Congress MP Imran Masood, who had threatened to ‘chop PM Modi’ into Boti-Boti, is not ‘Muslim enough’: Islamists outraged after he was seen celebrating Diwali with daughters

You may remember Congress MP from Saharanpur, Imran Masood, who made headlines about 10 years ago by threatening to “chop into pieces” the then-prime ministerial candidate and current Prime Minister Narendra Modi. His venomous remarks made him the “blue-eyed boy” of Islamic fundamentalists. However, the same Islamic fundamentalists are furious with Masood and his family. They did not even spare his daughter. The reason behind the rage of the Islamic fundamentalists is that Imran Masood’s daughter, Hiba Masood, uploaded a reel on Instagram wishing people Diwali. Posting the reel, Hiba wrote, “My heartfelt Diwali wishes to you. Papa wasn’t forced (to do the video).” The reel featured Hiba Masood alongside her father, Imran Masood. In the reel, Hiba asks Imran how she looks and then wishes people a happy Diwali. Imran Masood is also seen extending Diwali greetings in the video. But this was intolerable for the Islamic fundamentalists, who could not fathom Imran or his daughter offering greetings for the festival of the ‘infidels’. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Hiba Masood (@hiba_masood24) While many people received the video with positivity, some Islamic fundamentalists found an opportunity to spew venom. The same Imran Masood, who was once the poster boy of the Islamic fundamentalists, suddenly became the sworn enemy of the Jihadists. A user named Sarfraz Owaisi commented on Hiba’s video, saying, “May Allah guide them all.” What Sarfraz meant to say was that Masood and his family had gone astray because they offered Diwali wishes, and therefore Allah should guide them back to the right path. A comment on Hiba’s Instagram post. Sarfaraz isn’t the only one who made such comments; an entire army of Islamic fundamentalists came out to attack Hiba on social media. An Instagram user named Shah Fahad Iqbal perceived the Diwali greetings by Masood and his daughter as a threat to the entire Muslim community. Shah Fahad wrote, “May Allah protect the Ummah,” (May all Muslims not be harmed). A comment on Hiba’s Instagram post. Another Instagram user expressed his displeasure with Imran Masood and termed him less radical than AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi. The user named Sameer Barkat, wrote, “That’s why I’m proud of my leader, Barrister Asad Owaisi”. Barkat’s comment proved that if Islamic fanaticism in a Muslim diminishes, he/she can no longer be a “hero” to these fanatics. A comment on Hiba’s Instagram post. Similarly, an Instagram user named Yusuf reminded Masood of the tenets of Islam and claimed that wishing Diwali is wrong and prohibited in Islam. He wrote, “Wishing people on the festivals of other religions is strictly prohibited in Islam”. A comment on Hiba’s Instagram post. Another Instagram user, Muzaffar Khan, questioned the religious affiliation of Masood and his family. He wrote, “You guys are Muslims in name only; your actions are those of devils. The people of Saharanpur have chosen a very wrong leader.” A comment on Hiba’s Instagram post. An Instagram user named Razvi said that because of all these activities, the Muslim community is infamous and ruined today. A comment on Hiba’s Instagram post. These are only a handful of the numerous hate-filled comments of Islamic fundamentalists on Hina’s post. It’s clear from the comments of the Islamic fundamentalists that for them, Imran Masood or any member of his family is ‘theirs’ as long as they blindly agree with their views. For the Islamic fundamentalists, only those are true Muslims who toe their line and accept their exclusivist and toxic ideology without questioning. Even a slight deviation from what they believe is right as per their ideology or the Sharia Law is condemnable to them. Their radical ideology has no room for diversity or independent thinking. Everyone among them is supposed to hold the same views and believe and disbelieve the same things. Anyone from among them daring to walk differently becomes worthy of their hatred and attacks. (This article is a translation of the original article published at OpIndia Hindi.)