This article discusses how Muslims in India have experienced discrimination and violence in recent years. Hindu supremacists have tried to create a "Hindu-dominated nation" by scapegoating Muslims, and the article discusses how this has led to increased tensions between Muslims and Hindus. - Since India's independence in 1947, Muslims have been the largest religious community in India with over 14% of the population, but their wealth and political power remain low. The article highlights how Muslims have been systematically discriminated against since India's independence and even more so since Narendra Modi became Prime Minister. With the rise of Hindu supremacists, the already existing discrimination against Muslims has only increased in recent decades as they become scapegoats for many of India's failings. Additionally, it is argued that unequal distribution of resources and discrimination has led to greater poverty among Muslim communities than non-Muslim communities.
India is a predominately Hindu country, with Hindus forming the majority of the population. This has resulted in many Hindus having a strong sense of cultural and religious identity that makes it difficult for Muslims to feel accepted and included in society. Despite being one of the worlds largest religious groups, India's Muslim community forms a minority within the population and has had a complicated relationship with its Hindu majority for centuries.
Muslims across India, even in the Muslim majority states, have faced rampant communal violence and discrimination by Hindu supremacists. This has been further exacerbated by the fact that almost 15% of India’s population follows Islam, but is still a minority in comparison to the 65% of Hindus and other religious minorities such as Christians. The current government has used Hindu supremacists to incite anxiety amongst Muslims and other religious minorities, thus making up a substantial 20% of India's population. This very big national problem repeats itself with Yati Narsinghanand calling for Muslims in India to be sent back to their own countries.
This has been encouraged by the Hindu nationalist movement and the BJP's sustained ruling as well as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its leader Narendra Modi. This has created a Hindu dominated nation with Hindu supremacists who claim to be victims of discrimination. They have been spreading disinformation about the Muslim population in India today, violating Indian government rules that allow for freedom of religion. Narendra Modi has been opening old religious wounds, silencing progressive voices and creating an environment of fear for Muslims in India today. The BJP's use of hate speech and its power to influence people is a real threat to many groups including minorities such as Muslims. In addition, Narendra Modi's policies have led to increased violence against Muslims in recent years. This year alone there have been several incidents of mob violence against Muslims that have gone unpunished by the Indian government under Narendra Modi's rule. The rise in Hindu nationalism poses a serious threat to India's secular democracy, which is why it is important that all Indians fight against this movement before it leads to further violence and discrimination against minorities like Muslims.
In recent years, there has been a dramatic rise in the Muslim population in India, leaving them as a rendered minority. This has punctured India's own version of secular democracy and caste and ethnicity have become key points of contention. The recent mass shooting in New Delhi punctured new data that showed Muslims were being increasingly disadvantaged when it came to access to political and economic power, sparking fresh scrutiny over the state’s abandoned fundamental duty to protect its minorities.
