Thread: The terrorist attack in #Hanau was horrific and we should take the threat of right wing extremism seriously. But there is a double standard when it comes to media representation of far right terror attacks.
Do you know that earlier this month, there was a far right terrorist shooting at a university in India? The perpetrator broadcast the attack live on Facebook shouting Hindu nationalist slogans: thediplomat.com/2020/02/jamia-…
He conducted the attack on the anniversary of Gandhi’s assassination, who was murdered by a Hindu nationalist that believed Gandhi was too ‘secular’ and accommodating to Indian Muslims.
Gandhi’s murderer was part of the paramilitary Hindu nationalist organization, the RSS. Today, the governing party of India is the BJP, the political arm of the RSS. Prior to the attack at the university, BJP politicians have incited violence towards Muslims at public rallies.
Further, the shooter developed an extensive social media network with Hindu nationalist organizations, all of which call for violence against Muslims and target the political left, or ‘anti-nationals’.
So why is this not covered in international media to the same extent as far right terror attacks in Europe/North America?
First, it is largely unknown that there is a Hindu nationalist government in India, let alone that Hindu nationalism is a far right ideology. For more, I have written about the transnational connections between the far right in India and Europe: foreignpolicy.com/2020/01/21/ind…
Second, far right violence is largely confined within India, and as such, is seen as a domestic issue. Unlike Islamist terrorism, it is not prioritized as a national security concern to other countries.
Relatedly, India is considered an ally to Western countries, and this provides immunity from criticism. PM Modi is internationally recognized for selfies with tech giants, not as the politician who was banned from the US and UK for his complicity in the 2002 Gujarat riots.
Overall, we need to recognize that right wing extremism is a global phenomenon and that it doesn’t operate in isolation. Importantly, this means broadening our definition of the far right to include cases in the Global South. /End
P.S. For more see this excellent @gdnlongread piece by @Samanth_S on Hindu nationalism in India which came out today theguardian.com/world/2020/feb…
