NDTV (New Delhi Television Ltd) journalist Vishnu Som recently courted controversy after he claimed that speaking about Islamic terrorism can hurt the sentiments of common Muslims.
During a debate hosted by Som on the ongoing Nupur Sharma saga, lawyer and co-panellist Desh Ratan Nigam alleged, “95% of the declared terrorists are from Islam. And 95% of terrorist organisations are from Islam.” He had cited the United Nations to bolster his claims.
“So do we, therefore, typecast everybody who are Muslims (billions of them exist around the world)?” the NDTV journalist defended. “So it is not the BJP that is creating the facts,” Nigam pointed out.
While referring to the Nupur Sharma case, he emphasised, “The matter has gone to the Court. FIRs have been registered.” Desh Ratan Nigam said the Courts will judge the facts presented by her and will determine whether her statement was in response to provocation.
The statement of Nupur Sharma can be scrutinised in isolation
“You can provoke me but that doesn’t mean I can say whatever I want,” Vishnu Som came up with a bizarre defence. The news anchor, who suggested that people must exercise restraint in their speech, also agreed that others however need not do that and can continue to provoke. Essentially saying that it was acceptable for the Muslim panellist to provoke Nupur Sharma and Hindus, however, Nupur Sharma’s comment breached the limits of freedom of expression and speech.
The flawed argument stems from the NDTV journalist’s willingness to ignore the circumstances that forced Nupur Sharma to discuss the religious intricacies of Islam during a debate on Times Now.
Opindia had earlier reported how the Shivling found inside the disputed Gyanvapi mosque was labelled as a ‘fountain’ by Islamists and used as ‘wuzukhana’ for years. Vile and derogatory remarks were made about the sacred Hindu symbol.
This had prompted Nupur Sharma to discuss the marriage of Prophet Muhammad and his child bride Ayesha. As such, her remarks cannot be seen in isolation as it would imply giving a clean chit to those hurling abuses at Lord Shiva and setting the stage for such retaliatory remarks.
Vishnu Som worried more about ‘typecasting’ than actual terrorism
Vishnu Som went further ahead and suggested that one community must not be maligned for the actions of a few individuals, although Desh Ratan Nigam had insisted that Islamists comprise 95% of the terrorist organisation.
In a typical apologetic tone, the news anchor said, “The moment you say that 95% of terrorists from around the world are Muslims or from Islamic Faith. I don’t know the statistics but even if they are correct but aren’t you doing exactly what we are saying that you should not be doing?”
He added, “You are typecasting an entire Faith. There are billions of Muslims in the world. They are almost all peaceful people…Why make that statement if your intention is not to typecast an entire Faith? It is such a wrong number, sir.”
Som appeared more worried about the potential that ‘data’ might have in stereotyping Muslims than the actual over-arching implications of terrorism. Nigam repeatedly claimed that his numbers were correct and sourced from the United Nations.
“I am sure the number is correct but why say that? Because the moment we say, that is what goes on Twitter,” Som clarified. However, Nigam rebuked, “Then you are running away from facts.”
The NDTV journalist denied the charges vehemently. “I am just saying that, in the context of a debate, there is so much hate online. The moment you as a respected person say that it typecasts an entire community. Isn’t that what we as Indians want to avoid?” he inquired.
“It is our duty to put out facts,” Nigam remarked, adding that lawyers commit blasphemy in courts everyday. After having failed to make his impression, despite sounding like a true apologist, Vishnu Som then moved on with co-panellists.
When Som said that he was sure the data was correct, he essentially willingly admitted that 95% of terrorists (or at least most terrorists) belong to the Islamic faith, however, rather than having a problem with the fact that most terrorists are Muslim, he was afraid that these facts were being verbalised and discussed. Som displayed the typical mentality of liberals where the truth must be hidden to spare the feelings of a community they like to mollycoddle constantly.
Note: Opindia could not independently verify the ‘UN data on Terrorism’, which Desh Ratan Nigam referred to during the debate on NDTV.
