Anti-Muslim hate speech during polls 'jeopardized' safety of India's millions

Counterview Desk
A coalition of 48 civil society organizations worldwide have said that “hate speech targeting the Muslim community by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and top leaders of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)" during the recent election campaign “highlights the use of Islamophobic, inflammatory rhetoric” in order to fuel a climate of anti-Muslim hate jeopardizing “the safety of millions, as well as the integrity of India’s democracy.”
In statement, they said, “Political use of dehumanizing speech is a precursor to violence, yet the Prime Minister has himself targeted citizens with derogatory labels and unfounded accusations”, calling upon “the international community to hold PM Modi and his party accountable and urge them to cease spreading hate speech immediately.”

Text:

The undersigned civil society organizations and concerned individuals across the world strongly condemn the hate speeches [1] made repeatedly by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and top leaders of his ruling Bharatiya Janata Party against India’s Muslim community since India’s parliamentary elections began in April.
Despite repeated complaints [2] by India’s opposition parties and tens of thousands of concerned citizens [3], Prime Minister Modi has continuously targeted Indian Muslims and his political opponents alike in his hate speeches, fanning the flames of an already dangerous climate of anti-minority hate and violence in the nation.
In his many election speeches, the prime minister has labeled India’s 250 million Muslim as “infiltrators”[4], deployed Islamophobic tropes accusing Muslims of having more children [5] than India’s Hindus, and claimed that Muslims will rob other marginalized communities of their reservations. This is a blatant attempt to further normalize and amplify anti-Muslim fears and hatred within Indian society.
Shockingly, Modi has also called [6] the right of India’s Muslim citizens to vote as “vote jihad”, in a blatant attempt to disenfranchise them. Almost on cue, police in Sambhal district of BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh state beat up [7] hundreds of Muslim voters [8] and chased them away to not allow them to vote.
Modi has stoked hatred for and fear of Muslims by saying [9] that should the Opposition parties win power, “terrorists in jail would be invited to the prime minister’s office and served biryani” and “land will be taken away to give to Muslims as part of land jihad.” He has further sought to stoke hatred for Muslims by saying [10] if the Opposition parties win the election they will withdraw affirmative quotas (reservations) from the tribal and Dalit communities and give them to “those who practice vote jihad,” a reference to Muslims.
Modi’s hate-filled rhetoric has also been copied by several other leaders, including by Home Minister Amit Shah who accused West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of promoting Islamic seminaries (madrasas), preachers (mullahs) and mafia, and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath who said [11] the Opposition parties wanted to bring the “Taliban” rule to India to implement the Sharia and redistribute “your” (Hindus’) properties to Muslims.
Assam Chief Minister Hemant Sarma, also a BJP leader, has been spewing hatred towards Muslims12 at public rallies, by targeting the setting up of Muslim religious schools, which is a Constitutional right of the Muslim community, and even the right of the Muslims to wear the religious caps.
In March 2024, experts from the Special Procedures of the United Nation Human Rights Council expressed their concerns [12] about the level of anti-minority violence and rhetoric within India as it prepared for the coming elections, as well as the lack of response from the government about these reports and the United Nation’s own communiques. They warned of the danger to minority groups and called for change, citing the need for an election free from discrimination.
We, the global civil society, maintain that the leader of the world’s largest democracy whose parliamentary elections have a significance and bearing for the rest of the world should not stoop to spreading hate speech and must be held accountable for doing so. We call upon the leaders of the international community to impress this upon Mr. Modi, urge him to immediately retract and apologize for his statements, and urge him to commit to holding his fellow party members accountable for spreading violent hate speech as well.

Notes

[1] "PM unleashing hate speech against Muslims from every available forum: Opposition." Business Standard. Accessed May 29, 2024. Business Standard.
[2] "Opposition accuses India's Modi of 'brazen' violations." Yahoo News Australia. May 20, 2024. Yahoo News.
[3] ""Over 17,400 citizens write to EC seeking action against PM Narendra Modi for hate speech." Scroll.in. April 22, 2024. Scroll.in.
[4] "Modi's Speech Against Muslims Sparks Outrage." The New York Times. April 22, 2024. The New York Times.
[5] "Asaduddin Owaisi slams PM Modi's remarks at Rajasthan rally." India Today. April 22, 2024. India Today.
[6] "Modi’s anti-Muslim ‘Vote Jihad’ rhetoric faces severe criticism." VOA News. May 22, 2024. VOA News.
[7] "Muslims in UP’s Sambhal ‘not allowed’ to cast vote, thrashed by cops." Siasat Daily. May 7, 2024. Siasat.
[8] "‘Merciless’ assault, ‘abused’, men detained for shooting videos: 24 hours in UP’s Sambhal." Newslaundry. May 11, 2024. Newslaundry.
[9] "If Congress wins, terrorists will be fed biryani in PM house: PM Modi." Times of India. May 29, 2024. Times of India.
[10] "Modi keeps up reservation rhetoric, says Congress wants to give SC/ST quotas to people who practice ‘vote jihad’." The Hindu. April 22, 2024. The Hindu.
[11] "Now, Yogi raises property redistribution, Sharia spectre." Times of India. May 22, 2024. Times of India. 12 "Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind condemns Himanta Biswa Sarma's offensive remarks against madrasas." The Wire. May 22, 2024. The Wire.
[12] "India: UN experts urge corrective action to protect human rights and end attacks." OHCHR. March 2024. OHCHR.

---

Click here for signatories

Comments

New RTI draft rules inspired by citizen-unfriendly, overtly bureaucratic approach

By Venkatesh Nayak* The Department of Personnel and Training , Government of India has invited comments on a new set of Draft Rules (available in English only) to implement The Right to Information Act, 2005 . The RTI Rules were last amended in 2012 after a long period of consultation with various stakeholders. The Government’s move to put the draft RTI Rules out for people’s comments and suggestions for change is a welcome continuation of the tradition of public consultation. Positive aspects of the Draft RTI Rules While 60-65% of the Draft RTI Rules repeat the content of the 2012 RTI Rules, some new aspects deserve appreciation as they clarify the manner of implementation of key provisions of the RTI Act. These are: Provisions for dealing with non-compliance of the orders and directives of the Central Information Commission (CIC) by public authorities- this was missing in the 2012 RTI Rules. Non-compliance is increasingly becoming a major problem- two of my non-compliance cases are...

History, culture and literature of Fatehpur, UP, from where Maulana Hasrat Mohani hailed

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* Maulana Hasrat Mohani was a member of the Constituent Assembly and an extremely important leader of our freedom movement. Born in Unnao district of Uttar Pradesh, Hasrat Mohani's relationship with nearby district of Fatehpur is interesting and not explored much by biographers and historians. Dr Mohammad Ismail Azad Fatehpuri has written a book on Maulana Hasrat Mohani and Fatehpur. The book is in Urdu. He has just come out with another important book, 'Hindi kee Pratham Rachna: Chandayan' authored by Mulla Daud Dalmai.' During my recent visit to Fatehpur town, I had an opportunity to meet Dr Mohammad Ismail Azad Fatehpuri and recorded a conversation with him on issues of history, culture and literature of Fatehpur. Sharing this conversation here with you. Kindly click this link. --- *Human rights defender. Facebook https://www.facebook.com/vbrawat , X @freetohumanity, Skype @vbrawat

Urgent need to study cause of large number of natural deaths in Gulf countries

By Venkatesh Nayak* According to data tabled in Parliament in April 2018, there are 87.76 lakh (8.77 million) Indians in six Gulf countries, namely Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). While replying to an Unstarred Question (#6091) raised in the Lok Sabha, the Union Minister of State for External Affairs said, during the first half of this financial year alone (between April-September 2018), blue-collared Indian workers in these countries had remitted USD 33.47 Billion back home. Not much is known about the human cost of such earnings which swell up the country’s forex reserves quietly. My recent RTI intervention and research of proceedings in Parliament has revealed that between 2012 and mid-2018 more than 24,570 Indian Workers died in these Gulf countries. This works out to an average of more than 10 deaths per day. For every US$ 1 Billion they remitted to India during the same period there were at least 117 deaths of Indian Workers in Gulf ...

N-power plant at Mithi Virdi: CRZ nod is arbitrary, without jurisdiction

By Krishnakant* A case-appeal has been filed against the order of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and others granting CRZ clearance for establishment of intake and outfall facility for proposed 6000 MWe Nuclear Power Plant at Mithi Virdi, District Bhavnagar, Gujarat by Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) vide order in F 11-23 /2014-IA- III dated March 3, 2015. The case-appeal in the National Green Tribunal at Western Bench at Pune is filed by Shaktisinh Gohil, Sarpanch of Jasapara; Hajabhai Dihora of Mithi Virdi; Jagrutiben Gohil of Jasapara; Krishnakant and Rohit Prajapati activist of the Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued a notice to the MoEF&CC, Gujarat Pollution Control Board, Gujarat Coastal Zone Management Authority, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and case is kept for hearing on August 20, 2015. Appeal No. 23 of 2015 (WZ) is filed, a...

Gujarat agate worker, who fought against bondage, died of silicosis, won compensation

Raju Parmar By Jagdish Patel* This is about an agate worker of Khambhat in Central Gujarat. Born in a Vankar family, Raju Parmar first visited our weekly OPD clinic in Shakarpur on March 4, 2009. Aged 45 then, he was assigned OPD No 199/03/2009. He was referred to the Cardiac Care Centre, Khambhat, to get chest X-ray free of charge. Accordingly, he got it done and submitted his report. At that time he was working in an agate crushing unit of one Kishan Bhil.

Budget for 2018-19: Ahmedabad authorities "regularly" under-spend allocation

By Mahender Jethmalani* The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation’s (AMC's) General Body (Municipal Board) recently passed the AMC’s annual budget estimates of Rs 6,990 crore for 2018-19. AMC’s revenue expenditure for the next financial year is Rs 3,500 crore and development budget (capital budget) is Rs 3,490 crore.

Licy Bharucha’s pilgrimage into the lives of India’s freedom fighters

By Moin Qazi* Book Review: “Oral History of Indian Freedom Movement”, by Dr Licy Bharucha; Pp240; Rs 300; Published by National Museum of Indian Freedom Movement The Congress has won political freedom, but it has yet to win economic freedom, social and moral freedom. These freedoms are harder than the political, if only because they are constructive, less exciting and not spectacular. — Mahatma Gandhi The opening quote of the book by Mahatma Gandhi sums up the true objective of India’s freedom struggle. It also in essence speaks for the multitudes of brave and courageous individuals who aspired to get themselves jailed for the cause of the country’s freedom. A jail term was a strong testimony and credential of patriotism for them. The book has been written by Dr Licy Bharucha, an academically trained political scientist and a scholar of peace studies and Gandhian studies, who was closely associated throughout her life with those who made the struggle for India’s independence the primar...

Warning bells for India: Tribal exploitation by powerful corporate interests may turn into international issue

By Ashok Shrimali* Warning bells are ringing for India. Even as news drops in from Odisha that Adivasi villages, one after another, are rejecting the top UK-based MNC Vedanta's plea for mining, a recent move by two senior scholars Felix Padel and Samarendra Das suggests the way tribals are being exploited in India by powerful international and national business interests may become an international issue. In fact, one has only to count days when things may be taken up at the United Nations level, with India being pushed to the corner. Padel, it may be recalled, is a major British authority on indigenous peoples across the world, with several scholarly books to his credit.

Covid response? How, gripped by fear and groupthink, scientists 'failed' children

By Bhaskaran Raman* “Today’s children are tomorrow’s future”, “Nurture children’s dreams”, “A child’s smile is sunlight”. These are some cliches, rendered rather uninspiring through repetition and obviousness. However, for nearly 2½ years, society forgot these cliches, children suffered as science failed and groupthink prevailed. Worse, all of this has been swept under the rug.

Search This Blog