Ayodhya's Ram Mandir image posted with Pakistani flag and 'Babri Masjid' written on it by Muslim man
Gadag, Karnataka, India 
21 January, 2024
Case Summary
The Gadag Police in Karnataka arrested a miscreant identified as Tajuddin Dafedar for creating and posting a morphed picture of Ayodhya’s Ram Mandir on social media. The morphed picture was posted on Facebook in which the accused had added Pakistani flags atop the Ram Mandir. He had also inscribed ‘Babri Masjid’ at the bottom of the picture. The morphed image hurt the sentiments of the Hindu community sparking an outrage from several Hindu organisations which prompted the police to apprehend the miscreant.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the hate tracker under the prime category of 'Hate speech against Hindus'. Under this category, 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 stems out of inherent animosity and hates towards Hindus and their faith, therefore, it is categorised as hate speech targeted at Hindus specifically owing to their religious identity. The arrest of a Muslim youth in Karnataka for posting a morphed image of the Ram Mandir with a Pakistani flag and the words "Babri Masjid" inscribed on it is a clear example of mocking the Hindu faith, rooted in religious animosity. The Ram Mandir holds immense significance for Hindus, symbolizing both religious devotion and the resolution of the centuries-long struggles to reclaim Lord Ram’s birthplace, where a Mosque was built by Islamic invaders after desecrating the original Temple. By altering the image to include symbols of Pakistan and Babri Masjid, the Muslim perpetrator delegitimised the faith of the Hindus and essentially signalled that a mosque would be built after the desecration of the Hindu temple yet again. It is significant that the perpetrator morphed the image to include a Pakistani flag atop the Ram Temple. It is pertinent to note that Muslim extremists harbour specific animosity towards Hindus and their faith and also view India as a Hindu collectivity. The very basis of the partition of India was that the Muslims believed that Islam was a nation unto itself, which could not survive with a Hindu collectivity like India. Further, Muslims often believe in transnational unity - or the Ummah - which is a belief that all Muslims across the world are a nation unto themselves and therefore, loyalty as far as the nation-state is concerned lies with the Muslim collectivity and not with a Hindu collectivity like India. This would also mean that the representation of a Pakistani flag is about hailing a Muslim collectivity and an expression of transnational loyalty and anti-Hindu sentiments. For that reason, any representation which expresses transnational loyalty, faith in the Ummah is automatically a slogan against Hindus and the Hindu collectivity.
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
