Unholy alliance between the proponents of two racist ideologies must be called out

On the 6th of August, the repugnant Australia Jewish Association (AJA) issued a statement feigning concern for the Hindu minority in Bangladesh and expressing outrage at the persecution of Hindus by the forces of "radical Islam". That a hate group would find it necessary to say something about events in Bangladesh only makes sense when you then read their linkage to the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza — "[Hindu Bangladeshis] would be much more suitable candidates for visas to Australia" than those fleeing Gaza, a reference to news that the Federal Government is looking at establishing a new visa class for Palestinians escaping the genocide.

On the same day, the Hindu Council of Australia issued a statement condemning the "recent wave of violence, killings, and destruction targeting the Hindu community in Bangladesh." As Al Jazeera's investigative journalism has shown, there is no organised campaign of persecution against Bangladeshi Hindus and the attacks on Hindu households were not driven by religious identity but by political affiliations. A leader of the Hindu community in Bangladesh confirmed this to Al Jazeera when he stated that, "I can confirm that these attacks were politically motivated, not communal."

That there are strong ideological connections between Hindutva and Zionism, both ethnonationalist racist endeavours that sustain the worst forms of oppression in India and Palestine, has not been a secret. What is now becoming apparent is how the proponents and sympathisers of these ideologies coordinate and support each other. This is true of Modi's extremist BJP party which is a cheerleader for the genocidal Netanyahu government in Israel. And alarmingly this unholy alliance extends to media, business, and civil society organisations.