The use of ‘religiophobia’ and ‘Islamophobia’ have been at odds during recent United Nations assemblies. Muhammad Ahmad Khan and Shafaq Zernab provide an analysis of India’s contribution to the debate.
Instances of hate speech have been instigated over time in India. Meticulous data gathered by the India Hate Lab Report documented nearly two anti-Muslim hate speech events per day with a total of 668 such instances reported. 63% of these events even referred to Islamophobic conspiracy theories. These occurrences peaked during the political campaigns of the BJP between August and November of 2023. A total of 43% of hate speech incidents were recorded in top-ranking states like Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Rajasthan, and Gujarat. Seven people died and over 70 were injured in the Nuh region of Haryana in August 2023. Five Muslims were killed in Haldwani, Uttarakhand while protesting against the demolition of a mosque and religious school in town.