UAE -India- BAPS
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Rahul Kumar, Ph.D.
(Samaj Weekly)- The construction of BAPS (Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) would not have been possible without your support, Modi told the UAE President while inaugurating Hindu temple on 14 Feb, 2024.
The UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan by gifting the land (27 acres) and supporting the construction of Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi (UAE) has demonstrated that Muslims are not anti-Hindu. This shows that UAE President is magnanimous in comparison to PM Modi.
Prime Minister Modi is in UAE to inaugurate the Hindu temple when millions of farmers are protesting across India demanding for their rights. It shows that Prime Modi is least bothered about their own citizens. Hindus temples are more important than the lives of Indian farmers.
On other side, under the directions of stalwart leaders like Lal Krishna Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and leaders of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) proudly demolished Babri Masjid on 6 December, 1992. The demolition of Babri Masjid further sow the seeds of hatred between Hindus and Muslims. The leaders and saints of Hindu Organizations are not satisfied by demolition of Babri Masjid. They are constantly trying to demolish other Muslim Mosques in India. Not only this, but also Muslims are demonized, persecuted and segregated in India. Madrassas are being demolished. A majority of the Muslims live under constant fear. The future of their children is uncertain. Their livelihood is under constant threat. The doors of government jobs are being shut for the Muslims in India. Muslims youths are put behind bars on false criminal cases. PM Modi was silent in the parliament of India when former Lok Sabha Member of Parliament Danish Ali was abused by BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri. The objectionable words he used Katoya, Mula, Terrorist etcetera against Danish Ali in the Indian Parliament. I do not know if the UAE President Al Nahyan watch this debate what reaction would he give. His own Muslim brother was abused without any remorse and PM Modi did not expel him from his party.
UAE is a member of OIC. On Ram temple, the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) expresses grave worry over Ram Temple construction at Babri Mosque site, denouncing it as an attempt to erase Islamic landmarks in Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh). UAE did not agree with the stand taken by General Secretariat. However, in 2022, UAE joined Muslim nations in condemning India over Prophet the UAE foreign ministry says the BJP officials’ comments were contrary to moral and humanitarian values and principles (Al Jazeera, 7 Jun, 2022). In 2020 UAE based Indians faced legal action for Islamophobic remarks on social media. PM Modi and his party workers including so called Ram Bhagats must understand that Islam and Prophet for Emiratis is life and death like Jesus Christ and Christianity for Christians. No insult will be tolerated even if they permitted construction of Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi. In 2015, Charlie Hebdo mass shooting in France is a recent example.
Now the question is why Modi is getting closer to UAE or vice versus despite OIC secretariat condemned the construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya. Characteristically, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a disrupter and does not believe in the constitution of India and has been demolishing democratic institutions since he become Prime Minister of India in 2014.
Since 2014, Muslims, Christians, Dalits are persecuted in India under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Their leaders and icons are tarnished by false propaganda by Hindu leaders and affiliated Hindu organizations. Mosques, churches and Dalit places of worship are desecrated by Hindu militants.
Characteristic Similarities:
In 10 years, rule, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has crushed all political opponents with the help of ED, CBI, Income Tax department. In ten years, he did not speak a word when Muslims, Dalits and Christians are brutally beaten and their shops are demolished. In ten years, PM Modi and his party with the support of RSS displaced elected governments in states through horse trading or blackmailing. In ten year, PM Modi did not give state grants for infrastructure development except to the BJP ruled states. In ten years, the Hindu seers and saints abused Dalits on TV channels and passed casteist remarks but PM Modi remained silent. In ten years, Hindu leaders alleges Christians for conversion and punished innocent church priests. In ten years, Hindu militants hoist saffron flags on Churches but PM Modi remained silent. PM Modi does not want elections in India. He desires to rule India without opposition, parliament, constitution or democratic institutions.
UAE`s dynastic family versus Muslim Brotherhood
On the other side, the UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan is unopposed wealthiest leader. UAE is an elective monarchy consisting of Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubia, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah, Sharjah and Umm Al Quwain. Dynasty in the UAE will go on forever and there would not be any opposition to their diktat.
The Muslim Brotherhood (MB) founded in 1928 in Egypt by Hasan Al- Banna (1906-49). The ideology of the MB is mainly focused on reform of existing political systems in the Arab world. The UAE`s conservative Sunni ruling family view the Brotherhood as an ideological competitor and sees its promotion of political activism, including support for elections, as a direct threat to its dynastic system of rule. The UAE Foreign Minister, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al- Nahyan, said, The Muslim Brotherhood does not believe in nation -state. The Police chief of Dubai, Lt. Gen Dahi Khalfan Al- Tamin, launched a fierce attack on the Muslim Brotherhood, saying that if “the Muslim Brotherhood threatens the Gulf`s security, the blood that flows will drown it”. The UAE Fatwa Council denounced that the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization and urged Muslims to steer clear of the group [1].
UAE`s has Sudanese blood on hand:
UAE`s proxy war in Sudan killed more than 3,000 people and some 2.1 million internally displaced [2]. Yasser Al-Atta, a member of the Sudanese Sovereign Council and Assistant Commander-in-Chief of the Sudanese Army, has sharply criticized the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for providing military supplies to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a militia group that has been embroiled in a conflict with the Sudanese army for over seven months [3].
UAE- Pakistan Trade
Over last few years, trade between UAE and Pakistan increased manifold. The UAE is Pakistan’s third largest trading partner after China and the United States. In 2021, the UAE exported US$7.13 billion of goods to Pakistan, while Pakistan exported US$1.28 billion to the UAE. Pakistani exports to the UAE reached US$1.52 billion in 2022 [4].
UAE re-exporting Indian products to Pakistan
Dubai has emerged as a major centre for clandestine Indian exports to Pakistan. The re-export of Indian goods to Pakistan is done in two ways, according to a trader. Many of the Indian goods are marked actually for export to Afghanistan [5]. On other hand, UAE has been helping the government as well as population of Pakistan with import from India. Pakistan is an arch enemy of India. The Army of Pakistan funded several wars against India – recent one was in Kargil. Now the question is, should Modi government continue relations with UAE if it does not stop re-export Indian products to Pakistan? Why not Indian government should cancel CEPA (Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement) which entered into force on May 1, 2022. Despite several media reports about re-export of Indian products by UAE to Pakistan the Indian Ministry of External Affairs and Indian Ministry of finance is pampering the UAE. What benefit is there behind the curtain, the Indian public wants to know.
UAE`s diversification of economy
UAE focused on diversifying their economies away from oil, forging more prominent regional and international roles in aviation, sports, infrastructure, and other areas. In 2022, the public debt in the UAE was 30.0% of GDP [6]. The oil economy of UAE is diminishing day by day. By opening up Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi, the UAE rulers wants to boost travel industry and tourism
Cultural Policy
The cultural policy that promotes more religious diversity and acceptance by the UAE rulers is majorly not accepted by Arab Muslims since they truly believe in Quran. In Gulf Cooperation (GCC) states the systematic discrimination and exploitation is prevalent. Class divides and financial dependences of blue color Indians in the UAE is a matter of disdain. Chapter 2 of the Holy Quran says: And kill them wherever you encounter them and expel them from where they expelled you. Oppression is indeed worse than murder. In Saudi Arbia, attempting to enter Mecca for a non-Muslim can result in penalties such as a fine or deportation.
What PM Modi and President Al Nahyan cannot change
No Emirati would chant “Jai Shri Ram” or vice-versa no Hindu will chant “Allahu Akbar. No Emirati would keep Bhagwat Gita in their homes and teach their children Hinduism & vice-versa. Religious diversity in the Arab countries is a sham. Good news, fatty Brahmin priests would have grand opportunity to earn their livelihood through temple in Abu Dhabi.
For Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Hindus are simply a vote bank. Their social and economic empowerment is nothing to do with his political ideology that is anti-secular, anti-human and anti- India. Modi wants that Hindu priests should propagate superstition and kill scientific temper in the Arab countries. Sooner or later, the Emiratis minds will be polluted. They would start discriminating between high and low castes among Emiratis. If this happens it would be a complete destruction of Emirati society in the coming decades. The Emiratis should see how Hindus took their cultural baggage to USA, Canada, German, France and other developed countries which is full of caste, race.
On similar tone, the UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan would never pick up phone and call PM Modi to stop marginalization of Indian Muslims; stop demolition and burning of mosques and Madrassas, stop killing of Muslims by Hindu militants. In the present situation, it is seen that leaders of both the nations have no fellow feelings than hunger for trade, trade and trade.
- Rahul Kumar, Ph.D. in sociology from Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi (India), editor Bheem Patrika. The views expressed in this article are personal.
[1] Talmiz Ahmed (2013), The Islamist Challenge in West Asia: Doctrinal and Political Competitions After the Arab Spring, Pentagon Press, Institute for Defence Studies & Analysis, New Delhi.p.63.
[2] https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/07/12/sudan-conflict-saudi-arabia-uae-gulf-burhan-hemeti-rsf/.
[3] https://sudantribune.com/article279814/.
[4] https://www.middleeastbriefing.com/news/multilateral-trade-between-the-uae-and-pakistan-2023-24-status-and-prospects/#:~:text=The%20UAE%20is%20Pakistan’s%20third,US%241.52%20billion%20in%202022.
[5] https://www.business-standard.com/article/specials/uae-a-clandestine-route-for-indian-exports-to-pak-197072301001_1.html.
[6] https://www.focus-economics.com/country-indicator/uae/public-debt/#:~:text=Public%20Debt%20in%20UAE,information%2C%20visit%20our%20dedicated%20page.
