A Wake-Up Call for Indian Muslims

The Precarious Position of Indian Muslims

India’s Muslims are sitting on a ticking time bomb, ready to explode any time soon. With Narendra Modi at the helm, the BJP establishment controlling the levers of power at the Centre romanticizes the idea of a ‘Hindu Nation’ by decimating its minority population, especially Muslims. The recent years have not only seen a chilling surge in hate crimes but also a steep rise in blasphemous incidents from different quarters.

In 2023, it was Nupur Sharma, whose controversial remarks against Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) got her suspended as BJP spokesperson. The suspension came after the Arab World came down heavily on the Indian Government and threatened to cut off their ties.

Then, in May 2025, 22-year-old Sharmishtha Panoli abused Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and used foul language against him. An FIR was lodged against her; as swiftly as she was arrested, she was released on bail. And Wazahat Khan, who filed an FIR against her, is now in jail! What idiocy!

Now, in June 2025, in a recent episode of Zee News’ show ‘Taal Thok Ke,’ a Hindu religious figure, Umeshanand Maharaj, also known as Umesh Puri, made highly offensive and derogatory remarks against Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and Ayesha (RA). He abused the Prophet regarding his marriage to Ayesha (RA). Nauzubillah. It should have set off a massive protest throughout the country seeking the arrest of this accursed priest, but nothing concrete happened except a few hashtags.

These aren’t mere blasphemous remarks; they are being normalized in Modi’s India – a stunt to test the waters. Whether it is slaughtering during Eid-ul-Azha, adhan on loudspeakers, the issue of instant triple talaq, beef, hijab, waqf property, or salah in public places, along with fabricated notions of Ghazwa-e-Hind on their minds, Muslims are perceived as a threat. Whatever the issue, Muslims remain a threat – traitors and outsiders.

Historical Perspectives on Muslims in India

B.R. Ambedkar, a political leader and chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Constitution of India, in his book, Pakistan and the Partition of India, simply declared that Muslims are an inherent threat to India and will always cause communal riots in the country.

Going further deep into his book, in Chapter 10 – The Muslim Case for Pakistan, he wrote: “[The] Muslims are not merely a minority but a nation, and it is the historical destiny of a nation to seek a separate homeland.” The chapter is a general critique of Muslim politics; Ambedkar portrays Muslims as separatist and unwilling to integrate into a Hindu-majority nation. He suggests Muslims “cherish” a spirit of exclusiveness and refuse to live peacefully with Hindus unless dominant.

In Chapter 14 – Social Stagnation, he stated: “Islam can never allow a true Muslim to adopt India as his motherland and regard a Hindu as his kith and kin.” He criticized Islam for encouraging social stagnation through rigid laws of purdah, segregation, marriage, and resistance to reform. He also critiques Muslim society for being governed by "theocratic authoritarianism."

Ambedkar analyses Islamic conversion as a means to political expansion rather than spiritual pursuit – “Wherever they went, they brought the sword and imposed their religion by force.” In Chapter 4 – Hindu-Muslim Unity, Ambedkar questions the idea of Hindu-Muslim unity, describing historical Muslim rule as brutal and oppressive: “The brotherhood of Islam is not the universal brotherhood of man. It is brotherhood of Muslims for Muslims only.”

The book contains strong critiques of Muslims and Islam. He believed that Muslims can never be patriots and will always consider their Sharia Law above the Constitution of India. Yes, of course, but the conclusion Ambedkar drew was not only wrong but dangerous. Why can't a Muslim uphold his Deen without harming others? Is he trying to say Islam is inherently harmful to others?

Gandhi's Stance on Muslims and Violence

Why blame only the right wing or Ambedkar? Even the torchbearer of non-violence, Mahatma Gandhi, holds dangerous ideas! Gandhi’s philosophy of truth and non-violence, and an all-inclusive India, dies a hundred deaths in the face of his violent thoughts on Indian Muslims. It is the same everywhere; when it comes to Muslims, they suddenly rear their ugly head. The phenomenon of lynching that India is witnessing almost daily is NOT a departure from Gandhian philosophy, as many think, but is an extension of his thoughts and ideas.

For example, take this instance: A prayer meeting was held in 1948, the year Gandhi was assassinated. During the meeting, he received a letter in which a Hindu man asked him if there is a war between India and Pakistan and if Hindus assume that Muslims will not be loyal to the Indian State and side with Pakistan, shouldn't Muslims be expelled from India before the war begins as they would not be loyal to India? Now focus on Gandhi’s reply: “Do I need to imagine that crores of Muslims in India will be loyal to India, and fight against Pakistan? We must not assume someone to be bad till he has proven to be bad. If later, they (Muslims) betray you, you can shoot them. You may shoot one or two or a certain number; everyone will not be disloyal. We must be brave and trust the Muslims. If later they violate the trust, you can cut off their heads.” (Collected works of Mahatma Gandhi, volume 98, page number 160 and 161.)

Here, Mahatma Gandhi is aligned with the same lynching mindset: that if any such incident arises, Hindus are allowed to take the law into their own hands! And this is precisely what they are doing in India.

Till when will Muslims continue to be the prisoners of ‘patriotism,’ ‘Islamophobic narratives,’ and ‘Gandhian philosophy of non-violence,’ or will we show some courage to take back control of how our story is told? With this dominant narrative, can Muslims ever be considered victims?

The Stages of Genocide: A Warning for Indian Muslims

They have declared a holy war against Muslims from all quarters – militarily, economically, intellectually, socially, and educationally. They have been portraying Muslims as traitors and state enemies. This Islamophobic and anti-Muslim atmosphere in India is staring at a genocide lurking in India.

According to “Ten Stages of Genocide” developed by Dr. Gregory H. Stanton, and Genocide Watch’s series on India, the genocidal process starts with prejudice that continues to grow.

1. Classification: This has already unfolded in India. It’s a fundamental process in genocide. There’s a division of ‘us’ vs. ‘them.’ The “them” are represented as threats to the ideals and well-being of those belonging to the “us” category; like German vs. Jew, Hutu vs. Tutsi. There’s a long list of anti-Muslim rhetoric and hate going on in India. The epithet ‘intolerant’ is used to refer to Muslim rulers like Aurangzeb and Shahjahan; it is portrayed that every single ruler of the Mughal Empire was anti-Hindu; they barged into Indian territory and on the point of a sword, plundered the wealth of India, humiliated Hindu women, demolished temples, and promoted Islam.

2. Symbolization: This is a visual manifestation of hatred. They give names or other symbols to the classifications of ethnicity, race, religion, or nationality. While many groups can be identified by their signs of faith such as a Star of David or by the cultural dress group members choose to wear, when signs or symbols are forced upon members of specific groups, symbolization can signal a potential genocide. Symbolization in India is most visible in political rhetoric and political cartoons. In political speeches and art, allusions to “Islamic attire” are used when describing the threats that India faces. After the outbreak of the coronavirus in March 2020, “Corona Jihad” became a common phrase used to accuse the Muslim community of carrying out ‘Jihad’ against India by spreading COVID-19 in the country. In the backdrop of this, The Hindu, an English daily in India, published a political cartoon that showed coronavirus dressed in a Pathani suit, traditional attire worn by Muslims, pointing a gun at the world. The cartoon implied that the spread of COVID in India was caused by Muslims.

3. Discrimination: The dominant group uses law, custom, and political power to deny the rights of other groups. The powerless group may not be given full civil rights or even citizenship. Examples include the Nuremberg Laws of 1935 in Nazi Germany, which stripped Jews of their German citizenship and prohibited their employment by the government and by universities. In India, one of the most striking examples is the weaponization of India's anti-terrorism laws and anti-religious conversion laws against Muslims. The whole agenda behind pushing the CAA (Citizen Amendment Act) and NRC (National Register of Citizens) is about THIS. And the treatment meted out to the people of Assam is all about snatching their rights -- calling them illegal settlers and then throwing them in detention centers! The Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) was introduced in 2008, but in 2019 the Modi government amended the law, permitting authorities to designate individuals as “terrorists.”

4. Dehumanization: Those perceived as ‘different’ are treated with no human rights or personal dignity. During the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, Tutsis were referred to as ‘cockroaches’; the Nazis referred to Jews as ‘vermin’. Remember the inflammatory slogan by BJP MP, Anurag Thakur: “Desh ke ghaddaro ko, goli maro salon ko” (the traitors of the nation should be shot down!) A few years ago, a nine-year-old Muslim schoolboy in Agra, a city in Uttar Pradesh, was called a ‘Pakistani terrorist’ by his classmates. One of them went ahead and said: “He is a Pakistani terrorist, Kill him!” This is a class of 9-year-olds!! They also insulted him by calling him an ‘insect of the gutter’. Throughout Indian history, dehumanization has been an integral step in enabling and justifying violence against Muslims. During the 2002 Gujarat riots, a leaflet titled 'Jihad' described Muslims as "terrorists who come in truckloads," and labeled them as "backward, violent, vicious." Such propaganda likened Muslims to wild animals. It portrayed Muslims as “terrorist” foreign invaders bent on controlling India and forcibly converting Hindus.

5. Organization: Genocides are always planned. Regimes of hatred often train those who go on to carry out the destruction of a people. No wonder BJP’s ideological fountainhead, RSS, a right-wing organization, actively provides character training and instills Hindu discipline to unite the community and form a Hindu nation. In its hate-minority bid, it hopes to cleanse India of lower-caste people, Muslims, and Christians. Illiteracy and bigotry, which is congenital to the RSS, has hyper-communalized school textbooks, and tampered with NCERT books (National Council of Educational Research and Training, an autonomous organization of the Ministry of Education, the Government of India). Its ideologues are rewriting an imagined and exaggerated past. States where the BJP has a strong foothold have seen pernicious effects.

The members of the Indian Police are critical in organizing genocidal violence in India. Only 3-4% of police officers identify as Muslims. Anti-Muslim bias is rampant within police forces. A 2019 study showed that 50% of the police surveyed believe that “Muslims are likely to be naturally prone towards committing crimes.” The police play a key role in organizing mobs during riots. During the 2020 Delhi Riots, the police deliberately refused to stop extremist mobs from attacking Muslims and even directed mobs to go to Muslim areas, assuring them that they would not intervene. During the riots, the police used UAPA and the National Security Act to arrest peaceful Muslim protesters. Amnesty International reports that those arrested and detained were tortured in police custody.

6. Polarization: Propaganda begins to be spread by hate groups. The Nazis used the newspaper Der Stürmer to spread and incite messages of hate about Jewish people. The mainstream media in India exacerbates the polarization of Muslims – from its anchor Arnab Goswami to Anjana Om Kashyap, they are openly spewing venom against Muslims. The vote bank has already been polarized in India, where the Hindu Brigade is unfettered, loud, and clear that they don't care for Muslim votes! And have united the Hindus across the nation on their agenda of a Hindu Supremacist state.

7. Preparation: This is there to see. They use euphemisms to cloak their intentions, by referring to their goals as “ethnic cleansing,” “purification,” or “counter-terrorism.” They build armies, buy weapons, and train their troops and militias. They indoctrinate the populace with fear of the victim group. Leaders often claim that “if we don’t kill them, they will kill us,” disguising genocide as self-defense. In India, there is a sudden increase in inflammatory rhetoric and hate propaganda with the objective of creating fear of the other group. Hindu mobs have killed Muslims and destroyed Muslim homes, believing that doing so will ‘purify’ the country. Without any judicial hearing or notice, bulldozers have demolished homes in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. Their owners are accused of being Muslim ‘conspirators’ or protesters who have allegedly incited communal violence. In May 2025, 7,000 Muslim homes were demolished in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

According to "India Hate Lab Report 2024", there are direct calls for violence and social boycotts. The report documents 259 hate speeches that explicitly called for violence against Muslims. This included:

• Calls to “eliminate infiltrators,” a dog whistle for Muslim extermination.
• 111 speeches advocating economic boycotts of Muslim businesses.
• 274 speeches calling for the destruction of mosques and Muslim homes.
• 123 speeches that urged Hindus to arm themselves against Muslims.

In one of the most egregious incidents, at a VHP weapons worship event in Uttarakhand, a speaker openly declared that “killing non-Hindus would lead to salvation.”

With this, the stages of Persecution and Extermination are underway in Modi’s India.

A Call to Action for Indian Muslims

The dawn of the intolerant and oppressive era of Modi is here to stay, and it seems before the regime runs out of course, the venom of Hindutva would annihilate Muslims across the nation. Is it not time for us to introspect? Is there some fault in our understanding that drives us to continually maintain instead of challenging the status quo? Is there any possibility for us to change fundamentally before we too shrink into a few pages of history as cowards?

The pertinent question giving us a cold stare is – how? By voting again for Congress in the next general elections? This is precisely what we have been doing for decades. One comes to you directly, and the second backstabs you! We all understand the right-wingers and their hatred. However, Indian Muslims also need to understand the soft-Hindutva stance of Congress and others who talk about making space for Muslims in India. What they imply by this is making room for Muslims in India with the brand of Islam they think Muslims should follow! And not how Muslims want -- understand the difference.

The sooner, the better. It should be clear to all that the call for integration is a direct assault upon the Islamic identity and is an invitation to the Muslims to abandon their reference to Islam. Muslims in India are living in dangerous times. They are left with two options: either Fight or Flight!

Fight the enemies of Islam, the way the self-proclaimed Hindu religious preacher made blasphemous remarks against Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Muslims should have made a noise; they should have come onto the streets to protect their honor and get their voices heard about what is happening in India. OR Flight, make Hijrah to a Muslim land, and support Indian Muslims from outside by being their voice.

But before everything, as Muslims in India, we must never view ourselves as ‘Indian Muslims’ but rather as Muslims who happen/choose to reside in India. The term ‘Indian Muslim’ is not a mere description of a Muslim who speaks Hindi; rather, the term denotes a distinct identity that is the personification of the supposed blend of Islam and Hinduism. The partaking in Republic or Independence Day celebrations by chanting the National Anthem, which conflicts with our Aqeedah, are those to be embraced by the ‘Indian Muslim.’ Don’t live in conformity with their values – preserve your identity to ensure that Islam alone determines your thoughts, viewpoints, and opinions.

Always remember, “It is far better to live like a lion for a day than to live like a jackal for a hundred years.”