Pedagogy of solidarity necessary to end minority hate campaign: Apoorvanand

There is a need of a pedagogy of solidarity to counter campaign against Muslims and other minority communities, said Delhi University Professor Apoorvanand here on Saturday.

Delivering the B.V. Kakkilaya inspired oration on “Innards of contemporary social discourse”, Mr. Apoorvanand said there has been a constant campaign to brand Muslims as enemies. Muslims earlier were blamed for being backward. Now they are being branded as anti-national and accused of involvement in “business jihad, UPSC jihad, land jihad, and education jihad. “

“This jihad is being thrust on us and we are asked to take sides,” he said and added that minorities are being shown as enemies.

The latest in this campaign is the call to boycott of films by Sharukh Khan and Aamir Khan. Issues namely the love jihad, hijab, call to drive Rohingyas out, and voice against namaz in airport and railway platforms as part of the campaign against Muslims. “These are the ways in which this bug of hatred is being created, which leads to violence,” he said.

As a counter in this sinister campaign, Mr. Apoorvanand said Hindus should stop getting obsessed with issues concerning Muslims. “Please learn to detach. This indifference alone can save us,” he said.

There should be collective battle to preserve liberty, equality, justice and solidarity, which are the four values enshrined in the Constitution. Former MP late Mr. Kakkilaya, he said, has shown the possible pedagogy of solidarity. “We can disagree and disperse, but we (communities) should keep talking to each other,” he said.