The Islamist slogan calling for beheading ‘kafirs’ (sar tan se juda) was normalized with normal Hindu citizens bearing the full brunt of Islamist extremism. These threats began with Islamist bigot and propagandist Mohammad Zubair deliberately twisting former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma’s words to insinuate that she had insulted Islam and Muhammad.

The truth is that Nupur Sharma was responding to the tidal wave of hate directed towards Hindus after a Shivling was discovered at the disputed Gyanvapi complex where the original Kashi Vishwanath is located. HinduPost had detailed how the Hinduphobic gang cherry-picked her words to rev up the blasphemy engine. And Nupur’s name got added to the long list of ‘sar tan se juda’ (off with their head) targets with prize money on their head.

It is no longer a question of whether you actually ‘blasphemed’ or not, but whether the Muslim mob says you ‘blasphemed’ or not. Hence, ordinary Hindus who supported Nupur or wore their Hindu Dharma on their sleeve or spoke out against the Islamists had to face ‘sar tan se juda’ threats and many even paid the price with their lives.

Here are some cases where Hindus were victimized or threatened by rabid Islamists:

1) Kanhaiya Lal, an innocent Hindu tailor and father of two, trying to earn an honest livelihood through his tailoring shop, was brutally killed by two Islamist fanatics on June 28. These religious radicals, Mohammed Riyaz Akhtar and Mohammed Gos, had beheaded the defenceless tailor while following the murderous philosophy of “Gustaq-e –Rasool ki ek hi saza, sar tan se juda”. Kanhaiya Lal was killed for an alleged post supporting Nupur Sharma’s statement.

2) In an open demonstration of what is usually said behind closed doors by fundamentalist clerics, Muslim cleric Adil Gafoor Ganai indulged in hateful anti-Hindu vitriol, threatened to behead Nupur Sharma and journalist Ashish Kohli (who tweeted “I stand with Nupur Sharma”), before ending with the standard phrase “our religion (Islam) is peace-loving.” The speech was delivered from Jamia Masjid in Bhaderwah, Doda district of Jammu & Kashmir on behalf of an organisation called Anjuman-e-Islamia.

3) On April 16, a violent mob outside the police station sought the beheading of a youth, who had put up an allegedly anti-Muslim post on social media. The mob shouted slogans that called for violence, like “What is the punishment for the guilty” and “Beheading is the only punishment for the guilty.”

4) In August, BJP MLA Raja Singh was threatened by Islamists for his alleged remarks against Muhammad. Severe protests broke out in Hyderabad at South Zone DCP office where protesters demanded immediate action against Singh and chanted ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’. NCPCR (National Commission for Protection of Child Rights) has also taken cognizance of children being used to raise ‘sar tan se juda’ (STSJ) slogans.

5) In October, Islamists raised the ‘sar tan se juda’ slogan during the Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi processions to ‘celebrate’ the birth of Islam’s founder.

6) The husband of a woman plaintiff in the Shringar Gauri-Gyanvapi case has lodged an FIR with the Varanasi police claiming that he has received a ‘sar tan se juda’ (beheading) threat from an unidentified caller using a Pakistan number.

7) Third-year engineering student Nishank Rathore from Bhopal went missing from his hostel room and was found dead on railway tracks in Raisen district’s Obaidullaganj around 6 PM on July 24. Just minutes before Nishank’s death, his father, a resident of Seoni Malwa, had received a threatening message reading “Rathore sahab bahur bahadur tha aapka beta. Gustakh-e-Nabi ki ek saza, sar tan se juda” (Rathore sir, your son was very brave. Only one punishment for those who are insolent towards the prophet, separate their head from the body) from his son’s phone.

8) In June two instances of Islamist extremism came to the fore. In the first instance, Muslim leader Maulana Mufti Nadeem openly threatened Hindus that too in the presence of the police in Rajasthan’s Bundi. The second instance of such radical Islam came from Uttarakhand’s Haridwar, coincidentally one of the holy pilgrimage sites of Hindus. Here too police were present when the ‘gustakhe nabi ki ek saja, sar tan se juda’ (insult of Mohammed will be avenged by beheading) threat was raised.

9) Supreme Court (SC) lawyer Vineet Jindal reportedly received a death threat on Tuesday night. Vineet got an anonymous threat note with the words “Allah ka paigham hai Vineet Jindal, tera bhi sar tan se juda karenge jald hi ” (Allah’s message, Vineet Jindal; we’ll behead you soon)”.

10) Hindu leader who filed a case against AIMPLB got the ‘sar tan se juda’ threat letter with live cartridges. Hindu Shakti Dal’s national President Simran Gupta has lodged an FIR with the Delhi Police for receiving a death threat for reportedly filing applications against unknown and known persons who have threatened right-wing activists.

11) A 60-year-old ex-serviceman has gone missing while his family had received a threatening message on phone along with a picture of the banned Popular Front of India. Rajendra Prasad’s family alleged that he had been kidnapped and soon after he went missing, they received a threatening message “Sar tan se juda, sar tan se juda Ajmer via Pakistan’ on WhatsApp and then a second message was received which was a picture of the banned outfit.

12) Three Muslims have been arrested for assaulting a 26-year-old Hindu man identified as Sriram for reportedly putting up a status supporting former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma.

13) Parteek Pawar, aka Sunny, was attacked with sharp weapons in Karjat town, Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra for allegedly putting a WhatsApp status supporting Nupur. He sustained serious injuries.

14) Bajrang Dal member Ayush Jadam (25) was stabbed by a group of 13 men for supporting Nupur Sharma on Wednesday. The incident occurred in the Agar Malwa district of Madhya Pradesh. MP Police registered a case of attempt to murder and rioting against the 13 accused.

15) HC clerk Sohail Khan threatened to behead his colleague Mahendra Singh Rajpurohit who had posted a Whatsapp status in support of Nupur Sharma.

16) Medical professional Umesh Prahladrao Kolhe was murdered on June 21 (June 22 as per certain reports) at around 10.30 PM in Amravati. Shockingly, Islamists slit Kolhe’s throat in front of his son and daughter-in-law. Umesh Kolhe had posted in support of Nupur Sharma.

The Islamists were emboldened by so-called secular liberals and HINOs (Hindus in name only) who always rush to defend Islamists calling for the beheading of Hindus. Even when the same Islamists were mocking Bhagwan Shiva following the discovery of Shivling the seculars sided with the Islamists. Essentially, the Islamists get a free pass from the ‘secularists’ who share the former’s hatred for Hindu Dharma.

The entire episode has exposed the likes of Zubair who project themselves as champions of free speech. It also shows how easy it is to brainwash the Muslim public using edited clips. As long as Islamists hold sway, we can expect death and rape threats such as the ones faced by Nupur in the name of secularism.

It is, however, the duty of the government to protect Hindus and the responsibility of the Hindu society to stand up for its rights. This should act as an eye-opener for Hindus who need to do away with political correctness. It is the silence of the Hindu society that gives a free pass for Hindudveshis.