Yoga guru Ramdev accuses Muslims of terrorism, abducting Hindu women

File picture | TCN


Ramdev claimed that Islam and Christianity were obsessed with conversion while Hinduism taught its followers to do good.

Sana Ejaz | TwoCircles.net 

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NEW DELHI — In a provocative speech during a meeting of seers in Rajasthan, Yoga guru Baba Ramdev accused Muslims of resorting to terror and abducting Hindu women while comparing Hinduism to Islam.

According to a live video on Ramdev’s Twitter account, the provocative comments were purportedly made at a religious gathering of seers in Barmer, Rajasthan on Thursday.

Ramdev claimed that Islam and Christianity were obsessed with conversion while Hinduism taught its followers to do good.

“Muslims offer namaz five times a day and then do whatever they want. They kidnap Hindu girls and commit all kinds of sins. Our Muslim brothers commit a lot of sins but they definitely offer namaz as they are taught to do so. Hindu religion is not like this,” he can be heard saying in the video, which has since gone viral on social media.

“I am not criticising anyone but people are obsessed only with this. Some people talk about converting the entire world to Islam and others want to convert the world to Christianity,” Ramdev said.

He claimed that these faiths had no other agenda.

In his tirade against Muslims, he said they become terrorists or criminals and yet offer namaz.

He also commented on how Muslims dressed, saying, “for them, heaven means wearing pyjamas over ankles, cutting their moustaches, and wearing their caps. I am not saying that the Quran or any Islam tells them to do this. But that’s how people are doing it”.

He said Hinduism teaches people not to engage in violence and dishonesty.

“Wake up early in the morning, pray to God, do yoga, do good work and good deeds by worshipping your deity. This is what the Hindu religion and Sanatan Dharma teach us,” Ramdev said.

Calls to book Ramdev for hate speech
After the video of his provocative speech went viral on social media, it led to outrage with many slamming the Yoga guru for hate speech.

Shaukat Ali, President of All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) Uttar Pradesh unit, asked the Rajasthan Congress whether they would file a case against him. “Such objectionable speeches against Islam are made by sadhu-sants who are the jokers of the Bharatiya Janata Party,” he said.

AIMIM national spokesperson, Waris Pathan, slammed Ramdev calling him a “fugitive” who ran away wearing salwar kameez (outfit meant for ladies). He said that Ramdev does not know anything about Islam. “If he knew what Islam really is he would have embraced Islam,” Pathan said.

Qasim Rasul Ilyas, national president of the Welfare Party of India, urged Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot to take action against Ramdev forthwith.

He said Ramdev should be booked for insulting Islam and Christianity.

Rajya Sabha MP and Chairman of Congress’s minority department, Imran Pratapgarhi, condemned Ramdev’s remarks calling them “objectionable”.

“Remarks like this harm the country’s harmony,” he said.

Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP), a non-profit organisation dedicated to protection of human rights, on Friday condemned the Yoga guru’s statements as “attention-seeking” to fit in with “extremist” ideologies.

Noting that Ramdev makes anti-women and anti-minority statements from time to time, CJP said that the hate speech attacked Muslims and Christians to project Hinduism as the “best religion” and spread an “anti-Muslim narrative.”

Sana Ejaz is an independent journalist from Bihar. She tweets @SanaEjaz

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