In the past, several movies have been made based on narratives that depict the supremacy of one race by downgrading the other. ‘The Birth of a Nation’ was released in 1915 and it sparked violence against black people across the US. The Nazis released the ‘Triumph of Will’ in 1935 which is considered to be one of the greatest propaganda movies which glorified Hitler, the Nazi party and the racial doctrine. ‘Olympia’ was another which promoted national socialism. India too is producing movies which are anti-Muslim, anti-Islam and anti-Pakistan. There are movies where the truth is fabricated and Muslims are presented as terrorists, like Sooryavanshi, Padmaavat, Panipat, Takht, Tanhaji and Haider.
India used film and media as a tool for fifth generation warfare effectively to meet national objectives. Through achieving the ‘CNN Effect’, it has influenced domestic and foreign policy by creating a hysteria against Muslims and spewing venom against Pakistan. Government sponsorship has further diverted the attention of the masses away from real issues. The industry has also promoted the fascist agenda of the BJP under Modi. The recently released movie, ‘The Kashmir Files’, portrays Kashmiri Muslims as terrorists with close links to Pakistan. It is a fictional story on the exodus of Kashmiri pandits from the IIOJK who belong to the Brahman caste of Hindu society. They are known as devotees of Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of learning.
According to media reports the population of Kashmiri pandits was around 140,000 in the 1980s. The Kashmiri freedom struggle started in 1989 and resulted in the killing of a couple of hundred pandits. In the film, the figure of pandits killed has been exaggerated to thousands. It has been a box office hit because the government has waived off tax so that a maximum number of people could watch it. It further added fuel to the fire by promoting hatred against Muslims. It is an effort to stoke anger in the minds of Hindus against Muslims.
Prime Minister Modi and his cabinet praised the movie and asked the nation to watch it. Former RAW Chief, A.S. Daulat, termed the film as vital propaganda. Even the Kashmiri pandits said it was an effort to create further division, especially for achieving some election mileage. Former Chief Minister of IIOJK, Farooq Abdullah, also said the film was far away from reality and nothing but propaganda to polarise the situation. The film has shown prejudiced behavior towards Kashmiris while projecting negative sentiments against them. Pakistan and Kashmiri Muslims are shown as the perpetrators of violence and terrorism. The film did not show the atrocities committed by occupation forces nor the human rights violations including the use of force, pellet guns, the extra judicial killings, forced disappearance, rapes and custodial killing of Kashmiri Muslims.
The film largely ignores what is happening in Assam, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura. It further ignores the plight of the Sikhs, persecution of Dalits as well as the planned genocide of Muslims in Gujrat. A comprehensive book on the accounts of systematic killings of Muslim of Gujrat in 2002 by Rana Ayyub was launched in 2016. The book ‘Gujrat Files Anatomy of a Cover-Up’ is based on eight months of a long sting operation which reveals the collusion between the state of Gujrat and security forces. The book gives insight and narrates the story of the Gujrat riots, fake encounters and extra judicial killings of innocent Muslims.
Thousands of Muslims have been killed in India over the allegation of slaughtering cows and is a rising number of Hindu vigilant attacks on Muslims farmers, livestock traders and former trespassing cows. The fascist and Nazi inspired BJP-RSS government is a real threat to peace in the region. The future of Indian Muslims is in a real threat under Modi unless they unite themselves with Sikhs, Dalits and Christians and rise against fascist regime.
India used film and media as a tool for fifth generation warfare effectively to meet national objectives. Through achieving the ‘CNN Effect’, it has influenced domestic and foreign policy by creating a hysteria against Muslims and spewing venom against Pakistan. Government sponsorship has further diverted the attention of the masses away from real issues. The industry has also promoted the fascist agenda of the BJP under Modi. The recently released movie, ‘The Kashmir Files’, portrays Kashmiri Muslims as terrorists with close links to Pakistan. It is a fictional story on the exodus of Kashmiri pandits from the IIOJK who belong to the Brahman caste of Hindu society. They are known as devotees of Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of learning.
According to media reports the population of Kashmiri pandits was around 140,000 in the 1980s. The Kashmiri freedom struggle started in 1989 and resulted in the killing of a couple of hundred pandits. In the film, the figure of pandits killed has been exaggerated to thousands. It has been a box office hit because the government has waived off tax so that a maximum number of people could watch it. It further added fuel to the fire by promoting hatred against Muslims. It is an effort to stoke anger in the minds of Hindus against Muslims.
Prime Minister Modi and his cabinet praised the movie and asked the nation to watch it. Former RAW Chief, A.S. Daulat, termed the film as vital propaganda. Even the Kashmiri pandits said it was an effort to create further division, especially for achieving some election mileage. Former Chief Minister of IIOJK, Farooq Abdullah, also said the film was far away from reality and nothing but propaganda to polarise the situation. The film has shown prejudiced behavior towards Kashmiris while projecting negative sentiments against them. Pakistan and Kashmiri Muslims are shown as the perpetrators of violence and terrorism. The film did not show the atrocities committed by occupation forces nor the human rights violations including the use of force, pellet guns, the extra judicial killings, forced disappearance, rapes and custodial killing of Kashmiri Muslims.
The film largely ignores what is happening in Assam, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura. It further ignores the plight of the Sikhs, persecution of Dalits as well as the planned genocide of Muslims in Gujrat. A comprehensive book on the accounts of systematic killings of Muslim of Gujrat in 2002 by Rana Ayyub was launched in 2016. The book ‘Gujrat Files Anatomy of a Cover-Up’ is based on eight months of a long sting operation which reveals the collusion between the state of Gujrat and security forces. The book gives insight and narrates the story of the Gujrat riots, fake encounters and extra judicial killings of innocent Muslims.
Thousands of Muslims have been killed in India over the allegation of slaughtering cows and is a rising number of Hindu vigilant attacks on Muslims farmers, livestock traders and former trespassing cows. The fascist and Nazi inspired BJP-RSS government is a real threat to peace in the region. The future of Indian Muslims is in a real threat under Modi unless they unite themselves with Sikhs, Dalits and Christians and rise against fascist regime.
