On Sunday (August 27), ‘The Wire’ senior editor Arfa Khanum Sherwani, infamous for her anti-Hindu rants, met with two other Hinduphobic ‘journalists’, namely Mehdi Hasan and Wajahat Ali, in the United States.
In a tweet, she hailed the duo as ‘brilliant’, ‘intellectual’ and the ‘most important voices in American media.’ Arfa Khanum Sherwani claimed, “Met two important voices of the American media in Washington DC.”
She further added, “The very charismatic Mehdi Hasan and brilliant journalist and writer with razor-sharp intellect Wajahat Ali. Interesting conversations on the discourse around democracy, media freedom and rights in India and US.”
Met two important voices of the American media in Washington DC.
— Arfa Khanum Sherwani (@khanumarfa) August 27, 2023
The very charismatic @mehdirhasan and brilliant journalist and writer with razor sharp intellect @WajahatAli
Interesting conversations on the discourse around democracy,media freedom and rights in India and US. pic.twitter.com/TY6cXjNkba
Arfa Khanum is well-known for making anti-Hindu troupes and shielding radical Islamists. She has attacked Hinduism in events, that were organised by the anti-India lobbying group Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC).
The senior editor of ‘The Wire’ has attempted to malign Hindus, by disseminating fake news (Lulu Mall incident), invoking guilt among Hindus over atrocities committed by Islamists, engaging in whaboutism (as observed during the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan), drawing false equivalences and defaming chants of ‘Jai Shri Ram’.
In May this year, she was seen providing cover fire to her co-religionists, who are involved in the grooming of Hindu women. Arfa Khanum Sherwani also defended notorious gangster Atiq Ahmed, Coronavirus ‘superspreader’ Tablighi Jammat. Her anti-India rants found several takers in Pakistan, including ex-PM Imran Khan.
Wajahat Ali and Arfa Khanum Sherwani are no different
As such, it did not come as a surprise when Arfa Khanum Sherwani chose to meet Wajahat Ali, an American Islamist of Pakistani descent. He has written two books, namely, ‘The Domestic Crusaders’ and ‘Go Back to where you came from.’
He is also an active political commentator and a columnist at The Daily Beast. Just like Arfa Khanum Sherwani of The Wire, Ali also despises the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its leader Narendra Modi.
He frequently casts aspersions on India’s vibrant democracy, creates hysteria about the condition of Muslims in a Hindu majority State and peddles counter-narratives to present Pakistan in a good light.
Just like Afra Khanum Sherwani, Ali was also at the forefront of defending the Coronavirus superspreaders. He had shared an article by the leftist propaganda newspaper, The Washington Post, claiming that Muslims are being made scapegoats in India.
But let's keep praising Hindu nationalist leader Modi: As the world looks for coronavirus scapegoats, Muslims are blamed in India https://t.co/8MBYuuuwHn
— Wajahat Ali (@WajahatAli) April 24, 2020
He was also visibly upset when former US President Donald Trump came to visit India in February 2020.
A racist wannabe authoritarian will meet a Hindu nationalist. Both loathe Muslims but love themselves. Match made in heaven. https://t.co/ZiOzOAsjAH
— Wajahat Ali (@WajahatAli) February 24, 2020
He also attempted to play the ‘perpetual victim card’ after Islamists ran riots in the National Capital.
Ali claimed in a tweet, “Muslims are being targeted in India. This was happening right when Trump was visiting. Instead of saying anything of comfort or benefit, he praised Hindu nationalist leader Modi as “tough” and respected his efforts on “religious freedom.”
Muslims are being targeted in India. This was happening right when Trump was visiting. Instead of saying anything of comfort or benefit, he praised Hindu nationalist leader Modi as "tough" and respected his efforts on "religious freedom." #DelhiRiots2020
— Wajahat Ali (@WajahatAli) February 26, 2020
As a writer of Pakistani descent, he was evidently miffed at the abrogation of Article 370 and the complete integration of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir with the Union of India.
Don't look over what's happening in Kashmir: "The Kashmir crisis isn’t about territory. It’s about a Hindu victory over Islam." https://t.co/nb8HinzNaw
— Wajahat Ali (@WajahatAli) August 17, 2019
For those Western leaders and elites who praise Modi, check out what his hateful Hindu nationalist policies are doing to Muslims right now in India. Also, google Kashmir. (But his social media presence is so colorful! He's great for business! The trains are on time!)
— Wajahat Ali (@WajahatAli) December 16, 2019
Wajahat Ali was also distraught after the landmark Ayodhya verdict. “Sigh. The poisoned results of religous nationalism,” he claimed.
Sigh. The poisoned results of religous nationalism.
— Wajahat Ali (@WajahatAli) November 9, 2019
BBC News – Ayodhya verdict: Indian top court gives holy site to Hindus https://t.co/2HfJVPKsZ1
While following the footsteps of the Indian leftist-Islamist cabal, the ‘writer’ was seen repeatedly peddling lies about Narendra Modi with respect to the 2002 Gujarat riots. He shrewdly avoided mention of the fact that PM Modi was given a clean chit by the Indian Supreme Court 11 years ago.
It's good to be a Hindu fascist leader of a major trading partner. Modi here being lauded, the same man who was denied a visit to US in 2005 for his role in the murderous Gujrat riots. Awesome, awesome. https://t.co/W7XQWx2jfa
— Wajahat Ali (@WajahatAli) June 22, 2023
He was also seen trying to give a good impression of Pakistan by painting it as a ‘paradise’ for religious minorities.
First Pakistani woman from Hindu minority to become lawmaker https://t.co/59gq2qLGSA
— Wajahat Ali (@WajahatAli) February 13, 2018
In a Show of Tolerance, Pakistan Declares Hindu and Christian Festivals as Holidays https://t.co/JsNg4Qg5jO
— Wajahat Ali (@WajahatAli) March 17, 2016
Wajahat Ali was also miffed at the grand reception of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House. While showing his disdain for an elected democratic leader, the American Islamist labelled him as a ‘Hindu fascist.’
The violent rise of Hindu fascism in India, but hey, it's a big market, so all good.
— Wajahat Ali (@WajahatAli) July 23, 2023
Thousands protest mob assault of women who were paraded naked in remote Indian border state https://t.co/AvXnipJL2A
In February this year, Wajahat Ali was also slammed for his colourist remarks, when he claimed that Republican Presidential candidate Nikki Haley uses her brown skin to ‘launder white supremacy’.
Mehdi Hasan and his radical mindset
The American Islamist seemed to be in tandem with his UK counterpart, Mehdi Hasan, who now works in the United States for MSNBC.
.@mehdirhasan on going Head to head with right-wing Hindu nationalist trolls https://t.co/7kaC2pf7Pb
— Wajahat Ali (@WajahatAli) December 31, 2015
Hasan is infamous for his 2009 video where he was heard equating non-Muslims with ‘cattle’ and homosexuals with ‘paedophiles.’
He had claimed, “Once we lose the moral high ground we are no different from the rest, of the non-Muslims, from the rest of those human beings who live their lives as animals, bending any rule to fulfill any desire.”
It must be mentioned that Mehdi Hasan is of Indian descent but was raised in England since childhood. Although he apologised for his remarks in 2019, it becomes clear that his upbringing in a diverse, multicultural society could not rid him of his disdain for non-Muslims.
Gentle reminder that Mehdi Hasan has previously characterized non-Muslims as immoral people who “live their lives like animals,” and lumped homosexuals together with pedophiles and sexual deviants in his speeches: pic.twitter.com/ZX7b71EvSJ
— Ali A. Rizvi (@aliamjadrizvi) March 21, 2019
In April 2022, the MSNBC anchor went on a tirade against PM Modi and cast aspersions on India’s secularism.
“Putin. Orban. Le Pen. We talk a lot in the West about the rise of far-right authoritarians and yet we never mention India’s Narendra Modi and his BJP. I did a deep-dive into India under Modi & new warnings of an anti-Muslim genocide,” Hasan claimed.
In the video, he equated Hindu Nationalism in India (a nation that was divided on religious lines) with white Supremacy in the West, which is an ideology based on race. His sinister agenda was to equate Hindutva with Anti-Semitism.
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
Mehdi Hasan had also been involved in gaslighting Hindus by suggesting that he differentiates between the good and bad ones – a classical troupe used by Hinduphobes who claim ‘Hinduism’ and ‘Hindutva’ are different. In reality, they do not make any such distinction.
His specific targeting of Hindu world leaders such as Narendra Modi and Tulsi Gabbard was criticised by HAF founder Shuag A Shukla, who called out his Hinduphobic antecedents in 2019.
“Whenever @narendramodi comes to town, Hindus like @tulsigabbard and Hindu orgs come under attack by activists trying to connect them to Hindu nationalism. @mehdihasan takes it further by connecting them to a mass murderer. This is wrong. This is tiring. This is Hinduphobia,” she said in a tweet.
Whenever @narendramodi comes to town, Hindus like @tulsigabbard and Hindu orgs come under attack by activists trying to connect them to Hindu nationalism. @mehdihasan takes it further by connecting them to a mass murderer. This is wrong. This is tiring. This is Hinduphobia. 1/5
— Suhag A. Shukla (@SuhagAShukla) September 21, 2019
Mehdi Hasan was seen resorting to money balancing after Islamists unleashed mayhem in Leicester in England’s East Midlands region. Instead of calling out the extremists who attacked the Hindu community, the MSNBC anchor put out a ‘shallow’ tweet appealing for peace.
To my fellow British Hindu and Muslims brothers and sisters, I say: please let’s calm this situation down, let’s get grown-ups involved, let’s not be led astray by extremists and agitators, let’s remember what united us, not divides us. Corny, I know. But all true.
— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) September 20, 2022
In 2021, he also provided a platform to George-Soros-funded, anti-India activist Sunita Vishwanath to unleash her propaganda.
My full @MehdiHasanShow interview with Hindu human rights activist Sunita Visvanath on Narendra Modi, Hindu nationalism, India, Covid, and human rights:https://t.co/wrcYaReyVf
— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) July 16, 2021
It was thus obvious that Arfa Khanum Sherwani would like-minded individuals such as Wajahat Ali and Mehdi Hasan. After all, they are bound by a common agenda and a religious ideology.
