Mumbai : Musician and Lyricist, Javed Akhtar in an article in Saamna, the mouthpiece of Shiv Sena said that Hindus are the most tolerant majority in the world and that India could never be equated with Taliban-ruled Afghanistan as Indians are by nature moderates. This statement comes after Akhtar compared RSS and Taliban last week.
âActually, in the recent interview, I have said âHindus are the most decent and tolerant majority in the world. I have repeated this time and again and also emphasized that India can never become like Afghanistan because Indians by nature are not extremists. It is in their DNA to be moderate, to keep to the middle of the road,â said Akhtar in his opinion piece in Saamana.
He further added that critics are anxious as he finds many similarities between the Taliban and Hindu-right wing mindset, “As a matter of fact, there are a lot of similarities. While the Taliban is forming an Islamic government based on religion, the Hindu right-wing wants a Hindu Rashtra. The Taliban wants to curb womenâs rights and put them on the margin, the Hindu right-wing has also made it clear that they donât like the freedom of women and girls.â
Akhtar praised Shiv Sena Chief Minister, Uddhav Thackrey, ânot even the worst critics can accuse him of any discrimination or injusticeâ and that it is beyond his understanding how and why anyone can call Uddhav Thackerayâs government âTalibani’.
In his latest statement in Saamana, Javed Akhtar wrote that he has taken a stand against Muslim hardliners on issues such as triple talaq as well. âI have been given security twice for attacking hardliner Muslims even when no one else was talking about these issues,â he wrote.
He added, âI donât want to allow Hindu right-wing supporters to hide behind the false propaganda that I donât counter hardliners among Muslims and their regressive thought processes.â
Earlier this month, in an interview to a news portal, Javed Akhtar had said that the Taliban are barbaric and their actions are reprehensible but those supporting the RSS, VHP, and Bajrang Dal are similar. This statement was criticized by Shiv Sena through Saamna. The Saamana editorial had called his statement disrespectful to Hindu culture and said that though Akhtar had been speaking openly about fundamentalism and fanaticism, it does not agree with the comparison between the RSS and Taliban.
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