Inviting contributions for my forthcoming project: A book on exposing false narrative in Indian media on Muslims

By Dr. Syed Ali Mujtaba* 

I am currently working on an ambitious project that is very close to my heart—a book titled “Essays on Media and Indian Muslims – Journalism, Nationalism and Sensationalism.” As someone who has spent more than three decades in journalism, I have witnessed the evolving role of the Indian media and the disturbing trends that have unfolded since 2014. This book is my attempt to bring together diverse voices to critically examine how the media has represented, misrepresented, or deliberately distorted the image of Indian Muslims.

I am inviting essays for this volume from media professionals, teachers, students, bureaucrats, activists, social thinkers, and anyone who has something meaningful to say about the role of the media in shaping Muslim identity in India. The essays should be well-researched, fearlessly articulated, and sharply opinionated. They should dig deep into issues like ownership patterns, revenue models, readership or viewership bases, and the hidden truths that lie behind media narratives. The word limit for each essay is 2,500, and the deadline for submission is October 30, 2025. Contributors may first send a short abstract of 150–200 words to my email (syedalimujtaba2007@gmail.com) or WhatsApp (9840698069). The essays should be in Word format, Times Roman, 14 font size, and must include the author’s name and current affiliation. The final volume will be published with an ISBN by a reputed publisher and distributed internationally. Contributors will receive copies at discounted rates.

The reason behind this effort is the dangerous shift I have observed in the Indian media landscape since the rise of the BJP government. Media coverage of Muslims has increasingly become sensational, biased, and often outright misleading. This is no longer journalism in the conventional sense, where editors and reporters decided what made news. Today, media owners and political power brokers shape the narrative, and Muslims have become the easiest target to sustain Hindu nationalist rhetoric. The way COVID-19 was reported is one example where a public health crisis was deliberately communalized and Muslims were vilified. This is not an isolated case but part of a larger design to create Islamophobia, delegitimize the Muslim presence in Indian society, and consolidate political power by demonizing a community.

Indian media has systematically constructed a narrative that Hindus are a wounded civilization and that Muslims, by virtue of historical rule, are responsible for this wound. To feed this false grievance, Muslims are projected as perpetual outsiders, untrustworthy citizens, and the reason behind India’s problems. Secularism itself has been rebranded as “Muslim appeasement,” while Hindu nationalism is showcased as the true corrective force. In this “Post Truth India,” media has become both a weapon and an accomplice in building a society where Muslims are stripped of dignity and rights.

This book seeks to expose this dangerous nexus between media and politics by dissecting the ideological leanings of news organizations, their ownership structures, and their proximity to power. I am not only interested in exposing sources of misinformation but also in understanding the consumers who eagerly embrace this narrative. Why is there a demand for Islamophobia? Who benefits from sensationalism? How is public opinion manufactured and manipulated? These are questions that need to be answered.

To structure this project, I am planning to divide the book into ten broad sections. These will cover themes such as the overall media landscape since 2014, the portrayal of Muslims in English, Hindi, vernacular, and Urdu newspapers, coverage on English and Hindi TV channels, the role of social media platforms, and the work of independent and alternative media. A section will also focus on the larger question of how Indian media is influencing Muslim identity formation. Within each of these sections, I hope to include five essays, offering multiple perspectives on the same theme. Contributors are welcome to choose from these areas or propose fresh ideas that fit the central focus of the book.

Ultimately, my goal is to create a body of work that will challenge the prevailing biases and restore some measure of balance in public discourse. A trustworthy media is essential not only for protecting the dignity of Indian Muslims but also for sustaining democracy itself. I hope this book will contribute to that struggle by offering scholarly, critical, and courageous voices that refuse to be silenced.

If you feel strongly about these issues, I invite you to be a part of this project. Together, we can shine a light on truths that are being systematically buried and ensure that future generations inherit a media landscape that upholds democracy rather than undermines it.

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*Senior Journalist & HOD, VISCOM, Guru Nanak College, Chennai