While dictating the book Mein Kampf, Adolf Hitler came up with the term “big lie”. The “big lie” is essentially one of the key techniques of propaganda where the proponent makes up a big enough lie that people believe to be the truth, simply because they think nobody could possibly make up such a colossal lie. Historians believe that Joseph Goebbels and the Nazi party used this technique to turn the sentiment against the news, to a point where the sentiment turned into an excuse for mass murder and genocide.
Arguably, the Nazi regime was the pinnacle of what a truly believable propaganda onslaught looks like. As unbelievable as it is, the Germans at the time truly believed that they were fighting for their freedom and the preservation of their identity. What made an entire nation follow one of the most grotesque mass murderers? A cult that murdered millions of Jews?
Joseph Goebbels was the Propaganda Minister for Hitler’s Third Reich and over the years, several studies have been conducted to understand the basic principles followed by him, that made his propaganda so successful. One of the theories by Jowett & O’Donnell saw that Goebbels based his propaganda on the following principles:
- Avoid abstract ideas – appeal to the emotions.
- Constantly repeat just a few ideas. Use stereotyped phrases.
- Give only one side of the argument.
- Continuously criticize your opponents.
- Pick out one special “enemy” for special vilification.
Simple, yet powerful ideas that subjugated an entire nation to endorse genocide.
To be clear, there is still no agreed-upon definition of fascism itself. Every scholar has defined it on the basis of their own understanding and one can safely assume, that the modern-day interpretation of fascism is, ironically, the product of another propaganda blitzkrieg that has been unleashed upon the world.
While the global Left has tried their best to paint indigenous communities as “fascists” by arbitrarily calling them “right-wing”, the real proponents of Goebbels-esque propaganda aren’t the mythical global right-wing or indigenous people looking to merely survive in an age of globalism and nation-states, but the Left and the Islamists who wish to establish some sort of cultural and religious (respectively) hegemony that threatens to destabilise the world.
Mehdi Hasan – the perfect disciple of Goebbels
A classic example of the perfect Goebbels-esque propaganda was the recent diatribe by Mehdi Hasan. Hasan is a presenter at MSNBC and recently, the quintessential “moderate Muslim” got triggered against Modi, Hindu, Hindutva, Hindu Nationalism and anything that the brown heathens were doing without the explicit consent of the West, the Islamists, the Globalists and the Left.
Putin. Orban. Le Pen. We talk a lot in the West about the rise of far-right authoritarians & yet we never mention India’s Narendra Modi and his BJP.
— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) April 26, 2022
On the @MehdiHasanShow, I did a deep-dive into India under Modi & new warnings of an anti-Muslim genocide:pic.twitter.com/McOGhQy7Gp
We will get to Hasan’s video in just a moment. But before we do, some context is the need of the hour. Hasan himself, who masquerades as a “moderate Muslim”, has been known to be a rabid Jihadi. It is, of course, par for the course for such Jihadis to be co-opted by corporate media like the MSNBC, because they fulfil the dual, diabolical end of uniting the Left and the Islamists.
In the past, he has claimed that non-Muslims live like animals and equated homosexuals with paedophiles. He has since then apologized for his remarks but in light of his recent conduct, it appears the apology was ‘Taqiyya’. The practice of ‘Taqiyya’ is a religiously sanctioned lying or deceiving non-Muslims in order to present oneself as not a true believer in Islam.
Not only that, Hasan has attempted rather feverishly in the past to deny that Islam has a problem of radicalism. Not only does Hasan deny the links of Radical Islam with Islam, he completely denies that Radical Islamic terrorists are in any manner even inspired by Islam and teachings in the Quran. Not merely that, he even mocks the idea that Islam has a problem and that Radical Islamic terrorists are driven to murder people in the name of Allah. It’s a complete whitewashing and denial of reality.
This itself establishes what a great propagandist Hasan truly is. He focuses on abstract ideas about Islam having nothing to do with Radical Islam (without addressing the actual verses from the Quran that call for the beheading of Kafirs etc), he constantly repeats this trope of Islam being peaceful, he refuses to discuss the ideas floated by critics of Islam, he broad brushes critics as Islamophobes, so on and so forth. Almost effortlessly, he checks all the boxes that Goebbels would have wanted him to check.
This is what makes him the perfect candidate to spread the propaganda that clearly has the blessings of the global Left, the Muslim brotherhood and evidently, ally channels like MSNBC.
Mehdi Hasan and his Goebbal-esque propaganda on MSNBC
In the video, Hasan starts by talking about ‘right-wing’ regimes like that of Russia. He says that Putin has ties to far-right groups in Russia and beyond. Interestingly, while Hasan claims that Russian mercenaries are far-right groups (white supremacists), he fails to mention that the Azov battalion in Ukraine is proven Nazis. Zelensky himself admitted that they were. The selective quoting of the facts would against make Goebbels proud.
Moving on, Hasan then talks about India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Saying that Modi is “hell-bent” on re-creating the “lost Hindu kingdom” one likes to call “Hindu Rashtra” and is “far-right” and “supremacist”. What Hasan primarily tries to do here is, in a sleight of hand, equate Hindu nationalism with white supremacists to make a larger, global point that Ostriches in the USA can comprehend. Hasan is dishonest enough to not mention how White Supremacists use ‘curry ni**ers’ as a racist derogatory slur for Hindus. He won’t mention the fact that Hindus are hated just as much as Muslims by White Supremacists. Beyond that, Hasan is also dishonest in his evaluation of facts and how indigenous people choose to survive in an ever-changing world.
For a country that was partitioned on the basis of religion and still faces a huge threat from Radical Islam and Christian Evangelism, Hindu Nationalism is the only recourse. Given that Hasan follows Islam, it is natural for him to equate Hindu Nationalism with Abrahamic nationalism – whether Islamic or Christian – and being a journalist, one does not really expect him to understand nuanced differences. Abrahamic religions functions on the principles of absolutes and universal truths and their nationalism revolve around either the Ummah or similar concepts where the world needs to be covered to their religion and by force, made to believe in their One True God. The tenets of Hinduism itself don’t match with the Abrahamic line of thinking and therefore, Hindu nationalism is a concept far divorced from Abrahamic tenets of global dominion. To club Hindu Nationalism with White Supremacy, which is an ideology based on race, is utterly dubious.
Muslims “literally” on the verge of genocide in India, MK Gandhi, Godse and Golwalkar: How Hasan made Goebbels proud
In his video, Hasan goes on to talk about how Muslims and Christians are “literally” on the verge of genocide, and this vague linguistic jugglery is exactly what Goebbels would endorse. How are they “literally” on the verge of a genocide? Nobody really knows. Given that lakhs of Muslims regularly take to the streets to riot and sloganeer against Hindus. Recently, we saw multiple attacks in multiple states across India against Hindus as they took out their religious processions peacefully, as we see the ongoing trial in the Delhi anti-Hindu Riots where Muslims and Leftists conspired to teach Hindus a lesson. One really does not know how they are LITERALLY on the verge of a genocide. But the turn of phrase serves a great purpose overall. It convinces those listening that he is being honest. The word “literally” and the emphasis on it gives the impression that there are actually incidents of mass murders of Muslims happening as he speaks in India. A simple message that alludes to emotions, repeats the same message over and over again, does not wade into specifics but drives home the point beautifully.
To drive his point home further, he alludes to Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (he calls him a Mahatma). He reminds people that Gandhi was murdered by a Hindu extremist – Godse. Now, just like fascism, there is no universally accepted definition of ‘extremism” either. As such, a Jihadi like Hasan is free to use it to define the Kafirs that he so feverishly hates. After all, one of the greatest methods of propaganda is to accuse the other of what you are doing yourself. Extremism, essentially, is a broader term as compared to terrorism. Therefore, as such, the global community is free to bracket anything they don’t agree with as “extremism”. What is extreme? Nobody really knows due to the subjective nature of the term. Would flat earthers find modern scientists extremists? Perhaps yes. Would the Church think of abortion laws as extremist opinions? Absolutely. Would Mehdi think that Hindus believing that they have a right to survive and preserve their religion, culture and identity beyond the confines of Abrahamic values? Hell yes.
When Godse murdered Gandhi, one has to remember that India was going through a churn that the world had not seen. A nation had been torn into two by Ummah enthusiasts, much like Hasan himself. Divided on the basis of religion, elements like Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi watched over as Hindus were butchered in thousands and lakhs. One recalls the Malabar genocide of Hindus by Moplah Muslims after the Khilafat movement found endorsement from him, the Direct Action Day, the Noakhali genocide and the Hindus butchered in newly formed Islamic Pakistan. Godse was a political assassin who murdered Gandhi because he could no longer stand smelling the blood of his own brethren. Did Godse commit a crime? Yes. Was Godse an extremist or Hindu terrorist who killed Gandhi because his religion ordained him to do so? No. The Left, however, including Islamists like Hasan would use Godse to demonise a people who were butchered and persecuted by Islamists through millennia, with the held of leaders like Gandhi who chased the mythical religious brother that became the sole responsibility of Hindus.
To demonise the Hindus and any organisation that remotely works for Hindus, Mehdi Hasan then goes on to propagate an oft-repeated lie – another Goebbels tactic. He claims that RSS founder, Golwalkar, praised Hitler. In his profuse writings, letters, articles, statements and interviews, there doesn’t seem to be a single sentence which declares Guruji’s admiration for Hitler. Not one. Yet libraries of articles and books repeat the lie to run down the world’s biggest mass organization. This ocean of lies floats on a mere two paragraphs which appeared in Guruji’s maiden book in 1938, “We, Our Nationhood Defined”. The book has never been reprinted since 1947. In neither of these paragraphs did Golwalkar call for a genocide. The one para where he remotely spoke about Hitler has to be viewed in the context of 1938 when Hitler was widely popular across the globe for transforming Germany. It is important to remember that this was written before the Holocaust took place. However, these nuances would be missed by Hasan.
Accuse others of doing what you do yourself: How Mehdi Hasan tried to paint Hindus as international pariahs
So far in the video, Hasan stuck to local examples, misinterpreted, simplified, lied about, but local Indian examples nonetheless. But his aim is much larger, as we get an indication from his video. He wants to paint Hindutva, Hindus and pariahs Internationally. Citing local examples just would not suffice, now, would it? Hasan follows the footsteps of Goebbels and craftily accuses Hindus of what his co-religionists do on a daily basis – create havoc in the world and unleash violence in the name of their religion.
Anders Breivik killed 77 people in July 2011 in Norway. He was a white supremacist who harboured hate toward Muslims. A few paragraphs in his 1,500-page manifesto spoke about Hindutva. Hasan in his video talks about Brevik and claims that Hindutva does not only affect local Hindus but has influenced “some of the worst people” across the world, including Brevik. If Hasan were to be believed, the hundreds and thousands of Islamic terrorists have nothing to do with Islam but Brevik, who isn’t even a Hindu or a proponent of Hindu Nationalism, is representative of Hindu Nationalism at large.
As preposterous as this argument is, it is made with a clear intent of turning Hindus into global pariahs and at the same time, shielding Islamists. You see, when there is a section of the population that can be painted with the same attributes of the tribe you seek to protect, the focus decisively shifts to the new threat that is being laid out right in front of our eyes. Islamic terrorists have nothing to do with Islam because Islam is a religion of peace, however, Brevik, has everything to do with Hindu nationalism because to turn Hindus into global pariahs, Hasan needs to draw parallels that the global community can identify with. The world knows Islam through terrorists like Osama and ISIS. What does one do to absolve Islam? Create a parallel monster – Hindus, Godse, Golwalkar, Brevik, RSS and of course, Modi.
Keep the message simple. Create a “big lie” that nobody would think anybody could lie about. Keep repeating the same message, even if its a lie, over and over again. Demonise a people so their genocide becomes an acceptable norm – exactly what Hasan and his compatriots try to do on a regular basis.
Pick out one special “enemy” for special vilification, propagated Goebbels, and Hasan does just that – Modi, Modi, Modi
After spouting simple punchlines for sub-par IQ Americans to understand, like “Hinduism Good, Hindutva not-so-good”, and “this is a group and an ideology that is really scary”, Hasan shifts his focus on PM Modi. What seems to really scare Hasan is the fact that Indians, the dirty heathens, have the right to exercise their democratic power. Expressing absolute horror at the fact that PM Modi has met with substantial electoral success, Hasan goes on to allude that “it comes as no surprise” that PM Modi is affiliated with the RSS. For us in India, this is a mundane fact, however, for the West, after Hasan vilifies RSS and paints it as a group that runs parallel to ISIS and White Supremacist groups, that affiliation can sound rather jarring.
Frankly, even though Hasan’s propaganda deserves to be despised and debunked, one can’t help but marvel at the efficacy.
What he essentially ended up doing was first demonise RSS with baseless lies and propaganda, then say that PM Modi is a “fascist” since he is affiliated with the RSS. To substantiate his point, he goes on to cite the Gujarat riots and the fact that the US had blacklisted Modi after the said riots. He, of course, does not mention that the Supreme Court of India gave PM Modi a clean chit and said that his name was dragged in with no proof whatsoever. He fails to mention that before the Gujarat riots, over 50 Hindus were burnt alive by a Muslim mob. None of this is mentioned because the truth is antithetical to the Nazi-esque propaganda that Hasan wishes to spread.
Hasan then goes on to repeat the usual tropes of lynchings (only Muslim ones, which are few and far between. Forget the Hindus who are regularly lynched and murdered, they are dispensable. Who can take an objection to righteous Muslim lynching dirty Nazis like the Hindus, yes?), hate crimes, hate speech etc. He also talks about the latest Jahangirpuri incident. Not the violence that was unleashed by the Muslim mob against the Hindus, but the fact that “Muslim homes were razed by the Modi government”. He does not mention that Hindu encroachments were razed too and he, of course, does not mention that his co-religionists had prior to that, attacked a Hindu religious procession. In his diatribe, Hasan even claims that “parts of a mosque” were destroyed, painting a very different picture from the reality – that only a gate, that was illegally encroaching on public land – was bulldozed. No part of the mosque was touched.
The most egregious lie – Modi wants to put Muslims who came to India generations ago from Bangladesh in concentration camps
The most egregious lie that Hasan mentions in his video is perhaps that PM Modi and his government want to put those Muslims in concentration camps, who came to India generations ago from Bangladesh. Now, this lie has been debunked so many times that one feels rather weary in repeating the details. The NRC exercise in Assam was one mandated by the Supreme Court of India where all illegal occupants needed to be recognised and weeded out of the nation. Assam has a long history of conflict due to the influx of illegal migrants. Hasan would do well to read about how that conflict is the legacy of Indira Gandhi, that even led to the Nellie massacre, and how it was Rajiv Gandhi who signed the Assam Accord. Clause 6 of the Assam Accord is what is sought to be implemented and a large part of that is ensuring that illegals, who have altered the culture and demography of Assam, are sent packing to where they came from.
It is pertinent to mention here that every nation has the paramount right to protect the interest of its citizens and India is no different. What Hasan basically wants is for India to assume that every individual within its borders is an Indian citizen without any proof or verification. Would the USA, a country this brown-noser calls his own, do the same? One thinks not. There are no concentration camps that Muslims are being pushed into and there is no nationwide NRC yet. But if there were to be one, nobody can fault a nation trying to ensure that its borders are not illegally penetrated.
Mehdi Hasan’s rant is rancid, but it will work, just like Nazi propaganda
Mehdi Hasan’s diatribe was rancid, laced with lies and selective quoting of events – yes. But it was also impeccable. He kept his messaging rather simple and used incidents that can easily be identified by his global audience. Gandhi is one name that would invoke a strong reaction and by saying that he was assassinated by a Hindu terrorist, almost immediately, Hasan broad brushes all Hindus as extremists at the very least, wreaking havoc against Liberals and Secular, peace-loving individuals for decades. He mentions Hitler and RSS in the same sentence to drive the point home further. It does not matter that it was a downright lie.
To make these points, he uses equally rabid and propaganda peddling outlets like TheWire and NDTV. What’s more? He gets Rana Ayyub, an Islamist accused of money laundering, to lend credence to his own lies.
Hasan followed every principle outlined by Goebbels – he appealed to emotions, kept the messaging simple, repeated the same ideas over and over and used stereotyping language that can be easy to internalise, he chose one special enemy – Modi and selectively quoted incidents presenting only one side of the picture.
Hindus have to come to terms with the fact that while op-eds such as this one would continue to debunk the rampant campaign against Hindus on a global scale, the Liberal-Islamist propaganda is believable and Hindus are being dehumanised to an extent where their genocide would be acceptable – much like the Jews.
