Logically tackling the arguments against the Tanishq AD
Opinion
A lot has been said for and against the Tanishq ad over the past 2 days, mostly sensationalized and radicalized. Stores were broken into, and statements were issued.
Today we pick up the 3 main arguments against the ad, and try to tackle them rationally.
The 3 main arguments against the ad are:
White-washing of the practice of ‘love jihad’.
The alleged portrayal of accepting Muslims and ignorant Hindus in ads (quoted example: a Hindu man shown hesitant to buy an idol of Ganapati Bappa when he realises that the idol-maker is a Muslim.
It’s a democracy we live in. We have the right to boycott anything that we stand against.
Argument 1
‘Love Jihad’ is a term coined to denote an alleged campaign run by Muslims to convert Hindu girls on the pretext of love. It also is loosely used to refer to the violent reports of a large number of Hindu brides who are forced to convert to Islam when they marry into a Muslim family.
Even if the numbers around violence against Hindu brides are to be believed, does this ad not try to promote awareness against the very act? And in doing so, promote a better practice of inclusion of Hindu brides in a Muslim family?
The ad also raises the question of how Muslims are often shown to be the more accepting religion. Then why did an ad, where the situations were reversed, also receive flak from the community?
Argument 2
The ad in question is of Surf Excel, where a Hindu girl wants the neighbourhood kids to cover her with colors on Holi, just so they run out of colours and she could escort a Muslim child to the Mosque for Namaaz.
Argument 3
While we may have the right to free speech and democratic expression, we must realise that the ad had to be taken down because a lot of us realised that we can use our majority and access to social media to boycott anything that does not fall in our moral compass.
Are we moving towards a point where we need regulation on our social media usage? Do we need to relook at what we consider cyber crime?
In a world where we do not have much to be positive about at the moment, let us not irrationally pick apart an advertisement meant to spread love and hope.