In the course of this year’s Islamophobic incidents, it has become increasingly evident that BJP politicians either actively participated or lent their support to those spearheading these campaigns in India. This raises a deeply concerning question about the trajectory of the nation. With over a billion people residing in India, a country historically marked by its diverse ethnic and religious fabric, we must confront the disturbing reality that authorities seem to be at the forefront of propagating Islamophobia. A national campaign appears to be underway, one that seeks to subjugate, criminalize, and even eliminate the country’s Muslim population. Under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership, differences, particularly religious differences, have been instrumentalized and weaponized to garner political support. It seems that this situation is approaching a boiling point, characterized by numerous episodes of violence and discriminatory measures designed to marginalize not only India’s Muslim community but also other minority populations.
Over the past decade, the world has witnessed a persistent and alarming rise in Islamophobia, marked by hate crimes and discrimination targeting Muslims. Several countries played significant roles in perpetuating this troubling trend. In the United States, the nation marked two decades since the 9/11 attacks, leading to reflection on the ongoing repercussions of the War on Terror, both domestically and internationally. Canada grappled with a tragic hit-and-run attack on a Muslim family, prompting calls for concrete measures to combat Islamophobic violence. Meanwhile, France implemented state-sanctioned Islam legislation, resulting in discrimination and rights erosion for French Muslims, especially women. Austria engaged in intimidating actions against Muslim activists and even published a map disclosing mosque locations. In the UK, the ruling Conservative party avoided addressing institutional Islamophobia within its ranks, while Europe saw rulings restricting Muslim identity. India experienced the ascent of Hindu nationalist forces propagating conspiracy theories and supporting anti-Muslim violence, with social media platforms implicated in these campaigns. women faced prejudice to wearing hijabs and were forced to evacuate classes in the state of Karnataka. This is a step to demean the women from educational institutions and public spaces said Afreen Fatima, a student activist of the Muslim group Fraternity Movement. These challenges underscore the urgent need for collective action to confront Islamophobia and promote a world where people of all faiths can coexist harmoniously.
The variables that have contributed to the growth in islamophobia are various, most notably, reporting on terrorist assaults and connecting them with Islam as misinformation by reporters and journalists, which has resulted in the normalcy of animosity towards Islam. Another major element is globalization, which has contributed to a tiny event occurring in a local arena reaching a global level in a matter of seconds, creating an environment in which all Muslims or the religion of Islam aggravate people. In reality, it is a misconception that must be remedied.
The Indians might have managed to get to the moon, but they have no idea how to treat humans, let alone children. In India, Muslims confront stigma and prejudice at school, college, and workplaces, which is a new form of Islamophobic behavior. Most recently an incident of Islamophobia was witnessed in india in which a teacher named Trapti Tyagi recently instructed her second-grade students at a private school in Khabbarpur town to smack a Muslim seven-year-old student named Altamash in the class. This incident took place in Uttar Pradesh, a state with a Muslim population of 235 million people.
The teacher is heard urging that all Muslim youngsters should go, passing Islamophobic slurs against a juvenile, which is an internationally recognized felony to insult or discriminate against a person because of his or her Islamic beliefs. This is a seven-year-old boy who went to school to learn but was harshly chastised by his teacher simply because he is Muslim and was born into an Islamic family.
What is this teacher educating the other pupils in her class, the majority of whom are Hindus? Instilling hatred in young minds and manipulating them, and then wondering why our generation is intolerant of individuals with different ideas. The elder generation instilled this in their young heads. This kind of animosity would make it hard for people of different faiths to coexist. “This is the same kerosene spread by the BJP that set every corner of India on fire,” Rahul Gandhi says. He continues, Children are India’s future; do not despise them; rather, teach them to love. If the aim of disciplining Altmash in this manner is to teach him a lesson. Although this is not the way to teach a little child. The child’s father has rejected accusations regarding the boy being punished for not learning his work, highlighting that his son is an excellent student.
According to the OIC declaration, terrorism and violent extremism cannot be linked to any religion, nationality, civilization, or ethnic group. UN Secretary-General António Guterres emphasizes that diversity, as the Holy Quran states, is a source of strength, not a threat. However, despite UN resolutions designating March 15th as International Day Against Islamophobia, there is still a long way to go in eradicating it. It takes time to create a narrative, and the decade-long narratives that are built over time require time to deconstruct false narratives and adopt true narratives so that they can be reassembled through discourse, arts, and media.
The writer is a student of Peace and Conflict Studies at National Defense University, Islamabad and is currently serving as an intern at Kashmir Institute of International Relations.