Ismaophobic Remarks :
Politician Jai Bhagwan Goyal is from India and is associated with the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He is well-known for his strong anti-Islamic sentiments and extreme Hindu nationalism. He joined the far-right Hindu nationalist group Shiv Sena at the beginning of the 1980s, marking the beginning of his political career. After serving in a number of capacities inside the party, he was appointed National Chief of the Shiv Sena in North East Delhi in 1990. Goyal participated in the famous Babri Masjid’s demolition in 1992.
Goyal left the Shiv Sena in 2008 and founded the Rashtrawadi Shiv Sena, his own political party. Ahead of the country’s general election, he and his supporters joined the BJP in February 2014.
During a curfew in North East Delhi in February 2020, Goyal led a group of over one hundred men in a rally, promoting anti-Muslim violence by declaring, “We are surrounded by Muslims from all sides, if we want to defend ourselves we will have to fight.” Additionally, he used rhetoric designed to incite fear to denigrate Muslims, stating, “We are surrounded by militants.” All they can speak is a language of violence. Goyal declined to engage with the Muslim reporters who were present after the rally.
After being found not guilty in the demolition of the Babri Masjid case by the CBI court’s special branch in October 2020, he stirred up controversy by claiming that he and his “Sarsevak” (foot soldiers) had planned to destroy the mosque in 1990 but had been stopped by the then-chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, Mulayam Singh Yadav. He continued by announcing his plans to demolish the mosques in Kashi and Mathura’s Shahi Idgah mosque, which was built by Muslim monarch Aurangzeb in response to the destruction of a temple at the birthplace of Lord Krishna, in accordance with stories propagated by radical Hindus.
He made a statement defending the demolition of the mosque and threatening to harm other mosques in Uttar Pradesh at a celebration honoring the one-year anniversary of the Babri Masjid demolition in December 2020. During the event, provocative posters with the phrases “Hang the jihadis” and “Get rid of the verses in the Quran” were displayed, clearly directed towards Muslims.
Goyal denigrated the Quran and called it a terrorist tool in a video that he posted to his YouTube channel in December 2021. He also called Madrassas, or Islamic seminaries, “hubs of anti-national activities.” He implored the government to stop providing funding to these kinds of establishments.
In a fiery interview with “Republic World” in April 2022, Goyal discussed the violence in Delhi 2020, which was led by Hindu extreme mobs. He called Muslims “rioters,” “jihadis,” and “Bangladeshis,” and he accused them of having a prearranged plan to seize the northern areas of the city. He went on to say that the “jihadis” were the same individuals who had led large-scale demonstrations in Shaheen Bagh, New Delhi, against the discriminatory Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which targets Muslims’ rights to citizenship.
Goyal participated in a panel discussion on the YouTube channel “Khul ke official” in December 2022. During the debate, he made up the untrue claims that India was never a secular nation and that the idea of secularism was imposed on the country by previous Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, a member of the opposition Congress Party. Goyal also made clear that once he and his allies secured a sizable majority in power, he intended to turn India into a Hindu Rashtra, or nation.
Goyal made offensive remarks and called for violence against the Muslim minority during a hate speech gathering in Delhi in April 2023. He also promoted the “love jihad conspiracy,” an economic boycott, and the establishment of a Hindu homeland. He asserted to the gathering that “all Muslims are the same.” In five to seven years, India would turn into a Muslim country if we don’t take to the streets brandishing tridents. An FIR was filed for convening an unlawful assembly against Goyal and the other organizers of the event.
During a speech in August 2023, Goyal advised Hindus to arm themselves in order to protect their nation and themselves from the “enemies.”
Goyal and his supporters demonstrated on the streets of New Delhi in August 2023 against a wave of violence that had broken out in the state of Haryana. Although an armed Hindu extremist procession had really started the violence and killed a 19-year-old imam, Goyal and his supporters blamed Muslims for it. Goyal disparaged Muslims in his speech, using inflammatory words and offensive stereotypes to specifically target this minority. He then urged the Haryana government to employ the unlawful demolition of houses and businesses as a kind of mass retribution against Muslims, drawing a comparison between the idea of justice and the use of a bulldozer.
He posted a contentious image of two ancient Muslim buildings—the Babri Mosque and the Shahi Idgah Mosque—on his X account in August 2023, implying that the latter will suffer the same fate. Notably, in 1992, a Hindu mob destroyed the Babri mosque in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh.
Goyal hinted that the Shahi Idgah would also be demolished when he uploaded a picture of the Babri Mosque and the Shahi Idgah Mosque on X in August 2023. In a video that he also published, he called for the demolition of Muslim-owned establishments in the wake of the violence in Haryana.