Hass speech in China's most populated nation rose sharply, according to the report

Hass speech in China's most populated nation rose sharply, according to the report

increasing number of haterede incidents

The number of Hass speech incidents that are directed against Muslim and Christian minorities rose to 1,165 in 2024, compared to 668 in the previous year, which corresponds to an increase of 74%, as a report of the research group India Hate based in Washington. The majority of these incidents, about 98%, were explicitly directed against Muslims, either alone or together with Christians.

connection with the political agenda

"The hate speech in India in 2024 followed an alarming course that is closely interwoven with the ideological ambitions of the governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the broader Hindunationalist movement," said the report. Modi, who won his third term last year, was long accused by critics of fueling religious tensions and violence against Muslims and other minorities since he took office more than a decade ago.

politics and the perception of religious belonging

his Hindunationalist party strives to transform India-a country that is constitutionally bound by secularism-into a Hindu Rashtra, i.e. a home for the Hindu majority, according to the critics, at the expense of the millions who have minority beliefs. Modi and his party have repeatedly stated that they do not discriminate minority groups.

criticism of the report and hate speech

The national spokesman for the BJP, Jaive Shergill, rejected the report on Monday and said he was published to damage India. "India as a nation has a very strong legal system that is geared towards ensuring peace, order and lack of violence at all costs," Shergill told CNN. "Today's India does not require certification of any 'anti-India reporting industry' that is operated by self-interests to damage the image of India."

traditions and stereotypes

According to the report, the hate speech increased "long -lasting Hindunationalist stereotypes" last year, such as the representation of Muslims and Christians as "foreigners", "foreigners" and "invaders" who have no legitimate claim to belonging in India. The report found that the BJP organized around 30% of the haterede events of the past year, which is an almost six-time increase compared to the previous year. BJP party leaders held 452 hate speeches, which corresponds to an increase of 350% compared to the previous year. The majority of the incidents were recorded during the election campaign.

religious demography and political effects

Muslims make up about 200 million of the 1.4 billion inhabitants of India, while the Christian population is around 27 million. Under Modi's leadership, Hindunationalist representatives were appointed in leading positions in important government institutions, which gives them power to make extensive changes to laws that are perceived by human rights organizations and are particularly directed against Muslims. Textbooks were rewritten to trivialize the history of the former Islamic rulers of India, and renamed cities and streets with Mughal names. Muslim owners were sold by the authorities, allegedly because of "illegal landing" and as a punishment for supposed unrest.

legal framework and challenges

In 2019, Modi raised the special autonomy of Jammu and Kashmir-the only Muslim state of India-and brought it to New Delhis. In the same year, his government passed a controversial civil law that excluded Muslim migrants, which triggered deadly unrest. India prohibits Hass speech under various provisions of the Criminal Code, including one that criminalizes “conscious and malicious actions” that aim to insult religious beliefs.

missing enforcement of the law

However, some experts claim that Hass speech has increased in India because the judiciary hesitates to recognize hate offenses. Anas Tanwir, a lawyer and founder of the India Civil Liberties Union, said that the judiciary had failed to take concrete measures against hate speech, "despite clear bans under various laws in India." The India Hate Lab, a project by the Think Tanks Center for the Study of Organized Hate (CSOH) based in Washington, DC, publishes annual data on hate speech in the world's greatest democracy. You define hate speech according to the framework of the United Nations, which looks at any kind of communication in language, writing or behavior that attacks or uses derogatory or discriminatory language based on the belief of a person.

In this report, CNN journalist Rhea Mogul and other media employees contributed to reporting.