Islamophobia: Facing the Indian Muslims
OVER the last few decades, the constitutionally secular India has rapidly transformed itself into a Hindutva driven illiberal Hindu ideological state.
With 3,287,263 square kilometres area and 1.3 billion human beings, India is bordering all geographic states of South Asia, thus the impacts of its being religious narrow-mindedness and discrimination is being felt by all its neighbours.
The followers of Hindutva ideology have reduced the living space for all minorities in India. The essence of Hindutva is not simply Hinduism or Hindustani but, it is a demand that, all those living in India must convert into Hinduism.
Muslims, forming the biggest minority (over 17% of total Indian population) is the main target of Hindutva philosophy.
There are two main causes of targeting the Indian Muslims; a) Muslims have ruled India for over 800 years, and b) Muslim have highest birth rate in India, once compare with all other minorities and even the Hindus. These two aspects are the main reasons for promoting the sense of Islamophobia within India.
It is worth mention that, Islamophobia is defined as a hatred and prejudice against Muslims and Islam which is being used by a vested group at international level as a political tool to defame this Divine religion and its followers.
With above-mentioned two primary reasons of Islamophobia, the Hindutva followers in India have clearly visualized the Muslims and Islam as their rivals.
In the last decade of 20th century and first two decades of 21st century, the followers of Hindutva were able to form political monopoly over the liberal class, India had once upon a time.
With Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as the ruling party in India for the third time (with two consecutive terms-2014-2024), the Hindutva militant outfits fully exploited the time and space for the promotion of their anti-Muslim objectives.
It is worth mentioning that, unlike international practices of forming political parties first and their armed guards later, the BJP is the product of a militant outfit; Rashtriya SwayamsevakSangh (RSS).
RSS was established in 1925 with a clear militant mind-set to preserve India for Hindus only for which it was banned thrice. Its sole agenda was and is promotion of Hindutva as an ideology in India and purify India from all other faiths, especially the followers of Islam.
The abovementioned two causes were used by Hindutva followers as two main narratives to promote Islamophobia in India.
The BJP, RSS and other Hindutva militant organizations have widely propagated among Hindus that, during centuries of Muslim’s rule in India, Hindus were forced to convert their faith to become Muslims.
Indeed, this is a provocative narrative which is based on unsound foundations. Hindus and others were never forced by Muslims to convert to Islam. Had Muslims followed this forceful conversion strategy, the entire India would have converted into Muslims, since there was an absolute Muslim rule (Kingdom) for centuries.
The Muslim rulers never followed such a strategy, which goes against the essence of Islamic teachings.
Holy Quran clear says; “Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from Error: whoever rejects evil and believes in Allah hath grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold that never breaks.
And Allah heareth and knoweth all things.” There is no doubt that after establishment of Muslim Rule in India, a substantial population converted into Islam through a process of preaching and excellent and just human values of Muslims, yet a huge number of Indians remained Hindu and followers of other religions.
They were never forced and compelled to convert into Islam to become Muslims. This is totally an incorrect narrative, Hindutva followers have been propagating for decades and now Indian Government under BJP has officially adopted as its covert strategy against Muslims.
The Citizenship Amendment Act-2019 (CAA-2019) is part of the same strategy where millions of Muslims were stripped-off from their citizenship.
This is a violation of the basic structure of Indian constitution, the humanitarian delacration-1948 and above all the Character of United Nations. Indian intellectuals, scholars, academicians and leftover liberal class must re-asses this falsified narratives of promoting Islamophobia and abhorrence as a campaign against India Muslims.
The next narrative of BJP and RSS (Hindutva Proponents) for promotion of Islamophobia in India is about the high birth rate, a resultant rise in the Muslim population.
This is the estimation of the research wings of BJP and RSS that, Islam is the fastest-growing religion in India which means Muslim population may become equal to Hindu population by 2075. Muslims anywhere in the world do not plan their population based on any such analogy or superiority based on numerical numbers.
Indeed, this has never been the basis of rule for Muslims. The 800 years of Muslim’s rule in India had absolutely no such basis. Furthermore, Muslim population growth fertility rate in all Muslim majority states is well above the global rate, thus India is not an exception.
Despite the stormy shadows of Hindutva over 1.3 billion Indians, still there should be a class in India with a rational thinking.
Shouldn’t they counsel their ruling fanatics, not to disturb the traditional character of minorities who lived with peace and contributed towards betterment of India through ages? It’s high time; India must stop pushing the Muslims’ to walls by promoting Islamophobia.
Indeed, Muslims are facing highest degree of persecution, exploitation, alienation, humiliation, religious manipulation, political oppression and social disrepute at the hands of Hindutva followers and officially by Indian Government through Islamophobia.
— The writer is Professor of Politics and IR at International Islamic University, Islamabad.
