by Muslim Mirror Staff
Veteran Bollywood actor Naseeruddin Shah recently expressed his concerns about the increasing Islamophobia and anti-Muslim sentiment in India amidst the ongoing debate surrounding the ban on ‘The Kerala Story’ and its alleged exaggeration of the number of women from Kerala who joined ISIS.
Shah, known for his outspoken nature, accused the propagation of hatred towards Muslims of becoming a fashionable trend, with propaganda movies being used as a means to campaign this agenda. He is known for frequently sharing his opinions on political matters and has been a vocal critic of the ruling BJP party.
“Oh sure, these are worrying times absolutely. The kind of stuff that’s pure, undisguised propaganda is being lapped up and it’s a reflection of the zeitgeist of the times. Muslim hate is fashionable these days, even among educated people. It’s what the ruling party has very cleverly tapped into this nerve. We talk about secular this, democracy that, so why are you introducing religion into everything?” Shah said during his interview with indianexpress.com.
In addition to expressing his concerns about rising Islamophobia, Naseeruddin Shah also criticized the usage of religious terms by politicians to manipulate people for electoral gains, without specifically mentioning any film. He pointed out that some politicians have hijacked religious rhetoric, using it as a means to incite divisions and garner votes during elections.
Shah took a dig at the Election Commission of India (ECI), stating that they have been passive observers of this trend, failing to take appropriate action against such divisive politics, including the use of religious war cries during election campaigns.
“I mean how spineless is the Election Commission of ours? Who doesn’t even dare utter a word. If there had been a Muslim leader who had said, ‘Allah hu Akbar bol ke button dabao’, sh*t would have hit the fan,” he said.
Shah expressed a sense of hope, suggesting that the divisive tactic of playing the religion card would eventually lose its effectiveness. He cited the example of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who attempted to use religious rhetoric during election campaigns but ultimately faced a significant setback.
“But here our Prime Minister goes ahead and says things like this and yet he loses. So, I have hope that this will wear off. But it’s definitely, at the moment, at its peak. It’s been a very clever card played by this government, and it has worked. Let’s see how long it continues to work,” he added.
