Ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, leftist propaganda newspaper The Guardian had been hounding Hindu rights activist, Kajal Hindustani, for an interview.
On Sunday (24th March), it came to light that The Guardian wanted to interview her by the end of the month and had promised to fly a team of two ‘journalists’ from the United Kingdom for this purpose.
While the leftist propaganda newspaper downplayed the development as an extension of its ‘election coverage’, it must be mentioned that the choice of ‘journalists’ for the particular interview with Kajal Hindustani hints at a sinister agenda.
Dear sis, Firstly, I have the chats where I was told the team is flying from UK. I was not told you’re in India. Second, why so eager to interview me by march end only? Thirdly, I was cordial. But I sensed something was off going by your desperation (I have the chats since… https://t.co/meEO8APEnA
— Kajal HINDUsthani (@kajal_jaihind) March 24, 2024
While responding to the South Asian correspondent of The Guardian Hannah Ellis-Petersen, Kajal Hindustani said, “Dear sis, Firstly, I have the chats where I was told the team is flying from UK. I was not told you’re in India.”
“Second, why so eager to interview me by march end only? Thirdly, I was cordial. But I sensed something was off going by your desperation (I have the chats since February). Now I know for sure after seeing your coverage of Hindus,” the Hindu rights activist pointed out.
It must be mentioned that Kajal Hindustani has been a vocal critic of ‘love jihad’, a concerted attempt by radical Muslim youths to deceitfully convert Hindu women to Islam under the pretext of romantic relationships.
If anyone else has been contacted by these jokers, they should be careful. Be cautioned that 2 UK journalists from Guardian being India right before elections, guided by one Ahmer Khan, doesn’t smell right. In fact, I would not be surprised if their end game is to fan violence
— Nupur J Sharma (@UnSubtleDesi) March 24, 2024
The Guardian, on the other hand, had left no stone unturned to dismiss the phenomenon as a ‘conspiracy theory’, despite over 100 such documented cases across the country in one year alone.
Interestingly, the three ‘journalists’ chosen by the leftist British newspaper to interview Kajal Hindustani were Hannah Ellis-Petersen, Ahmer Khan, and Kyri Evangelou – all of whom have a history of downplaying love jihad and falsely associating alleged cases of ‘honour killings’ as consequences of the phenomenon.
During the anti-CAA protests in January 2020, Hannah Ellis-Petersen was busy presenting a distorted version of the Citizenship Amendment Act to the readers of The Guardian.
Instead of highlighting how the law seeks to fast-track the citizenship of persecuted religious minorities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan who have been staying illegally in India, the propaganda artist claimed that a women-led protest against the humanitarian law was somehow a counter-narrative of ‘toxic masculinity of Modi’s Hindutva politics.’
She also attempted to give a clean chit to the Islamists, who ran riots in the National Capital in February 2020, by labelling the anti-Hindu carnage as a ‘clash between Hindus and Muslims.’
Hannah Ellis-Petersen had also lamented how the riots did not affect the US-India ties and instead, the Modi government received praise for upholding religious freedom in the country from the President of the United States.
The ‘journalist’ falsely presented restrictions on the wearing of religious clothing in Karnataka schools as ‘hijab ban’ in South India. She also claimed that the reclamation of disputed structures built on top of Hindu temple was ‘Hindu nationalists rewriting India’s history.’
Hannah Ellis-Petersen also wrote several provocative pieces for The Guardian where she tried to guilt-trip Hindus for the Ram Janmabhoomi verdict and the Pran Prathistha of the Ram Mandir. She also tried to dilute the significance of the events by referencing the disputed structure that once stood atop the grand Hindu temple.
Moreover, the propaganda artist linked the outbreak of violence in Leicester City of England in 2022 with ‘Hindu nationalism’, despite no evidence for the same.
In reality, the Centre for Democracy, Pluralism and Human Rights (CDPHR) in its fact-finding report pointed out that Islamists weaponised misinformation in Lecister, committed human rights violations against Hindus and attempted ethnic cleansing that resulted in the temporary displacement of Hindu families.
“Institutional Hinduphobia and bias was deduced through the analysis of the reporting of the Leicester unrest by the media houses BBC and the Guardian when compared to the verified police reports, witness accounts and corroborating reports from think tanks,” the report had said.
The propaganda of Hannah Ellis-Petersen is not limited to shaming the Hindu community or downplaying atrocities committed against them by Islamists. She has authored articles, wherein she dehumanised Hindus participating in Kumbh Mela as ‘Covid superspreaders’ despite no evidence to back her claims.
Typical propagandist she is, far from journalism. She is writing hit job on you and few more. Eventually will publish in a series, whether you gove remarks or not. pic.twitter.com/GCBZMmuozg
— The Hawk Eye (@thehawkeyex) March 24, 2024
The ‘journalist’ had also given a clean chit to the actual superspreaders of Covid-19 aka the members of the Tablighi Jamaat, who at one time accounted for 30% of all cases of Coronavirus in the country.
Nonetheless, her grim presentation and eventual fearmongering about India’s Covid-19 situation in 2021 drew praise from ‘journalist’ turned ‘document cropper’ N Ram, infamous for peddling disinformation about the Rafael deal.
Here’s an important — sensitive, powerful, and moving — truth-telling podcast by The Guardian’s South Asia Correspondent, Hannah Ellis-Petersen. Caution: Listeners may find this distressing: “India’s Covid disaster: a crisis for the world”: https://t.co/tlQRsIHilW
— N. Ram (@nramind) April 27, 2021
Islamist at the helm of discrediting ‘love jihad’
Another ‘journalist’ from The Guardian, who was hounding Kajal Hindustani for an interview, was Ahmer Khan.
He is known for rumour-mongering about CAA, painting the incumbent Modi government as anti-Muslim and expressing support for anti-India activists and Islamist apologists such as Harsh Mander.
Having said that, Ahmer Khan’s expertise lies in whitewashing Islamists involved in identity fraud, impersonation and forced conversions (the modus operandi that forms the core of the menace of love jihad).
Despite a plethora of documented cases of Muslim men assuming Hindu identity to entrap Hindu women and forcibly convert them to Islam, the controversial ‘journalist’ has taken it upon himself to create the false perception that love jihad is a ‘conspiracy theory.’
To that effect, he has directed 3 documentary films on the phenomenon. The Guardian’s sudden urge to send Ahmer Khan to interview Hindu activist Kajal Hindustani appears to be yet another ploy to discredit the menace of love jihad.
Hindu nationalist groups in Uttar Pradesh are using an anti-conversion law to violently break up interfaith couples and legitimate an anti-Muslim conspiracy theory. @betwasharma & I spent months reporting on #LoveJihad.
— Ahmer Khan (@ahmermkhan) July 3, 2021
Our latest for @theintercept https://t.co/65HFTAytQ9
Some of the propaganda films shot by Ahmer Khan include ‘Love Jihad in India’s Uttar Pradesh’, ‘The Hindu extremists at War with InterFaith Love’, and ‘Love Jihad: India’s lethal religious conspiracy theory.’
Delighted to know our film “Love Jihad in India’s Uttar Pradesh” has won two awards at @lovieawards.
— Ahmer Khan (@ahmermkhan) November 17, 2021
It took us months to produce this film. A great team effort! pic.twitter.com/VyQt4gIGd2
“We spent months documenting Hindu extremists in India at war with interfaith love. These vigilantes “rescue” Hindu women from relationships with Muslims, and arrange them with Hindu grooms instead,” he tweeted in October 2021.
We spent months documenting Hindu extremists in India at war with interfaith love. These vigilantes “rescue” Hindu women from relationships with Muslims, and arrange them with Hindu grooms instead.
— Ahmer Khan (@ahmermkhan) October 21, 2021
Watch our latest documentary for @VICENews.https://t.co/fOkYoU7xGw
“The theory claims that Muslim men are seducing Hindu women and luring them into marriage in order to convert them to Islam. The claims are baseless, yet the consequences are real,” he claimed in another tweet.
2. Love Jihad: India's lethal religious conspiracy theory.
— Ahmer Khan (@ahmermkhan) November 21, 2023
The theory claims that Muslim men are seducing Hindu women and luring them into marriage in order to convert them to Islam. The claims are baseless, yet the consequences are realhttps://t.co/DPXryHg1lO
Given that Ahmer Khan had gone to lengths to whitewash his radical co-religionists involved in ‘love jihad’, the official mouthpiece of the Congress party aka National Herald interviewed him in December 2021.
He used the opportunity to play the perpetual victim card and claimed, “What’s happening is unimaginable for the minority community, and for the greater good of the country as well.”
Another ‘journalist’ at work
The Guardian had also roped in another ‘journalist’ named Kyri Evangelou to interview Hindu rights activist Kajal Hindustani. He has recently been involved in stirring anti-Israeli sentiment at the behest of the leftist propaganda outlet.
He had shot a dubious documentary film on ‘love jihad’ along with Hannah Ellis-Petersen and Ahmer Khan. Evangelou had also tried to pass off a case of ‘honour killing’ in Karnataka as the manifestation of ‘conspiracy theories of Hindutva forces’
The mutilated body of a 24-year-old Muslim, Arbaaz Aftab, was discovered on a railway track near his home. His family believe he was murdered because of his interfaith relationship with a Hindu woman and that he is one of the latest victims of #lovejihad. #india
— Kyri Evangelou (@kyrievangelou) January 21, 2022
The ‘journalist’ was also active during the politically motivated anti-farm law protests that were carried out in January 2021.
Latest film for @guardian. 'Modi's policies are doing nothing for the poor': feeding India's protesting farmers – video https://t.co/Ppd2DJ6pmH
— Kyri Evangelou (@kyrievangelou) January 7, 2021
The hysteria peddled by Kyri Evangelou and Ahmer Khan during the second wave of the Coronavirus pandemic in India earned their propaganda documentary a nomination at the Emmy Awards.
“India’s Deadly Covid Wave” has been nominated for an Emmy! Proud to have worked on this with an extremely talented group of people. #emmys2022 https://t.co/s8bjg3J6sL
— Kyri Evangelou (@kyrievangelou) July 29, 2022
With the 2024 elections just around the corner, The Guardian and other propaganda news outlets have upped their ante in amplifying disinformation in India.
We are likely to witness more attempts at gaslighting Hindus, dissemination of vicious fake news targeting India and tarnishing of the country’s image on a global scale.
The sudden ‘change of heart’ of The Guardian to reach out to individuals across all political spectrums is part of the same ploy.
