Fire drill? No, MUSLIM drill!

Never let it be said that there's racial or religious discrimination in India! Oh... wait a minute...

OK, let it be said. In Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state of Gujarat, police in Surat district dressed actors in white skullcaps and long tunics to play the part of "militants" -- "Islamic" implied -- in mock security drills. The whole exercise was captured on video, as was another drill in Narmada district in which the "militants", to add a bit more realism, shouted "Islam Zindabad (Long live Islam)!"

Muslim leaders in India and the neighbouring states of Pakistan and Bangladesh have called the videos "atrocious and highly condemnable". They say the videos stereotype Muslims, who make up nearly 14% of India's 1.2 billion population, as narrow-minded, fanatical, terrorists bent on murdering all infidels, yada yada yada, whereas Islam is, as we all know, the Religion of Peace(TM).

The exercise was "a mistake", said Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel. "It's wrong to link religion with terrorism," he said. "The issue has been resolved and the matter should be put to rest now. The mistake has been rectified by my good Mrs. Patel." [Ed., please check that quote for accuracy.]

Police initially tried to brush off the criticism. Inspector Sherlock Patel [Ed., please check name] said the skullcaps were used "to give [the ones portraying terrorists] a different look", but later apologized saying the situation could have been avoided, "had not someone done something evil to the plans." [Ed., please...]

In the months since becoming prime minister, Mr. Modi has talked about inclusiveness, but his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has its core base among hardline Hindus and many Hindu fundamentalist groups -- yes, the Hindus have fundamentalists too -- have recently been accused of forcibly converting Muslims and Christians. Mahatma Gandhi is no doubt spinning in his grave. [Wouldn't he have been cremated, not buried? Ed.]

Speaking of the Great Soul and religious tolerance, BBC News reports that a row broke out a few days ago after Indian government minister Niranjan Jyoti used an abusive term to refer to non-Hindus, by asking people at a public rally to choose between Ramzada (children of the Hindu god Ram) and Haramzada (bastards). Prime Minister Modi said he disapproved of her language but refused to sack her.