Using the concept of social suffering, which is difficult to define, but can be articulated in several ways, this study ( report titled Social Suffering in a World Without Support, published by Bebaak Collective) seeks to understand what is happening to Muslims in India as the Hindutva agenda of converting India into a Hindu Rashtra, mirroring the Muslim state in Pakistan, has flowered since 2014. This has taken several forms: legal efforts through laws such as the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, the National Register of Citizens, etc. that disproportionately target Muslims, and for the first time, unconstitutionally inject religion into Indian citizenship.
There have been open calls for genocide of Muslims, while the police and the courts have remained silent. In Karnataka, which was under the the Bharatiya Janata Party until May 13, laws against wearing the hijab were passed. These laws severely affected Muslim women’s access to education. Separately, there have been calls to boycott all Muslim vendors of fruits and vegetables in India.
This report looks at what this daily hatred, fear and anxiety means to Muslims in India. This must have been a very difficult area to obtain interviews, since people are scared to talk. Indeed, many Hindus in India are scared to say anything even remotely critical of the current government. This report is based on interviews conducted in five states, namely Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat over a period of six months. It’s not clear how many interviews were conducted for the study.
by Mohan Rao
15/05/2023