Dehumanization of German Jews & Indian Muslims
Dehumanization of German Jews by Nazis
As mentioned above, the Nazis embarked on an insidious campaign to dehumanize and marginalize Jews years before concentration camps were established. Propaganda posters and films suggested Jews were “vermin,”[110] comparing them to rats and insects. German doctors frequently stated that Jews spread disease and repeatedly propagated the false rumor that Jews were responsible for outbreaks of typhus, a deadly contagious disease spread by lice[111][112].
Dehumanization of Muslims by the BJP-RSS Regime
The most dangerous term used for Indian Muslims is “rakshasa.” Thanks to Bollywood, everyone in India knows what rakshasas are. Rakshasas are the embodiment of evil in Hindu religious literature. They are man-eating cannibals. The Hindu god Rama tortured them and buried them alive[113]. Hindutva extremists and Indian nationalists are reviving the concept of rakshasas in today’s India to justify violence against Muslims. A popular Hindu monk
Narsinghanand defines Muslims as rakshasas as part of religiously justifying violence against them[114]. This theological positions Muslims as legitimate enemies to be killed. It also legitimizes sexual violence against Muslim women, as Manusmriti, the Hindu book of laws, subjects rakshasas to kidnapping, bride capture, and other forms of sexual violence. Anchoring Muslim classification and dehumanization in the Hindu religious terminology by branding Muslims as Rakshasas has serious consequences.
It is perhaps this context which allowed a well-represented Dharma Sansad (a Hindu Religious Parliament) attended by more than 500 BJP-RSS monks to announce a 10 million rupee award to recruit Hindu suicide bombers to kill 2 million Muslims, following the Burmese model of Rohingya genocide[115][116].
Hate speech and vilification of minorities and especially Muslims is increasing at an alarming rate in India across multiple platforms such as mainstream media outlets, social media, and public rallies.
The Star of Mysore, an Indian daily evening newspaper, referred to the Muslim community as “rotten apples” and called for getting “rid” of the community[117].
At an August 2021 rally conducted at the ancient Jantar Mantar observatory in Delhi, pamphlets were distributed[118] which equated Muslims to pigs and called for the annihilation of Islam.
The Hashtag Jihad Conspiracy Theories by the Hindutva Ecosystem
As detailed below, a number of conspiracy theories about Muslims target them as threats to India.
Love Jihad: A theory by Hindutva that Muslim men are trained to trap Hindu girls through love, then convert them into Islam to grow their population. Several Indian states now have laws[119] against interfaith marriages and conversions because of it. Vigilantes from the BJP-RSS machine often attack interfaith couples; meanwhile, police arrest the victims.
Economic Jihad: A Hindutva conspiracy theory suggesting that Muslims are growing financially by selling to Hindu customers[120].
Population Jihad: As per this theory, Muslims marry four women and beget dozens of kids to increase their population[121] and gain the votes needed to win elections, with the supposed end goal of declaring India an Islamic Nation.
Halal Jihad: BJP’s national general secretary CT Ravi says that “Halal is an economic Jihad.”[122] It is said that Muslims sell Halal Certified products to earn more to strengthen their community and then that money is used to fund Islamic Jihad.
Naukarshahi Jihad/Bureaucracy Jihad: A conspiracy theory propagated by Suresh Chavhanke of Sudarshan TV[123] that Jihadi Muslims are infiltrating the Indian bureaucracy through the civil service examinations. Only 3.54% of Indian Administrative Service employees are Muslims.`
Corona Jihad: EqualityLabs noted that there were 98,000 #Coronajihad tweets from April 1-4, 2020. The BJPRSS machine was in full swing, with everyone from the Indian health ministry to media blaming Muslims for the virus. They claimed Muslims are doing bioterrorism by intentionally spreading the virus to non-Muslims[124] as a form of “jihad.” Muslims were beaten, arrested, and lynched during this hysteria.
Thook Jihad/Spit Jihad: This conspiracy theory claims that Muslim eatery owners/street food vendors deliberately spit in their food[125] to contaminate it.
Shiksha Jihad/Education Jihad: This theory suggests that Muslims are using education as a means of Islamic indoctrination. A school was shut down for organizing an interfaith prayer service[126].
Flood Jihad: After devastating floods hit India’s northeastern state of Assam in June 2022, claims that the local Muslim community were to blame for the disaster[127] began circulating online. Major influencers with verified account started forwarding it. Assam is a flood-prone state of India where poor Muslim farmers themselves are often victims of floods. Police eventually arrested five Muslims because of fake reports without any evidence to prove any guilt.
Land Jihad: A Hindutva conspiracy theory suggesting Muslims buy and encroach on properties as part of a campaign to displace Hindus and change demographics. This has led to bulldozing Muslim homes without due process. The BJP-RSS regime has also passed multiple laws designed to ghettoize Muslims[128].
[110] ‘It started with words’: Holocaust survivors warn on hate speech; https://www.euronews.com/2021/04/08/it-started-with-wordsholocaust-survivors-recount-how-hate-speech-led-to-mass-murder (accessed 2021-10-21)
[111] Propaganda Poster: “Jews Are Lice: They Cause Typhus”; https://perspectives.ushmm.org/item/propaganda-poster-jews-arelice-they-cause-typhus (accessed 2021-10-21)
[112] Propaganda Poster: “Jews Are Lice: They Cause Typhus”; https://perspectives.ushmm.org/item/propaganda-poster-jews-arelice-they-cause-typhus (accessed 2021-10-21)
[113] https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Rakshasa (accessed 2022-2-27)
[114] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKnmkzO8ShA Timestamp 2:19 (accessed 2021-10-19)
[115] https://thewire.in/communalism/yati-narsinghanand-dharam-sansad-haridwar (accessed 2022-02-27)
[116] Hindutva Leaders at Haridwar Event Call for Muslim Genocide; https://thewire.in/communalism/hindutva-leaders-dharma-sansad-muslim-genocide
[117] Open Call For Genocide: ‘Star Of Mysore’ Newspaper Refers Muslims As ‘Rotten Apples’, Calls For Getting ‘Rid Of Them’; https://thecognate.com/open-call-for-genocide-star-of-mysore-newspaper-refers-muslims-as-rotten-apples-calls-for-getting-rid-ofthem/ (accessed 2021-10-21)
[118] ‘Mulle kaate jaayenge..’: Anti-Muslim slogans raised at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar; https://www.siasat.com/mulle-kaate-jaayenge-anti-muslim-slogans-raised-at-delhis-jantar-mantar-2175395/ (accessed 2021-10-21)
[119] Law against Love Jihad – History and Features | Business Standard (business-standard.com): https://www.business-standard.com/about/what-is-love-jihad-law
[120] ‘Halal meat is economic jihad’, BJP’s Ravi adds fuel to K’taka’s communal discord; https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/bengaluru-news/halal-meat-is-economic-jihad-bjp-s-ravi-adds-fuel-to-k-taka-s-communal-discord-101648616259297.html
[121] ‘Population jihad must be stopped’: Meet the men who shouted anti-Muslim slogans in Delhi (newslaundry.com) https://www.newslaundry.com/2021/08/10/population-jihad-must-be-stopped-meet-the-men-who-shouted-anti-muslim-slogans-in-delhi
[122] BJP National General Secretary CT Ravi: Halal Meat Is Economic Jihad (ndtv.com) https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/bjp-national-general-secretary-ct-ravi-halal-meat-is-economic-jihad-2850519 How Islam Uses Halal Industry To Wage Economic Jihad (swarajyamag.com) https://swarajyamag.com/politics/how-islam-uses-halal-industry-to-wage-economic-jihad
[123] A List of All the False Claims Made in Sudarshan TV’s ‘UPSC Jihad’ Show (thewire.in) https://thewire.in/communalism/sudarshannews-tv-show-upsc-jihad-suresh-chavhanke-fact-check
[124] https://www.equalitylabs.org/coronajihad
[125] ‘Thook Jihad’ Is the Latest Weapon in Hindutva’s Arsenal of Islamophobia (thewire.in): https://thewire.in/communalism/thook-jihad-is-the-latest-weapon-in-hindutvas-arsenal-of-islamophobia Bloodlust TV: Aman Chopra spitting hate on minorities with his ‘thook jihad’ show (newslaundry.com) https://twitter.com/arunpudur/status/1460663227906281473?s=20
[126] BJP, RSS and Hindu Jangran Manch drove FIR against multifaith prayers in Kanpur school (scroll.in) https://scroll.in/article/1029715/how-bjp-leaders-and-hindutva-groups-drove-the-fir-against-multi-faith-prayers-in-a-kanpur-school
[127] Assam: Muslims falsely accused of waging ‘flood jihad’ – BBC News https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-62378520
[128] https://thewire.in/rights/disturbed-areas-act-in-gujarat-a-tool-to-discriminate-against-muslims