By: Animesh Roul
Of late, al-Qaeda’s Southern Asia branch has been proactive together with forceful inwards its movement against Republic of Republic of India together with its neighbors. H5N1 “code of conduct,” released past times the grouping inwards June 2017, signaled an expanded geographical range past times including Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan together with Myanmar into its supposed domain of influence together with operation, adding to its nub focus on India, Islamic Republic of Pakistan together with Bangladesh. Al-Qaeda inwards the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) has since sought to augment this with a serial of videos released at the halt of concluding twelvemonth that purport to pull anti-Muslim policies together with atrocities committed past times Hindu correct fly groups, every bit good every bit the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The films all employ the phrase “saffron terror,” an allusion to trigger-happy Hindu nationalism.
Propaganda Wave
In the twenty or together with thus pages of its code of conduct, AQIS broadly position out its hereafter strategy inwards the region, peculiarly its selection of targets together with their priorities. Besides the traditional American together with Israeli targets, AQIS singled out Republic of Republic of India every bit a priority target. The document claimed that Republic of Republic of India is promoting together with defending secular values inwards every sphere inwards the share together with specifically mentioned targeting Hindu political together with religious leaders who AQIS alleges accept been instrumental inwards anti-Muslim activities inwards the province together with beyond.
Within iv months of the document’s release, AQIS reiterated its jihadist movement against Hindus with its saffron terror videos, inwards which it gave to a greater extent than specifics on Indian targets (SITE, Nov 26, 2017). Three videos were released betwixt Dec twenty together with Dec 29. [1] The grouping released a farther video on Dec 29 entitled “How Do We Forget,” which focuses on Kashmir. It included footage from Kashmir together with of India’s Prime Minster together with BJP leader Narendra Modi. [2] On Jan 7, AQIS released about other audio-visual message entitled “The History of Islamic India,” targeting Indian Muslims together with depicting the “lost glory” of Islam. [3]
These releases accept a straight connective with the so-called code of behavior inwards every bit much every bit AQIS is attempting to prioritize targets inwards India. However, different the code of conduct, the messages seem random together with exercise non offering detailed guidance on achieving the group’s long-term goals either inwards Republic of Republic of India or inwards the South Asian region. Instead, they focus specifically on Indian Muslims together with supposed Hindu atrocities against them.
The saffron terror messages accept been published inwards different versions inwards Urdu, Bengali together with English linguistic communication past times different media arms of al-Qaeda, such every bit the hitherto unknown “1857 Media,” An-Nasr together with the official media arm As-Sahab. They accept been distributed through Telegram together with other online channels. By publishing together with distributing the messages inwards Urdu together with Bengali, AQIS has ostensibly attempted to achieve out to Muslims beyond India, inwards People's Republic of Bangladesh together with Pakistan.
‘Saffron Terror’
AQIS’ adoption of the term “saffron terror” is a nod to Indian media together with about political leaders sympathetic to Muslim causes. The coloring cloth saffron (literally bhagwa or kesaria inwards Hindi) is considered to survive a divine or godly coloring cloth inwards Hinduism together with has much religious significance. It is too used past times Hindu right-wing political together with religious groups, such every bit the BJP together with RSS (Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh), together with past times about other Hindu right-wing group, Abhinav Bharat, which has been defendant of anti-Muslim violence.
The AQIS video messages are clearly aimed at vitiating the communal atmosphere inwards Republic of Republic of India every bit they incorporate clips of supposed anti-Muslim violence together with purport to demo acts of Hindu extremism.
One of the saffron terror videos depicts footage of Muslims forced to praise Hindu gods together with denounce Islam. One instance given is of an Indian supreme court’s ruling against the growing of beards past times Muslim soldiers (The Hindu, Dec 15, 2016). The video is a blatant endeavor past times AQIS to evoke anger together with resentment from Muslims serving inwards the Indian armed forces.
The concluding video inwards the serial released on Dec 29 features to a greater extent than frequently than non abhor speeches from leaders of Hindu groups such every bit RSS together with Viswa Hindu Parishad (VHP). The video, simply over 6 minutes long, emphasizes Hindu nationalist fervor together with instances of abhor spoken language against Indian Muslims. It opens with Modi’s icon followed past times nationalist leaders who are to a greater extent than frequently than non known for anti-Muslim abhor speech, including Varun Gandhi together with Sakhshi Maharaj, both of whom are BJP lawmakers. It too depicts T Raja Singh of Shri Ram Yuva Sena (Telengana), Pravin Togadia of VHP together with Rajeshwar Singh, the leader of right-wing Hindu arrangement Dharam Jagaran Manch.
These groups together with others depicted inwards the cinema are shortly engaged inwards diverse pro-Hindu activities such every bit moo-cow protection, structure of the Ram Temple inwards Ayodhya together with scaremongering inside minority communities, including Christians together with Muslims. In fact, 1 of the statements past times a Hindu leader featured inwards the video calls for the consummate annihilation of Christianity together with Islam inwards India.
In the 2nd saffron terror video, AQIS used somewhat older footage (from mid-2016) inwards which self-proclaimed Gau Rakshaks (cow protectors) are shown torturing together with thrashing a Muslim homo inwards Rajasthan, India. India’s bulk Hindu community venerates cows every bit a divine animal. Over the concluding few years, in that place has been a noticeable spike inwards anti-Muslim violence inwards the cry of moo-cow protection, amongst efforts to forbid beef consumption. AQIS together with other extremist Islamist groups accept attempted to exploit this tendency (The Wire, June 28, 2017).
Although the stage “saffron terror” was coined past times the Indian media inwards the wake of the Gujarat Hindu-Muslim riots inwards 2002, it became a rallying yell against the BJP together with its affiliated groups (popularly known every bit Sangh Parivar) from almost 2010. Several legislators from the Congress Party used the phrase to refer to anti-Muslim violence perpetrated past times Hindu fringe groups (The Hindu, August 25, 2010; Hindustan Times, Jan 21, 2013). These groups are idea to survive behind a issue of anti-Muslim together with anti-Christian trigger-happy incidents, including the bombings of the Malegaon mosque, the India-Pakistan Samjhouta develop together with Ajmer’s famed Sufi Mosque.
AQIS’ focus on Hindu groups is longstanding. In the past, the jihadist group’s emir, Asim Umar (a.k.a. Sana ul Haq), who is of Indian source but based inwards Pakistan, plotted against Prime Minster Modi together with other senior BJP functionaries. The question of the detained AQIS militant Muhammad Asif revealed every bit much inwards Dec 2015 (Times of India, Dec 17, 2015).
In mutual with most of the Kashmir-centric Pakistani militant groups (such every bit Jaish-e-Muhammad together with Lashkar-e-Taiba), AQIS frequently names Modi every bit its prime number target, citing his Hindu right-wing credentials, every bit good every bit the 2002 communal riots, which happened on his sentinel every bit Gujarat’s original minister. The pogroms followed an onrush on the Sabarmati Express develop on Feb 27, 2002. (Hindustan Times, Oct 9, 2017). Part of the develop was assault hand the axe past times a Muslim mob at Godhra station, killing nearly sixty people, most of them Hindu pilgrims.
Islamic militant groups endeavor to portray subversive activities against the BJP together with other Hindu-centric groups such every bit the RSS or VHP every bit retribution for acts against India’s Muslim community, including the demolition of the Babri mosque inwards 1992 or past times violence past times Hindu vigilantes.
In May 2015, Umar referenced Modi inwards a propaganda video entitled “From French Republic to Bangladesh: The Dust Will Never Settle Down” (released past times al-Sabab media) that portrayed the prime number government minister every bit an enemy of Islam. Again inwards July 2016, Umar released a contention that included a reference to a ban on the consumption of beef, together with criticized the imposition of nationalistic values together with chants such every bit the Vande Mataram (Praise to the Motherland- India) or Bharat Mata ki Jai (Glory to Mother India).
This steady liberate of video propaganda taking aim at India’s bulk Hindu population is aimed at creating a communal rift together with enticing Indian together with neighboring Bangladeshi (Bengali-speaking) Muslims to bring together al-Qaeda’s jihad.
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