Prophet Row: Naseeruddin Shah Urges PM Modi To Intervene And Stop The Spread Of Hate Poison

BJP leaders' remarks about Prophet Mohammad have sparked a global outcry. Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah chimed in on the debate and expressed his thoughts.

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Even if that doesn't happen in his lifetime, Shah said in an interview with NDTV that he hopes common sense will prevail and the "hate wave" against Muslims subsides.

In a direct appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Naseeruddin Shah urged him to step in and "stop this poison from spreading."

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The '7 Khoon Maaf' actor said,

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"I would appeal to him (PM) to knock some good sense into these people. If he believes what was said at the ¡®Dharam Sansad¡¯ in Rishikesh, then he should say so. If he does not, then he should say so."

The party issued a statement aimed at assuaging minorities' fears and distancing itself from these members, asserting that it respects all religions and strongly condemns the defamation of any religious personality amid protests by Muslim groups.

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The controversial remarks triggered a widespread uproar on Twitter and prompted a demand for a boycott of Indian products in the Arab world.

Nupur Sharma

"What the Indian government did was too little, too late. It was a week before they even opened their mouths and said anything condemning these kinds of statements. These statements in a country like Pakistan, Bangladesh, or Afghanistan, which we hope to include in ¡®Akhand Bharat¡¯ someday, would result in a death sentence because it would be considered blasphemous. Here, there was not a sound from the top and absolutely no acknowledgment of the hurt caused to millions of believers," Shah told NDTV.

After her suspension from the ruling party, Sharma issued an "unconditional apology." Calling the apology 'insincere,' Shah said,

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"It¡¯s hardly meant to assuage hurt feelings. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if such hate speech occurs again. It¡¯s ironic you talk of peace and unity, and you get locked up in jail for more than a year. You talk of genocide, and you get a slap on the wrist. There are double standards working here. It¡¯s like the double-think of George Orwell¡¯s ¡®1984¡¯."

Shah said Sharma was not a "fringe element," as the BJP has claimed. He also argued that it was "high time" that sensible Hindus spoke up against the hate towards the Muslim community.

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Shah said he puts "complete responsibility" on TV news channels and social media for "propagating hate".

Gyanvapi mosque

Referring to the ongoing case of Varanasi's Gyanvapi mosque complex, Shah said, "It¡¯s manufactured hate. It¡¯s a kind of venom that begins to spew when you are confronted with somebody with an opposite opinion¡­ I wonder how long it is before the shivlings start to be searched under every church."

He, however, condemned death threats against Sharma and her family, who are now under Delhi Police¡¯s protection.

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"This route (threats) is wrong. That¡¯s why Pakistan and Afghanistan are in a mess. We do not want to emulate these countries, but willy-nilly we are we doing so. Not (for) just slaughtering a cow but on the suspicion of slaughtering a cow people are being lynched; untouchables who were skinning a dead cow are whipped in public. These are not the kinds of things that used to happen in India but in barbaric Islamic countries."

When Shah was asked if the Khans ¨C Shah Rukh, Salman, and Saif ¡ª could open up about their thoughts today, Shah said he couldn¡¯t speak for these Bollywood stars.

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"They would be risking too much, but I don¡¯t know how they explain it to their conscience about it. I think they have too much to lose."

He also praised Shah Rukh, his co-star of many films such as "Chamatkar" and "Chaahat", for handling media scrutiny with grace last year when his son Aryan was arrested in connection with a drugs case.

He also noted that instead of being acknowledged for all the work done during the lockdown, Sonu Sood gets raided.

When asked about the film industry's close relationship with the government, Shah said they wanted to be on the winning side.

"It does look like the BJP is going to stay on the winning side for a while. It¡¯s nothing new¡­"

Calling "The Kashmir Files" an "almost fictionalized version of the suffering of the Kashmiri Hindus", the actor said the government is promoting it instead of ensuring security and rehabilitation for the community.

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"It is propaganda, and people are willingly participating in it. I fear there will be more such pseudo-patriotic films (in future)."

Shah further stated that as a Muslim in India, he does not feel marginalized because he comes from a place of privilege as a senior actor with social capital.

Tribune India

"I¡¯m certainly not disgruntled or unhappy in the country. This has been the country I¡¯ve been brought up in, taught to love, the country I¡¯ve been told I belong to, and I feel I belong to. I¡¯m luckily in a position where I can¡¯t be marginalized. I¡¯m still getting work, and it¡¯s not that my anti-establishment statements have resulted in me being blacklisted. I just wish that somehow good sense prevails, but I¡¯m not optimistic that will happen very soon. This hate wave will dissipate someday. it may not happen in my lifetime, but it will dissipate someday."

On Sunday, BJP suspended its national spokesperson, Nupur Sharma, and expelled its Delhi media head Naveen Kumar Jindal after their controversial remarks against the Prophet.

(With inputs from PTI)

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