London: Several British lawmakers and Islamic bodies have called on the British government to ban Sadhvi Nisha Rithambara, a Hindu extremist, from entering the country for a speaking tour because of her anti-Islamic rhetoric.
Rithambara is set to pay visits to temples in Birmingham, Bolton, Coventry, Nottingham and London from 20-24 September. She is the leader of Durga Vahini organisation, woman’s wing of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and a close ally of Indian Prime Minister Modi, under whose rule India has witnessed a sharp increase in anti- Muslim violence and hatred. In 2009, Liberhan Commission had concluded that Rithambhara was among several people guilty of leading the country “to the brink of communal discord”.
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Whereas, VHP was designated by CIA as a “religious militant organisation” and forms part of an umbrella group of Hindu nationalist groups close to Modi’s ruling BJP party. International rights groups have warned that anti-Muslim air in India could even escalate further.
Two Labor lawmaker Sam Tarry and Yasmin Qureshi have voiced their opposition to Rithambara’s tour in the UK. Muslim Engagement and Development spokesperson Aman Ali said, “We are deeply concerned that Sadvhi Rithambara will jeopardize the present harmony in the UK between Hindu and Muslim populations and believe that her hateful and Islamophobic rhetoric has no place within our multicultural and diverse communities.”
A spokesperson for the Ilford Islamic Centre said that the speaker’s presence in Britain set a dangerous precedent and could stoke violence between different groups in his community. Recently, violence broke out between Hindu and Muslim groups in Leicester, UK after a cricket match that saw India beat Pakistan in the Asia Cup.
Groups of Hindu men shouting “death to Pakistan” and beating a 19-year-old Muslim man after the game. Extremist Hindu mob was chanting “Jai Shree Ram” slogans. BBC has called it a “large-scale disaster.” A peaceful protest demonstration was held in Leicester against the growing attacks by Hindu fanatics on innocent Muslims with a renowned Arab journalist taking to the twitter to warn that thousands of Hindus inspired by RSS ideology may bring the tension to the host Gulf Cooperation Council countries.
A renowned Arab journalist, Abdullah Al Imadi tweeted, “Hindu-Muslim tension in Leicester might happen in any city they live together. Can it be considered as an early warning for GCC countries, which host hundreds of thousands of Hindu workers, as there may be thousands of them influenced by RSS thoughts? Web Desk
