Imagine being the target of hate in a land you and your family have considered home for centuries. Imagine living in an environment that constantly features mob attacks, beatings and often murder, just because you are a Muslim. This is life for nearly 200 million people in India.
Recent years in India have produced a staggering rise in Islamophobic sentiment in India, home to more than 170 million adherents of the Islamic faith. Predominantly in states ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the home of PM Narendra Modi, a new report has noted a concerning trend in hate speech targeted at Muslims.
A report by Hindutva Watch, documented an average of more than one hate speech incident per day during the first half of 2023. It documented 255 gatherings promoting hatred towards Muslims during this period.
Speaking in an interview on Salaamedia, Shaik Zakir Hoosen said the wave of Hindu nationalism has created a dangerous environment of fear among Muslims.
“It has created an environment of fear. Muslims have been living in this environment of fear for the past few years, ever since the BJP has come into power. It also has real world consequences [that] we see everyday,” he said.
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Hate speech and boycotts in India
The anti-Muslim sentiment currently plaguing India was not only limited to hate speech gatherings, he said. Instead, nationalists have encouraged people to boycott Muslim businesses – called ‘economic jihad’.
“There are campaigns to ban halal restaurants, there are campaigns urging Hindus and non-Muslims not to eat from Muslim restaurants because they serve halal food and they see halal food as economic jihad. They have terms for all these things.”
Furthermore, he said, there were signs of Islamophobic sentiment spreading to other parts of the country. This was contrary to the perception that it mainly occurred in BJP-ruled states.
“There’s still a perception that most of the anti-Muslim events occur usually in the north of India, but – Karnataka is one example – we have seen these kind of attacks can occur anywhere in India. This is something that’s prevalent in many parts of the country.”
The bottom line: “No place is safe for Muslims. That’s the kind of message that’s being sent out from these incidents,” he said.
