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Swad Official’s Gaurav Wasan refutes allegations of fraud levelled by YouTuber Lakshay Chaudhary, says he has given all the donations to ‘Baba Ka Dhaba’

OpIndia Staff
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Swad Official’s Gaurav Wasan refutes allegations of fraud levelled by YouTuber Lakshay Chaudhary, says he has given all the donations to ‘Baba Ka Dhaba’

Two days after YouTuber Lakshay Chaudhary and many others levelled serious allegations of fraud and embezzlement of funds against him, Swad Official’s Gaurav Wasan, whose video of the octogenarian owner of ‘Baba ka Dhaba’ had gone viral on the internet, has uploaded a video, presenting his side of the story and rubbishing the allegations as baseless and motivated.

Gaurav Wasan responds to allegations levelled by YouTuber Lakshay Chaudhary

In the video, Wasan emphasised that he was stirred by the plight of Kanta Prasad and his wife, after which he decided to create a video and appeal to his viewers to support the duo’s local eatery in Delhi’s Malviya Nagar. The video went instantly viral with a torrent of support pouring in from the people, including celebrities who shared the video and urged people to help ‘Baba Ka Dhaba’.

Scores of Delhites then flocked to ‘Dhaba ka Dhaba’ and from once being a moribund eatery, it transformed into a bustling local food joint, having serpentine queues of people waiting to order their choice of food. Help also came online, with many people making generous contributions to the bank accounts shared by Gaurav.

Gaurav shows details of his bank passbook to declare his innocence

Wasan shows his ICICI bank’s passbook details in the video, though the particulars were grainy and illegible. While scrolling through his passbook, Wasan said that he had uploaded the video on October 7 and on the same day he started receiving monetary donations from the people. He contends that his books are clean and that he is soon going to release his bank statement.

Gaurav further mentions that on October 8, Kanta Prasad started sharing his bank accounts with others. The support he received from his well-wishers was so overwhelming that within a day, he received donations into the tunes of lakhs and therefore his account was seized.

“On October 8, people started making donations to Baba (Kanta Prasad)’s account directly. Within hours, he was receiving not in thousands but in lakhs. The bank therefore seized his account because of such huge donations,” Gaurav said.

Money collected through online campaign given to Baba: Gaurav Wasan

Gaurav adds that he has so far collected Rs 3.35 lakhs through the campaign, and this amount was provided to Baba in the form of a bank cheque. However, he acknowledged that he was late in transferring the amount to Baba.

To defend his tardiness, Gaurav also added an old clip where he is seen requesting people to stop donating to ‘Baba ka Dhaba’ since they have achieved their target. The clip features Kanta Prasad who is seen humbly asking people to support others in need.

Regarding the allegations of online scamming levelled against him, Gaurav said that the accusations against are motivated and done with the express purpose to pull him down. However, he added that food vlogging is his passion and he would remain resilient against such attempts made to slander him and spread negativity about him.

“Against the wishes of the donors who did not want their details be made public, I will release my bank statement tomorrow. I have nothing to hide. I am thankful to those who have come out and supported our initiatives and I would request others to stop spreading negativity,” Gaurav said.

Wasan also embedded a small video of Kanta Prasad admitting to him that the money pooled is safe with the food vlogger and that whenever he would feel the need for money, he will ask Gaurav to transfer the amount to his account.

Towards the end, he shared transactions of amounts he had received during the online campaign. Curiously, the transaction IDs of all the three transaction details he had shared bore the same number.

Several netizens pointed this out, given that transaction ID is a unique alpha-numeric string, separate for each transaction. With the transaction IDs being same, many social media users have alleged that something is amiss.

YouTuber Lakshay Chaudhary makes explosive allegations of fraud against Gaurav Wasan

On Monday this week, video was released by a YouTuber called Lakshay Chaudhary in which he raised awareness about online scamming done by individuals who run online donation campaigns by uploading emotional videos. In his video, Chaudhary had alleged that Gaurav Wasan of ‘Swad Official’ sought donations from people on the pretext of helping ‘Baba ka Dhaba’ owners. But the money was not shared with him.

In his interview with Chaudhary, the 80-year-old ‘Baba ka Dhaba’ owner Kanta Prasad admitted that he had so far not received a single dime from the donations sought by Gaurav for ‘Baba ka Dhaba’.

Chaudhary alleged in his video that Gaurav Wasan, who ran an online campaign seeking monetary assistance for ‘Baba ka Dhaba’ did not transfer the collected amount to Kanta Prasad. He further added that Gaurav had asked people on his YouTube channel to contact him for helping Kanta Prasad and shared his personal bank accounts for donations, instead of providing Kanta Prasad’s bank details for people to contribute.

Munger Police deactivates its Twitter account amidst claims of SP Lipi Singh being suspended over Durga Puja violence

OpIndia Staff
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Munger Police deactivates its Twitter account amidst claims of SP Lipi Singh being suspended over Durga Puja violence

The official Twitter account of Munger Police stands deactivated after the police found itself in a centre of a furore over the brutality unleashed by its personnel on the devotees who participated in the Durga Puja immersion ceremony in the town.

Munger Police Twitter account deactivated

Here’s the snapshot of the archived version of Munger Police’s Twitter account which is now deactivated:-

Snapshot of archived version of Munger Police’s Twitter account

While the Twitter account that was created in April 2020 was not verified, it regularly posted updates and tweets regarding Munger Police.

Police open fire at Durga Visarjan procession in Munger

Several videos of the incident had gone viral on the internet in which police officials of Munger Police were seen mercilessly charging the devotees with batons. An 18-year-old man was killed and several others were injured in the ensuing violence.

The violence, as per reports, broke out after Kotwali police asked Hindus not to delay the idol immersion procession of Shadipur Badi Durga. Traditionally, the idols are immersed after three days of Vijayadashami but this time, in view of the first phase of Assembly polls in the state on Wednesday, the administration had insisted on the immersion by 5 am on Tuesday.

Durga puja organizers, as instructed, had taken out the procession allegedly with DJs close to midnight as they headed for the immersion. The situation turned ugly around 11.50 pm when police officials used brutal force on Hindus going for Durga Puja Visarjan.

SP Munger Lipi Singh draws flak for brazening out police heavy-handedness on devotees in Durga procession

As violence gripped the town of Munger in Bihar during the Durga Puja immersion ceremony and led to the death of one participant, SP Munger Lipi Singh defended the police brutalities on the devotees, claiming that the stone-pelting from devotees provoked the ensuing violence. She also asserted that 20 policemen were injured by stone-pelting from the crowd.

Singh further added that one of the members of the crowd opened fire which led to the death of the 18-year-old devotee.

However, the videos of the incident that are being shared on various social media platforms do not jibe with the assertions made by SP Munger. On the contrary, they demonstrate that Singh’s claim about devotees indulging in violence and stone-pelting is a far cry from reality.

In several videos of the incident, devotees can be seen rushing to protect their Goddess as police personnel rain batons on the peaceful devotees, presumably to protect her from the police assault.

After the backlash, there are unverified claims of SP Lipi Singh being suspended from services. However, there is no confirmation on that regard yet. We shall update the report once we get an update.


NIA raids offices of Greater Kashmir and ‘activist’ associated with NGO that called Amarnath Yatra ‘militarised pilgrimage’

OpIndia Staff
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NIA raids offices of Greater Kashmir and ‘activist’ associated with NGO that called Amarnath Yatra ‘militarised pilgrimage’

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday carried out raids at multiple locations in Srinagar, including the office of Kashmir-based newspaper – ‘Greater Kashmir’. The NIA also raided the residence of ‘activist’ Khurram Parvez associated with J&K Coalition of Civil Society, his associates Parvez Ahmad Bukhari, Parvez Ahmad Matta, and Swati Sheshadri; Parveena Ahanger, Chairperson of Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons, NGO Athrout, and the Greater Kailash Trust.

According to the reports, a team of NIA, assisted with CRPF personnel, paramilitary forces and the JK police raided 10 locations in Srinagar city in connection with the terror-funding case.

The NIA also carried out raids at the offices of another dubious NGO called ‘Athrout’, a houseboat named ‘HB Hilton’ in the Dal Lake and on the residence of ‘activist’ Khurram Parvez. The NIA has registered a case to investigation into the allegations of fund-raising activities of the NGO, who are accused of using Hawala racket to fund terror in the Kashmir valley.

“This case was registered by NIA on 8/10/2020 u/s 120B, 124 A IPC and sections 17, 18, 22A, 22C, 38, 39 and 40 UA(P)A, 1967 on receipt of credible information that certain NGOs and Trusts are collecting funds domestically and abroad through so-called donations and business contributions etc. and are then utilizing these funds for secessionist and terrorist activities in J&K,” the agency said.

The NIA has also raided a location in Bengaluru in this connection. Several incriminating documents and electronic devices have been seized, the agency said.

Khuram Parvez called Amarnath Yatra ‘militarized pilgrimage’

One of the persons who has been raided by NIA on Wednesday is Khurram Parvez. Parvez is the founder of the Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS), which has a history of propagating anti-India narrative in Jammu and Kashmir. The website describes the organization as “a federation of human rights organisations and individuals working in Indian administered Jammu and Kashmir.”

Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS), in collaboration with Bangalore based Equitable Tourism Options (Equations), had published a controversial report in 2017, titled “Amarnath Yatra: A Militarized Pilgrimage”. In the report, Parvez and other writers had attempted to further the narrative that the Amarnath Yatra is not religiously significant.

According to the writers, the Amarnath Yatra is not a religious event, rather was a manifestation of Hindutva nationalist movement. The report makes the insinuation that the Amarnath Yatra is not a religious but a political Yatra which the state supports to assert its domination on Kashmir.

The report had stated, “In the initial 140 years or so of the Yatra’s existence it seems to have stabilised and became a matter of routine, with not too much of an impact on the people of Kashmir. In 1985, with the resurgence of the Hindu right-wing and the Ram Janmabhoomi campaign, several shrines attracted the attention of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and especially, one of its subsidiary organisations, the Bajrang Dal, which were used to revive a fundamentalist form of Hinduism.”

Further, JKCCS is affiliated to Coordination of Democratic Rights Organizations (CDRO), an organization we have reported on extensively in one of our research articles on anti-India organisations operating in the country.

The CDRO has People’s Union for Democratic Rights (PUDR), Civil Liberties Committee, Andhra Pradesh (APCLC) and Committee for Protection of Democratic Rights (CPDR) as its constituent organizations and has links with PUCL through its fraternal organization, PUDR and Committee for Release of Political Prisoners (CRPP). These organizations have a history of its members being arrested for various activities related to Naxalites as having mentioned in our report.

It is also pertinent to mention that a resolution was adopted on the 20th of April, 2013 at a public meeting organized by the JKCCS which recognized, “the people and territory of Jammu and Kashmir to be under occupation of the Indian State in denial of the peoples’ legitimate right of self-determination”.

Additionally, in 2016, Khurram Parvez was arrested from his home in Srinagar for being a “threat to peace in the Kashmir Valley”. He was later released after he was detained for 76 days.

Tamil Nadu: UPA ally VCK MP Thol Thirumavalavan says upper-caste women go behind men of other castes as ‘their’ men do not have any ‘stuff’

OpIndia Staff
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Tamil Nadu: UPA ally VCK MP Thol Thirumavalavan says upper-caste women go behind men of other castes as ‘their’ men do not have any ‘stuff’

Days after one of his hate speech videos went viral on the internet, another controversial video of Chidambaram MP Thol Thirumavalavan is making rounds on the internet in which he was seen making vulgar comments yet again on women belonging to non-Dalit communities, reports CommuneMag.

An old video of the founder of the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) and Member of Parliament Thol Thirumavalavan has resurfaced again on social media platforms in which he was seen degrading women belonging to other caste communities saying that these women go behind men of other castes as ‘their’ men do not have any ‘stuff’.

In a video, Thol Thirumavalavan can reportedly heard saying that ‘their’ women go behind ‘our’ men because ‘their’ men do have have any ‘stuff’.

It is pertinent to note that Thol Thirumavalavan belongs to a Dalit community and is notoriously known for making several vile comments against members of other communities.

Thol Thirumavalavan in the video says, “For these people, what has been taught as honour is only ‘women matter’’… They are jealous that their women are not ‘looking’ at them… Those guys are fair, have a moustache, wear ironed clothes, wear shoes worth thousands of rupees, spray scent worth thousands of rupees… In spite of all this, they [referring to women of those castes] are not looking at them… But if she is looking at a man belonging to a poor household, born to oppressed class people like Chakliyan, Pallan, Paraiyan, then understand what your [referring to men of those castes] worth is”

“Women from your community show what you are worth… Despite having everything, there is no use in you. There is no stuff in you. Even if he is poor, he has stuff and strength (sarakku midukku)… That is why I go behind him… If you have an iota of honour, hang yourself to death is what their women say,” Thol. Thirumavalavan makes vile comments in that objectionable speech.

He further adds “Their men… They don’t care even if their women have slept with our men for 10 months. They will say, ‘It is okay… I will wash it off…You come and live with me…’ This is the disgusting politics these disgraceful beings do.”

Parents should severe ties if women from family runs away with men of other communities, says controversial MP

Continuing to spew venom against other communities, the Member of Parliament from Chidambaram says that when women of his village or family run-away with another man, the parents would try to persuade the girl to come with them. However, if the girl stands her ground the parents would just go take a dip in the river and severe ties with the girl.

The speech by Thirumavalavan was made as a response to Paatali Makkal Katchi’s accusation that VCK and its men were luring the young girls in their community into marriage.

BJP leader H Raja also shared the anti-Hindu, misogynistic speech of Thol Thirumavalavan and said that women in Tamil Nadu cannot live with dignity without completely removing the DMK-VCK alliance from the political arena.

Thol Thirumavalavan hate speech against Hindus

Earlier this week, Thol Thirumavalavan, the Member of Parliament from Chidambaram constituency of Tamil Nadu, sparked a massive controversy by making hate speech against Hindus by saying that Hindu religious scriptures treated women as ‘sex workers’.

Thol Thirumavalavan, the founder of the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), who won 2019 Lok Sabha elections under a UPA-DMK alliance ticket from Chidambaram constituency, recently spoke in an online seminar organised by a Periyarist group. In his speech, the controversial anti-Hindu ‘activist’-cum-politician said that all Hindu women are ‘prostitutes’ according to Sanatana dharma.

The Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) chief Thol Thirumavalavan spoke about Periyar and hailed him for ‘helping’ break the Brahmanical ideologies that were taught by Hindu scriptures.

Thol Thirumavalavan has a history of indulging in such anti-Hindu rants. Last year in November, Thol Thirumavalavan had made offensive statements against Hindu temples triggering a massive uproar across social media.

Kerala Gold Scam: Former Secretary to Kerala CM denied anticipatory bail by Kerala High Court, taken into custody by the ED

OpIndia Staff
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Kerala Gold Scam: Former Secretary to Kerala CM denied anticipatory bail by Kerala High Court, taken into custody by the ED

The anticipatory bail plea of M Sivasankar, the suspended IAS officer and former secretary to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, was rejected by the Kerala High Court today in relation to the Kerala gold scam. Sivasankar was detained by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) after his plea was rejected. His bail plea was opposed by the Customs and the ED on the allegation that he was aware of smuggling by accused Swapna Suresh.

According to reports, Sivasankar has denied his involvement in the case and said that he had merely introduced Swapna Suresh to his CA for opening an account and that had no other idea about it. However, the agencies claimed that his WhatsApp chats with his CA show otherwise.

Prime Accused Swapna Suresh’s Statements to the ED

Swapna Suresh who is the prime accused in the Kerala gold scam had told the ED that CM Vijayan had unofficially recommended the name of M Sivasankar as the Kerala government’s point of contact with the UAE’s consulate. She also revealed to the ED that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had held multiple meetings with the Consul General of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2017. She further revealed that private meetings were held between CM Vijayan and the UAE diplomats at the CM’s official residence in Thiruvananthapuram.

Accused Rabins Hameed arrested by the NIA

On Monday, the National Investigation Agency extradited Rabins Hameed, one of the key accused in the Kerala gold scam, from Dubai to India and arrested him. Hameed is accused of arranging funds for purchasing gold from Dubai to be smuggled into India.

Kerala Gold Scam

The gold scam was exposed on July 5, 2020 after the Customs Department seized 30 kg of gold from a diplomatic consignment addressed to the UAE consulate. The department had arrested P Sarith Kumar, a former public relations officer of the consulate who had come to receive the luggage. Later on, Swapna Suresh and another accused Sandip Nair were arrested in their hideout in Bengaluru. The names of top officials of the Chief Minister’s Office have come under scrutiny in the scam.

Chhattisgarh: Police lathi-charge on Durga puja procession in Bilaspur for playing music, seize vehicles carrying idols for immersion

Anand Walunjkar
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Chhattisgarh: Police lathi-charge on Durga puja procession in Bilaspur for playing music, seize vehicles carrying idols for immersion

While the shocking images of the shameful incident in Munger has haunted the minds of the public, a similar incident occurred in Bilaspur of Chhattisgarh, where police performed a lathi charge on the devotees carrying procession during Durga immersion, reportedly injuring some.

According to local reports, the incident occurred at 10:30 pm on Tuesday near the city Kotwali thana. About 10 processions were on the way to immersion, dancing to the tunes of music paying on music systems on vehicles. But when one of the Durgotsav Samiti group from Telipara area reached near the police station on the way, the police confiscated the DJ vehicle saying that the allowed time to play music has expired. Not just that, the police also stopped the vehicle carrying the Durga idol from further carrying the procession.

When members of the Durgotsav Samiti group pleaded the police to release the vehicle, they were refused. The arguments led to a clash and by the orders of TI Kaleem Khan, the police used lathi-charge to disperse the crowd. This led to chaos among other Durga processions as well and people ran to save their lives.

Locals on twitter were quick to make the comparison of the Bilaspur incident to the one that happened in Munger, Bihar where the police performed lathi charge on the people during Durga immersion procession.

Locals on Twitter were quick to make the comparison of the Bilaspur incident to the one that happened in Munger, Bihar where the police performed lathi charge on the people during Durga immersion procession.

Ironically, this year there were far less processions due to covid-19, but it was reportedly the first time that the processions with DJ vehicles were stopped after 10:30 and the police had to retort to lathi charge to enforce law and order. It is also alleged that a head constable beat one of the members of the procession which also angered people.

The SP Umesh Kashyap urged that there shall be FIR on those who entered the police premises. According to the TI Kaleem Khan, the crowd had entered the police premises and they merely dispersed the crowds and there was no lathi charge. But people who posted the videos on social media claim otherwise.

While the Munger incident has raised a pertinent question of allowing to celebrate one’s rituals and customs as guaranteed by the fundamental rights in Constitution, the Bilaspur incident has eradicated the myth that Munger was one of its kind. Questions about high handedness of police and overall police reforms have also started to gain voice.

Alwar: Dalit person says he was forced and lured to convert to Islam, forced to attend Jamaat

OpIndia Staff
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Alwar: Dalit person says he was forced and lured to convert to Islam, forced to attend Jamaat

A case of forced conversion has come to light in Baroda, Meo area in Alwar in Rajasthan. As per the reports, Mein Chand, a Dalit, was converted to Islam and named Mohammad Inas in Ferozpur, Jhirka area, Haryana. He was also given a place to live in Haryana by those who lured him to convert. Chand has alleged that he was forced to attend Jamaat in Jammu and Kashmir.

Chand, a victim of forced conversion, said that people from Ibrahimbas often visited his village. He was forcefully taken to Ibrahimbas, where he was circumcised and converted to Islam. He further added that the accused told him Dalits do not have respect in Hinduism, but in Islam, everyone is equal, and he will get the desired respect in Islam. He was given a new identity and address after conversion. He also alleged that his wife was also converted to Islam.

Times Now quoted an official who said Inas filed a complaint in the court that he was forcefully converted to Islam and wants to reconverted to Hinduism. An order has been issued to file a case against the accused and initiate an investigation.

Conversion cases are on the rise

In recent times, several cases have emerged in the country where people were lured to convert into Islam. Many Love Jihad cases have come to light across the country. In August, a nexus was busted by UP Police, where several Love Jihad cases were reported from a single colony in Kanpur. On 27th October, Nikita Tomar, a student from Faridabad, was shot dead by Taufeeq for refusing to convert and marry.

BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai’s widow writes to Priyanka Gandhi urging her to stop shielding Mukhtar Ansari, accused of killing her husband

OpIndia Staff
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BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai’s widow writes to Priyanka Gandhi urging her to stop shielding Mukhtar Ansari, accused of killing her husband

BJP MLA Alka Rai, the wife of deceased BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai, has written a poignant letter to Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi, asking her to stop helping BSP MLA Mukhtar Ansari, who is accused of killing her husband.

Ansari was accused of shooting and killing Krishnanand Rai in 2005, but was subsequently absolved by the court owing to the lack of evidence. He is currently lodged in the Mohali jail in Punjab.

In her letter, Alka has accused the Congress party of protecting her husband’s alleged murderer. She has alleged that despite summons being issued by the UP courts to Mukhtar Ansari, the Congress regime in Punjab refuses to transfer him to Uttar Pradesh.

Alka RAi’s letter to Priyanka Gandhi

“It is utterly disgraceful that your political party and its leadership is unabashedly supporting a hardened criminal such as Mukhtar Ansari. It is unbelievable that all this is happening without your or Rahulji’s knowledge. Mukhtar Ansari, professional criminal, has orphaned many children has wreaked havoc on many families,” she said in the letter.

She further wrote that many like her were perpetually waiting to bring Mukhtar Ansari to the book and asked the Congress leader to show sensitivity towards the sufferings of the victims.

“I am waiting for your response. I believe if your conscience has even a modicum of compassion, you will not only reply to my letter but also extend your help in getting Mukhtar Ansari punished,” Rai said.

Alka Rai is a BJP MLA from Mohammadabad in Ghazipur, the seat that her deceased husband previously held.

Gruesome murder of BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai

On the fateful day of 29 November 2005, which the residents of Ghazipur still refer to as ‘Black Day’, the then BJP MLA from Muhammadabad, Krishnanand Rai was murdered while he was attending a wedding in his native village. The killing was one of the most sensational murders in the history of Uttar Pradesh.

A volley of bullets fired at Rai, along with six others in Ghazipur, led to their death. The assassination was carried out by a group of assailants armed with AK-47 assault rifles. The police had recovered more than 400 bullet shells from the spot while 21 bullets were recovered from Rai’s body alone.

Mukhtar Ansari and his brother Afzal Ansari were named as the primary conspirators in the FIR filed in the case. The police investigation also revealed the involvement of gangster Prem Prakash Singh alias Munna Bajrangi, a close associate of the Ansari brothers.

Chinese state-run channel shows the portrait of Prophet Muhammad, netizens ask if Muslim nations will boycott China

OpIndia Staff
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Chinese state-run channel shows the portrait of Prophet Muhammad, netizens ask if Muslim nations will boycott China

Amidst the widespread controversy that has erupted over the depiction of caricatures of Prophet Muhammad in France, a video of a TV series telecast on a Chinese state-run TV channel China Central Television (CCTV) has gone viral on the internet.

Arslan Hidayat, an Uyghur Rights Activist, took to Twitter share a video of a Chinese TV series that depicts a scene of an Arab ambassador visiting China during the rule of Tang dynasty. The Arab ambassador can be seen gifting a portrait of the Prophet Muhammad to the Chinese emperor.

(Disclaimer: Anyone whose religious sensitivities stop them from imagining Prophet Muhammad’s face should not play the video)

In the video that has gone viral on the internet, one can see an image that is po Prophet Muhammad displayed in the Chinese TV series – Carol of Zhenguan.

According to Hidayat, the ambassador portrayed in the show says, “This is the portrait of the God of our country, Muhammad.”

The depiction of Prophet in the Chinese show has now opened up a debate questioning the Muslim world whether they will condemn China just as they outraged against France for the depiction of Prophet Muhammad’s caricature following the beheading of the French teacher.

The outrage against France also came after the solidarity movement that took place in France in support of French teacher Samuel Patty, who was beheaded for showing Charlie Hebdo cartoons to his students that picturised Prophet Muhammad.

At the time of this report, neither the Chinese authorities nor the makers of China Central Television (CCTV) series have denied or refuted the claims on the depiction of Prophet Muhammad in their TV series. This suggests that the Chinese authorities seem to have no problems portraying Prophet Muhammad on their TV shows. In fact, Prophet Muhammad’s paintings in old times is not completely unheard of. However, over the years it became blasphemous to have his image depicted.

Does depiction of Muhammad always been forbidden in Islam?

The video shared by Hidayat has now opened up a can of worms by igniting a series of debate on whether the depiction of Prophet Muhammad in the past was really blasphemous. With this particular Chinese TV scene becoming viral on the internet, various social media users are now pointing out that depiction of portraits of Prophet Muhammad was not forbidden in the past.

According to Prof Mona Siddiqui from Edinburgh University, there is no ruling in the Quran explicitly forbidding the depiction of the Prophet. Instead, the idea arose from the Hadiths – stories about the life and sayings of Muhammad gathered in the years after his death.

Siddiqui also points out that there are depictions of Muhammad, drawn by Muslim artists dating back to Mongol and Ottoman empires. In some of these paintings, Muhammad’s facial features are hidden, however, it is clear it is him. She added that the images were inspired by devotion, “The majority of people drew these pictures out of love and veneration, not intending idolatry.”

Experts believe that the images of Prophet Muhammad became a symbol of luxury items, which were intended only to be viewed privately, to avoid idolatry.

Muslim world boycotts France for depiction of Prophet

Following the terror attack on French teacher in Paris last week and the subsequent actions of the French residents to publicly display ‘blasphemous’ Charlie Hebdo cartoons, French President had reacted strongly against the Islamic terror attack and had also vowed that France would stick to its secular traditions and laws guaranteeing freedom of speech.

Days after the barbaric beheading of teacher Samuel Paty on the streets of Paris by a terrorist for showing the cartoons of Prophet Muhammad to his students, support poured in for the deceased teacher across the French communities who took to streets to condemn the killing of Samuel Paty. 

The locals had projected huge images of Charlie Hebdo cartoons and the images of Samuel Paty on a local government building as a symbolic tribute to the deceased teacher.

Following the solidarity movement, many Islamic countries infuriated against the actions of French President Macron and the public had launched a campaign asking to boycott France. Turkey and Pakistan had taken the lead to denounce the French President and asked the Muslim world to isolate France and also demanded a boycott of products from France.

Will China be boycotted for picturisation of Prophet on TV series?

With Chinese TV series openly depicting Prophet Muhammad on TV series, netizens took to social media to wonder whether Muslim world will take a similar call to ban products from China and denounce Chinese President Xi Jinping. This when Chinese government’s treatment to and persecution of Uyghur Muslims has usually led to a silence from quite a few Muslim countries like Pakistan.

Since Pakistan has already called for boycott of French products, one has to wait and watch what choice would Pakistan make – a fight against China to save ‘Islam’ or ignore Chinese ‘blasphemous’ actions.

French nationalist leader Marine Le Pen thanks India for support as Pakistan and Turkey lead anti-France sentiments

OpIndia Staff
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French nationalist leader Marine Le Pen thanks India for support as Pakistan and Turkey lead anti-France sentiments

French Nationalist leader Marine Le Pen has thanked India in her tweet for showing support against anti-French sentiments. In recent days, several Islamic countries, including Pakistan and Turkey, have been attacking France over alleged Islamophobia. After the shocking beheading of a teacher for showing Prophet Muhammad’s cartoon in his class, several Islamic leaders have tried to whitewash the heinous crime saying Muslims cannot tolerate anything against their Prophet.

“Merci à l’Inde” – Marine Le Pen wrote on Twitter

Pen, a nationalist leader from France, in a tweet on 26th October 2020 said, “Thanks to India and to its government who have just given their support to France facing intimidation to give up its values.” She shared a link to a report on how Indians came in support of France in response to the calls to boycott French products. While one section was trending #BoycottFrenchProducts on Twitter, Indians hammered out their support and trended #IStandWithFrance as a response. In a recent statement, she also praised Macron for recalling French Ambassador from Turkey. She said, “The recall (of the French Ambassador from Turkey) is a significant act. We cannot say that it is a strong response either because a whole many questions arise of what we do with Turkey.

Who is Marine Le Pen?

Marine Le Pen is a far-right nationalist leader from France currently serving as President of the National Rally political party. She is known for her anti-immigration beliefs. Though she favored a return to the French franc currency and wanted to initiate a referendum on staying in France, later in 2019, she reportedly said she no longer wants France to leave European Union and Euro currency. As compared to his father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, she is considered to be moderate.

She has opposed EU membership of Turkey and called it against the wishes of the people of Europe. In recent times she has also called for a complete ban on headscarf in France. In her statement, she said that a war had been waged against France, and they should respond. She further added that it is not a war against any state but the ideology.

Other French politicians thank Indians too

Other French politicians and political activists joined in thanking Indian for supporting France.

The beheading of Samuel Paty and calls to Boycott France

Earlier this month, French President Emmanuel Macron said that Islam is in crisis all over the world. He also suggested to close down places of worship that are suspected of radicalisation. Just two weeks after his statement, a school teach Samuel Paty was beheaded by a radical Islamist for showing Prophet Muhammad’s cartoon in his class. Macron condemned the heinous crime strongly after which Islamic nations started boycotting French products and held protest rallies against France. Muslims are trending hashtags like #BoycottFrenchProducts and #TwitterSuspendMacron on Twitter and spreading same hatred towards France on other social media platforms. Some so-called celebrities like Waqar Zaka also tried to guilt trip Muslim celebrities as they are not boycotting France on their social media handles.

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