Communal violence in the Midlands . . .
Over the past few weeks, Leicester, a city in Britain’s East Midlands region, has been embroiled in clashes between its Hindu and Muslim communities. The clashes began after an August 28 cricket match between India and Pakistan that resulted in offensive chants and sloganeering between supporters of the teams representing Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan. The altercations turned violent, particularly among youth, and came to a head this past weekend. Home to a large South Asian diaspora, Leicester has the second-largest population of Indian-born residents in the United Kingdom. Meanwhile, British Pakistanis are the second-largest ethnic minority population in the country.
Social media and external influences . . .
To control faceoffs between hundreds of people, Leicester police have made 47 arrests, with some sentenced for possession of weapons. Claims of influence by viral social media posts that disrespect both religions have had police on high alert. The posts are mostly unverified and have amplified the complexity of the situation. While the India-Pakistan cricket rivalry is well-known and has often resulted in heated debates, violence of this form is uncommon. Analysts have questioned if the Leicester clashes are a spillover of Hindu-Muslim clashes that are increasingly commonplace in India. Meanwhile, the Indian High Commission in London issued a statement condemning the “vandalization of premises and symbols of Hindu religion.”
Implications for the South Asian diaspora . . .
India’s Hindu-Muslim clashes have intensified since Narendra Modi was elected Prime Minister in 2014. Many observers have raised alarms over the Modi-led government’s policies and practices they characterize as ‘Hindutva,’ an extreme version of Hindu nationalism that espouses the promotion of Indian heritage and history at the cost of the histories, narratives, and lives of non-Hindu minority communities. The Indian government has also taken to censoring issues worldwide related to Hinduism. In July this year, the Indian High Commission in Ottawa issued a statement against Toronto-based filmmaker Leena Manimekalai’s documentary film Kaali for its disrespectful depiction of the Hindu goddess Kali. Some note that the objection had less to do with religion and more with the film’s critique of India’s contemporary Hindu nationalism.
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