soon identified & neutralised. @JmuKmrPolice,” wrote Kashmir Zone Police in its subsequent Tweet.

Further details are awaited. OpIndia would update the report as soon as there is some update.

Islamic terrorists kill TV artist Amreen Bhat outside her residence in Kashmir

The number of such cowardly targeted attacks by Islamic terrorists has recently increased in the valley. On May 25, OpIndia reported about the killing of a TV actress and singer named Amreen Bhat in the Budgaon district in Jammu and Kashmir. According to police sources, actor Amreen Bhat and her 10-year-old nephew Farhan were fired upon by terrorists outside their home at Kongoipora-Hushroo. Both of them were immediately rushed to the hospital, but Amreen succumbed to the injuries. The police informed that three terrorists of the banned terror group LeT were involved in this heinous terror incident.

On May 12, a Kashmiri Hindu youth, working for the revenue department, Rahul Bhat was killed by militants in Budgam district. Within 24-hours of the dastardly killing of the government employee, the security forces neutralized the three terrorists involved in the act.

The cold-blooded murder of Rahul Bhat has enraged the Kashmiri Hindus in the valley who on Friday hit the streets to protest the heinous murder. The protesters blocked the highway and staged protests against the killing of Rahul Bhat, who was killed in a targeted attack by Islamic terrorists.

Former Congress leader Hardik Patel to join BJP ahead of Gujarat elections

OpIndia Staff
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Former Congress leader Hardik Patel to join BJP ahead of Gujarat elections

In all likelihood, youth leader from Gujarat Hardik Patel is all set to join the Bhartiya Janta Party on June 2, 2022. As reported by news agency ANI, the leader has himself confirmed his entry into the BJP, ahead of the Gujarat assembly elections next year.

Amidst talks of Hardik Patel deflecting to the BJP ahead of Gujarat assembly polls, the leader has finally laid speculations to rest. This comes after he left the Congress earlier on May 18 citing the party has ‘lack of seriousness’ towards issues of national importance.

In his resignation letter to interim Congress President Sonia Gandhi, he expressed that the Congress party has restricted itself to opposition politics. He claimed that the country desired a solution in the form of such decisions, whether it be the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, the CAA-NRC, the removal of Article 370 from Kashmir, or the implementation of GST, but the Congress party has always objected to such matters.

On a similar note, he had praised the BJP in April while saying, “The BJP has a good, strong base. They have the capability of making decisions. The BJP is strong because they have leadership qualities and they take correct decisions.” However, he had denied the rumours of joining the BJP then.

Hardik Patel was touted as a challenge to Narendra Modi’s Vikas model in Gujarat, by spearheading the Patidar quota agitation as a core issue in the state elections of 2017. He formed the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) founder in 2017 at the bare age of 22 and later joined the Congress in 2019. A year later he was appointed President of the Gujarat Congress Working Committee.

He was convicted in a sedition case in 2015 Mehsana riot case. However, the Supreme Court has stayed its conviction.

However, Patel has now assessed the winds of change and is all set to join the BJP on June 2, in presence of senior party leaders.

Hyderabad: Nehru portrait absent from Salar Jung Museum’s exhibition on freedom struggle, Congress holds protest

OpIndia Staff
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Hyderabad: Nehru portrait absent from Salar Jung Museum’s exhibition on freedom struggle, Congress holds protest

The portrait of India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was reportedly removed from the Salar Jung Museum in Hyderabad city of Telangana during the exhibition conducted as per the Centre’s Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav initiative.

Instead, the wall of the museum was adorned with the portrait of freedom fighter Veer Savarkar and his other contemporaries such as MK Gandhi, Ashfaqulla Khan and Kanhu Murmu. As per reports, the name ‘Nehru’ was omitted from the independence timeline, including the hosting of the Indian tricolour by him on August 15, 1947.

Interestingly, it was India’s first Prime Minister who opened the Salar Jung Museum to the public on July 23, 1963. While speaking about the matter, a museum authority informed that the decision was taken to highlight the contribution of unsung heroes of the freedom movement.

“There is no specific reason for skipping Jawaharlal Nehru. We just wanted to highlight the unsung heroes of the freedom struggle rather than focusing on the widely known activists. Jawaharlal Nehru is far more famous than these personalities and they require more spotlight.,” the official added.

The decision by the Centre drew the ire of Telangana Congress party workers, who hit the streets in protest. They claimed that Veer Savarkar, who spent his prime years in Cellular Jail in Port Blair, had no contribution to the freedom movement.

The Congress workers had also sought an apology from the Modi government and the removal of the portrait of Veer Savarkar. On Friday (May 27), Congress leader Manickam Tagore alleged, “Sanghi’s always do ..write Lies as Truth .. hide true Heroes and place fake heroes.. now in Salar Jung Museum. We won’t keep silence before lies.”

“Hyderabad Youth Congress President Motha Rohit and his team protest in Salar Jung museum and Sanghi’s Sarkar for not placing the portrait of Pandit Nehru the first prime minister of the country and placing Savarkar’s photo who has written mercy letters to British. Well done,” he further added.

In a tweet on Sunday (May 29), the Telangana Congress claimed that the ‘backlash’ faced by the Centre had forced it to restore the portrait of India’s former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru at the Salar Jung Museum.

The development was also confirmed by Manickam Tagore. Congress leader V Hanumanth Rao also hinted at a ‘conspiracy’ by the Centre for replacing Nehru’s portrait on his death anniversary.

He said, “I would like to know what message you wanted to give to the next generations by altering the great history, especially the freedom movement. What was the reason behind organizing it on May 27- the exact day of the death anniversary of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. It was a great insult to the first Prime Minister of India and a well-knit conspiracy.”

What happens when a Muslim becomes an apostate and renounces Islam? This is what the Islamic scriptures say

OpIndia Staff
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What happens when a Muslim becomes an apostate and renounces Islam? This is what the Islamic scriptures say

Back in May 2022, a resident of Kerala named Askar Ali told the media that he was abducted by his relatives, hours before he was scheduled to hold a press conference about renouncing Islam.

Alleging harassment at their hands, Ali said, “I left Islam after I studied it in detail. When I was doing the [Hudawi] course, there was very little opportunity to read materials other than those related to Islam. During the lockdowns, I got to read other disciplines, which opened my eyes.”

He emphasized that those who leave the religion are seen as despicable creatures by their family members. Ali had braved attacks from a frenzied Muslim mob for committing the sin of apostasy. Unlike others, he had studied Islam for 12 years, only to abandon it later.

Apostate Askar Ali, image via The News Minute

Askar Ali is not the only ex-Muslim, who has been at the receiving end of harassment. Recently, another ‘apostate’ named Sahil was intimidated on live TV by an Islamic cleric. The Maulana repeatedly branded the man as a ‘Murtad’ and thereby exposed him to real-life threats from fellow Islamists.

“A Murtad (apostate) has no right to speak about Islam. Shut up, you cannot speak a word,” declared the cleric. He then targeted the news anchor for inviting apostates on the show, who speak ‘ill’ of the faith.

“This is a conspiracy against Islam. India Muslims will show you, your place,” the Maulana continued with his threats.

The intolerance displayed towards an apostate by a ‘practicing Muslim’ on live TV is not a one-off incident. Individuals, who renounce Islam, are often subjected to death threats by their co-religionists.

Understanding apostasy through Quran and the Hadiths

To understand whether such behaviour towards apostates is influenced by religious diktats, we need to take a closer look at the teachings of the Holy Book and the Hadiths.

Chapter 9 (At-Tawbah) Verse 66 of the Quran says:

“Make no excuses! You have lost faith after your belief. If we pardon a group of you (those who repent), we will punish others for their wickedness.”

Chapter 16 (An-Nahl) Verse 106 of the Quran says:

“Whoever disbelieves in Allah after their belief—not those who are forced while their hearts are firm in the faith, but those who embrace disbelief wholeheartedly—they will be condemned by Allah and suffer a tremendous punishment.“

Chapter 88 (An-Ghashiyah) Verses 22-24 of the Quran says:

“You are not ˹there˺ to compel them ˹to believe˺. But whoever turns away, persisting in disbelief, then Allah will inflict upon them the major punishment.“

Sahih al-Bukhari (one of the 6 major hadith collections) states in Volume 9, Book 84, Hadith 57:

Narrated `Ikrima: Some Zanadiqa (atheists) were brought to `Ali and he burnt them. The news of this event, reached Ibn `Abbas who said, “If I had been in his place, I would not have burnt them, as Allah’s Messenger forbade it, saying, ‘Do not punish anybody with Allah’s punishment (fire).’ I would have killed them according to the statement of Allah’s Messenger, ‘Whoever changed his Islamic religion, then kill him.'”

It further states in Volume 9, Book 84, Hadith 58:

A man embraced Islam and then reverted back to Judaism. Mu’adh bin Jabal came and saw the man with Abu Musa. Mu’adh asked, “What is wrong with this (man)?” Abu Musa replied, “He embraced Islam and then went back to Judaism.” Mu’adh said, “I will not sit down unless you kill him (as it is) the verdict of Allah and His Apostle.”

Opinion of Islamic scholars about ‘apostasy’

According to Pakistani Islamic theologian Dr Israr Ahmed (1932-2010), the punishment for apostasy in Islam is death. “Any Muslim who leaves his faith and exits from the Jammat i.e. becomes a Murtad, he must be punished with death.”

He pointed out that some Islamic scholars, under the influence of the West, had succumbed to notions such as Freedom to change one’s religion. He said that those scholars argue that apostates should only be killed if they conspire to overthrow the Islamic State.

Ahmed claimed that those scholars opine that merely deserting Islam does not amount to death. He claimed that such assertions were made by those scholars under pressure and that the act of renunciation of Islam automatically implied capital punishment.

Another Islamic scholar named Assim al Hakeem remarked, “Is killing others justifiable? This depends on where you are coming from. If you are a Muslim, then, you say yes – It is a prescribed punishment.” He went on to explain that leaving Islam after having accepted it is a cardinal sin.

Following closer scrutiny of the Quranic verses, along with the sayings of the Hadiths and the Islamic scholars, it becomes clear that leaving Islam is not an easy option for people born as Muslim. Besides the sanctions of ‘death for apostasy’, there can be societal consequences of such an act. And it is not limited to India alone.

According to Humanists UK, there are 13 countries in the world that award the death penalty either for blasphemy or apostasy. These countries include Afghanistan, Brunei, Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritania, Nigeria, Pakistan and Yemen.

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