Modi article was an attack on Hindus

It takes a special appreciation of radical propaganda to understand the vitriolic, unsubstantiated, emotional outburst of Azad Essa (“Modi’s Durban trip ripe with irony”, July 15), which was an attack on one billion Hindus and India itself.

India is a Hindu state, just as Saudi Arabia and other countries are Muslim states governed by sharia law. India has been under attack by Islamic and Pakistani-sponsored terrorists, who carry out murderous attacks on Hindu civilians in the name of Islam.

T h e R a s y t r i y a S w a y a ms e v e k Sang (RSS) is a nationalist volunteer organisation or national patriotic organisation. It is the only organisation that stands fearlessly and unapologetically against Islamic terrorism.

Its mission is to restore the Indian value system, based on universalism, peace, prosperity for all and the idea that the world is one family. The notion that the RSS is known for “stirring criminal hate” only exists in the mind of Essa and his masters.

As for the propagandist view that the RSS was “behind the movement to build a Hindu temple on the site of an ancient mosque”, the truth is that the Babri mosque in Ayodya was built on a Hindu temple site that was destroyed by the Muslim Mogul invader Babar.

In 2003, an archaeological survey of India found definite proof of the existence of a temple under the mosque. This is beyond dispute. In the protests by Muslims that followed, both Hindus and Muslims were killed before the government of India managed to bring the situation under control.

On the 1992 riots, the fact is that a train carrying Hindus was attacked by Muslims who killed 59 Hindu passengers, including 27 women and 10 children. Hindus insist it was planned with the assistance of Pakistan intelligence. A court convicted 31 Muslims for the incident.

Whatever Essa feels about MK Gandhi, recall that Nelson Mandela, when he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994, said he owed his success to Gandhi.

On Kashmir, which is part of India, the violence fuelled by Islamic State is ongoing. Protesters are often armed with guns and bombs and are extremely violent. If they use violence against Indian authorities, they must suffer the consequences. The protesters Essa refers to were in fact attackers, and the dispute over Kashmir predates Modi’s appointment to office.

We should use the South African experience to promote harmony, love and ubuntu to reconcile differences based on religion. —