Question: Who is a secular Hindu?
Answer: A secular Hindu is one who always, always, speaks out against Hindutva and the Sangh Parivar; who always, always speaks up for Muslims; and who never, ever “dares” raise a question about Islam, or challenges Muslims who spout regressive, intolerant, fanatical, misogynist, supremacist, extremist interpretations of Islam. Even a mild criticism or call to Muslims to introspect on some of their beliefs and practices promptly invites the charge: “Achcha, aap bhi RSS ki bhasha bolne lage” (“Oh, so you too have started talking like the RSS”).
The question above is mine. The answer is what you get from even otherwise educated Muslims whose understanding of Islam is limited to what they receive from the obscurantist, traditionally-clad maulvis, muftis and maulanas. Of immediate concern here, however, is the rank hypocrisy and idiocy of the millions-strong army of bhakts of the seemingly sophisticated, fluent-in-English, suited-booted Zakir Naik.
The fugitive televangelist is currently in the news for the repulsive anti-women statements he made during his recent visit to Pakistan as a state guest. Provoked by his outrageous views, YouTuber Navin Kumar of Article 19 channel aired a hard-hitting programme where he showed video clips of some of the latest fulminations of Naik in Pakistan. What followed was a barrage of criticism hurled at Navin by an army of Muslim trolls. He was accused of becoming part of the very “godi media” of which his channel is critical. A call was given to Muslim subscribers of Article 19 to “unsubscribe”. Within hours, around 10,000 Muslims had pressed the “unsubscribe” button. Yesterday’s hero Navin Kumar’s secular credentials are now highly suspect in their eyes.
Here is Naik in his own words:
Naik during an interview to a woman news anchor: “If a man watches a female news anchor with full makeup reading news for 20 minutes and no thought enters his mind, he should go see a doctor… If his heart doesn’t flutter, then he is medically unfit. (Agar unke dil mein kuch hulchul nahi hoti hai to woh medically unfit hain). He should see a psychiatrist”.
Naik’s sermon prompted a tweet from a young Pakistani woman, Absa Komal: “May God help this troubled & sexually frustrated person.”
Naik on “immorally” dressed girls: “If a girl doesn’t dress modestly, she is dressed immorally, which gets people excited and there is rape, who is to blame? It’s the girl who must be blamed. If you wear normal clothes and there is rape, then it is a test for the girl. Was she following the advice of Allah by wearing proper clothes and all. If not, she is to be blamed to attract men to rape her”.
In the past, Naik has proclaimed that an uncovered woman is like uncovered mithai (sweets) in a sweetmeats shop which is bound to attract a lot of flies.
Naik’s advise to unmarried women: “If a woman does not find a man willing to marry her, she has two options: Option one, marry a man who is already married to another woman; option two become a bazaari aurat (prostitute). Bazaari aurat? Such strong words? In English I say, ‘public property’. People object to my use of such words. I say I don’t have a better word (for such a woman)”.
Naik on child marriage: “If a 112-year-old-man wants to marry a 13-year-old girl, she has reached puberty, what is your problem? If a 13-year-old finds a virtuous man 112-years-old I would prefer…”
During one of the programmes where as chief guest he was supposed to hand over shields and awards to teenage orphan girls, Naik walked off the stage because it is “un-Islamic” to touch or look at namahrams (those with whom marriage is permissible). Could it be that the good doctor flew to Pakistan blindfolded in the company of good-looking air hostesses?
At one of his discourses, a young Baluch woman asked his opinion on how it is that in an Islamic society like Pakistan, people were apparently religious but there is drug abuse, adultery, pedophilia. In response, Naik took off at a complete tangent, demanding an apology from the young woman instead.
In 2020, Naik condemned the government of Pakistan for committing shirk (greatest sin in Islam) by funding the building of a Sri Krishna Mandir in Islamabad. In 2021, he publicly supported the demolition of a temple in Pakistan because “Temples should not be allowed in an Islamic country”.
Naik claims that Islam means peace and that is the message his Peace TV channel is spreading. What he is in fact promoting is a particularly sick brand of misogyny and hate of all religions other than Islam. Detractors of Islam must embrace, honour and celebrate this very special man for he is after all feeding Islamophobia in the name of Islam.
Listen to the handful of secular Hindus like Navin Kumar who dare challenge Islamic fundamentalism even while most of their time and energy is committed to fighting Hindutva’s politics of hate: Naik and his bhakts are a problem but they are not the only ones.
Well-meaning secular Hindus who rightly speak up for the rights of the badgered Muslim minority but are silent on challenging the Muslim Right circuitously end up propping Islamophobia.
The writer in convener, Indian Muslims for Secular Democracy and co-editor, Sabrang India online