New Delhi: Hours after Pakistani-Canadian journalist Tarek Fatah’s death Monday, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) paid homage to the Muslim writer, calling him an “eminent thinker, author and commentator”.
The RSS took to its official Twitter handle to express condolences to Fatah’s family and also praised his contributions to the literary and media world.
“His significant contributions to the media and the literary world will be greatly remembered. He remained committed to his principles and beliefs throughout his life and was respected for his courage and conviction,” read the message by RSS General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale.
An RSS leader, on the condition of anonymity, said Fatah was a pro-India voice and frequently seen at RSS programmes.
Fatah passed away in Toronto at the age of 73. He wrote several books, including ‘The Jew is Not My Enemy: Unveiling the Myths that Fuel Muslim Anti-Semitism’, ‘Chasing a Mirage’, ‘Islamic Rajya Ka Bhram’ and ‘Islam ki Buniyaad among others. He also prominently spoke against Islamic extremism and Pakistan-sponsored terrorism at Indian borders.
‘Emotional and ideological connect’
RSS ideologue Ratan Sharda told ThePrint that the outfit always pays homage to prominent personalities at its ‘Pratinidhi Sabha’ — the annual general body meeting.
“Even during this year’s Pratinidhi Sabha, several prominent personalities who recently passed away, were paid homage at the beginning, including Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav. RSS always pays respects to people in their respective fields or religion, even though they might not be associated with the Sangh.
“Fatah passed away Monday, so RSS paid homage to him through social media, following the same trend. Fatah used to speak about India and Islam on international platforms. There was no affiliation, but emotional and ideological connect,” Sharda said.
He also said that Fatah was “fiercely independent and a thorough Hindustani”. “From my personal meetings and interactions, he and the RSS had a soft corner for each other due to shared love for Bharat and our civilisation, but no close relations.”
Fatah had publicly praised the RSS on social media platforms. In one of his tweets, Fatah once asked why the secular, liberal and Left-wing Indians were okay with the Right-wing Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) but had revulsion towards the RSS.
Also read: Tarek Fatah, the unrelenting fake news peddler who targets Indian Muslims regularly