As incidents of hate speech soar, Hindus for Human Rights stands against the weaponization of faith in politics and the endangerment of India's foundational secular values and minority safety.

Hindus for Human Rights calls on the Election Commission of India to take action over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s blatantly Islamophobic rhetoric in a speech he delivered to voters in Rajasthan this past Sunday. We refuse to allow Modi and other Hindu nationalists to weaponize the Hindu faith to undermine India’s secular democracy and fuel violence against Muslims and other minorities.

Since Modi has taken office, there has been a significant rise in hate speech and violent incidents against minorities in India, particularly Muslims. In 2023 alone, hate speech against Muslims rose by 62% in the second half of the year compared to the first half. Usually, Modi uses Islamophobic dog whistles and silence to condone violent Islamophobia by his BJP comrades. However, as elections heat up, Modi has explicitly embraced the violence of Hindu nationalism and directly and verbally targeted Muslims. He has calculated that hate speech will help him secure a third term as Prime Minister, even as these comments violate the Election Commission’s rules for political candidates. 

Modi has alleged that Muslims are infiltrators who have more children, and thus will therefore hoard resources, is an extension of the Great Replacement Theory, insinuating that the presence of Muslims will wipe out the country’s Hindu majority. These concerns about ‘Hindu erasure’ echo global far-right fearmongering about ‘white extinction’ and ‘racial hygiene’, including  by mass shooters – such as the May 2022 Buffalo, NY shooter. 

By making such inflammatory and explicit comments about Muslims, Modi is using his bully pulpit to incite violence against Muslims.  Modi’s speech could spark a wave of violence, hate crimes, hate speech, and assault against India’s Muslims with the encouragement of the Indian government at the highest level. We are appalled  that India’s Prime Minister cannot understand the rich diversity that constitutes the true strength of Indian society.  India’s democracy requires a vibrant religious and cultural tapestry, and by spreading hateful rhetoric towards Muslim, Modi is burning the fabric of Indian society.

India was founded as a secular democracy for all, in which all people are welcome to live in peace and unity, regardless of religion. And as Hindus, our faith teaches us to love and honor the divinity in every person, no matter who they are or what they believe. We reject Modi’s dangerous rhetoric, its effects on human rights, and his weaponization of our Hindu faith to tear India apart.

For further comments, interview requests, or to obtain additional information, please contact: David Kalal, david@hindusforhumanrights.org