Muslim women, target of systematic violence by Hindu extremists
Turkish paper Insamer has issued a report on organized violence by Hindu extremists targeting Muslim women and called that the major leverage of the ruling power to promote Islamophobia in the country.
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The Turkish paper has also issued a report on oppression against Muslims, particularly women, naming discriminatory policies, intimidation campaigns on social networks, Hijab ban and sexual violence against them.
According to the report, India has the second largest population after China, house to a variety of people with different languages, denominations and cultures.
Back in 1947 and under the name of Republic of India, the country announced independence from colonialist Europeans. Nationalistic ideologies played an important role in its fight for independence, which made a joint objective for Hindus and Muslims. With Britain's withdrawal from the region, the disputes over division of the country ended and it was divided into two countries, India with the majority of Hindu population and Pakistan with the majority of Muslim population.
Turkish paper noted that migration to Pakistan is tough for all Muslims due to the area and the economic situation of India; hence, over 180 million Muslims are living in India. That makes 14.2 per cent of the population. Following the empowerment of the extremist Hindu "Bharatiya Janata" Party, anti-Islam measures saw considerable increase and after winning the majority in 2019 election, with intensification of the crackdown and intimidation policy against Muslims, women were particularly targeted.
According to Hindu nationalists, fertility rate of Muslim women is increasing in comparison with their Hindu peers. Although there is no specific data to prove accuracy of the claim, the notion prevails the social media intensifying the violence in daily life of Muslims. Several laws and plans have been approved in order to limit the birth rate among Muslims and those who disobey the law will be punished.
An instance of anti-Islam hatred among public Hindus was an online application Sole Deals in July 2020 which provided pictures of Muslim women in online sales. This is while authorities did not take measures for detention of those behind the call and a similar app appeared six months later without any preventive measure.
Several complaints were lodged by those hurt by the calls among them a journalist Nigar Qurratulain Ribar who found her pictures uploaded for an online sale.
Among other limitations imposed on Muslim women is the Hijab ban in some institutions and schools, especially provinces where the ruling party is popular.
The tension intensified especially after publication of pictures of Muslim girls who were prevented from entering class in Karnataka. As the videos on these measures went viral on social media, especially on Twitter, Hindu university students organized protests on Hijab ban across the province leading to more tension in the region.
The daily reported that Muslim students lodged a complaint at the supreme court in Karnataka stressing Hijab as a basic right according to India's constitution. No decision has been made on the case and the Hijab is still banned.
Hindu extremists have gone so far to launch a chamber at schools where Muslim students are encouraged to remove their Hijab. The decision for Hijab ban which the Indian government is struggling to implement at secondary schools is likely to be carried out in all schools and public places.
The ban which was supposed to be used to press the Muslim girls has turned into a political means which intensifies the clashes between Hindu and Muslim youths and increase social tensions.
The daily has also warned of serious abuse of Muslim women in India including an increase in rape. Clearly Muslim women have been subject of state-sponsored violence by Hindu groups including sexual abuse, gang rape and different forms of torture.
For instance in the 2002 massacres in Gujarat which turned into a symbol of national-religious violence, thousands of Muslims were massacred and several women, girls and even children were gang raped. Similarly a lot of Muslim women were gang raped during the Hindu violence in Uttar Pradesh in 2013. Amnesty International announced that the perpetrators were not arrested and the testimony of the women were changed due to threats.
The daily added that justification of sexual abuse against Muslim women in India is quite simple for instance one of them was raped because of eating beef. Another justification is that a Muslim woman secures the continuity of the society she belongs to and her body stands for all Muslims and their borders.
As a result, Muslim women are the most affected of the nationalist policies of the ruling extremist party which is disintegrating Indian society. Violence against women is nothing but a result of an organized policy for humiliation and undermining the identity of women. Clearly these policies and hate crimes target the entire Muslim community in India.
