After the conclusion of the Cold War, cultural and religious identities will be a major source of conflict between the nations, and future conflicts will be fought on the basis of civilization, as Samuel P. Huntington emphasised in The Clash of Civilizations. Since then, religion has developed into a significant component of the state’s sociocultural character and has evolved into a key political factor in both intrastate and interstate disputes. A strong, majoritarian, religiously motivated nationalist movement with serious political, economic, and security ramifications for the whole world has been foreshadowed by the new blending of politics and religion. Similar to this, in today’s “amazing India,” the so-called “biggest democracy” in the world has fallen victim to intercommunal conflicts over religion directed towards its minority.
India, a country with a predominantly Hindu population and 200 million Muslims, has historically imitated the Islamophobic rhetoric that was pioneered by the liberal world. Despite constitutional guarantees, Muslims have consistently experienced prejudice since the country’s inception. In India, hatred towards Muslims, in particular, has risen to deadly heights. It is thought that the repeated attacks on Islam are an intentional affront to Indian Muslims. Nupur Sharma and Naveen Jindal, two BJP executives, have said offensive things regarding the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). At first, Modi denied making any such comments, but later, in an effort to calm the outrage that developed in the Arab world, he stripped both officials of their party membership. The decision has angered Modi’s ardent fans, especially given his declaration that he respects all religions, which runs counter to BJP government policy that was influenced by the RSS.
When seen in the light of his business interests in the Arab world, Modi’s comments about respecting all religions make sense. India buys 40% of the natural gas it requires and 70% of the oil it needs from Muslim nations. Additionally, India receives remittances of $60 billion from these nations.
In response to the offensive comments, Qatar summoned the Indian ambassador and called off the state banquet planned in honour of the visiting Indian vice president. Despite the fury of his domestic followers, Modi is forced under the circumstances to placate the Gulf states. The BJP administration is mercilessly active in suppressing the voices of Indian Muslims at home by punishing, assaulting, and destroying their houses, in contrast to his appeasing attitude on the foreign front. All of this represents a frantic attempt to quell foreign outrage without jeopardising the BJP’s primary aim of prosecuting Muslims under state authority.
People all across the world are curious about what is going on in India. The Indian government took action against Muslims for drawing attention to their predicament last week. In broad daylight, the homes of Muslim activists were destroyed, while television stations broadcast the event live. When demonstrators came to the streets against the fascist Nazi administration in India, two Muslim adolescents were shot and killed.
In the same line, New Delhi keeps up its fascist practises in IIOJK as well. Brutal strategies used by Modi included the detention and kidnapping of activists. Ever since the BJP arrived in the city, Muslims in New Delhi have been confined and ghettoised like German Jews ever since.
But the world is watching as India slips deeper and deeper into hatred. The US has publicly raised concern over a trend of increasing human rights breaches in India twice in less than two months. At the State Department’s annual report on worldwide religious freedom’s release on June 2, 2021, the US Secretary of State emphasised India’s history’s inhumane and ominous aspects. Then, amid demands for an economic blockade in response to the blasphemous statements against Prophet Muhammad, the Arab world also denounced India (peace be upon him). The socio-religious fabric of the nation is being destroyed by the BJP-led administration’s systematic promotion of bigotry, prejudice, and Islamophobia among its supporters, leaving a dreadful legacy.
