Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy on Monday said that one who doesn’t visit temples or perform rituals is also a Hindu.
"I am not someone who visits temples rather I need to be encouraged. I don’t perform rituals but I am a Hindu because I stand for the defence of Hinduism,” Swamy said while addressing the gathering at Mumbai University’s convocation hall.
Senior BJP leader Dr Subramanian Swamy was in Mumbai to speak on Leaders’ Ideas of Nations in the context of Zionism and Hindutva – an event organised by Consulate General of Israel and Indo-Israel Friendship Association (IIFA).
Swamy was accompanied by Dr Gadi Taub, a professor in the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, in a discussion on the idea of Zionism and Hindutva. Supporting the growing Indo-Israel relations, Swamy said that Zionism and Hindutva have many similarities.
"Israel has repeatedly mentioned that in an unprecedented manner, India has looked after the jews without any difficulty whatsoever, and treated them as their own,” Dr Swamy informed.
While asserting that Judaism and Hinduism are sister religions, Swamy stated that the only difference noted by Israel’s Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef is that India is a polytheistic country whilst Judaism believes in one god.
Swamy further informed that the Hindus also believe in one god, however, its incarnations are many. The common connection between Hinduism and Judaism is that both religions don’t promote proselytisation – conversion.
Neither Hinduism nor Judaism propagates active conversion but both religions have been the victim of religious extremism. Unlike Islam and Christianity, Hinduism and Judaism aren’t restricted by a book or any single representative,” Dr Swamy claimed.
While addressing the audience, Professor Gadi Taub narrated that Zionism promotes the idea of self-determination to all people and enables nationalism to become a force to drive democracies.
Defending the controversial idea of Zionism, Dr Taub criticised the international “elite” liberals saying that liberalism is a threat to democracy.
Zionism goes beyond the idea of a nation which only welcomes religious Jews but includes every one despite their religion. For nearly 2,000 years, Jews have been forced to hide their identity and Zionism was their chance to have what normal people have – a national identity. Earlier, Jews were dependent on the mercy of other people and many were killed in the name of the holocaust,” Dr Gadi Taub asserted.
Speaking on Hindutva, Swamy said that Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, who coined the term Hindutva, is reminisced for his extreme alliance towards Hindusim.
Hindu Rashtra includes everyone including non-Hindus if they accept that their ancestors were initially Hindus. Indians have the same DNA regardless of their caste and religion. I can challenge Mr Owaisi to a DNA test,” said the senior BJP leader.
Swamy further said that Zionism and Hindutva are under attack by Islamic extremist forces and thus, they should come together to fight the same. During the 2008 attacks in Mumbai, the terrorists especially targeted Jews people living here, Swamy added.
While answering a query, Subramanian Swamy said that the Indian education system doesn’t highlight the Hindu resistance against the
Mughals
and changes will be made regarding this in school
history books.
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