INSIGHT UK, Author at INSIGHT UK

Press Release – Civil Disorder in Leicester

IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 18, 2022

The Hindu community has been a target of organised violence in Leicester over the past 20 days. It has suffered at the hands of extremist Muslims who have sought to cause deliberate harm, disruption and fear amongst Leicester’s thousands of citizens. On the evening of 17 September, a peaceful protest march by Hindu youths was attacked by radical Islamists with stones and glass bottles. It is obvious from the video footage that this attack was carefully planned to terrorise the Hindu community. Included within the attacks are the Diu-Daman Hindus, a small and marginalised group who are based in the Belgrave and Latimer areas and face various socioeconomic challenges.

Numerous fabricated and distorted videos that falsely accuse Hindus of creating this situation have been shared online and are still available. We support the police’s calls to end misinformation, such as the fabrication that a mosque was attacked, and urge them to continue to take action against this to prevent further incitement by extreme elements in the Muslim community.

Every citizen in the UK has the right to protest peacefully, just as the role of the police is to maintain peace and prevent harm. Although we recognise police are under-resourced, recent events also call into question the police’s preparedness. We call on the police to ensure that Hindus receive the due protection they deserve.

ENDS

For more details, please contact info@insightuk.org

Leicester Attack on Hindus

Campaigns / By INSIGHT UK

Over the past few weeks, Hindus and Hindu temples in Leicester have been deliberately targeted and attacked. Violent attacks and vandalism of homes by Islamist mobs over 3 consecutive nights of 4th, 5th and 6th September, have left the Hindu community in Leicester afraid for their safety. What followed was two weeks of fake cases being filed against largely innocent Hindus by Islamists, rumours spread on social media and violence incited against Hindus in Leicester.

Why Leicester

Leicester is the heartland of the Hindu community in the UK, having thrived there for more than 70 years. Leicester has the second highest Hindu population in Europe. It hosts the largest Diwali celebration outside India and has acted as a hub for the British Hindu community to live peacefully for decades.

Demographics of Leicester

Leicester Demography [1]

Christian: 181,882 (32.4%)
Muslim: 104,413 (18.6%)
Hindu: 85.327 (15.2%)
Sikh: 24,700 (4,4%)
Buddhist: 2 245 (0.40)
Jewish: 561 (0.1%)

Political Demography of Leicester [2]

The current composition of Leicester City Council out of 54 seats:

Labour: 50
Independent: 2
Lib Dems: 1
Conservative: 1

Banter between cricket fans

Sunday 28 August 2022

India cricket fans of all religious backgrounds celebrated on the streets of Leicester after India’s victory over Pakistan in the Asia Cup cricket match, just as they have done without any incident for the past 70 years. The police presence is usually low as the risk of incidence is low. The fans sang celebratory chants, none of which were offensive. Extraordinarily, they were confronted by a man who was abusive towards them and violently snatched an India flag out of a fan’s hand, assaulting him and those around him. In response, he was confronted by India cricket fans who were upset at the man’s abusive behaviour and disrespect shown to the Indian national flag. He was physically rebuked by a handful of cricket fans. A few of the India cricket fans tried to calm the man down and looked after him to ensure that the situation was under control. Fans chanted ‘Pakistan Murdabad’, meaning ‘down with Pakistan’, in reference to the defeat of its cricket team at the hands of the India cricket team. No mention of Islam or Muslims was made. No political sloganeering was chanted. The cricket fans consisted of all faith backgrounds. [3]

Over the following days, Sunny Hundal (extreme left-leaning journalist, former deputy editor for the Independent), Guz Khan (comedian and actor), and many others on social media stoked the flames of religious hatred by falsely equating the cricket fans with Hindus, the Hindu community, and non-existent Hindu extremists. Warnings were made on social media that violence will soon be coming from the Muslim community. Nothing against Muslims or Islam had been uttered, but the false narrative spreads like wildfire. [4]

An email sent on 31 August from the police (Chief Inspector Paul Allen) to the Leicester Council of Faiths, states that there were chants, “calling for (we believe) ‘death to Muslims’ in Hindi.” [5] This did not happen and there is no evidence for this. Some simple due diligence, checking the videos or consultation with the community for the translation would have provided this clarity. This careless and false statement continues to be repeated and used by Islamists to incite violence against Hindus, on the basis of something which did not transpire.

Thursday 1 September 2022

On 1st September, Chief Inspector Paul Allen sent a clarification email that states

Good morning all, I need to provide an important update regarding the allegations that we are investigating in relation to the cricket last Sunday.
On Tuesday afternoon it was reported that the chanting which had taken place, some of which was captured on video and was circulated on social media, included the phrases (in Hindi) “Death to Pakistan” and “death to Muslims”. We have investigated this and can find no verifiable evidence that there were any chants of “death to Muslims”. This is significant in terms of the context and I would encourage you to share this with interested parties.

In spite of the appeal by the Police in the email to share this clarification widely, this was not widely shared, unlike the first letter which created unwarranted anger against Hindus and incited violence.

Claudia Webbe is the Member of Parliament for Leicester East. The Leicester East constituency is where the violence against the Hindu community has occurred. Formerly of the Labour Party, she was expelled after a criminal conviction of harassment in October 2021. She is well known for her anti-India comments and rhetoric.

On September 1st, she wrote a letter to the Police Chief Constable declaring her support for the Federation of Muslim Organisations. She shared this widely and publicly through her social media. This letter was issued three days after the clash between cricket fans, which was falsely portrayed as a clash between Hindus and Muslims.

However, it has now been over 10 days since the violent attacks against the Hindu community escalated, and she is yet to make any comment in support of the Hindu community or even directly engage with the victims who are also her constituents.

Sunday 4 September 2022

Another Asia Cup cricket match between India and Pakistan took place, with Pakistan emerging as the victors. What followed was not a clash between sports fans, but targeted violence directed at the Hindu community. The Hindu community had been celebrating the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi on this night when they were attacked by hundreds of Islamists. In one home, after the evening aarti (prayer), people remained inside sitting and talking. The house had a Hindu religious flag outside for the festival, making it clear to any passer-by that this is a Hindu home where they are welcome to come for prayers. The gentlemen were sitting near the Ganesh murti (statue of the Hindu God, Ganesh). The ladies were making a garland for the puja (a Hindu ritual) the next day. The front door of the house had been left open so that other members of the community could enter for darshan (offer prayers). At this point, eggs were thrown into the house through the front door. This is a matter of deep religious insensitivity, especially at the time a religious celebration was taking place. This would be similar to throwing pork into a Muslim or Jewish household. The Hindu family who lives at the property went outside to see who was doing this. They were met by a gang of extremist Muslim youth, with the perpetrators attacking one of the Hindu boys with a long knife. Fortunately, he escaped from harm. The boy’s aunt went to aid the boy and was shockingly punched on the nose. [6] [7]

It was reported that there was a white van full of eggs used by attackers, which was later seized by police later when they arrived but there has been no update on this from the local police.

Monday 5 September 2022

Appeals had been made to all communities to stay calm by community leaders and the police. The Hindu community listened and remained inside their homes [8]. These appeals appeared to fall on deaf ears, as there were hundreds of Islamist on the streets of Leicester, including some from neighbouring towns. There are dozens of videos available and shared widely of the mob. Derogatory anti-Hindu and anti-India chanting was abundant, as well as Islamic sloganeering. The police confirmed the arrest of two men from Birmingham in relation to the incidents that occurred that night. A video shows a crowd on a street outside the home with the Hindu flag, where eggs had been thrown the previous day. A member of the crowd was wielding a knife and stabbed a Hindu male. Someone tried to stab another Hindu boy, who ran to another house. The mob followed them and broke the windows of the house as they tried to force entry. Fortunately, the family was able to save the boy. The flag was violently torn down from the front of the house where eggs had been thrown and was carried away. This was one incident of many to have taken place that night [9].

Tuesday 6 September 2022

There was a greater police presence on the streets of Leicester. Once again, hundreds of Muslims were out in force and the Hindu community was in a state of fear. Around fifty incidents took place, including damage to houses, windows and cars, and threatening and intimidating residents by banging on their doors [10]. Wherever a house or car had Hindu symbols such as an Aum symbol or Ganesh murti, demonstrating it was owned by Hindus, it was attacked. Significant damage was done to the entrances of two homes. A newly married young lady was at home alone. Her front door was broken by attackers who wanted to enter. In another home, the bottom of the door was smashed in from the outside. When asked why their house was selected, the family said that the auspicious Hindu words ‘Shubh’ and ‘Labh’ were written above their doorway. This was an attack by Muslim extremists on peaceful Hindus. Again, the mob chanted anti-Hindu and anti-Indian sentiments, as well as Islamic slogans.

Such violence has rarely happened before in the UK and threatens the peace and social fabric of the community. Hindus had remained inside their homes and listened to the appeals of their community leaders to remain calm. The Hindu community has not been informed of the messages shared to the Muslim community by their community leaders. If they had called for calm, the Hindu community did not see evidence of it.

Wednesday 15 September 2022

There were two reported incidents on this day in East Leicester.

A 22-year-old man from Prospect Hill, Leicester was assaulted by two suspects while he was in his car. He had received a cut lip after being assaulted. It is reported that this was an unprovoked incident and the victim was targeted after his identity was confirmed as a Hindu.

The second happened on Coral Street at approximately 5 pm when a group of youths were approached by two cars. CCTV footage available [11] shows that the group of youths on foot were stopped and people in the first car engaged in a confrontation. The boys started running away as soon as the second car arrived and one person came out walking toward them. Fortunately, no one was injured. Was it another planned and unprovoked attack on Hindus in Leicester?

Community Meetings and Attempts to Build a False Narrative

A meeting was held with various community leaders to conduct peace talks, with the police requesting community leaders to attend. During one of these meetings, an imam of one Mosque said that the Hindu community had been living in Leicester for the past forty to fifty years without causing any issues. He characterised the Hindus who had recently migrated to Leicester from the Daman-Diu area of India as “uneducated people” who were instead the problem. This is an attempt to divide the Hindu community. It was openly claimed at this meeting, in the presence of police officers, that this was a result of the changing political scenario in India. No direct evidence was offered for such claims. Another Muslim representative questioned why there were “orange RSS flags” on the houses. The saffron flag is an ancient Hindu emblem used by the whole Hindu community. It is displayed on Hindu Mandirs and community halls throughout the country and the world. This was a blatant attempt to shift the blame from the violent mob to the victims, the Hindu community itself, by painting a false narrative of the existence of Hindu extremism influenced by politics in India. No evidence was presented for any of these statements, rather what could only be described as racist scaremongering.

Saturday 17th September: Another wave of attacks on Hindus in Leicester

After the continuous harassment, intimidation and attacks by radical Islamists on Hindus and Hindu properties over the previous two weeks, a spontaneous peace march was organised by Hindus to show solidarity and support to the Hindu victims.

The march started on Belgrave Road, and went to Melton Road, followed by Green Lane Road where many of the marching group lived. [12] Throughout the march, no chants were raised against any community or religion, let alone against Islam or Muslims. Hindu youth continued the march mostly on the footpath, ensuring no impact on the traffic. There was a presence of local police during the march.

Provocation and attack on the peace march

Noting the peace march, Islamists started gathering after messages on social media were spread calling for Muslims to descend upon Leicester.

On Fridays, Leicester has seen people praying (doing Namaz) on the road. However, it was a Saturday and a few people blocked the road in the path of the peace march and started praying on the road [13]. The peace march stopped and Hindu youth maintained restraint, no chants were made until the Namaz prayers were done and police cleared the road.

The video shows as the peace march continued, one of the Hindu youths was pulled out of the march and beaten up by two people. Police intervened and the Hindu youth was saved from the attackers and he joined back with the march. It is reported that many people in the march faced such intimidation.

Stepping up the attack, the Islamists started making their way to Leicester from cities such as Birmingham [14]. An innocent Hindu male driving in his car was attacked and beaten up badly, leaving him with seriousl injuries.[16] [17]. His only crime was that he was a Hindu. An extremist mob also hurled abuse at the police officer attending to the victim [15]. It is reported that almost a week after the incident, the injured Hindu man is still hospitalised.

The violent mob started vandalising cars belonging to Hindus, identified by Hindu symbols on the car and suggestive number plates.

Attack on the Shivalaya Temple and the desecration of Hindu flags

Islamists gathered outside the Shivalaya Temple on Belgrave Road amongst heavy police presence. In front of the police, an Islamist youth climbed on the wall where sacred Hindu saffron flags were flying and proceeded to desecrate the sacred Hindu flags [18]. The police seemed helpless as to what was happening due to the number of aggressive Islamists that had gathered [19], and then the flag was burned by the Islamist.

Later, the police released a statement saying “officers were dealing with public disorder in the area” [20] – but videos clearly show they were standing helpless in front of the temple while the flags were taken down and desecrated. Why were the perpetrators who desecrated the sacred Hindu flags not arrested at that point?

On Melton Road, the Hindu youth who were out on a protest march were trapped by a huge Islamist mob from both ends of the street. There were two lines of police safeguarding Hindus stuck in between violent Islamists on both sides of the road. The mob was abusive and continued to attack with stones, glass bottles, knives and wooden sticks.. 16 Police officers and a police dog were injured in the attack by Islamists. [22]

The standoff on Melton road continued for a couple of hours until the Islamists dispersed. Police let them go back without any challenge. However, the Hindu youths from the protest march were frisked and an identity verification was carried out. It is important to note that not a single Hindu youth was found with any weapon and they were allowed to return home around 3 am on Sunday after the frisking finished. Injuries to Hindu youth were not checked for or recorded by the police.

The following day, Islamist Mohammed Hijab further incited further violence against Hindus through his hate speech attacking the Hindu idea of reincarnation. Muslim extremists cheered with chants of “Allah Hu Akbar” [21]. From London to Leicester, Hijab openly spews hate and violence. Why is he still on our streets?On Sunday, during the day many Hindu businesses were attacked, and after sunset, cars were searched for Hindu symbols and vandalised. A violent extremist mob was on the street damaging properties but with increased police presence a few arrests were made. A man who had been sentenced for carrying a knife on Sunday 18th, said that he was influenced by social media [23]. This shows again how social media was used to spread disinformation inciting hatred and violence against Hindus.

The Impact

Many houses and properties of Hindus were damaged. Two Hindu men survived an attack with knives, many were injured including women and one man who was hospitalised and in critical condition.

The Hindus of the area remain in fear after weeks of violence and intimidation. The Hindus in the impacted area did not leave their house and did not send their children to school for 3 to 4 days last week. Some families have left their homes out of fear of violence, and are yet to return. The local Hindus have removed Aum symbols and the words ‘Shubh Labh’ from the front of their homes. Devotees of Mata ji, the mother Goddess, have removed any photos that were on display in their windows and cars so that the houses or cars cannot be recognised as Hindu s from the street to safeguard from the recurrence of targeted attacks.

A video has been shared widely where young girls are performing the traditional folk dance of Garba in public. In the video, a man using derogatory language raises a question as to why they are doing this in front of a Mosque. Garba represents a celebration of the feminine divine; to raise such questions is to demonstrate intolerance of other communities openly practising their traditions.

Incidents such as these are not new in Leicester. In July 2017, radical Islamists pushed a Hindu man carrying an India flag off his motorbike, causing him serious injury. No firm action was taken by the police then, and many more incidents are happening now.

Violence and significant threats of violence continue unabated against the Hindu community. Social media has become a hotbed for Hindu hatred, and incitement to violence against the Hindu community is a real threat. The anti-Hindu chanting of the mobs clearly indicates their hatred for Hindus.

There was no threat from the Hindu community before, and there is no threat now. Even after all the Leicester Hindu community has suffered, nothing against Muslims or Islam has been uttered by the community to this day.

Extremism has been a substantial blight on our society for decades, but it hasn’t come from the Hindu community. Unfortunately, the past few weeks clearly indicate that Hindus are fast becoming the biggest and most targeted victims of it. How are the authorities going to guarantee the safety of the Hindu community from extremists when serious violence can occur at any time?

Appendix of Evidence

[1] Census 2021 and World Population Review

[2] Cabinet Leicester: https://cabinet.leicester.gov.uk/mgMemberIndex.aspx

[3] Video: https://twitter.com/i/status/1568608540692041728

[4] Sunny Hundal Tweet: https://twitter.com/sunny_hundal/status/1564662378712780805

[5] Letter by Leicestershire Police: https://twitter.com/INSIGHTUK2/status/1568608548531085313

[6] Attack on Hindus: https://twitter.com/INSIGHTUK2/status/1568608607255826432

[7] Ganesh Murti: https://twitter.com/INSIGHTUK2/status/1568608613719048199

[8] Appeal for peace: https://twitter.com/INSIGHTUK2/status/1568608648741502978

[9] Muslim youth attack Hindus: https://twitter.com/INSIGHTUK2/status/1568608658442911744

[10] Third night of attacks: https://twitter.com/INSIGHTUK2/status/1568608724914212864

[11] Incident with Youngsters on Carol Street https://twitter.com/insightleicestr/status/1570729201753554945?s=46&t=dEv9hcWnnA6Cg_stX5lq9A

[12] Spontaneous peace march: https://twitter.com/INSIGHTUK2/status/1572627771523829762

[13] Blocking and praying on the road: https://twitter.com/INSIGHTUK2/status/1572627835407187974

[14] Islamists start arriving to Leicester from outside cities: https://twitter.com/INSIGHTUK2/status/1572627854734823426

[15] Hindu male beaten. Abuse hurled at officer: https://twitter.com/INSIGHTUK2/status/1572627875249156097

[16] Cars belonging to Hindus attacked and vandalised: https://twitter.com/INSIGHTUK2/status/1572627908765556737

[17] Card attacked: https://twitter.com/INSIGHTUK2/status/1572627946916962304

[18] Hindu temple attacks and sacred Hindu flags desecrated: https://twitter.com/INSIGHTUK2/status/1572627984510754821

[19] Sacred Hindu flag burned: https://twitter.com/INSIGHTUK2/status/1572627997173112838

[20] Police statement: https://twitter.com/INSIGHTUK2/status/1572628002743222272

[21] Islamist Mohammed Hijab’s hate speech: https://twitter.com/INSIGHTUK2/status/1572628039569412097

[22] Leicester riots: 16 cops and police dog injured after being ‘outnumbered’ during clashes between hundreds of protesters Leicester riots: 16 cops and police dog inju red after being ‘outnumbered’ during clashes between hundreds of protesters | The Sun

[23] Leicester disorder: Second man sentenced cites social media influence https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-62965416

British Indian Diaspora’s Contributions to the UK

Campaigns / By INSIGHT UK

With only 2.5% of the UK population, British Indians are contributing way above that.

From education, healthcare, employment, economy, and law and order. We Contribute. We Co-operate. We Co-Exist. We are proud to be British Indians.

Preet Kaur Gill’s Hinduphobia

Campaigns, Hinduphobia / By INSIGHT UK

On 18th December 2021, Labour MP Preet Kaur Gill posted a Hinduphobic comment after an unidentified man committed sacrilege at the Golden temple in Amritsar, Punjab.

Preet Kaur Gill posted “Hindu terrorist prevented from an act of violence at the Sikh Holy shrine of Harmandir Sahib, (Golden temple) against Sikhs.”

Preet Kaur Gill was quick to assume the culprit was Hindu even before the authorities had conducted their investigation. The culprit was in fact taken away and lynched. And the identity of the man remains uncertain.

Preet Kaur Gill has clearly exposed her hatred for Hindus and consequently her Hinduphobia.

Our Demand

Our demand is simple. MP Preet Kaur Gill must publicly apologise and must be suspended from her role as a Member of Parliament.

Our response

We (INSIGHT UK) have responded as follows;

A series of social media posts condemning and raising awareness of Preet Kaur Gill’s Hinduphobia
Wrote letters of complaints via email to the Labour party
Wrote letters of complaints via email to the UK Parliament Commissioner
INSIGHT UK West Midlands team is further pursuing to contact MP Preet Kaur Gill’s office

results / Responses

The following has thus far been achieved

The Parliament Commissioner responded by advising us to complain directly to the Labour party via their complaints procedure and following that, we can file a police complaint for hate speech
The Labour party responded with having spoken to MP Preet Kaur Gill, she regrets her comment and had since deleted her tweet

Simply regretting her comment is not at all good enough. MP Preet Kaur Gill clearly has irrational issues with Hindus and has exposed herself as a person who is a Hinduphobe. We will continue raising our voice and demand the Labour party takes strict action against Preet Kaur Gill and the issue of Hinduphobia within the party.

Open letter to the leader of the opposition sir keir starmer

An open letter was sent to the Leader of the Opposition Sir Keir Starmer by over 200 people via email. We are yet to receive a response.

Nazir Ahmed: A Lord with no honesty or integrity

Campaigns / By INSIGHT UK

Lord Nazir Ahmed retires just as his sordid history catches up with him resulting in the first-ever expulsion of a peer in the history of the House of Lords.

The House of Lords Conduct Committee has published a report on Lord Nazir Ahmed of Rotherham, concluding for the first time ever that a peer should be expelled. The report finds Lord Ahmed to have breached the Code of Conduct for “failing to act on his personal honour” over sexual assault and exploitation. Ahmed, who has a history of controversial incidents both in his career and personal life, announced his retirement on 14 November after having seen the report. Further controversially he announced his retirement only to Pakistani news outlets, keeping silent in the UK.

His sudden retirement is an obvious attempt to escape justice, meaning he does not lose his title & has the legal right to return if he changes his mind.

The report details how Tahira Zaman, “was put in contact with Lord Ahmed to help her make a complaint to the Metropolitan Police about a faith healer”.

After offering to help, Lord Ahmed was found to have used his position to:

Sexually assault the complainant on 2 March 2017
Lie to the complainant about his intentions to help her
Exploit the complainant emotionally and sexually despite knowing she was vulnerable

The Commissioner also found that Lord Ahmed failed to cooperate with her investigation and instead attempted to discredit Ms Zaman’s evidence through “denial and dishonesty”. The Committee noted that at no point in the process did Lord Ahmed show any remorse or take any responsibility for any aspect of his conduct towards the complainant.

The allegations of sexual misconduct were first brought to light in a BBC Newsnight investigation (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHRxoFrIC7M). It was reported that there are many women he has taken advantage of, but most unwilling to come forward due to fear and community honour.

Ahmed’s conduct, particularly his dishonesty and lack of cooperation towards the investigating committee, is a key part of the report. Exploitation, sexual assault, lack of integrity, deliberately inaccurate, misleading accounts, lying about his intentions, deception, acting without honesty or integrity, risk of repetition, just a small list of damning condemnations in the report.

Due to the severe nature of his misconduct, the only recommendation the committee could make was expulsion. The full report can be found here: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld5801/ldselect/ldcond/170/170.pdf

Ahmed has a history of controversial and often criminal acts in his career:

Attempted rape and indecent assault charges

He is due to stand trial in January 2021 facing charges of historical child sexual abuse along with two of his brothers. Ahmed has been charged with two counts of attempted rape and one count of indecent assault, whilst his brothers have also been charged on multiple indecent assault charges against two children, a boy and a girl. The accusations date back to the early ’70s.

In what is surely a miscarriage of justice, the court at the last hearing has declared his brothers now aged 63 and 68, would not be able to recall that far back, and therefore will not face trial.

Fatal road crash

On Christmas Day 2007 Lord Nazir Ahmed killed 28-year-old Martin Gombar, a husband and young father of two. Ahmed sent & received messages whilst driving, before his Jaguar smashed into a stationary Audi killing its driver. He was jailed for 12 weeks, but freed after serving just 16 days when the Court of Appeal suspended his sentence because of “exceptional” mitigation relating to his community work. He later lied about this and told the media his sentence had been overturned, blaming his original prison sentence on a Jewish conspiracy.

Ref: https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2009/feb/25/lord-ahmed-dangerous-driving

Anti-Semitism and Labour Party Suspension

Lord Nazir was caught on camera saying that his dangerous driving case was not serious and was made critical by the Jewish community, who control the media through their television channels and newspapers, by pressuring and influencing the courts.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/muslim-peer-lord-ahmed-blames-jewish-conspiracy-for-jailing-him-nkcxnk892wj

He was due to appear before the Labour National Executive Committee for his antisemitic remarks, but to pre-empt his expulsion from the party, which can clearly be seen in The Times video, he resigned from the party two days beforehand.

Other anti-semitic incidents

In 2005, Ahmed hosted a book launch in the House of Lords for neo-Nazi holocaust denier Israel Shamir, who frequently uses anti-Semitic language in his work.
In 2009, Ahmed, along with several extremist British Islamists, signed a letter praising the anti-Jewish Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan after he walked out of a debate with President Shimon Peres at the Davos Conference in Switzerland.
In 2009, in an interview on Iranian Press TV, Ahmed said that British Jews who served in the Israeli army should be arrested and charged with war crimes.

Protest against the persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh

Campaigns, Hindus in Bangladesh / By INSIGHT UK

Protests were held outside the Bangladesh Embassy in London, Birmingham and Edinburgh to condemn and raise awareness of the plight of Hindus in Bangladesh.

Brutal attacks on Hindu temples, homes, people, and the rape of Hindu women by Islamic extremists are shocking and unpardonable.

We appeal to the Bangladesh government to bring the perpetrators of the attacks on Hindus to justice.

Gallery

Nationwide silent vigil at 40 places across the UK

Campaigns, Hindus in Pakistan / By INSIGHT UK

On 2^nd October, the international non-violence day, INSIGHT UK organised a nationwide vigil across 40 places in the UK with an appeal to stop violence against Hindus and other minorities in Pakistan.

The situation of Hindus and other minorities in Pakistan is becoming increasingly dire. They face regular violence, kidnappings, forceful religious conversion, attacks on businesses and religious places and persecution.

It is reported that each year more than 1,000 minor Hindu girls are abducted, forced to convert, married to people twice or thrice of their age or pushed into the sex trade, never to be seen by their family again. Some seminaries teach that forcibly converting Hindu girls is equivalent to the greatest religious duty. Minorities in Pakistan face the constant threat of blasphemy laws.

Islamic law introduced in 1977 imposes regulations and constitutional injunctions that deny equal protection and religious freedom to non-Muslims. Additionally, the Pakistani Constitution states that only a Muslim can be the president of the country and that all high officers must take the oath of office by invoking an Islamic prayer, regardless of their religion. In the last 2 years alone there have been 7 attacks against Hindu places of worship. The latest one happened on August 4, 2021. The Hindu temple in Bhong City in Rahim Yar Khan district of Punjab province was destroyed by a mob.

More details: https://insightuk.org/pakistani-hindus

The latest State Department report on International Religious Freedom 2020 depicts a very precarious situation for minorities in Pakistan. At the time of independence in 1947, Pakistan had a minority population of about 31%. Of these 24%, i.e.⅔ or 7.5 million of the minority population were Hindus. In 75 years, the minority population has dwindled to 4% of which Hindus form merely 1.6% i.e.2.5 million. Pakistan’s State-sponsored genocide, pogroms and torture instituted and engineered by the state apparatus resulted in this precipitous decline. Many Hindus in Pakistan continue to flee to India to protect their human rights and dignity.

Below are some ongoing examples of media coverage on the topic:

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/pakistan-girls-forced-conversion-islam-b1779492.html

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/stories-56337182

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/30/mob-tears-down-hindu-temple-and-torch-holy-shrine-in-pakistan

British Hindus across the United Kingdom gathered today to highlight the helpless condition of these minorities in Pakistan and particularly the minor girls in Pakistan. After the vigil, the community members petitioned their local MPs to take up this humanitarian issue with the Minister for South Asia and the Commonwealth and ask for below:

The UK Govt should raise these concerns with the Pakistan Government to protect the minorities and safeguard their human rights.
The UK Govt should take up this matter with the Indian Government to ensure that the citizenship application of the minorities from Pakistan who have taken refuge in India should be expedited.

Some of the locations included Edinburgh, Leeds, York, Manchester, Warrington, Bolton, Liverpool, Cambridge, Milton Keynes, London, Nottingham, Leicester, Derby, Rugby, Sheffield, West Bromwich, Bristol, Swindon, Salisbury, Cheltenham, Swansea, Reading, Slough, Basingstoke, and Cardiff.

Protest against the persecution of Hindu in Pakistan

Protest at the High Commission for Pakistan in London

Campaigns, Hindus in Pakistan / By INSIGHT UK

The Hindu community in the UK has been continuously shocked by the persecution of Hindus in Pakistan and has started lobbying the British government to ensure the safety and basic human rights of Pakistani Hindus.

The recent incident of arresting an eight-year-old Hindu boy under blasphemy laws shocked the whole world. It meant that this eight-year-old Hindu boy could face execution. Although these outrageous charges are dropped by the Prime Minister of Pakistan after global uproar, the boy and his family are believed to be in police custody due to threats issued by Islamist extremists in Pakistan. Around 200 Hindu families in the same town of the boy were threatened to leave their houses overnight are yet to return.

This has shaken up the British Hindus further and a peaceful protest outside the Pakistani embassy was organised on Sunday 15th August 2021 which was attended by around 500 people. Multiple Hindu organisations, including INSIGHT UK, a social movement for British Hindus and Indians, mobilised to organise the protest.

Since partition in 1947, the minority Hindu community in Pakistan has been treated like second-class citizens and suffered decades of persecution. Over 5,000 Hindus leave Pakistan for India each year to escape. An estimated 1,000 Hindu girls are abducted and forcefully converted to Islam each year, married off to their abductors who are often old enough to be their fathers. There were over 400 temples in Pakistan just 40 years ago, now there are just 20, the rest having been destroyed. The Hindu population in Pakistan is believed to be 2.14% in 2017 which shows a sharp decline from approximately 22% in 1947.

The trigger which prompted this protest was an eight-year-old boy who had unknowingly wandered into a Madrassah (Muslim place of learning). He was threateningly confronted by a man, and in his fear, he urinated. The Pakistani police believed this was a ‘crime’ and the boy was arrested for blasphemy, put in prison, with no contact with his family. Blasphemy carries the death penalty in Pakistan. Even more disturbingly, vigilante crowds often don’t wait for legal justice and take the law into their hands, lynching the alleged ‘criminals’. On this occasion after hearing of the alleged blasphemous incident, the crowd of local Muslims destroyed a temple in the same district, damaging the building and the Murtis (Hindu religious holy shrines) situated within.

The protest was a huge success and with just a few days to plan, around 500 people attended to raise their voices. Educational speeches were given expressing the plight of the Pakistani Hindus, slogans of peace were chanted, and signs were held. This peaceful protest was live-streamed via many social media channels. We hope wider awareness was raised to the general public about what is happening in Pakistan, and although the protest was a success, this is just the start. We cannot rest whilst the innocent Hindus of Pakistan are attacked, raped, and forcefully converted, all under the watch of the Pakistani and British governments. Their voices will be heard.

INSIGHT UK will be launching a series of events on this matter including an awareness campaign for the Members of UK Parliament (MPs) soon.

Pakistani Islamist extremists destroy one more Hindu temple in Aug 2021:

https://fb.watch/7ra_0MzUbO/

Protest details:

https://twitter.com/INSIGHTUK2/status/1425907794134327304?s=20

Interview at the protest site:

Hinduism in R.E.

Campaigns / By INSIGHT UK

INSIGHT UK conducted an online survey to gauge and understand from the parents and students the current state of Hinduism in Religious Education in UK schools. The survey proved to be one of the most successful Hindu surveys in the history of the UK, based on the number of responses received and good distribution of responses from all 4 countries in the UK.

Religious Education (RE) is a mandatory subject in state-sponsored schools in the UK. Many concerns have been raised across the country by parents and educationalists about the reduction in the availability, content and quality of teaching Hinduism in Religious Education in UK schools. Grave errors in resource content, lack of understanding among RE teachers and incorrect references can create a lot of harm. This has an adverse impact on the UK’s youth, and this will impact many more future generations to come.

The lack of awareness amongst Hindu students about their religion is leading to issues related to forced conversion, an inferiority complex, bullying, psychological harm and even suicide. At the same time, the lack of awareness about the Hindu religion among non-Hindu students deprives them of a worldview, as well as the religion and culture of one of the largest and most contributing minority communities in the country. This results in ignorance and insensitivity towards Hindu people and their beliefs. This can even lead to racial hate crime.

This project of INSIGHT UK was supported and guided by Hindu Forum of Britain, Hindu Council UK, National Council of Hindu Temples (UK), Vishwa Hindu Parishad (UK), Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (UK).

INSIGHT UK conducted an online survey on the 12th of September 2020 and ran for one month till 11th October 2020 to gauge and understand from the parents & students the current state of Hinduism in Religious Education in UK schools. The survey proved to be one of the most successful Hindu surveys in the history of the UK, based on the number of responses received and good distribution of responses from all 4 countries in the UK.

After the survey concluded, INSIGHT UK organised a live webinar on Saturday 24th October 2020 which was viewed by over 300 people. The webinar covered key survey findings and recommendations.

On Thursday 14th January 2021, INSIGHT UK published a detailed report on this project highlighting all the findings and results from all the phases of the project.

Download Report

Plight of Hindus in Pakistan

Campaigns, Hindus in Pakistan / By INSIGHT UK

INSIGHT UK is raising awareness of the denial of human rights and religious freedoms of the Hindus in Pakistan. The country which is not only breeding terrorists, but is also abusing its minorities and brutalising them in myriad ways. Forcible conversion of minorities or driving them out of their ancestral homes, can be gauged from the fact that the non-Muslim minorities have declined from 23% at the time of partition in 1947 to barely 4% now.

In the last 2 years alone there have been 7 attacks against Hindu places of worship. The latest one happened on August 4, 2021 and we wish to bring this to your attention and request you to raise your voice against the brutal and inhuman Pakistan government. The Hindu temple in Bhong City in Rahim Yar Khan district of Punjab province was destroyed by a mob.

Here is a list of desecrations and destruction of Hindu temples from the recent past.

A 100 year old Hindu temple in Rawalpindi, the capital of Pakistan was attacked and property destroyed.
In June 2020, the construction of a Hindu temple in Islamabad was stopped. Though the permission had been granted by the Islamabad Capital Development Authority, there were objections and lawsuits to stop the construction.
A pre-partition Hindu temple in Karachi was demolished in August 2020 by a builder and the police sealed off the site, preventing access.
The Hindu temple in Nagarparkar in Sindh province was vandalized and idols damaged in October 2020.
The Hindu temple in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was set on fire and destroyed by a mob following hate speech in December 2020. This temple which was built in 1919, was the target of an attack in 1997 as well.
In January 2020, the Hindu temple in Chhachro City of Sindh province was attacked and idols were broken.
In the same month, the Nankana Sahib Gurudwara, the place of worship of Sikhs, was pelted with stones.

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” – Edmund Burke. That’s why it is absolutely imperative, both as a great human being and as a politician, raising your voice is essential to protect the voiceless in a land of barbarity. The laundry list of brutal, inhuman, often criminal behaviour of the people, the police, and the politicians of Pakistan is long and heart breaking. We present to you a tiny bit of this sordid list.

The Pakistan government is guilty of violating international covenants that it has voluntarily signed. Pakistan has signed the United Nations’ International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Pakistan has also signed other covenants of the UN including respecting women’s rights and children’s rights. These are very important covenants as Pakistan has violated the rights of women and female children particularly.

In essence, we want to stress the following for your immediate action and support.

1. Minorities are in constant danger: Rape, abduction, forced conversion and even murder are frequent occurrences. Policemen refuse to take action against perpetrators of atrocities or worse still, become participants in the crime.

2. Non-Muslim minorities – Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Zoroastrians face denial of equal rights. Hindus being the largest minority group, face most of the attacks.
Muslim minorities include Shia, Hazara, Ahmadis, Ismaili, and Bohra (a branch of Ismaili) account for 15-20% of the population but the numbers are not very clear. The Pakistan constitution does not recognize Ahmadis as Muslims and the Ahmadis face as much danger as non-Muslim minorities.

3. The Pakistan government is in denial most of the time, and at times due to international pressure, launches an investigation that eventually blames the victims. With a small population often facing violent mobs, the minorities do not have any choice but to submit to the brutality of the marauding mobs. The feeble and often untruthful ‘investigations’ do not produce any tangible results. So, asking the Pakistan government to take action and depending on them to protect the minorities is never going to work, unless there is international pressure and human rights watch is monitoring the situation and promised actions.

4. Judiciary in Pakistan is in collusion with the perpetrators of crimes as most often the accused have been released for ‘lack of evidence’ or by quoting Islamic Law or because the minorities ‘agreed to pardon the perpetrators’. The country’s draconian blasphemy laws are being foisted on innocent people, for imaginary offences. Even the judiciary is complicit in this crime by accepting that the minorities have ‘pardoned the perpetrators’, refusing to recognize the fact that the ‘pardon’ is also obtained by coercion.

5. There were 400+ Hindu temples in the Sindh region of Pakistan at the time of partition in 1947. Now, there are barely 20, with the rest of the temples either having been demolished and desecrated or converted into mosques. The Evacuee Trust Property Board of Pakistan should have a Hindu or Sikh as its head as per the Liaqat Ali – Nehru Pact. But today, all 6 official members of the Board are Muslims and of the 18 non-official members only 8 are Hindus and Sikhs.

The Evacuee Trust Property Board has been criticised for leasing sacred Hindu temples. The board rented out the historic Kali Bari Hindu Temple to a Muslim in Dera Ismail Khan in 2014 and the temple is being converted and used as the Taj Mahal Hotel. Frontier Constabulary officials, with the help of the board, have occupied the Shamshan Ghaat in Dera Ismail Khan and the Hindu community is unable to cremate their dead because of the unavailability of Shamshan Ghaat and is forced to bury them in a graveyard shared by members of other faiths. As per Hindu custom, the body should be cremated and not buried. Hindus are being denied their due even after their death.

6. Menial jobs are reserved for minorities, while claiming that Islam treats everyone equally. In most of Pakistan the menial jobs are primarily reserved for Christians. The menial jobs are mostly removing solid waste and sweeping the roads and public places, often at below minimum wages.

7. Even well-known people are no exception to these attacks. The only Hindu ever to play cricket for Pakistan has spoken out about the degrading treatment he received from his team mates. This has also been confirmed by one of his Muslim team mates. The Muslim player has come under attack for supporting the Hindu player’s allegations.

8. Activists of all kinds – Hindus, Christians, Baloch activists are in constant fear of murder, even if they leave Pakistan. Two Baloch activists have been found dead in a river and lake following several death threats – one in Sweden and another in Canada. A third activist, who was calling attention to the plight of Christians in Pakistan was attacked with a knife and suffered serious injuries in South Korea. The ISI has been the suspect in all these cases.

9. In 2010, after a delay of 44 and 24 years respectively, Pakistan signed and ratified two key international treaties of United Nations – namely the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the Convention Against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment (CAT). However, the people of the country do not have recourse to any law. The UN is a spectator to the ugly spectacle of spiralling religious intolerance, government inaction, and judicial collusion in Pakistan.

It is with deep trepidation at what is in store for the remaining minorities in Pakistan. Please support INSIGHT UK by raising awareness and participating in our campaigns to help the minorities in Pakistan before it’s too late. We thank you in advance for your support and help