Vamsee Juluri’s November 2021 article “Modi and Pope Francis must call out global Hinduphobia, else the propaganda will carry on” [1] in The Print makes the point that Indian PM, Mr.Narendra Modi, in his impending meeting with the Pope, should raise the issue of global anti-Hindu propaganda by the West. Key points of the article are summarized here:
- There is a pervasive influence of propaganda in shaping public discourse and language used to describe individuals and issues.
- There is a hypocritical imbalance in terminology, such as “Hindu nationalist” being commonly used, while terms like “Christian expansionist” for the Pope are seldom employed.
- The author reflects on how propaganda has evolved, with the term having a positive or neutral connotation before World War I but becoming negative after atrocity propaganda during the war.
- The article underscores that propaganda has been employed by colonizers and missionaries throughout history, often negatively impacting indigenous peoples.
- It points out that the study of propaganda has been a concern since the aftermath of World War I, leading to efforts to educate the public on detecting propaganda techniques.
- The article notes that propaganda played a dangerous role in Nazi Germany during World War II, solidifying the negative associations linked to the term.