By Syed Khalique Ahmed

Jwalapur(Haridwar)—Haridwar that attracted international headlines following calls for Muslim genocide given by radical Hindu religious leaders led by Swami Yati Narsinghanand, is perhaps the only town in India where Muslims can’t buy property.

Muslims’ entry is also banned in the Kankhal and Mayapur areas of Haridwar proper. Kankhal and Mayapur form the heart of the pilgrim town visited by Hindus from all over the globe.

Congress leader Ashok Sharma, Haridwar mayor Anita Sharma’s husband, told India Tomorrow that this is an old law.

However, Muslims can move about and work anywhere in the rest of the pilgrim town.

Press Club of Haridwar president Rajendra Nath Goswami said that hundreds of Muslims come to Haridwar proper daily for providing different kinds of services to the local Hindu residents, business people, and even religious places.

“There is perfect harmony among Hindus and Muslims, and no one can break it,” he says.

According to Dilshad Ali, a journalist working with a Hindi daily, all the barbers, who shave the Hindu pilgrims’ heads after a dip in the river Ganga, are Muslims. These barbers commute daily between their villages and Haridwar.

The Muslim technicians also do all other works, including plumbing, electrical, and automobile repairing in Haridwar. While some of these technicians work from rented premises, others work at shops owned by the Hindus.

‘Kanvar’ or “bahngi”, which is used for carrying “Ganga jal,” are also manufactured by Muslims from Bijnor and Jwalapur, adjoining Haridwar. The turnover of the ‘Kanvar” business runs into crores of rupees annually.

However, some radical Hindu religious leaders spoiled the town’s religiosity by calling for a mass massacre of Muslims to “clean up” India. In addition, they made a bid to destroy camaraderie between members of the two religious communities not only in this town but all over India.

Radicals spoiled the sanctity of Haridwar by issuing ‘Hindu fatwa’ to exterminate Muslims

But why did they choose Haridwar for giving a call for spilling the blood of Muslims? Hindus worldwide consider Haridwar a holy place as the river Ganga flows from this town. The river Ganga is held sacred by millions of Hindus all over the globe. Hindus take a dip in the waters of this river at Haridwar to wash out their sins and clean themselves of all ills.

Ganga originates from the northern Himalayan mountains at Gomukh, which is the endpoint of the Gangotri glacier and 140 km from Haridwar. When the ice of the Gangotri glacier melts, it flows down into a stream called the Bhagirathi river. In addition, there is another river named Alaknanda that rises from the southern part of the Himalayas on the Indian side of the Tibet border and four tributaries – Dhauliganga, Nandakini, Pindar, and Mandakini – that merge into it.

The Bhagirathi river and Alaknanda converge into a common stream at Haridwar, and this water stream is called the river Ganga that falls into the Bay of Bengal, more than 2,000 km away.

But the fanatic leaders forgot the religious significance of the place from where they issued their ‘Hindu fatwa’ or edict to exterminate Muslims from India physically. Narsinghanand and his companions spoiled the sanctity of Haridwar by appealing for the mass massacre of Muslims. They also appealed to the police and the army to participate in the Muslim genocide.

Narsinghanand and his band of fanatic religious leaders believe that the Muslim population would overtake Hindus who are currently in the majority in the next few decades. They propagate lies that Muslims, who now account for 15 percent of India’s population, would take over political power and rule over Hindus in the next few decades. That is completely baseless and intended to create fear psychosis among Hindus to fulfill their ulterior agenda because the latest report by the Government of India categorically states that the rate of growth of the Muslim population has stabilized and was at par with Hindus and other communities.

Though reluctantly, the police have thrown him in jail, along with his disciple Waseem Rizvi. Waseem converted to Hinduism and acquired the new name of Jitendra Narayan Tyagi a few months ago. Waseem also made hate speeches at the Haridwar’s “Dharm Sansad” (Religious Parliament) that continued for three days between December 17-19, 2021. However, the police are yet to arrest other offenders, all radicals.

We don’t know how much appeal their hate-mongers have in mainstream Hindu society. But their hate speeches have the potential to poison the Hindu community against Muslims who are already at the receiving end of Hindu radical elements since the fundamentalist Bharatiya Janata Party came to power at the Centre in 2014 with Narendra Modi as prime minister. If no stern action is taken against them, they would feel encouraged to continue their hate peddling throughout the country. But the biggest matter of concern is that neither PM Modi nor Home Minister Amit Shah has condemned these fanatics appealing for the mass massacre of Muslims. On the contrary, both have maintained silence as if nothing has happened though the issue has been reported and discussed worldwide.

Haridwar district has a sizeable Muslim population

Haridwar is the only district in the hilly state of Uttarakhand with a sizeable Muslim population. According to the 2011 census, the district’s total population is a little less than 20 lakhs. Muslims account for 34.28 percent or about seven lakh of it against 64.27 percent or approximately 12.80 lakh of the Hindu population.

Mangalaur and Piran Kaliyar assembly constituencies in this district elected two Muslim MLAs in the 2017 assembly polls. They are Furqan Ahmed from Kaliyar and Mohammad Nizamuddin from Mangalaur. In 2012, there were four Muslim MLAs elected from the district.

The district is also famous on the international map because of the tomb of Islamic missionary and Sufi saint Alauddin Ali Ahmed Sabir, popularly known as Sabir Kaliyari. Son of renowned missionary Baba Farid Ganjshakar’s elder sister, Sabir Kaliyari, has propagated Islam in the 13th century and won a large number of followers in a vast area, including areas that fall in the neighbouring districts of Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, and Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh.

When Narsinghanand made offensive remarks against Islam and Prophet Muhammad, apart from calling for Muslim genocide, Muslims of Haridwar district maintained calm like their counterparts in the rest of the country. However, Muslim youths from Jwalapur, a gateway to Haridwar, organized protests and lodged an FIR against the offenders. This has so far resulted in the arrest of two persons, including Narsinghanand.

No Muslim schools, colleges in the Haridwar district

While Muslims form over 34 percent of the district’s population and are financially well off, they have not set up schools, colleges, hospitals, or dispensaries. This is despite the fact that Muslims have been ministers when Congress was in power in the state.

In contrast, all other communities like Christians and Sikhs, who are minuscule in the district, have educational institutions from school to post-graduate levels. Sikhs have also set up an engineering and management college.

Former minister Naeem Qureshi was non-plussed when he was questioned why the Muslims failed to set up schools and colleges. Qureshi is the seniormost Muslim politician in the state.

Gulbahar Khan, a student who filed the FIR against Narsinghanand and others, says that Muslims were being mistreated by many staff in local schools and colleges. According to a social activist, as many as 12 Muslim girls studying in Jwalapur colleges eloped and married Hindu boys in the last few years. He said that Muslim patients, particularly gynaec patients, faced immense problems and were often ill-treated by local doctors.

This story first appeared on indiatomorrow.net