What We Know About Bengal Minister Firhad Hakim, Who Says Muslims Must Become A Majority To 'Deliver Justice'

Senior Bengal minister Firhad Hakim’s controversial remarks about Muslims becoming a majority and delivering justice have sparked outrage. He must be sacked immediately by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Hakim, who wears his faith on his sleeve, has previously made statements that demonstrate he is an Islamist and Muslim supremacist, with a negative view of non-Muslims and a desire to convert them to Islam.

As is well-known by now, Hakim said at an event last week that Muslims are a minority because they constitute 33 per cent of the population in Bengal and 17 per cent in India. 

“But we do not consider ourselves a minority. We believe that if we have Allah’s blessings and ‘talim’ (knowledge), we can become more than a majority in this country. It will be by Allah’s grace that we can achieve this by our (collective) strength,” Hakim declared, raising his clenched fists to loud applause from his Muslim audience. 

A far more atrocious statement followed: “We see that whenever something happens, Muslims take out candlelight processions with ‘we want justice’ slogans. But taking out processions demanding justice will not work. We have to achieve the status where we will no longer demand justice, but mete out justice.”

Hakim, despite his later clarifications that he did not mean to say what he did and his secular proclamations, was clearly advocating Ghawa-e-Hind. This highly offensive concept calls for the Islamic takeover (or conquest) of India, making it part of an Islamic caliphate and imposing the rule of sharia in the sub-continent. 

Last week’s atrocious statement by Hakim was not his first. He had, infamously, boastfully referred to a Muslim-majority area in southwestern Kolkata as ‘mini-Pakistan’ to a visiting journalist from Pakistan a few years ago. 

Hakim has made several egregious Islamist statements since then, the most glaring being one he made in early July this year, where he labelled all non-Muslims as 'blighted' and urged Muslims to convert them to Islam (read this). 

He said, “The blighted (or unfortunate) ones who are not Muslims and who have not been blessed by Allah need to be made aware of the teachings of the Quran. Even if one non-Muslim can be converted, then the path to jannat will become absolutely easy.”

“We are fortunate to be born into Islam and to have grown up as Muslims. But we must extend the invitation to Islam (dawat-e-Islam) to those unfortunate souls who have not been born into Islam or embraced it. Doing so will make Allah happy,” he explained to the gathering amid loud chants of Allah-u-Akbar.

Hakim, at that time, also revealed his Islamist and Muslim supremacist views when he said that the sight of thousands of people wearing skull caps made him feel good, proving that Muslims are united and cannot be suppressed. 

None of his statements evoked the outrage they should have in Bengal and the rest of the country (read this). His open call to convert kaffirs (non-Muslims) to Islam ought to have been enough reason for Mamata Banerjee to not only sack him but also prosecute him for advocating violence against another community and creating communal disharmony. 

However, Mamata Banerjee, for obvious reasons, kept mum and looked the other way. Taking action against Hakim would have angered the Muslim community, which is her key vote bank and helps keep her in power. She has consistently appeased Muslims to secure their support. 

Such inaction has only emboldened Hakim, and his Islamist rhetoric clearly shows that he believes he can make any outrageous statement without facing consequences. 

Hakim, however, has crossed a line this time. Calling for a dramatic demographic change to make India a Muslim-majority country where Muslims will deliver justice (perhaps as per Islamic law or sharia) is highly offensive and unacceptable. 

A call for demographic change must be seen as stemming from Hinduphobia and should be regarded as a form of Islamic extremism. Such rhetoric is typically associated with radical Islamist preachers and terror groups, and Hakim's alignment with these views makes him liable for prosecution. 

Islamists and Muslim supremacists have no place in India. A call for making India a Muslim-majority nation goes against the nation’s secular principles, and is deeply communal in nature. 

Subtly embedded in Hakim's statement is a call for violence against Hindus and for the forced conversion of Hindus to Islam. He does not believe in diversity or plurality and takes satisfaction in seeing thousands of Muslims wearing skull caps. He envisions India as a Muslim nation, and what he implied is that he seeks India’s inclusion in the Islamic caliphate. 

The senior Bengal minister, a close aide of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, tries to present himself as a ‘liberal.’ While he attends Hindu festivals and claims to uphold secularism, his actions suggest otherwise. 

However, it could be argued that all of this may be part of the insidious strategy of taqiyyah, as defined in the Hadith. Taqiyyah is the practice of concealing one’s religious identity (Islam) or intentions until Muslims become numerous enough to assert their will. 

One hadith, in particular, states that Prophet Muhammad waited 13 years to "gain a sufficient number of loyal supporters" before launching an attack on his enemies in Mecca. 

Taqiyyah, thus, is a laid-down strategy in Islam to cloak one’s true Islamist identity and intentions until the community (Muslims) becomes large enough to impose their will on non-Muslims and conquer them. 

Professing secularism and displaying liberal colours could, thus, be part of this strategy to fool Hindus into complacency and avoid being persecuted and prosecuted. 

Hakim, as the most prominent representative of the Muslim community in the Trinamool Congress government in Bengal, is no ordinary figure. He holds a significant office, and when he makes such outrageous statements, he sends a clear message to his community.  

Hence, when Hakim states that non-Muslims are "blighted" and that Muslims who convert even one non-Muslim to Islam will be blessed by Allah and granted entry to Jannat (paradise), he is effectively urging Muslims to convert non-believers to Islam. 

This call for religious conversion reflects the supremacist, Hinduphobic and intolerant attitude of Hakim and his fellow Islamists in Bengal. There can be no denying that this attitude poses a serious threat to the integrity of the country and must be addressed with a firm hand. 

That is why Hakim must not only be removed from Bengal’s council of ministers but also prosecuted for inciting violence against Hindus and attempting to undermine the unity and integrity of the country. 

Punishing Hakim will send a strong message to Islamists in Bengal and across the country that their extremist views will not be tolerated and that they will be held accountable for their actions. Prosecuting him will show they have no place in India and must reform or perish.

Ignoring Hakim’s atrocious statements will only embolden him and other Islamists seeking to turn India into an Islamic country. Overlooking his words threatens not just Hindus, but also India’s democracy, secularism, and pluralism. That’s why Hakim and his supporters must be held accountable. 

Only issuing condemnations will not suffice. Firm and exemplary action must be taken against Hakim for the sake of India and its Hindu community.

Also read: "Pure Venom", Says BJP As Controversy Erupts Over Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim's 'Muslim Majority' Remarks

Senior Bengal Minister’s Open Call To Convert Non-Muslims To Islam Is Deeply Problematic

The Hypocritical Silence Of Bengal’s Politicians, Media And Civil Society On Firhad Hakim’s Islamism Is Deafening