ANNOUNCEMENT OF PROTEST AGAINST THE BBC
Hindu Human Rights Group (HHR) is deeply concerned by the anti-Hindu bias recently displayed by the entire British media and in particular by the Independent Newspaper and the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).
The Independent shamelessly declares that “The Myth of Ram’s Temple Gives A Licence to Kill” while the BBC holds a poll on its website to decide whether Hindus should be allowed to build a monument to Lord Ram. When referring to current events in India, the media has taken it upon itself to label Hindus as “fascist”, “ultra-nationalist” and “right-wing” building up an image of a primitive barbarian race.
However, here in Britain, it is these same followers of “the mythical Ram” who have the lowest crime rate, are the best academic achievers, have the lowest level of ethnic unemployment and are most integrated community. In fact, it is ironic that the very newspapers that incite hatred of Hindu culture and Hindu people actually rely on this same community to sell their papers.
In the West we are proud of the freedom of the press. However, it is important to recognise that with this freedom comes responsibilities, not freedom of abuse. In this context, it is worth noting that the Nazi media machine made anti-Semitism into a social norm. Let us learn the lessons of History.
And at the BBC Television Centre, Wood Lane, Shepherds Bush, London, W12 7RJ on Saturday 6th April 2002 at 12 pm. to 4 pm
Nearest tube station-White City-Central Line
Anish Sharma
We thank you for your support.
Letter To BBC Handed In
Dear BBC
It’s with great concern that HHR (Hindu Human Rights Group) writes this to the BBC. We are very concerned about the biased, one-sided and discriminatory stance taken by the BBC over the past few weeks with regards to the horrendous violence in the state of Gujarat in Western India. It appears that not only are Hindus portrayed as the evil force, and Muslims as the only victims, but that the roots of what caused the entire episode have been buried under generous helpings of anti-Hindu reporting. Please let yourselves be enlightened by our following comments.
The Hindu pilgrims to Ayodhya are routinely called militants. They were not Hindu militants, any more than Christians on Songs of Praise are Christian militants. Or perhaps the BBC considers even women and children devotees of Lord Rama to be militants? What is so militant about offering devotion in line with a thousands year old tradition? is being a Hindu automatically making one an extremist?
Even the historical events relating to the destruction of Babri Masjid have not been accurately provided. On that day in 1992 a structure was destroyed which was not even used for Islamic practices. However the site was used from time immemorial for Hindu practices, as attested to by European, Indian and other contemporary writers, as well as by scientific archaeological evidence.
The original temple was desecrated and demolished as part of the imperialist subjugation of India by the Mughals from Afghanistan and Uzbekistan by Babur in the 16th century. Imperialism and colonialism are ideologies, which are not the preserve of one nationality, race, or ethnic group. colonialism predated British in India by hundreds of years. The BBC conveniently ignores this fact just because it might demonstrate that Hindus are being deprived of their basic right of consciousness.
The most insulting example has to be the poll for the Lord Rama temple on the BBC news web site. What right has the BBC to legislate for 1 billion Hindus? Would they do a similar poll for Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem? Is the Hindu religion so debased that it has to be thrown to the dogs on the BBC internet news site? In this utterly insulting, childish and racist ploy, the BBC has denied even the mores of basic respect to one of the world’s most ancient surviving cultures. This is only in a long line of insults the BBC has aimed at Hindus.
Whenever one wants to mock ‘Asian’ culture, which in effect is Hindu culture, one finds willing participants in television dramas to show how Hindu youth have no respect for their beliefs, trashes the Hindu family, mocks ancient Hindu culture. No other community has ever had to bear such insults in this supposedly multicultural society. It is obvious that some cultures and ethnic groups are more equal than others in the cosmopolitan society. But the policy shows no signs of abating, even in the face of material which is not only widely available, but provides a more accurate picture of the social tensions in India. According to a recent BBC news report the accusation of human sacrifice being part of a ‘Hindu’ cult does not help this process, as again, the name of Hinduism is degraded like no other belief system. The society in the UK is based upon Judeo-Christian principles. So does that automatically make Fred and Rosemary West Christian cultists for their bizarre and horrific acts against humanity on their own children. By the BBC’s reduction of Hinduism and using the same logic, perhaps it does.
The campaign to restore a thousands year old religious site to Hindus is portrayed as the ugly side of Hinduism. What exactly is this ugly side Of Hinduism? Is the September 11th bombing the ugly side of Islam? Would the Independent make such a statement? Is the Wailing Wall the ugly side of Judaism? It seems that only Hinduism can be attacked without shame. Other religions are fine and can be excused in a mass of apologetics. As to the war with Pakistan, why is it ignored that Pakistan not only began the infiltration at Kargil, has funded terrorists to massacre idol-worshipping Hindus in Kashmir, but has initiated three wars with Pakistan in an attempt to grab territory.
At the same time genocide of Hindus in Pakistan and Bangladesh receives no attention. How many Hindus reside in Pakistan? Has this ever been investigated by the BBC? What of the gang rape of young girls in Bangladesh, the expulsion, mutilation, and slaughter only this year? It seems that Hindu deaths warrant no attention. Have you ever asked yourselves why surrounded by countries with a history of authoritarian and repressive regimes, only India has survived all the time since independence as a democracy? Do you realise that not only does India have more Muslims than Pakistan, but one of the greatest varieties of Islamic sects of any country in the world? Or that Muslims have the benefit of a separate personal law? Have you pondered why this has even spread to UK with Jews, Hindus and Sikhs attacked on college campuses by terrorists? Or when Hindus were targeted by certain ‘Asians’ in the riots in Bradford last year. In Pakistan and Bangladesh, the remaining Hindus are officially discriminated against, and oppressed at will. But this does not seem to fit well with the policy of targeting Hindus for venomous attack, the convenient punching bag to vent one’s frustrations.
If one defines attacks, verbal or physical against a particular community as being racist, then why is your paper making racist news stories against Hindus? Does Hindu opinion not count? What happened to objective reporting? Should Hindus be the laboratory mice to experiment with hate, in a style reminiscent of Dr Goebbels? HHR does not find the BBC’s reporting in line at all with human rights legislation from the EEC, or the respect which multi-culturalism is meant to accord to all. But Hindu contribution to
The UK is either ignored or relegated under the umbrella and artificial term ‘Asian’.
I trust the concerns raised will be taken seriously.
Yours sincerely
Hindu Human Rights (HHR)
Supported by,
Sri Aden Depala Mitramandal
National Hindu Students Forum
International Society for Krishna Consciousness
National Association of Patidar Samaj
Gujarati Language Group
Hindu Resource Centre
British Hindu Political Association
