With Evidence: 7 Signs of Systematic Persecution of Indian Muslims

The historical pluralism that has long characterized India is no longer more than a democratic facade rapidly eroding under the weight of Hindu nationalist policies practiced and advocated by the extremist Hindu "Hindutva" organization, led by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Indian Muslims, whose population exceeds 200 million, do not merely face fleeting societal discrimination; rather, they live under the weight of a political and institutional strategy aimed at marginalizing them and stripping them of their basic rights.

Based on the comprehensive 2025 annual report issued by the India Hate Lab (IHL), and drawing upon parallel rights reports from international organizations such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, this article reviews 7 key indicators that deconstruct the structure of this persecution with numbers and definitive evidence:

1. Record Surge and Explosion in Daily Incitement Rates

The language of numbers proves that hate speech in India is no longer spontaneous behavior, but has transformed into an intensive daily industry to mobilize the street.

• The Terrifying Number: IHL documented 1,318 incidents of hate speech targeting religious minorities in 2025 alone, at a staggering rate of four incidents per day.
• Rapid Leap: This volume represents a 13% increase from 2024, and a sweeping 97% jump compared to 2023 (in which 668 incidents were recorded).
• Central Targeting: Muslims received the lion's and overwhelming share with 1,289 speeches (98% of total incidents), directed at them either explicitly or jointly with the Christian minority, illustrating that the incitement machine is primarily directed toward the Islamic presence.

2. Official Political Sponsorship and Absolute Immunity Within the Ruling Party's States

The geography of the incidents' distribution reveals that hate thrives and multiplies wherever the political power of the BJP exists, exposing official complicity and sponsorship by the extremist, racist BJP for the persecution of Muslims.

• BJP's Map of Influence: 1,164 hate speech incidents (88%) occurred in states and union territories ruled by the extremist Hindu BJP, either directly or through coalitions, a 25% increase from the previous year. Uttar Pradesh (266) and Maharashtra (193) topped the list.
• The Paradox of Opposition States: Conversely, the seven states ruled by opposition forces recorded only 154 incidents, a 34% decrease from the previous year, confirming that the absence of the ruling party's political cover directly weakens the incitement machine.
• 71 Inciting Speeches by a Single Ruling Party Leader: Incitement is no longer limited to junior cadres; the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Pushkar Singh Dhami, emerged as the figure most provocative of hate speech with 71 inciting speeches, followed by extremist Hindu leaders, religious leaders, and monks who participated in 145 incidents to confer "religious and sacred legitimacy" upon violence.

3. The Weapon of "Phantom Conspiracies" to Demonize Muslims

Incitement apparatuses backed by the Indian government have resorted to inventing narratives and conspiracy theories aimed at portraying Muslims as an existential threat threatening Hindu society in every detail of their daily lives.

• Half of the Speeches are Inciting: In 2025, 656 speeches (around 50%) referred to flimsy, fabricated conspiracy theories that were heavily promoted, a 13% increase from the previous year.
• Demonization Terms: These theories include terms such as "Love Jihad" (the allegation of forcing Hindu women into Islam through marriage), "Land Jihad" (controlling real estate), and "Population Jihad" (the claim of reproduction to alter the country's demographics), reaching strange labels like "Spit Jihad," "Education Jihad," "Drug Jihad," and "Vote Jihad." The goal of these narratives is to justify discrimination against Muslims in employment, housing, and education under the banner of "self-defense."

4. Legitimizing Genocide Through "Dehumanization"

One of the most dangerous human rights indicators is the slippage of official and public discourse into the stage of "dehumanization," which is the psychological and social stage that historically precedes ethnic massacres.

• Describing Muslims as Insects and Animals: Extremely degrading language appeared in 141 officially documented speeches, where the Muslim minority was described in terms such as "termites," "parasites," "insects," "pigs," "rabid dogs," and "snakes."
• Breaking the Psychological Barrier and Removing Moral Restraint: The use of these words from public platforms and in the presence of religious and political figures aims to break the moral and psychological barrier among ordinary Hindus, making the practice of violence or murder against a Muslim acceptable and justified as a "cleansing" of society. This was accompanied by 308 speeches that included explicit calls for violence and murder, and 136 speeches calling for taking up arms.

5. The Scarecrow of the "Infiltrating Foreigner" and Cultural and Geographical Displacement

The discourse of the ruling party and its allies seeks to strip Indian Muslims of their citizenship and indigeneity, linking their presence to the outside to facilitate their repression.

• Manufacturing the External Enemy: The report monitored the targeting of Muslim Rohingya refugees in 69 events, while 192 sermons heavily used the phrase "Bangladeshi infiltrator."
• Political Goal: This phrase is used specifically to link Indian Muslims in the eastern states (such as Assam and West Bengal) to illegal migration to justify stripping them of their civil rights, aligning with warnings from Amnesty International regarding discriminatory citizenship laws issued by Modi's government and the enforcement of what is known as "bulldozer justice" (demolishing Muslim homes without trial).
• Boycott and Identity Demolition: The report included 120 speeches explicitly calling for a comprehensive economic and social boycott of Muslims, and 276 speeches urging the destruction of mosques, targeting important historical sites such as the "Gyanvapi" Mosque and the "Shahi Idgah" Mosque in Uttar Pradesh to erase the Islamic identity of the region.

6. Digital Complicity and the Amplification of Hate Sponsored by Tech Algorithms

These narratives would not have spread and turned into fuel for the street without utilizing the virtual infrastructure and social media networks that fail (or turn a blind eye) to curb this flow.

• Sweeping Broadcast and Spread: Videos or live streams of 1,278 out of 1,318 hate speech incidents were published on social media platforms.
• Platform Harvest: Facebook topped the list, being responsible for 942 of the initial uploads, followed by YouTube with 246, then Instagram (67), and finally the X platform (with 23 uploads). This continuous digital amplification ensures that incitement reaches millions of homes around the clock, turning hate into a daily consumer material that generates profits for corporations and political support for the ruling party.

7. Views of Politicians and Thought Leaders: International Concern and Warnings of Genocide

These structural transformations in India have sparked a wave of wide warnings by prominent thinkers and politicians locally and internationally.

Arundhati Roy, an Indian author and thinker, says:

"The weaponization of hate speech into an official political tool, the selective enforcement of laws, and the practices of demolishing homes and mosques have created an environment in which abuse and violence against Muslims have become normal and institutionally and socially justified in Modi's India."

In this regard, Professor Arundhati Roy, winner of the International Booker Prize, raised a cry of warning, saying:

"What we are seeing today in India is not just a temporary political aberration, but a systemic dismantling of the foundations of the secular state. Muslims are being pushed to the margins economically, politically, and socially, and society is being psychologically prepared to accept the idea of eliminating their existence. The abhorrent international silence toward what the Bharatiya Janata Party is doing makes the world a partner in a crime being manufactured in broad daylight."

For his part, the President of "Genocide Watch," Dr. Gregory Stanton, commented, warning that India is advancing rapidly in indicators of stages preceding genocide, explaining:

"The use of terms like 'termites' and 'parasites' by prominent political leaders in the ruling party in India closely resembles the discourse that preceded the events in Rwanda and the Nazi Holocaust. The demonization of minorities in India has reached a very advanced stage, and if the international community does not intervene to pressure Modi's government, we may witness an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe."

On the internal political front, Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi asserted in one of his parliamentary speeches:

"The Bharatiya Janata Party does not spread hate by accident; rather, it is their sole strategy to remain in power. When the government fails to provide jobs, improve the economy, and save farmers, it immediately resorts to inventing an imaginary enemy, directing the anger of the majority toward their Muslim and Christian neighbors to tear apart the fabric of this nation."

In conclusion, the previous seven indicators confirm that the persecution of Muslims in India is not the result of societal lapses or isolated individual incidents, but rather a codified structural strategy of persecution in which the roles of political authority, extremist religious leaders, and digital media tools integrate. These data and evidence place the international community before its moral responsibility to stop the destruction of the values of pluralism and secularism in the world's most populous country, before these indicators turn into open, uncontrollable ethnic massacres.
Sources:

1. India Hate Lab (IHL)
2. Human Rights Watch (HRW)
3. Amnesty International
4. Genocide Watch