General Assembly Resolution A/RES/74/136 of December 2019 entitled “Combating glorification of Nazism, Neo-Nazism and other practices that contribute to the fueling contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.” Calls for the universal ratification and effective implementation of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, and encourages those States parties that have not yet done so to consider making the declaration under its article 14, thus providing the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination with the competence to receive and consider communications from individuals or groups of individuals within their jurisdiction claiming to be victims of a violation by a State party of any of the rights set forth in the Convention;
Encourages States to eliminate all forms of racial discrimination by all appropriate means, including legislation as required by circumstances, while ensuring that the definition of racial discrimination set out there in complies with article 1 of the Convention;
The resolution further call on states to continue to take adequate steps, including through national legislation, in accordance with international human rights law, aimed at preventing and countering hate speech and incitement to violence against persons in vulnerable situations and, where necessary, to consider reviewing national anti-racism legislation in light of the increasingly open expression of hate speech and incitement to violence against such persons;
It Reaffirms article 4 of the Convention, according to which States parties condemn all propaganda and all organizations which are based on ideas or theories of superiority of one race or group of persons of one color or ethnic origin, or which attempt to justify or promote racial hatred and discrimination in any form, and undertake to adopt immediate and positive measures designed to eradicate all incitement to, or acts of, such discrimination and, to this end, with due regard to the principles embodied in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1 and the rights expressly set forth in article 5 of the Convention, inter alia:
a) Shall declare an offense punishable by law all dissemination of ideas based on racial superiority or hatred, and incitement to racial discrimination, as well as all acts of violence or incitement to such acts against any race or group of persons of __________________ 20 A/64/295, para. 104. A/C.3/73/L.53/Rev.1 18-19065 9/10 another color or ethnic origin, and also the provision of any assistance to racist activities, including the financing thereof;
b) Shall declare illegal and prohibit organizations, and also organized and all other propaganda activities, which promote and incite racially discrimination, and shall recognize participation in such organizations or activities as an offense punishable by law;
c) Shall not permit public authorities or public institutions, national or local, to promote or incite racial discrimination;
Although India voted for the resolution but in practice the government of India failed to comply with its international obligations to frame domestic laws to declare illegal such organization that promotes and incite racial discrimination.
The ages-old caste system in India prevails which discriminates low caste groups of their rights. The post-2014 witnessed a paradigm shift in the discourse of Indian nationalism. The exploitation of fourth estate and social media by Hindutva forces tainted the social psyche of Indian people to think of a Hindu Rashtra, which reflected in the political issues from cow vigilantism to CAA – NRC shows where the nationalism stands and its direction too. Even it threw up science and profiled the Muslims as carriers of coronavirus.
In India, the COVID-19 pandemic crop-up as a boon for the Modi government, taking advantage of the chaos caused by the virus. As the world, is focusing on fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, conversely, Muslims in India are facing the allegation of "The reason for spreading the virus”. The
propaganda that the spread of the Pandemic in India began with a Tablighi Ijtemah (Religious gathering), in which Muslims took part, laid the foundation of a new wave of racist attacks against muslims in India.
1. Data related to Islamophobic Incidents in India & Kashmir
The Muslims of India and Kashmir are blamed, targeted, attacked and denied treatment of COVID19. There are many incidents happened in India in the name of Islamophobia & xenophobia but unfortunately there is no exact data or statistics found that show the exact number of Islamophobic or xenophobic incidents because those cases are large in numbers & almost impossible to report each and every case while media was strictly prohibited to report such cases.Muslims in Kashmir & India have borne the brunt of the violence, they faced loss of lives, their homes were looted & burnt to ashes, shops were smashed and Hindu nationalist mobs targeted and vandalized mosques. Many labourers, were forced to leave cities and return to their homes in villages on foot.
Almost thirty-eight Muslims were killed, 751 cases of violence against Muslims were filed, 40 FIR against police for facilitating rioters & showing biasness towards Muslims were filed and 14 mosques + 1 Dargah were attacked & damaged within just 3 days (24-26 Feb 2020) of Delhi riots by the Hindu nationalists, they even used iron rods, petroleum fire bombs and kerosene oil on those people who tried to save these mosques.1 On 7 June, the Delhi Police claimed that they had arrested 683 Muslims.
1.1 List of Victims
S # | Name | Age | Resident | Place of Incident | Date of Incident | Testimony |
1 | Ishrat Jahan | 32 | New Delhi | New Delhi |
26 Feb& 21March 2020 |
Ishrat Jahan, a lawyer and Congress Party member was first arrested by the police on 26 February in connection with another police case pertaining to the Delhi riots, and granted bail only on March 21. Yet the same day she was granted bail, the police re-arrested her under FIR 59. |
2 | Faizan | 23 | Kardampuri, northeast Delhi, |
Kardampuri, northeast Delhi, |
24th Feb 2020 |
Faizan was filmed as he was brutally assaulted by policemen who forced him to sing the national anthem between beatings, died after the Delhi Police illegally detained him for over 36 hours and denied him urgent medical attention |
3 | Hasim Ali | 60 | Karawal Nagar |
Shiv Vihar | 25th Feb 2020 |
Hasim Ali ran a tailoring shop in his house, lost everything as their two houses were burnt to the ground |
4 | Meeran Haider | 35 | New Delhi | New Delhi | 1st April 2020 |
Meeran Haider, a Ph.D student at Jamia Millia Islamia, and president of the youth wing of the Rashtriya Janata Dal in Delhi, was arrested under FIR 59 on 1 April. Metropolitan Magistrate Prabh Deep Kaur on 3 April sent the 35-year-old for custodial interrogation after the Delhi Police said that it was required to unearth a larger conspiracy behind the Delhi riots. |
5 | Sayed Tabrez | 23 | Marathahalli | Marathahalli | 4th April, 2020 |
Sayed Tabrez son of Zareen Taj, was among seven Muslim volunteers who were assaulted by a gang of local BJP members on 4 and 6 April, as they tried to distribute food to impoverished people in the Marathahalli and Dasarahalli districts of Karnataka. |
6 | Dilshad Muhammad | 34 | Bangadh village Himacha | 4th April, 2020 |
Dilshad Muhammad was facing social boycott by some villagers who suspected he suffered from COVID-19 even after he tested negative hanged himself in Himachal Pradesh's Una |
|
7 | Praveena | Bela Nagar in Bharatpur |
Bharatpur district of Rajasthan |
4th April, 2020 |
A doctor in Bharatpur refused to treat a pregnant Muslim woman, Praveena wife of Irfan Khan, in urgent need of help and was referred to Jaipur. She delivered in the ambulance while on way to Jaipur but the baby died. |
|
8 | Zareen Taj | 39 | Marathahalli | Marathahalli | 4th April, 2020 |
Zareen Taj mother of Sayed Tabrez was among seven Muslim volunteers who were assaulted by a gang of local BJP members on 4 and 6 April, as they tried to distribute food to impoverished people in the Marathahalli and Dasarahalli districts of Karnataka. |
9 | Shadab Ahmed | New Delhi | New Delhi | 6th, April 2020 | Shadab Ahmed was first arrested under FIR 60/2020 of Dayalpur Police Station on 6 April. Ahmed is a resident of Jagat Puri who makes mops with his uncle |
|
10 | Mehboob Ali | 22 | Bawana | Harewali, on the fringes of north-west Delhi |
8th April 2020 | Mehboob Ali was dragged and beaten up with sticks and shoes by Hindu mob in the village of Harewali. He was a Muslim and recently returned home from a religious gathering. |
11 | Gulfisha Fatima | 28 | New Delhi | New Delhi | 9th, April 2020 | Gulfisha Fatima, an MBA graduate from the Institute of Management Education in Ghaziabad, was arrested on 9 April in FIR 48/2020 registered at the Jafrabad Police Station on 24 February. |
12 | Safoora Zargar | 27 | New Delhi | New Delhi | 10th, April 2020 | Safoora Zargar, an M Phil student at Jamia Millia Islamia University, was arrested on 10 April under FIR 48. After the Metropolitan Magistrate Deepakshi Rana granted her bail on 13 April, the 27-year-old who is pregnant was rearrested in FIR 59 that same day |
13 | Ambreen Khan | Punjab | Punjab | 10th, April 2020 | Ambreen Khan, a Muslim nurse, attacked by the Hindu mob in Punjab. As Khan returned home from her hospital shift half a dozen men surrounded her car, wielding iron rods and bamboo sticks. They pulled Khan from her car, beat her, and molested her & yelled “Go back to Pakistan, and do your duty there.” |
|
14 | Sohail Hughes | 29 | Dewsbury, UK |
Gujarat | Hughes, who lives in Dewsbury with his wife and three-year-old child, flew to India in February and was due to return to the UK on 13 May. He is accused of spreading coronavirus and violating visa regulations after being caught in the mosque with other people. His bail application was rejected and he is now being kept in the Old Central Jail in Madhya Pradesh city |
|
15 | Nine Kashmiri Muslim laborers |
Himachal Pradesh. |
Himachal Pradesh. |
11th April, 2020 |
Nine Kashmiri Muslim laborers were attacked by four Hindu nationalists wielding cricket bats in the Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh. Some bones were broken. |
|
16 | Rizwana Khatun |
30 | Jharkhand | 19th April 2020 |
A Muslim woman miscarried after she was barred from receiving treatment in MGM Hospital in the city of Jamshedpur. Rizwana Khatun had rushed to the hospital after she began bleeding. Accused of spreading coronavirus, she was beaten and asked to clean up her own blood. |
|
17 | Masrat Zahra | New Delhi | New Delhi | 20th April 2020 |
A photojournalist from Jammu and Kashmir was on Saturday charged under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act for allegedly uploading posts that glorify “anti-national activities” on social media |
|
18 | Israr | Dehra, Saharanpur, UP |
Dehra, Saharanpur, UP |
18th June 2020 |
Israr was killed by a mob in a village, according to victim's brother, when he reached at spot, mob was calling Israr a terrorist and beating him with stick |
|
19 | Nighat Bashir |
Seelu Sopore, North Kashmir. |
16th June 2020 |
Nighat Bashir, who raised her voice against Drug Mafia working in North Kashmir has been harassed and her family brutally beaten by Indian Army on 16th June 2020 |
||
20 | Umar Khalid | New Delhi | New Delhi | 10th May, 2020 |
The police has also booked Jawaharlal Nehru University student leader Umar Khalid under the UAPA in the case. In the FIR, the police has claimed that the communal violence was a “premeditated conspiracy” which was allegedly hatched by Khalid |
|
21 | Asif Iqbal Tanha |
24 | New Delhi | New Delhi | 17th May 2020 |
Asif Iqbal Tanha, a student of the Persian language at Jamia Millia Islamia, was arrested on 17 May in FIR 298/19 of the Jamia Nagar Police Station, six months after it was registered on 16 December following an anti-CAA march that ended in violence on 15 December. |
22 | Natasha Narwal |
32 | New Delhi | New Delhi | 23rd May 2020 |
Natasha Narwal and Devangana Kalita, students of Jawaharlal Nehru University, were arrested on 23 23. May in FIRs 48, 59 and 50. |
23 | Devangana Kalita |
30 | New Delhi | New Delhi | 23rd May 2020 |
Natasha Narwal and Devangana Kalita, students of Jawaharlal Nehru University, were arrested on 23 23. May in FIRs 48, 59 and 50. |
24 | Sharjeel Imam |
31 | New Delhi | New Delhi | 2020 | Sharjeel Imam is a student at Jawaharlal Nehru University pursuing his PhD in modern Indian history. He has been booked for sedition and under the draconian Unlawful Activities Prevention Act |
25 | Mohammed Danish |
New Delhi | New Delhi | 2020 | The first people arrested under FIR 59 were Mohammed Danish, Mohammed Ilyas and Mohammed Parvez Ahmed, members of the Popular Front of India, an Islamist organisation the police claims is responsible for fanning violence and funding the riots. The PFI is not banned in India |
|
26 | Mohammed Ilyas |
New Delhi | New Delhi | 2020 | The first people arrested under FIR 59 were Mohammed Danish, Mohammed Ilyas and Mohammed Parvez Ahmed, members of the Popular Front of India, an Islamist organisation the police claims is responsible for fanning violence and funding the riots. The PFI is not banned in India |
|
27 | Parvez Ahmed |
New Delhi | New Delhi | 2020 | The first people arrested under FIR 59 were Mohammed Danish, Mohammed Ilyas and Mohammed Parvez Ahmed, members of the Popular Front of India, an Islamist organisation the police claims is responsible for fanning violence and funding the riots. The PFI is not banned in India |
1.2 List Of Damaged Mosques
S# | Mosque Name | Photo |
1 | Sayad Chand Baba Dargah, Chand Bagh |
|
2 | Madina Masjid, Shiv Vihar |
|
3 | Auliya Masjid, Shiv Vihar | |
4 | Tayyaba Masjid, Shiv Vihar Phase 3 |
|
5 | Maula Baksh Masjid, Ashok Nagar | |
6 | Chand Masjid, Ashok Nagar | |
7 | Mubarak Masjid, Garhi Mendu | |
8 | Gamri Masjid, Gamri | |
9 | Meena Masjid, Bhagirati Vihar | |
10 | Madina Masjid, Milan Gardens | |
11 | Allahwali Masjid, Mukund Nagar | |
12 | Jannati Masjid, Gokalpuri | |
13 | Tyre Market Masjid, Gokalpuri | |
14 | Fatima Masjid, Galli No 29, Shehrpur Chowk | |
15 | Farooqia Masjid, Brijpuri |
2. Key Issues, Dilemmas, Challenges & Propaganda via Internet
Internet blackout in the region is a blot on Indian democracy. In a state where a doctor is unable to download a 25mb 2019-nCoV prevention guidelines for his patients, where a medical student is unable to open Google search results, where a journalist can’t send a news-story to his bureau, where a normal resident can’t upload a photo on social networking site, one should forget about the privilege to work from home. Modi has setback Kashmir for almost two decades. In the wake of COVID19, Islamophobia gave a new dimension to Hindus hostility towards Indian minorities and strengthened anti-Islam rhetoric in the country. Following are the few issues and challenges facing by the Muslims
1. The Valentis hospital in Meerut publically announced through a newspaper ad that they will not treat any Muslim patient.
2. In Uttar Pradesh, the police offered up to 10,000 rupees for tracing those people who participated in Tablighi Jamaat.
3. MLA M.P. Renukacharya and other senior BJP leaders called for Tablighi Jamaat leaders to be both hanged and shot.
4. Anant Kumar Hegde, BJP MP, condemned Muslim religious gathering and criticized participants of Tablighi Jamaat as terrorists.
5. Home Minister Amit Shah once called Muslims termites and pledges to throw Muslim migrants in to Bay of Bengal.
6. Raj Thackeray, leader of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sen, stated that “members of the Tablighi Jammat should be shot.”
7. Lav Agarwal, Indian Health Minister, on 17th April 2020 stated at press conference that in India Tablighi Jamaat is responsible for 30% of total Coronavirus Cases.
8. Rangoli Chandel, the sister of a Bollywood star, tweeted & called for the shooting of Muslims.
9. Babita Phogat, Indian wrestler recently joined India's ruling Hindu nationalist BJP, tweeted that in India, Muslims and Tablighi Jammat are the bigger problems than the Coronavirus.
10. Muslims are banned in different villages of India, in Mangalore, Karnataka, Muslims are not allowed to enter the village. Mahesh, chief of Ankanahalli village, Karnataka warned residents of the village to maintain distance from the Muslims otherwise they will be fined
up to 1000 rupees.7
11. In Hindu-dominated areas, India various Hindutva groups called for social boycott of Muslims, Muslims are even being harassed by police in various areas.
12. In Gujarat hospital, virus infected Muslim patients were segregated into wards, on inquiry doctor said “ask the government”. They were also asked to prove that they didn’t have any COVID19 symptoms. A pregnant Muslim woman lost her child after doctors in Rajasthan refused to operate because of her Muslim identity.
13. In Uttar Pradesh, migrant laborers were sprayed with chemical solution upon their entry to Bareilly in order to contain the virus.
14. Hindu vigilant mobs were given Rs 10,000 for burning one house and Rs 5,000 for burning a shop.
2.1. Propaganda through Social Media
2.2. List of Fake videos and Posts
S# | Fake News | Place & Date | Testimony | Snapshot |
1 | Video Of Mob Pelting Stones At Police In Ahmedabad Peddled As Delh |
Shah-eAlam, Ahmedabad, India. 27th Feb, 2020 |
A video of a mob pelting stones at a police vehicle in Ahmedabad has resurfaced with claims that it is from Gujarat's Nadiad where Muslims are attacking the police in the backdrop of a lockdown to restrict the spread of the novel Coronavirus. However it was found that the video is from December, 2019, when a mob pelted stones at police jeeps in Ahmedabad's Shah-eAlam area during an anti Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protest march. |
|
2 | Bihar: Muslim foreign nationals found hiding in a Patna Mosque to evade coronavirus testing, locals outrage as they have been ‘preaching’ since January |
Patna, Kurji, Bihar, India. 24th March, 2020. |
Patna police detained 12 foreign nationals (from Italy, China & Iran) from a mosque in Patna’s Kurji area. According to reports, these people had hidden in the Mosque located near Gate No. 74 in the locality, with the help of few local Muslims. These people were reportedly hiding, fearing medical examination amidst the coronavirus outbreak.10 However, they were from Krygyzstan and had arrived in India before the first coronavirus case was reported in the country. In all likelihood, Iran, Italy and China were used to promote the misinformation owing to a large number of COVID-19 cases in these countries | |
3 | Muslims licking utensils to spread Corona |
Nizamuddin, Delhi, India. 30th March, 2020 |
A video of Bohra Muslims licking plates and spoons to not ‘waste’ leftover food has been shared as people from the Muslim community spreading coronavirus infection. | |
4 | No evidence supports Indian news agency’s baseless story claiming Hindus denied rations in Karachi | Karachi, Pakistan. 01st April, 2020 |
A news story with the title, ‘COVID-19: Hindus denied food supplies in Pakistan’s Karachi’, that was released by an Indian news agency, Asian News International (ANI), has turned out to be completely fabricated news. After investigation, it found no evidence supporting the Indian news agency’s claim that the Hindu community was denied food items while they were being distributed in a small coastal area of the city, Rehri Goth, which is inhabited by fishermen, some 10 kilometres away from Ibrahim Hyderi in Karachi.12 |
|
5 | Coronavirus: Video of an undertrial in Mumbai falsely viral as Nizamuddin markaz attendee spitting at cop |
Mumbai, India. 2nd April, 2020 |
A video is floating in the backdrop of CRPO Northern Railway claiming that people from Tablighi Jamaat were unruly at quarantine centres and spat on medical workers. The incident was reported by Mumbai Mirror on February 29, 2020, and the accused was identified as Mohammad Sohal Shaukat Ali. His family members had got him food at the court which the police disallowed him from consuming. In the video, Ali can be seen arguing and abusing the cops of Mumbai’s Thane police. Therefore, the video is unrelated to Tablighi Jamaat meet and has been shared to falsely portray that the man was an attendee spitting at cops to spread coronavirus infection |
|
6 | No, Muslim Men Are Not Sneezing In Unison To Spread Novel Coronavirus In Viral Video | Nizamuddin mosque, Delhi, India. 3rd April 2020 |
A video is allegedly shot at Hazrat Nizamuddin mosque in Delhi and is widely shared social media with the caption "Purposefully sneezing to spread Coronavirus at Hazrat Nizamuddin mosque in Delhi." However, the men seen in the viral video were performing a religious ritual and not sneezing in unison to spread the novel coronavirus.14 | |
7 | Fake videos behind attack on health team in Indore, 4 booked under NSA | Tatpatti Bakhal, Indore, India. 3rd April 2020 |
In Tatpatti Bakhal neighbourhood residents attacked a team comprising doctors, ASHA workers and revenue officials. Fake WhatsApp videos claiming that healthy Muslims are being taken away and injected with the virus have been doing the rounds of Tatpatti Bakhal and adjoining localities. | |
8 | Police action on temple priest flouting lockdown in MP falsely communalise d Pooja Chaudhuri |
Devi Mandir, Dhekaha. 3rd April, 2020 |
A photograph of a policeman pinning down a Hindu priest has been widely shared by several prominent social media users. It was claimed that the cop was Superintendent of Police (SP) of Madhya Pradesh’s Rewa district, Abid Khan. The social media claims attached to the incident are false on multiple counts – 1) the police officer seen thrashing the priest was not SP Abid Khan but TI Rajkumar Mishra, 2) the priest was not praying alone but among a gathering of at least 50 people and 3) the police have not only been cracking down upon Hindu gatherings but action has also been taken against several Muslim places of worships flouting curfew.16 |
SP Khan is the officer on the right in the collage above. The star and badge on his uniform do not match those on TI Mishra’s uniform. Furthermore, their facial features are also distinct. SP Khan neither has a moustache nor does he wear spectacles |
9 | Old Video of Muslim Man Spitting on Food Goes Falsely Viral | Not Confirmed. 4th April, 2020. |
A 45-second video of an employee at a restaurant packing food has been shared with the claim that a Muslim man is spitting on the food before delivering it to customers. The video has been shared after a congregation held in mid-March by Tablighi Jamaat was identified as a source of several positive coronavirus cases across the country. In reality, the video was uploaded by a YouTube channel on April 27, 2019.17 | |
10 | Muslim Vendor spitting on fruits to spread Corona | Madhya Pradesh, India.5th April 2020 | A man identified as Sheru was arrested in Madhya Pradesh’s Raisen district on Friday, 3 April, and was booked under sections 269, 270 of the Indian Penal Code. Section 269 of the IPC deals with negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life and section 270 deals with malignant act likely to spread infection of disease danger•ous to life. The development came after a video went massively viral which showed a fruit seller allegedly spitting on the fruits that he was selling. The social media users claimed that the man in the video is spitting and putting his saliva on the fruits, thereby, infecting them.18 | |
11 | Video of Man Spitting at Subway Rider Falsely Linked to COVID-19 | New York. 6th April, 2020. | A video of a man spitting on a fellow subway passenger’s face and then being beaten up is going viral with the claim that it shows a ‘jihadist spitting on a man’ right now in the context of the worldwide coronavirus outbreak. The claim with which the video has been shared is fake. The video is from August 2019, in New York, before the outbreak of coronavirus and therefore has no link to COVID-19. The spitter was a white man who spat on a black man inside the subway.19 | |
12 | Zee News: Medical staff escorting Tablighi Jamaat men was pelted with stones | Rasulpur area of Firozabad. 6th April, 2020. |
A media report claiming that a medical team escorting coronavirus-positive members of the Tablighi Jamaat was pelted with stones in Uttar Pradesh. The claim was made in a report by Zee News’ Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand vertical on April 6, 2020.20 |
|
13 | Raipur AIIMS denies 'spitting, misbehaviour ' by Tablighi Jamaat patient | Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India 6th April, 2020. | A fake news of a Tabligh-e-Jamaat youth 'spitting and misbehaving' with doctors and staff went viral on social media. It was also aired by a regional TV channel. Later, the channel's report was declared as ‘fake’ by the Chhattisgarh state fake news control and special monitoring cell. | |
14 | Video of Muslims exiting quarantine centre: Not Vinayaka Temple but residential lodging | Andhra Pradesh, Chittoor, India. 06th April, 2020. | A video of members of the Muslim community exiting a building has been widely shared with a message in Telugu which claims that the Vinayaka Temple located in Kanipakam in Andhra Pradesh’s Chittoor district has been converted into a quarantine centre. Several users have expressed distress that Muslim or Christian places of worship haven’t been transformed into quarantine centres for coronavirus patients but a temple has been used for the purpose Therefore, a video of Muslim patients exiting a COVID-19 quarantine centre set up in a residential lodging was shared with the false claim that Vinayaka Ganesh temple was used for the purpose. |
|
15 | Fact Check: Truth behind claim of UP man being sent to spread coronavirus | Utter Pradesh, India. 06th Apr | A viral claim about a Muslim man Naimuddin says that he had gone to a Hindu person’s shop to spit at people and spread the virus. According to the police, the rumour was spread that Naimuddin had come to Arun’s shop and spit at them. To escape any cross- questioning about his claim, Arun would open his shop beyond the fixed time in the lockdown and return late. According to police the accused, Arun Kumar, Manoj and Tarun Gurjar, wanted to create communal tension and spread “hatred” against the minority community. Arun later admitted that Naimuddin had not to spit at their shop.23 | |
16 | Old Video From Philippines Shared With ‘Corona Jihad’ Spin | Philippines. 06th April, 2020 | An old video from the Philippines is being shared to claim that Muslims in India are spitting in bakery products to infect people with COVID-19. However, the video is from the Philippines and first surfaced in September 2019, long before the coronavirus outbreak was first reported. The delivery personnel in the video can be seen stealing bread and not spitting in the packets.24 | |
17 | BJP MP Shobha Karandlaje falsely claims Tablighi Jamaat attendees from Belagavi spat on hospital staff, misbehaved with them | Belagavi, Karnataka, India. 07th April, 2020. | BJP MP Shobha Karandlaje claimed on Twitter that people in Belagavi who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat meeting spat on the hospital staff and misbehaved with them However, contrary to Karandlaje's claims, the video (shared by her) shows no misbehaviour of any kind. Further, The News Minute also quoted Belagavi Deputy Commissioner SB Bommanahalli as saying that the people quarantined in the district were not spitting or misbehaving with health workers. This is not the first time that Karandlaje has tweeted fake news. In May 2019, the BJP leader claimed that a teenager named Shivu Uppar was murdered and hanged for protecting cows from cow smugglers.However, The Times of India quoted the parents of the teenager as stating that he committed suicide.25 | |
18 | Viral audio falsely claims Muslim vendors have sprung up in Surat to spread coronavirus | Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India | On April 4, Hindi daily Amar Ujala published an article with the headline, ‘Jamaatis’ admitted in the quarantine ward ask for non-veg food, throw the food [they were served], defecate in the open. The report claimed that the incident happened in quarantine centres in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh. However, it was unrelated videos shared to falsely claim that attendees spat on policemen and sneezed inside Nizamuddin mosque | |
19 | Old video where salon attendant applies saliva on customer’s face falsely shared with Muslim angle | India.08th April, 2020. | A 2015 video is being shared on social media to claim that a Muslim barber massaged a customer’s face with his own saliva in the backdrop of coronavirus pandemic. The message attempts to instil fear among the Hindu community, urging them to boycott Muslim-owned shops.27 | |
20 | False Communal Spin Given To Madhya Pradesh Pharmacist's Death | Uttar Pradesh, India.09th April, 2020 | Several Facebook posts claiming a female doctor in Uttar Pradesh died after being injured during stone pelting by local Muslims who refused to be screened for COVID-19, are false as the photo is of a pharmacist from Madhya Pradesh who died of a brain hemorrhage.28 | |
21 | Communal attack in Bawana shared with false claim of Muslim man injecting fruits with spittle | Bawana, Delhi, India. 09th April, 2020 | Several Twitter and Facebook users have shared the video with the claim that the man used an injection filled with spittle on fruits to spread coronavirus. The Hindi text associated with the video reads, “Found in Bawana. Planned to fill fruits with an injection filled with spit. After all, what do these people want?. The claim that Ali used injections filled with spit on fruits is false. The ACP said that Ali had gone to attend a jamaat in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. |
|
22 | Photo from Dubai is shared as Muslims offering prayers on the rooftops in India | Dubai. 14th April, 2020. | A photo of Muslims offering prayers on the rooftops and not following social distancing is being shared with a claim that the photo was taken in India. The photo of Muslims offering prayers on the rooftops is from Dubai. It was not taken in India.30 | |
23 | Video of fruit vendors in Indore shared with false anti- Muslim angle | Mahalaxmi Nagar, Indore, India 15th April, 2020. | A video with anti-Muslim narrative has been sharing on social media claiming that two Muslim vendors re spreading Coronavirus. However, according to the police investigation, vendors are Hindu named Rohit and Ravi and are employed by Girraj Gupta, who owns a fruit shop. Therefore, the claim associated with the viral video is falseA video with anti-Muslim narrative has been sharing on social media claiming that two Muslim vendors re spreading Coronavirus. However, according to the police investigation, vendors are Hindu named Rohit and Ravi and are employed by Girraj Gupta, who owns a fruit shop. Therefore, the claim associated with the viral video is false | |
24 | 2011 Video Of Domestic Help Contaminatin g Water Peddled With Communal Claim | India. 17th April, 2020 | A Disturbing CCTV footage from 2011 capturing a domestic help contaminating a drum filled with water by mixing urine, has been revived online with a false and communal claim that the woman is a Muslim. However, it is found that the clip is eight-and-a- half years old and that the accused did not belong to the Muslim community | |
25 | India TV uses 2017 video to falsely claim Islamic preacher provoked Jamaatis to ‘spit’ | 16th April, 2020. | India TV dug up a three-year-old video of the Islamic preacher and falsely claimed that he was advocating the spread of coronavirus by spitting. The channel did not inform its users that a day before its broadcast was aired, Syed had uploaded another video where he is saying that intentional spitting to spread the virus is a sin. He also advises people to follow government guidelines and maintain social distancing. | |
26 | Jihad Will Continue Until All The Hindus, Christians, Buddhists Atheists Are Killed | India. 20th April, 2020 | The old image is circulating with a misleading message regarding Jihad on social media. The image is from the year 2014. The same image of a person is used to create a fake post. The name of a person is Abdullah Juber the word “J” is replaced with “Z” in a misleading post.34 | |
27 | Muslims Attacked Cops in Maharashtra’ s Malegaon? It’s Fake News | Yellamma Bridge in Malegaon, Nashik, India. 23rd April, 2020. | A video claiming that Muslims gathered near a bridge to offer prayers in Maharashtra’s Malegaon and attacked the cops when they tried to disperse the crowd is going viral. In fact, an incident did occur at Yellamma Bridge in Malegaon on Thursday, 23 April, the social media posts above have been given a false communal spin. People came out in large numbers, complaining of a shortage of essential supplies and not to offer prayers |
|
28 | Attack On Seer In Punjab's Hoshiarpur Viral With Communal Spin | Hoshiarpur, Punjab, India. 26th April, 2020 | The attack on a seer in Hoshiarpur, Punjab, is being given a communal and political twist on social media. A video of the monk, identified as Swami Pushpendra Swaroop, receiving treatment at a hospital in Hoshiarpur has been shared on Facebook with a Hindi caption claiming that Muslims had led the 'Palghar-style' attack. However, Hoshiarpur police confirmed that the incident was a case of robbery and the attackers are yet to be nabbed. The cop & the monk, in a recorded message, has denied any political angle in the attack. |
|
29 | A Corona Positive Grape Seller in JP Nagar, Bengaluru Was Spitting on Grapes to Spread the Virus | JP Nagar, Bangalore, India. 26th April, 2020. | A video claiming that a covid-19 positive grape seller in JP Nagar, Bengaluru was trying to spread the virus by spitting on grapes is found in circulation. On verification by JP Nagar police the claim of a Muslim man spitting on fruits found to be false | |
30 | Disabled Muslim man hounded for accidentally dropping currency, accused of spreading coronavirus | Dabhel, Gujrat, india. 27th April, 2020 | A CCTV footage showing a Muslim man, Ilyas, in a petrol pump reaching for his pocket to make a payment and dropping something on the ground is massively viral on social media. Certain users have speculated that the man intentionally dropped currency notes to spread coronavirus infection. In reality, he has an injury on his hand due to an accident that he met years ago which is why notes fell from his hand | |
31 | An year old video resurfaces relating it to the COVID- 19 by giving it a communal angle | Jugsalai, Jharkhand, India. 01st May, 2020. | A video is going viral on social media claiming that a man caught by the police, was creating havoc by pelting stones. The video shows him injured while held by the police. The posts viral are giving it a communal angle as well as relating it to the COVID-19 and the lockdown that has followed. However, the video is almost a year old and the incident was of the party workers clashing during the Lok Sabha elections in 2019 | |
32 | Two-Year Old Photo Of Namaz Peddled As Lockdown Violation | Uttar Pradesh, India. 02 May,2020 | A two-year-old photo from Uttar Pradesh is being shared with a false claim that Muslims in Tamil Nadu are flouting lockdown rules during Ramzan to offer night prayers. The picture that shows a large crowd of Muslim men praying is from Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh from 2018, before the lockdown was implemented in March 2020, following a novel Coronavirus outbreak in India | |
33 | Indian Media falsely links Kurla incident to Mosque | Kurla, India.03rd May, 2020 | A video of a mob arguing with the police had gone viral on social media falsely claimed that the people had gathered to do namaz at masjid in the area. And the mob was attacking the police from the Mosque. In reality, the incident took place at a residential area and there in no mosque in the locality. So the report of the incident took place at a mosque is fake | |
34 | No, nursing staff in Rajasthan’s Jhalawar did not resign due to misconduct by Jamaatis | Jhalawar, Rajasthan, India. 05th May, 2020 | A screengrab of a news channel’s report on mass resignation by staff members of a medical facility in Rajasthan’s Jhalawar was shared with the false claim of the staff resigning over misconduct by members of Tablighi Jamaat. The nursing staff at Jhalawar’s hospital resigned due to low wages. According to the report, the staff also alleged that they were not given PPE kits.42 | |
35 | Viral image of people pelting stones at security forces in J&K is two years old | Nowshera village of Anantnag, Jammu and Kashmir. 08th May, 2020 | A picture claiming that the people have started pelting stones at the security forces, after the killing of a freedom fighter in Jammu and Kashmir has gone viral on social media. Hwever, image is from Nowshera village of Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir, on June 22, 2018 | |
36 | Viral image shared as Muslim men gangraped and murdered Rajasthan’s minor girl is fake | Haryana, India.10th May, 2020 | An image had been doing the rounds on social media which shows a young woman who was allegedly gangraped and murdered by Muslim men in Rajasthan. However, according to police sources, that woman was murdered by her husband, a police personnel, in Haryana’s Hisar on 16 April. | |
37 | Video from March 20 viral as Muslims recently offering namaz in public in Delhi’s Patparganj | New Delhi. 14th May, 2020. | Several social media users have posted a one-minute video that shows a group of Muslims praying on the street. However, that was a 2-month-old video of Muslims praying in public in New Delhi has been passed off as a recent occurrence. |
3. Key Legal Measures at National, Regional & international Level
There is an urgent need to develop policies and laws against xenophobia at the national, regional and international level, unfortunately, there has not made any development yet. However, The international media has condemned Modi and his party, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), for the undemocratic steps taken by the democratic country.
1. United States federal body, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, expressed concern over “ongoing stigmatisation of Muslims in India”.
2. International condemnation of India’s rising islamophobia, including statements from Kenneth Roth, Executive Director of Human Rights Watch and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission.
3. On April 8, seven days after the government first made the link to the Tablighis explicit Dr Michael Ryan, Executive Director, WHO Health Emergencies Programme expressed the organisation’s disapproval. “This does not help. Having Covid-19 is not anybody’s fault. Every case is a victim. It is important that we do not profile the cases on the basis of racial, religious and ethnic lines.” He informed that WHO has been working very, very closely with religious and faith-based organisations all over the world including groups from the Islamic tradition, Christian traditions and others and continue to work through faith-based organisations.
4. US-based south Asian human rights organisation researching Islamophobic hate speech, to release a statement urging the World Health Organization to “issue further guidelines against Covid-19 hate speech and disconnect it to religious communities
3.1. International Concerns over Hindu Nationalism in India
The UN chief said, in a virtual press conference, “We know the pandemic is having profound social, economic and political consequences, including relating to international peace and security.
Religious leaders – including Pope Francis – have added their moral voice in support of a global ceasefire, as have citizens through grassroots mobilization online. A spokesman to UN Secretary General, Stephane Dujarric said that Secretary- General Antonio Guterres’ recent appeal for a ceasefire in world’s conflict zones also applies to the Line of Control in the disputed state of Jammu and Kashmir
“I wanted to visit Indian-administered Kashmir to get firsthand experience on the ground but the Indian government denied her permission. I regret that. The seriousness of this [Kashmir] issue has really been ignored, Action is needed from all of the international community to bring all parties together
“To get lasting peace in Kashmir, we have to have discussions between the Pakistani and Indian governments. My position has always been to stand up for the people of Kashmir. We [Labour Party] would continue to support that voices of Kashmiris are heard.”
“Kashmir is not a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan. Yes, both parties have to be around the politics of it since they administer two parties of Kashmir…But the reality is it [Kashmir] is an international issue as has been recognized by United Nations Security Council resolutions, no decision about what happens to the territory can be made without the
involvement of Kashmiris
One of the essential duties of any responsible government is to provide protection and physical security for its citizens, regardless faith. We urge the Indian government to take serious efforts to protect Muslims and others targeted by mob violence
“Commissioner voiced alarm at reports that Delhi police “have not intervened in violent attacks against Muslims. The brutal and unchecked violence growing across Delhi cannot continue. The Indian government must take swift action to ensure the safety of all of its citizens
The two leaders of the US Senate's pro-India caucus, Republican John Cornyn and Democrat Mark Warner, in a joint statement voiced support for the close US ties represented by Trump's visit but added: “At the same time, we are alarmed by the recent violence in New Delhi
Representative Pramila Jayapal, an Indian-born left-leaning Democrat who has been outspoken in her criticism of Modi, called the developments “horrifying. Democracies should not tolerate division and discrimination, or promote laws that undermine religious freedom. The world is watching,
Persecution, vigilantism, Hindutva and Hindu radicalism and the oppression of Christians is what characterizes India now. He urged everyone to distinguish between Hinduism and Hindutva. The true concept of “Hindu Rashtra,” as Mr. Rajgopal expounded, is actually one of inclusiveness and tolerance, while the “Hindutva Rashtra” that the RSS and its affiliates are clearly striving for, is violent, authoritarian and intolerant.54
Mr. Sean Nelson spoke about anti-religious conversion laws in India which prohibit conversions of Indian Hindus to Christianity or Islam. He was dismayed and concerned about the violence faced by converts who also face 3 to 7 years of imprisonment for their voluntary religious conversion