INDIA Indian Supreme Court suspends release of (another) anti-Muslim film

Several Islamic organizations had called for Justice to intervene, stating that “Hamare Baarah” portrays the community in a “provocative and offensive” way. New case after “Kerala Story”, the film about three Indian women who join the Islamic State and which caused clashes and violent episodes last year.

New Delhi () – The imminent premiere of a new film is once again generating debate in India. This morning the Supreme Court of India suspended the screening of a film titled “Hamare Baarah”, at least until the Bombay High Court rules on a petition challenging the release, scheduled for tomorrow. India’s highest court has considered that the contents disseminated so far by the trailer are offensive and discriminatory towards the Muslim community, to the point that they could justify banning the exhibition of the film.

A first instance filed before the Supreme Court (which had actually already authorized the film’s release) refers to Article 19 of the Indian Constitution, relating to reasonable restrictions in the interest of security and sovereignty, and Article 25, regarding the freedom to profess one’s religion.

The petition asked the Central Board of Film Certification to intervene, but the Commission responded by saying that all controversial scenes and dialogues had been removed and that some videos circulating online were not part of the official trailer.

However, the Bombay High Court found it necessary to set up a new Review Commission and postponed the release of the film until June 14. But as the Review Commission said it would take too much time to submit a detailed report, the Mumbai court later granted permission for the film to be released.

Lawyer Fauzia Shakil then approached the Supreme Court claiming that the Central Board of Film Certification is not acting impartially in this matter because several offensive scenes had not been removed from the trailer. The Supreme Court, apart from staying the release of the film, directed the Bombay High Court to rule on the case at the earliest.

In fact, the Karnataka government had already postponed the release of the film because it could lead to “sectarian riots.” Several Muslim organizations had called for him to intervene, stating that “Hamare Baarah” portrayed the community in a “provocative and offensive manner.”

It is not the first time that cases of this type have arisen in India; To give just one example, last year it was “Kerala Story”, a film that tells the story of three Indian women who join the Islamic State and caused clashes and violent episodes of discrimination against Muslims.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Hindu ultranationalist party from which Prime Minister Narendra Modi, recently re-elected for a third term, comes, has openly promoted propaganda against the Islamic community over the last ten years, even approving a series of discriminatory laws. , such as, for example, that relating to citizenship for those who come from Muslim-majority countries in the region but belong to other religions.

The results of the latest elections, however, have reduced the influence of the BJP, forced to govern with two coalition allies less interested in Hindu propaganda, the Janata Dal (United) and the Telugu Desam Party. In recent days, leaders of both parties have affirmed that the implementation of the uniform civil code, one of the BJP’s flagships, will not be a decision taken unilaterally.

It is a set of laws that regulate marriage, divorce, inheritance and adoption for all citizens, matters that are currently handled differently in various religious and tribal groups, according to their own laws. Several legal experts have explained that the code risks nullifying the exercise of personal rights by minority communities.