The divide between Indian Muslims and the rest of the population has been increasingly prevalent since Narendra Modi’s induction as Prime Minister in May of 2014. Through his affiliations and leadership of the Bhartiya Janata Party, a political party known for its ultranationalist Hindutva ideologies, Modi along with his representatives have continued to spark terror amongst Muslim communities around the nation. These beliefs have stemmed from the idea that India is a Hindu state; because of the governmental power of the BJP, followers of Islam have been perceived as “savages’ who have the ability to terrorize India through acts of war and invasion. Although India comprises over 200 million Muslims, which happens to be one of the largest populations in the world, those who follow Islamic practices within the country continue to face violence, intolerance and bigotry that seem to be even more common since Modi’s re-election in 2019.
Despite the relatively recent events regarding Modi’s anti-Islamic bias such as the Citizenship Amendment Act, which conveniently left out Muslim individuals from gaining fast track access to citizenship in India, followers of Islam within the nation have been struggling for equality since India’s Partition in 1947. This decision sparked intense violence between Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims and resulted in an estimation of between 200 thousand and 2 million casualties.
It could be easy to blame the British colonial presence, and ultimately, the creation of two separate nations (India and Pakistan) for the Hindu-Islamic tensions. In reality, these problems stem from different religious political movements and the 600-year rule of Muslim dynasties in India. After partition, the 35 million Muslims which included many of whom refused to migrate and preserve their assets fueled and intensified the divide between faiths.
Muslims continue to face obstacles in present India. Whether it be the struggles to obtain housing, education, and employment or the unconstitutional revocation of Article 370, which recognizes the autonomy of Jammu and Kashmir as a Muslim majority-state, there are plenty of concerns for those who practice Islam within the country.
The Hindutva BJP government is destroying critical and ancient religious monuments including mosques under the guise of illegal building on government land. In reality, the hooliganism of the government is grossly removing history and attacking minority groups due to religious supremacy.
In December 2019, the Indian state enacted the CAA Bill which hinders Muslim migrants in neighbouring countries from gaining citizenship as fast and as easily as migrants from other faiths. This bill specifically challenges the secularism of democracy and law, religiously discriminating against India’s Muslim citizens and migrants looking to become Indian citizens and further marginalizing those who have lived in the country for countless generations.