A video has gone viral on social media where a Muzaffarnagar resident from Uttar Pradesh, Shahid Hussain, can be heard saying that a Muslim will never say ‘Har Har Mahadev’ as suggested by political activist Rakesh Tikait last week.

In an interview with a news channel News Views, Hussain said, “See, Musalman will never say ‘Har Har Mahadev’. This is not new unity drama. Since Mahatma Gandhi became active in politics, he propagated Hindu-Muslim unity and sang ‘Ishwar Allah tere naam, sabko sanmati de bhagwan’. Muslim never sang this song,” he said. “So much that the country got divided. Even then Muslim never sang it. Today Tikait is doing politics in name of farmer, he has all right to do it. But as far as it is about him chanting ‘Allahu Akbar’ and saying ‘Har Har Mahadev’, he can do whatever but a Muslim will never say Allahu Akbar,” he said.

He further said that in India, Hindu-Muslim unity is not possible, never was and never will be. “Because they are ideologically different. Wherever Islam went, there except for Islamic law, all other rules have failed. When you speak about Akhand Bharat, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh were part of this. Whichever part was cut off, from there Har Har Mahadev was also cut off and Allahu Akbar remained. Now when another part gets cut off, Allahu Akbar will remain and Har Har Mahadev will but cut off,” he said. It must be noted that government of India brought in the Citizenship Amendment Act in 2019 to fast-track Indian citizenship of the persecuted religious minorities in these three neighbouring Islamic countries.

2013 Muzaffarnagar riots

Speaking on 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots, Hussain said that the riots were not orchestrated by the BJP but the stage was set by Bharatiya Kisan Union’s Rakesh Tikait. He said that soon after Sachin and Gaurav were killed, Amir Alam and Rakesh Tikait were the first to reach there. Even subsequent announcements and rallies were also organised by Rakesh Tikait, he said.

“He is just playing all tricks in the book to win the elections. Last time he contested elections after orchestrating all this and could not get more than 5,000 votes. Yes, he has been successful in gathering people in name of farmers. Jat community is such that they gather on the name of ‘farmer cause’. They can gather crowds in name of fathers,” he said.

Muslims are latching on to farmers to escape from other cases

Hussain further said that the Muslims who had joined the farmer protests have different problems. “They have taken the refuge of Kisan Union to escape from police. Kisan Union leaders are available and BJP leaders are not easily reachable, so they (Muslims) are latching on to ‘farmer leaders’. They are doing it to escape from Police,” he said.

Muslims will never worship other gods

Shahid Hussain further said, “As per religions, everyone knows a Muslim will never chant slogans of other religions or visit worship place of people from different faith. They have never done and will never do either. Few politicians will do such drama about Hindu-Muslim unity.”

He scoffed at the ‘Ganga-Jamuna tehzeeb’ and said, “What Ganga-Jamuna tehzeeb? The one who spearheaded the partition of India, Liaquat Ali Khan was born in Muzaffarnagar. This is where the partition seeds were sown. Muzaffarnagar and Liaquat Ali Khan played an important role in creation of Pakistan. Everyone credits Jinnah Sa’ab, but it was Liaquat Ali Khan who played a major role in creation of Pakistan.”

He further added that ‘Hindu Muslim Bhai Bhai’ slogan is chanted by Hindus and not Muslims. “It is an imaginary, political slogan, not reality,” he said.

Will ‘farmer protests’ hurt the BJP?

“No, it is the Jats and Muslims who’ve come together in name of ‘farmer protests’. To say whether the crowd will convert into votes it is impossible,” he said.

Will Muslim chant ‘Har Har Mahadev?”

“No, why will he say? Why would he go take bath in Ganga when he does not need to? He will bathe in the Jamuna (Yamuna). Why will be bother about Ganga? He will use the resources of India but will have to respect it, where is it written? Hindus may be holding the Ganga holy, for Muslims it is not holy,” he said.

Political activist Rakesh Tikait last week, while addressing a Mahapanchayat in Muzaffarnagar chanted ‘Allahu Akbar’ slogan from the stage. In 2013, Tikait was booked for stoking communal disharmony with his allegedly inflammatory speeches which eventually led to 2013 Muzaffarnagar flare-up. According to the residents of Muzaffarnagar, Rakesh Tikait and his brother, Naresh, had both been “primary culprits” for the gruesome communal riots.

Who is Shahid Hussain

Shahid Hussain, a Muzaffarnagar resident and has been in news over the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots cases. In 2013 he had filed a writ petition in Supreme Court. In light of a sting operation on the same carried out by India Today back in 2013, Hussain had sought an independent inquiry into the Muzaffarnagar riots.

With Uttar Pradesh state assembly elections round the corner, the political landscape in India’s most populous state is just warming up.