Geneva seminar highlights rising tides of Islomophoboa, persecution of Indian Muslims under BJP’s authoritarian rule

Geneva: Speakers at a seminar have voiced their grave concern over the plight of Indian Muslim who faced decades of discrimination and ruthless persecution under the Hindu nationalist government led by Narendra Modi.

The seminar titled “Combatting Islamophobia” was organized by World Muslim Congress in collaboration with Kashmir Institute of international Relations on the sidelines of the 56th session of the UN Human Rights Council here today.
The seminar was attended and addressed by prominent human rights activists, international law experts, academicians from different parts of the world including Dr. Haci Ali Acikgul Vice Chairperson Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Marry Scully Human Rights Defender from USA, Robert Fantina Writer and journalist from Canada, Dr. Khurram Iqbal Associate Professor National Defense University Islamabad , Tazeem Hassan justice for peace Canada. Whereas the event was moderated by Altaf Hussain Wani , Chairman KIR/ Permanent Representative of the WMC to UN.
Beside human rights activists from different civil society groups, ten representatives of different permanent missions including, Australia, Protugal, USA, Greece, India , Azadbijhan , Maldevs and Malaysia attended the session

Speaking on the occasion the panalists said that the islomophoboa was no doubt a global issue, but After 9/11,Islamophobia is no longer viewed as a spontaneous reaction towards Muslims by isolated groups. Instead, it is transformed into a systematic anti-Muslim rhetoric of right-wing extremists propagated through well-designed & well -orchestrated media campaigns.
Muslims are being subjected to pandemic of hate and negative stereotyping through different media platforms. Life for them, in some of these parts of the world, has become a constant struggle.
They are living under fear of retaliatory attacks and being discriminated for maintaining their religious identity. This is happening under brutal occupation regimes in Palestine and Indian-occupied Kashmir and equally in democratic societies under the garb of “Laicite” (Wintor)

Islamophobia has taken most lethal form in India where Muslims, who constitute more than 20 percent of the total population, have been turned into a persecuted minority.
“Muslims in India are an increasingly marginalized population, who have faced decades of discrimination”, the speakers said, addressing that the discrimination against this marginalized community has rose to alarming levels under the BJP’s authoritarian rule.
They observed that rising tides of communalism, hate and xenophobia continue to haunt the Indian Muslims who have been reduced to third class citizens in their own country.
The penalists observed that despite constitutional protections Indian Muslims have often faced discrimination, prejudice, and violence at the hands of extremist Hindus aided and abetted by the BJP and its subsidiaries.

They said that anti-Muslim sentiments have heightened under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which has pursued a Hindu nationalist agenda since elected to power in 2014.
The panelists highlighted the alarming rise of Islamophobic rhetoric and actions, particularly underscored by the recent Indian elections, where the BJP targeted Muslims through divisive and discriminatory policies.
The peakers pointed out Islamophobia’s persistence in media, where Muslims are often portrayed as terrorists, further fueling hatred and misunderstanding.
They emphasized that when Islamophobia intertwines with xenophobia and racism, it can escalate to genocidal actions, as evidenced by the tragic plight of the Rohingya people.

It maybe recalled here that after Modi’s reelection in 2019, the apartheid regime pushed controversial policies that have led to disenfranchisement of millions of Muslims.

They feared that Modi’s reelection would likely sow further religious division in the country.

The session concluded with a dynamic question-and-answer segment, allowing attendees to engage deeply with these pressing issues and explore actionable solutions to promote a world where diversity and human rights are respected.