On Tuesday (November 28), a Hindu student at Srinagar National Institute of Technology (NIT) was booked for alleged blasphemy after he shared a video of the son of the former Hamas chief criticising Prophet Muhammad. The accused NIT student named Prathmesh had shared an already viral video of Mosab Hassan Yousef making critical comments about Islam and the Prophet Muhammad to his Instagram story.
An FIR was registered against the accused Hindu student on Tuesday after a massive protest and sloganeering erupted at the NIT campus over the said video. While the video neither featured the accused nor he created it rather shared the video edited by some YouTuber, the Muslim students at NIT Srinagar demanded his arrest accusing him of ‘blasphemy’.
Protest against a Student who has uploaded Blasphemous video about Prophet Mohammad ( SAW) on Instagram story. #nitsrinagar #nitsgr pic.twitter.com/3WVCyhhJJg
— Kashur Mamluk (@Kashur_mamluk) November 28, 2023
According to some media reports, the student booked for allegedly hurting religious sentiments has been barred from appearing for the semester exams and rusticated from the college. News agency IANS has reported that the school authorities have sent the accused student on leave following the incident.
Sharing details about the matter IGP Kashmir VK Birdi said that after receiving the information about the incident and a written letter from the registrar of NIT campus seeking legal action, the police have taken action under relevant laws and have launched an investigation into the matter.
“Today evening at around 4.30, we received information that some students are protesting at the NIT campus (in Srinagar). After an initial investigation, it came to the fore that a student had posted some video on social media. It was not his own post but he had taken it from YouTube,” IGP Birdi said.
What the son of the Hamas leader said in the viral video?
In the viral video, Mosab Hassan Yousef, the disowned son of a senior Hamas terrorist group leader Sheik Hassan Yousef speaking at a conference said, ” Let’s look at Prophet Muhammad’s life. Did he kill people? Yes. Did he marry a 9-year-old child? Yes, he did. Did he kill the Jewish community of Khyber because they did not give him the treasures? And did he have physical relations with Sophia the wife of Kinana the leader of that community the same night he killed her husband? Yes, he did. So where is the tolerance in that? I understand the Muslims are tolerant, But the real nature of Islam is Evil.”
While the video reappeared on social media recently, it is an 11-year-old video taken from a debate event held on March 15, 2012, at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles in the United States. Yousef was part of a panel comprising Imam Jihad Turk, Reverend Canon Brian Cox, and Rabbi Mark Diamond.
Responding to a question regarding what the Sharia law states about the treatment of non-Muslims, Mosab said, “Speaking the truth, I think what the Middle Eastern people need to know the real nature of Islam. Rather than creating model images of what Islam could be or my personal opinion of Islam as a tolerant religion. Islam is not a tolerant religion, there are a lot of tolerant Muslims brother Jihad here which I admire and I love unconditionally but in Islam, there is no tolerance. The tolerant verses in Islam were for political reasons.”
“Let’s put the Quran on the side that we don’t understand its language most of us let’s put the Islamic ideology on the side as well let’s look at the life of Muhammad the behaviour of the Prophet of Islam that jihad and the rest of the Muslim world follow. Did he kill ? Yes. Did he marry a nine-year-old child? Yes, he did. Did he kill the Jewish community of Khyber because they did not give him the treasures to fund his military campaigns and did he sleep with Sofia, the wife of kin Anna, the leader of that community the same night he killed her husband? Yes, he did so,” Mosab added.
“Where is the tolerance if you regard it as a virtue? Muslims are tolerant people because I know my father and all my family and I know my people, but the real nature of Islam is evil and this is based on my perfect knowledge of what Islam is,” he says in the video.
“I was born to speak Arabic understand the language of the Quran. I know about the life of Muhammad from the most trusted resources and I can guarantee you that Muhammad did not tolerate but he took revenge from anybody who opposed him these are the facts that we need to tell our people,” he further adds.
“I want to see what so-called the Arab Spring in the Middle East. I see people protesting against political regimes I want to see Middle East runs protesting against the absolute control of religion against Islam itself against Allah himself in the streets. When we see that happening in the Middle East, then we can say that this is a spring, the European Spring was against the control of religion and religious authorities over people’s lives.”
“It was not against political systems and this is what I want to see in the Middle East and the only way to see this happening is by telling people the truth. I want to tell my people the truth of what Islam is,” Mosab said.
Islamists rake up Bhagwa love trap conspiracy theory
Notably, several social media users have claimed that the accused student is in a relationship with a local Muslim girl. A section of Islamists on social media have accused the Hindu youth of luring the girl into his Bhagwa love trap. It is worth noting that the Bhagwa love trap is a conspiracy theory peddled by several Muslim organisations and Islamists. Islamists claim that Hindu men are trapping Muslim women. There have been several cases where a group of Islamists chased Hindu men travelling with their Muslim female friends and assaulted them.
A hindu student from NIT Srinagar is accused of allegedly disrespecting Muhammad which has angered muslims.
— Muslims Posting Their L’s (@SullamLs) November 29, 2023
But the real reason seems to be incel seethe, as the guy's girlfriend is a Kashmiri Muslim.
They are accusing him of Bhagwa Love Trap, lol pic.twitter.com/pUPFBPwQFN
Several Islamist X users revealed the personal details including pictures of the accused Hindu youth and the girl he is said to be dating on X. Such X users also information about her name and other details.
Moreover, the Islamists are abusing the Hindu youth for being a Bihari and ‘outsider’ as well as his alleged girlfriend. One such X post read, “Nobody should defend that girl who was in a relationship with that Bihari as she also is responsible disrespect of our Prophet Muhammad SAW.”
Another Islamist went a step ahead saying that if the girl was his sister, he would have “chopped her in thousand pieces and thrown to dogs,” adding that she should be “exposed” and “humiliated.”
Exhibiting the hatred for a non-Muslim, an Islamist called Prathamesh a “Pajeet” (a racial slur used against Indians) adding that a Kashmiri girl falling for a “Pajeet” is the “most disgusting” thing she can do.
While Islamists who perpetually claim victimhood saying that they are allegedly targeted, harassed, hated and even killed for their religious beliefs, in reality, they themselves harbour hatred beyond measure for non-Muslims, particularly the Hindus. The Hindu youth has been accused of blasphemy for merely sharing a years-old video of some other person making critical comments about Islam.
Islamists on X have also launched a trend “#HangblasphmerPrathmeshNIT” demanding that the Hindu youth be hanged to death for an Instagram story.
To no surprise, the Islamists have also invoked their favourite slogan “Sar Tan Se Juda” calling for the slaughter of anyone they assume has ‘insulted’ Prophet Muhammad, as evident in this X post.
لبيك يا رسول اللهﷺ
— س (@kashir_koor_) November 28, 2023
Gustakh-e Nabi (saw) ki ek saza sar tan se juda sar tan se juda
ٱللَّٰهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَىٰ مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَىٰ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ
☝️#OurProphetOurHonour #Kashmir #NITSrinagar #HangHim
Amidst abuses, online harassment and threats several people have raised concerns over Prathamesh and his family’s safety. Moreover, the prevailing tensions also raise concerns over the safety of non-locals in Kashmir.
I request to the @AmitShah ,@PMOIndia look at the matter of NIT srinagar. It is a matter of security of 5000 non local students who are residing in the campus. They are facing anti nationalist slogan and death threats from outsider. #NITSrinagar @PIBHomeAffairs @narendramodi
— Raushan Kumar (@Raushan50834189) November 29, 2023
This episode recalls the violent riots in the country and outrage in Islamic countries in response to former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma’s remarks about Prophet Muhammad. Sharma was accused of making alleged offensive comments based on Hadith. Back then “Sar tan se juda” slogans were raised, and several people, including a Hindu tailor in Rajasthan, were brutally slain for supporting Nupur Sharma, who continues to live a restricted life in hiding to this day. With Islamists disclosing personal information about Prathamesh and his Kashmiri girlfriend, as well as threats to hang him and do ‘Sar tan se juda,’ the duo’s safety remains a concern.
