Faith of Hindus abused by Islamic cleric who says Hindus rape the Devi that they worship
India 
9 October, 2024
Case Summary
A video of radical Islamic cleric Mohammed Sajid Rashidi surfaced on social media, where he made derogatory and offensive remarks about Hindus, accusing them of raping their deities (Devi). During a panel discussion on Times Now Navabharat on October 10th, Rashidi claimed that while Islam honours mothers by stating that paradise lies at their feet, Hindus allegedly disrespect their own deities in such a vile manner. His inflammatory comments immediately drew backlash, and journalist Himanshu Dixit confronted him, asking him to remain civil in the discussion. Despite this confrontation and the offensive nature of the remarks, no legal action has been taken against Rashidi as per the last update. His words were seen as a deliberate attempt to outrage the sentiments of the Hindu community. The video continued to circulate on social media, causing further outrage among viewers, who expressed frustration over the lack of legal intervention despite the cleric's openly offensive and inflammatory statements.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This incident is an example of hate speech stemming from deep hostility and disdain toward Hinduism. According to the details, this case has been placed under the category of 'Hate speech against Hindus' in the tracker. Under this, the sub-category selected is- Anti-Hindu slurs, mocking faith. Anti-Hindu slurs and the deliberate mocking of the Hindu faith owing to religious animosity involve the usage of derogatory terms, stereotypes, or offensive references to religious practices, symbols, or figures. One of the common anti-Hindu slurs used against Hindus is “cow-worshipper” and “cow piss drinker”. The intention of using this term is to demean and mock Hindus as a group and their religious beliefs since Hindus consider the cow holy. Additionally, some symbols and the slurs attached to them have a historical context that exacerbates the insult, hate, stereotyping, dehumanisation and oppression against Hindus. Cow worship has been used for centuries to denigrate Hindus, insult their faith and oppress Hindus specifically as a religious group. There has been overwhelming documentation about how cow slaughter has been used to persecute Hindus with cow meat being thrown in temples and places of worship. There has also been overwhelming documentation where cow meat (beef) has been force-fed to Hindus to either forcefully convert them to Islam or denigrate their faith. Apart from cow worship, the Swastika – which holds deep religious significance for the Hindus – has also been misinterpreted and distorted to use as a slur against Hindus. Similarly, the worship of the Shivling has been used by supremacist ideologies and religions to denigrate Hindus owing to religious animosity. Such slurs and denigration stem out of inherent animosity and hate towards Hindus and their faith, therefore, it is categorised as hate speech targeted at Hindus specifically owing to their religious identity. Mohammed Sajid Rashidi's derogatory remarks about Hindus, accusing them of committing vile acts against their own deities, is a blatant mockery of the Hindu faith and dehumanisation of Hindus. By making such offensive and baseless claims, he ridiculed the deep reverence Hindus hold for their deities, particularly the female goddesses (Devis), who symbolize divine femininity, strength, and purity in Hinduism. His statement sought to distort and demean the sacred practices of the religion, mocking a core aspect of Hindu devotion. This kind of rhetoric stems from an intrinsic animosity toward Hinduism, where the aim is not only to offend but also to undermine and vilify the belief system. Beyond the vilification of the faith, it also contributes in the dehumanisation of Hindus as a people painting them as a criminal tribe that violate their own revered Goddesses. The dehumanisation then legitimises violence against Hindus as people.
Case Status
Complaint not filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
