India, the world’s largest democracy, prepares to kick off its election season in just a matter of weeks. But activists and experts worry that the government is cracking down on platforms and internet service providers to silence critical voices, and tighten its grip on the information ecosystem.
On January 16, Raqib Hameed Naik, an Indian journalist and founder of the website Hindutva Watch, received a notice from X, formerly Twitter, that the website’s account had been blocked, by order of the Indian Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). “I received frantic messages from people in India saying they cannot access the Hindutva Watch Twitter,” says Naik
Hindutva Watch, along with its sister site, the India Hate Lab, tracks incidents of religiously motivated violence perpetrated by supporters of the country’s right-wing government, helmed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Press freedom declined under Modi, leaving fewer spaces for those reporting critically of the government and the impact of its policies on the country’s minorities. In the lead up to elections, where Naik predicts a “surge in hate crimes,” Hindutva Watch’s information may be more critical than ever.
Where was the mosque built might i ask
The mosque was named Babri Masjid and was in Ayodhya, India. It was built in 1528–29 and destroyed in 1992 by Hindu nationalists, claiming it was the birthplace of Rama, a major deity of Hinduism. According to Hindu nationalists, there once was a fort there known as Ramkot which was allegedly destroyed during the construction of the Mosque. Subsequently, there was a short excavation on that site, only lasting 15 days. Quoting Wikipedia:
There was another excavation later in 2003, by Archaeological Survey of India. The report indicated what appears to be the presence of a 10th-century shrine under the mosque. Again, quoting Wikipedia:
Then it also goes on to say
So yeah, it’s complicated. But the thing is, the evidence of a temple isn’t entirely conclusive. And the “birthplace of Rama” is not even probable, as deities as far as we no do not exist irl. Anyway, even if there was a temple there, there’s no evidence that it was destroyed during the construction of the mosque. But whatever, because in 2010, Allahabad High Court originally gave one third of the land to Muslims to rebuilt the mosque, one third for constructing a temple and one third to a Hindu denomination which wanted to construct a temple very close to the site long before the destruction of the mosque but was denied by the court because it could potentially “threat” to public order. That was a really good solution in my opinion. All party were given something. There were compromises for both parties, but also their share.
But then came Modi and Supreme Court decided fuck it, the entire thing belongs to Hindus for temple construction, even though they concluded that no evidence was found that the structure was specifically demolished for the construction of the Babri Masjid.
So yeah, take it how you want to. But I take it as nationalists suppressing other groups of people. Either way, religions fucking suck and nationalism and ethnocracy sucks even more.
I just find it hard to belive that people who desecrated hundreds of not thousands of temples over the years couldn’t have done the same in that area. That too in a city with history like Ayodhya.
And to clarify, i belive youre mistaken to belive lord rama was a diety, as it clearly states in the books that he was a king.
Quoting Wikipedia:
And
Seems pretty deity to to me. Whichever books you’re refering to, I don’t know. Maybe he was king in some legends or myths, but he’s also a deity worshipped by many.
Also, yes it’s possible that they did destroy the temple at Ayodhya tho (assuming the structure was indeed a temple), there’s no denying. But at the same it, there’s no concrete evidence either. And without any concrete evidence, destroying that mosque was no different than destroying any temple. Both equally bullshit.