Why does it seem like every modern country gets hypnotized by Islamists and goes along with their demands? Sensible countries such as Germany take in lakhs of middle eastern migrants, many of whom do not care to assimilate. The British are comfortable with Sharia law. Joe Biden wants yankee kids to learn about the Islamic faith. What gives?

The root cause of this suicidal behavior is that in a democracy, victimhood is a precursor to political power, and Islamists have cornered the market on victimhood. To understand why establishing victimhood is critical, it’s helpful to understand the beginning of the modern democratic state which emerges from Judeo-Christian principles. Christianity is of course famous for celebrating the sufferings of Christ, and this principle was put into practice in the Middle Ages as a reaction to the persecutions of the Protestant faiths. Many escaped Europe for the shores of the Americas and establishing victimhood was a first step to gaining political power. Abolishing slavery, women gaining the right to vote, and civil rights legislation that gave Blacks equal rights were all well deserved political achievements that tried to correct historical wrongdoings. 

Many groups have learned from these victories and no one has learned this lesson better than Islamists who are quick to see any situation and figure out the right angle to make the Muslim party, the victim, regardless of the circumstances or context. They are helped in this venture in ‘secular’ democratic countries like India, which have relatively weak law and order, pliant judiciary and media, and where they have the support of a rainbow of Marxists, wooly headed liberals, and sleeping Hindus that actively or passively support the building up of a false victim narrative. 

Here are just a few examples:

  • The dara hua minority. This is when a legitimate law and order issue of a lynching (which take place across the country for a variety of reasons) is made into a violent uprising and intolerance against Muslims in general. There is no consideration of facts regarding the actual number of lynchings versus crimes such as theft of cattle, and the weak policing capabilities of the state in rural areas. 
  • The ‘backlash receiving’ victim. When victims get tired of violent acts by Islamists, e.g. the burning of entire train compartments full of kar sevaks in Godhra or terrorist by Rohingya extremists in Burma, and offer retaliation, there is no acknowledgment of the original crime.
  • The ‘an insult leads to terrorism’ victim. The best example of this is when Barkha famously tried to get Burhan Wani painted as a school teacher’s son who took up the gun because he was once frisked by the Army.
  • The ‘Islamists are infants who can’t accept the truth’ victim. When there is overwhelming evidence of historical jihad done by Muslims and Muslim rulers throughout history, liberals take to asking why today’s Muslims should be blamed. This sets up a strawman because no one is blaming the Muslims of today, but just like the West continues to come to terms with the legacy of slavery, Hindus are asking for similar honesty. That is too much to ask in a ‘secular democracy’ like India because the saying ‘the truth will set you free’ doesn’t apply to Islamists.

Hindus have tended to not call attention to themselves as victims because of philosophical and political reasons. Hinduism recognizes the concept of karma, and suffering is often done quietly knowing that the universal laws will catch up with the sufferer and the one inflicting the suffering. Politically, Hindus have always been portrayed as the big brother with the burden of secularism being placed squarely on their shoulders. Gandhi was the biggest proponent of this concept and the folly of that approach has resulted in untold suffering.

The ‘liberal’ outcry against the publishing of the Delhi Riots 2020 book must be seen in this context. Hindus are finally waking up to the reality that they have been sidelined, lied to, and fooled into ceding political, legal, and moral power by losing the game of victimhood. The leftist-Islamist fake outrage over the book is a reaction to realizing that the truth will help in lifting the fog from the eyes of at least a certain segment of Hindus. 
Hindus need to double down and leverage all means to tell their stories, not just from today but going back to when the first hordes emerged from Arabia and Central Asia. A great awakening is underway, which will power this century of Hindu revival. 

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