The embarrassing defeat of cricket reveals the division of Hindus and Muslims in India

After India was defeated by Pakistan’s arch-rival in the T20 Cricket World Cup, runner-up Mohammed Shami was insulted by angry Hindu critics who accused the team’s only Muslim player of deliberately throwing the match.

The Indian captain, Virat Kohli, retaliated, referring to Shami’s “national ambition” and his team’s other high-profile performances. “Violence against a person for their religion is the most tragic thing a person can do,” said Kohli, who was verbally abused and threatened with his daughter.

India was one of the nominees to win the World Cup but failed to take action and is in danger of winning after losing to New Zealand in the next match.

Shami did not win well against Pakistan but even his non-Muslim counterparts did not win when they failed to take one wicket in Dubai.

“The Hindu-Muslim division they are deeply rooted in society, “says Hilal Ahmed, a professor at New Delhi’s Center for the Study of Developing Societies.” If India wins, the debt will go to Hindu players. But if India loses, the responsibility will be given to Muslim players. “

India’s anger at losing cricket matches is not limited to television. Accused of celebrating Pakistan’s victory, several Indian Muslims – school lecturers, engineering students and students and staff at Kashmiri Medical College – have been fired from their jobs, fired from their colleges and imprisoned for terrorism and sedition.

The extremist response reflects the deep resentment of Indian Muslims, whose 200m citizens are frequently portrayed by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party as a threat to internal security.

“This shows the patriotism that you are looking for in the enemy,” said political scientist Asim Ali. “Cricket offers an acid test to prove love for your country. . . It is about using major events to ensure that the loyalty of Muslims is constantly questioned. You cannot believe that Muslims love their country.

Indian governments promoted solidarity between Hindus and minority Muslims, emphasizing national values. But analysts say the BJP also means India is a Hindu country, where Muslims are allowed to accept Hindu supremacy and remain in power. well-defined boundaries.

Many BJP-controlled countries have committed atrocities ireligious marriages, citing the Islamic “love jihad” conspiracy to disrupt Hinduism, and the ban on the sale of meat and hides, from which many Muslims make a living.

Officials who support the Hindu policy also use colonial laws to harass and intimidate Muslims, often under the influence of Hindu groups.

This year, the young Muslim player has settled down 36 days in jail Hindu guards after giving up his disrespectful jokes, and ordered his arrest in accordance with colonial law to be a crime “deliberately provoking the religious views of any group”.

Smaller cases like this bring charges, and lawyers said charges of sedition for the benefit of Pakistan were unlikely. But because of delays in the crowded courts, inmates awaiting trial are sentenced to lengthy prison terms and a hefty fine for their release.

Karuna Nundy, a High Court lawyer, said Karuna Nundy. “The next step is also punishment. . . Once in the process, it can take a long time to get the bell. “

Ordinary Muslims are not the only Indians who are forced by law. The country is shocked by the arrest last month of Aryan Khan, the 23-year-old son of Bollywood super Shah Rukh Khan, who previously served as national ambassador to West Bengal.

The young Khan was arrested on a trip from Mumbai to Goa and is charged with conspiracy to commit genocide. No drug was found in his possession and the main evidence cited was a WhatsApp message about the “explosion”.

He was detained for 25 days before being released on bail and now awaits trial on charges that many view as false.

Pratap Bhanu Mehta, a senior student, called the case “the spread of a kingdom of fear and cruelty” which was intended as a strong warning from the government to the people of India. “The point is, ‘we can make life miserable even for Aryan Khan,’ ‘Mehta wrote in the Indian Express newspaper.

Researchers expect religious tensions to intensify in the coming months as the BJP prepares for next year’s elections in Uttar Pradesh, India’s largest country and the BJP’s stronghold.

Ali said the prosecution of Muslims had resumed “organic”, with government officials trying to please their BJP political bosses in “competitive radicalization”Of government machinery.

“Anti-Muslim activities allow you to associate with high-profile organizations,” he said.

Ahmed, from the Center for the Study of Developing Societies, said the BJP was initiating civil strife to destroy existing resources. suffering to recover from the Covid-19 epidemic.

“The country is facing an economic crisis,” Ahmed said. “But in order to divert our attention we are raising the issue of Hindu persecution and the persecution of Muslims.