The European Priestess of Nazis and

The European Priestess of Nazis and Hindu Fascists

BY ASLAM ABDULLAH

KNOWN AS HITLER’S PRIESTESS, SAVITRI Devi Mukherji (born Maximiani Julia Portas; Ph.D., philosophy, the University of Lyon) has remained an influential figure among such Hindutva groups as the RSS, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), and the Bajrang Dal as well the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh in North America. This is rather surprising, for this non-Indian woman died in 1982 (see https:// www.bbc.com/news/ magazine-41757047 Savitri Devi: The mystical fascist being resurrected by the alt-right).

An admirer of Hitler and an ardent proponent of Nazis, Savitri Devi advocated a synthesis of Hinduism and Hitlerism. Born in 1905 in France to English-Greek parents, she became a leading member of the Nazi underground, proclaimed Hitler an avatar of the Hindu deity Vishnu and that Jews were evil.

After traveling to India, she volunteered at the Hindu Mission in Calcutta for 18 months and embraced Vinayak Damodar Savarkar’s (1883-1966) concept of Hindutva. For the rest of her life, she devoted herself to reviving, spreading, and cultivating Hinduism throughout India with the support of Hindu fascists.

Her booklet “A Warning to the Hindus” (1939) sought to alert Hindus to the threat of Islam and Christianity. Like most Hindu fascists, she believed in the supremacy of the upper castes. She advised those Hindus, whom she considered symbols of Aryan purity and superiority, to be assertive if they wanted to avoid the fate of pagan Greece.

In the booklet’s concluding chapter, she envisioned an India that would revive Aryan supremacy in the world. She wrote: “And there would be nothing astonishing if such Hindus, enjoying complete independence, become conquerors, and rebuild Greater India. There would be nothing extraordinary even if, through them, one day (through their direct or indirect influence), the dream of the resurrection of Aryan Pagandom in the West also, which now seems impossible, becomes a reality. “Nobody knows what can happen, what might happen. And all hopes are natural to a young nation if it is secure.” She asked Hindus to militarize themselves, ensure that the Muslim population does not grow, and advocated systematic and organized violence to intimidate and make them feel insecure.

She suggested that every Hindu should espouse four cardinal points: work for the creation of a Hindu Rashtra, accept the upper castes as representatives of pure Aryan ancestry and accept their leadership, defend Hindu interests as defined by the upper castes, and that upper-caste domination should facilitate the Aryans’ power in the world.

The militarization of Hindutva groups in India and abroad is part of this scheme.

Savitri worked tirelessly to bring neo-Nazis and white supremacists closer to Hindu fascist groups such as the RSS and the VHP. Many Hindu fascists have gradually infiltrated academic institutions, financial conglomerates, political parties and business houses through secretive connections in Canada, Europe and the Americas. Trump’s relations with Modi highlighted the close ties between white supremacist neo-Nazi groups and Hindu fascists, as well as their shared roots in white supremacy and neo-Nazism. ih

4. Muslims opted for a separate homeland, and thus India is no longer their country. 5. By their religion, Muslims cannot pledge loyalty to India.

The RSS, through its subsidiary organizations, including the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, has set six significant goals to turn India into a Hindu Rashtra: 1. Change the written history of India’s independence struggle. The Hindu militant organization supported the British Raj, and its leaders spied on India’s freedom fighters. The RSS, however, seeks to depict its members as true patriots who fought for India’s independence. 2. Rewrite India’s history to present Islam and Christianity as foreign invaders who destroyed the country’s Hindu heritage. 3. Control the Muslim population to ensure that they do not become a majority in any district. 4. Legislate a uniform civil code to marginalize minority religious practices. 5. Introduce anti-conversion laws in 29 Indian states and nine union territories to prevent Dalits from converting to Islam and Christianity. 6. Integrate Azad Kashmir into India.

The Hindutva leadership believes that these six steps would consolidate upper caste rule over India, paving the way to implement the code of Manu (Manusmirti) as the new constitution. Therefore, the leadership is in a hurry to bring about changes in the legal framework. It hopes that a victory in the 2024 parliamentary elections will make it easier to achieve its goals by 2025.

Will they succeed? The RSS, despite its grassroots militancy, has yet to tame 19 states, including West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Sikkim. But the ruling Hindutva leadership believes that the political polarization among Hinduism, Islam and Christianity would make the BJP the sole protector of Hindus and consolidate their power for the foreseeable future.

India is fast moving into the orbit of unchecked religious fascism. Its Hindutva leaders feel absolutely no need to hide their intention to make India a Muslim- and Christian-free land. ih

Aslam Abdullah, Ph.D., is editor-in-chief of Muslim Media Network Inc., publisher of the Muslim Observer, and also a resident scholar at Islamicity.org