New Delhi: Veteran Bollywood actor Naseeruddin Shah recently expressed his concerns about the increasing Islamophobia and anti-Muslim sentiment in India amidst the ongoing debate surrounding the ban on ‘The Kerala Story’ and its alleged exaggeration of the number of women from Kerala who joined ISIS.
Shah, known for his outspoken nature, accused the propagation of hatred towards Muslims of becoming a fashionable trend, with propaganda movies being used as a means to campaign this agenda, Muslim Mirror reported.
He is known for frequently sharing his opinions on political matters and has been a vocal critic of the ruling BJP party.
“Oh sure, these are worrying times absolutely. The kind of stuff that’s pure, undisguised propaganda is being lapped up and it’s a reflection of the zeitgeist of the times. Muslim hate is fashionable these days, even among educated people. It’s what the ruling party has very cleverly tapped into this nerve. We talk about secular this, democracy that, so why are you introducing religion into everything?” Shah said during his interview with indianexpress.com.
In addition to expressing his concerns about rising Islamophobia, Shah also criticized the usage of religious terms by politicians to manipulate people for electoral gains, without specifically mentioning any film. He pointed out that some politicians have hijacked religious rhetoric, using it as a means to incite divisions and garner votes during elections.
Shah took a dig at the Election Commission of India (ECI), stating that they have been passive observers of this trend, failing to take appropriate action against such divisive politics, including the use of religious war cries during election campaigns.
