Saffron Onslaught: The Crushing of Muslims in Modi’s India Reaches New Extreme

India, a nation once presented to the world as an example of secular democracy, is rapidly falling into an era of rule by the majority under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The founding ideas of equality and diversity are being systematically destroyed by a harsh and exclusionary Hindutva ideology. This is not a matter of random communal incidents but a well planned, state sponsored campaign aimed at the political, social, and economic oppression of the country’s over 200 million Muslims. From discriminatory laws to bulldozer politics, the entire machinery of the Indian state is being used to terrorise and push its largest minority to the margins, sending the country down a very dark path. This report examines the grim and worsening reality for Indian Muslims, exposing a deliberate pattern of oppression that defines the Modi government’s time in office.

The Core Ideology: Crafting a Hindu State

The rising tide of anti Muslim actions across India is not random but comes directly from a deeply rooted political ideology. This vision, which sees India as a Hindu nation, is now being aggressively put into practice through government policy, transforming the state’s character and its treatment of minorities.

♦ The RSS Agenda in Full Swing: The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological parent of the BJP, has long aimed to create a Hindu Rashtra. The Modi government is now putting this plan into action, using its power to push policies that treat Muslims as outsiders in their own country and weaken their constitutional rights.

♦ Making Hate Socially Acceptable: A key part of the strategy is to make anti Muslim hatred a normal part of public life. Senior BJP figures and their allies frequently use dehumanising language, calling Muslims ‘termites’ or other slurs, which encourages violence and discrimination against the community by the general public.

♦ State Sponsored Propaganda: The government and its supporters have used a friendly media and changes in school textbooks to spread a constant stream of propaganda. This has successfully poisoned the minds of many Hindus against their Muslim neighbours, creating an environment where attacks on Muslims are ignored or even supported.

Legal Warfare: Using Laws to Target Muslims

The Indian Parliament, once a symbol of the country’s democracy, has been turned into a tool to create laws that are specifically designed to strip Muslims of their rights and identity. These legislative moves provide a legal cover for what is essentially a campaign of religious discrimination.

♦ The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA): This law fundamentally changed India’s citizenship rules. By creating a path to citizenship for refugees from neighbouring countries that specifically excludes Muslims, the CAA officially makes religion a basis for citizenship, directly attacking the secular foundation of the Indian constitution.

♦ Targeting Muslim Community Assets: The government is also moving to take control of properties and institutions managed by Waqf Boards, which oversee Muslim religious and charitable funds. This is a direct attack on the economic and social structure of the Muslim community, weakening its ability to support itself.

Economic Apartheid: Destroying Muslim Livelihoods

A deliberate strategy is being pursued to cripple Muslims financially, ensuring their complete dependence and breaking their spirit. By targeting their businesses and sources of income, the Hindutva project aims to enforce a form of economic segregation.

♦Attack on Traditional Businesses: As seen clearly in Uttar Pradesh, the Modi allied state government has forced the closure of meat shops and hotels run by Muslims. Using the excuse of religious sensitivity in Hindu holy towns like Mathura, this policy has destroyed the livelihoods of thousands of Muslim families.

♦ Open Calls for Economic Boycott: Hindutva groups, often with the silent approval of the government, openly call for Hindus to boycott Muslim owned businesses. This economic warfare is meant to isolate the Muslim community and push them further into poverty and helplessness.

State Machinery as a Weapon: Police and Bulldozer Tactics

The institutions that are supposed to protect all citizens, like the police and judiciary, are now being used as weapons against the Muslim community. Law enforcement has become a tool of oppression rather than a source of protection.

♦ Misuse of Cow Protection Laws: Police have been given immense power under harsh cow protection laws, which are used almost entirely against Muslims. False accusations, arrests without cause, and mob violence have become common, creating a climate of fear where Muslims can be targeted for simply doing their job.

♦Bulldozer Politics as Punishment: The use of bulldozers to demolish Muslim homes and shops has become a horrifying symbol of the Modi government’s rule. This practice is used as a form of collective punishment against Muslims who dare to protest, sending a clear message to the community to remain silent or face ruin.

A Climate of Hate: Sanctioning Mob Violence

The constant stream of hate speech from political leaders has created an environment where mob violence against Muslims is not only tolerated but encouraged. A culture of freedom from punishment ensures that those who attack Muslims rarely face any legal consequences.

♦ Forced Displays of Submission: The atmosphere of terror is so intense that in places like Mathura, young Muslim men are reportedly forced to wear saffron coloured clothing, a holy colour in Hinduism, just to avoid being attacked by extremists. This is a humiliating tactic to force Muslims to hide their identity.

♦ The Horror of Mob Lynchings: The last several years have seen a shocking increase in mob lynchings where Muslim men are brutally killed based on mere rumours of cow slaughter or relationships with Hindu women. The killers are often treated as heroes, confirming that such violence has the backing of the ruling establishment.

Cultural Attack: Erasing Muslim Heritage

The assault on Muslims is not just physical and economic; it is also a war on their history, culture, and religious identity. There is a systematic effort to erase the centuries long Muslim contribution to India and make their religious practices invisible.

♦ Insulting Sacred Muslim Sites: In a calculated move to offend and provoke, municipal authorities have been found dumping garbage near Muslim graveyards and building public toilets right next to mosques. These are not acts of negligence but deliberate insults aimed at the heart of the community’s faith.

♦ Suppressing Religious Freedom: Across the country, organised campaigns have been launched to ban the Azaan, the Islamic call to prayer. This is a direct attack on the freedom of religion guaranteed by the Indian constitution and is part of a larger plan to silence the public expression of Islam.

The Gujarat Model: A Blueprint for Violence

The widespread violence against Muslims in Gujarat in 2002, which occurred under Narendra Modi’s watch as Chief Minister, was not an isolated event. It served as a testing ground for the tactics of oppression that are now being used across India.

♦ A History of Impunity: The fact that justice was never truly delivered for the victims of the Gujarat massacre sent a powerful message to extremist groups. It showed them that they could commit horrific acts of violence against Muslims and not only get away with it but be politically rewarded.

♦ A Proven Strategy of Control: The methods used in Gujarat, including police inaction, economic boycotts, and spreading hate propaganda, have now become the standard operating procedure for the BJP and its affiliates in ruling the country and controlling its Muslim population.

Conclusion: India’s Descent into Darkness

India today is at a critical point, with its secular identity being systematically destroyed by its own government. The Modi administration’s relentless campaign against its Muslim citizens has put millions of lives at risk and has deeply damaged the moral character of the nation. The most worrying part of this crisis is the silence or even support of a large section of the Hindu majority, who have been fed a daily diet of anti Muslim poison. For India’s Muslims, every day is a battle for dignity and survival against an increasingly unfriendly government. The world can no longer afford to ignore the rising fascism in India, as the very soul of the world’s largest democracy is at stake.