Yasir Ahmad

At the time of independence Muslims were given a right to either join India or Pakistan. Despite being warned of dire consequences, many Muslims chose India. They thought that the Indian nation was based on secularism and equality where no discrimination on any basis would be made. For some time, the situation seemed to be peaceful. But as the years passed, Muslims started to face the situation they were warned of.
There have been many instances of mass killings of Muslims in India, from the Gujarat riots to the Jammu massacres. The new wave of Islamophobia has started with the Narendra Modi government. From lynching to hate mongering, the Modi government has left no stone unturned to terrorise Muslims. It has done nothing for them in terms of socio-economic development. The GDP is an all-time low, the unemployment rate is the highest in 45 years, and to hide its failures and to manipulate the minds of masses, the government is using religion to divert attention from real issues.
In the present circumstances, while the whole world is battling Covid-19, what we all needed was unity and cooperation. Instead, media outlets and government ministers are attributing this pandemic to Muslims. Blaming Muslims even in these times shows how ill conceived the government and its puppet media is. Defaming a whole religion will yield nothing but hatred and intolerance.
This rise in Islamophobia has attracted the attention of the world community, especially the Muslim world. Voices have been raised to express concern over repeated Anti-Muslim policies in India. The Modi government is facing sharp criticism all over the world and this has dented its image. It is high time for both government and media to stop this vicious campaign of hate mongering against Muslims. The times demand more unity than ever. As the saying goes, “United we stand, divided we fall.”

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