India’s political landscape has increasingly been shaped by Hindutva ideology under the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The rise of Hindu nationalism, which permeates the country’s political discourse, has emboldened violent and discriminatory practices against Muslim women.
In India, patriarchy and religious discrimination intersect in profound ways, particularly when it comes to the treatment of Muslim women. The deliberate targeting of Muslim women is not incidental. It is part of a larger pattern of violence that has been normalized under the BJP regime. For centuries, women from minority communities have been used as battlegrounds in communal conflicts. Today, Muslim women are subject to a unique form of violence that blends gender-based oppression with religious discrimination, rendering them vulnerable targets for physical, psychological, and sexual violence.
The targeting of Muslim women in India is not a random act but a systematic pattern endorsed by powerful political ideologies. The BJP government, through its Hindutva agenda, has fostered an environment where such violence is not only tolerated but at times encouraged. The very bodies of Muslim women have become symbols of purity and territory, subjected to moral, physical, and sexual violence. These acts of violence are not isolated but are a direct reflection of an environment where the bodies of Muslim women are seen as instruments of religious and political domination.
Documented Patterns of Violence
Genocide Watch’s special report, corroborated by findings from Justice For All Canada, brings to light the increasingly systemic nature of the violence faced by Muslim women in India. The report highlights several key findings:
- Sexual Violence: Muslim women are deliberately targeted for sexual violence by Hindu nationalist groups and political affiliates, often with no repercussions for the perpetrators. These attacks are often framed within the context of Hindutva ideologies, where Muslim women are depicted as threats to the purity of Hinduism. In this environment, their bodies become territories to be dominated, violated, or erased.
- State Complicity: Leaders from the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) and the BJP have revived colonial-era myths about Muslim women, using these to incite mass violence. The indifference or active complicity of state institutions in this violence serves to embolden perpetrators, providing them with impunity.
The violence against Muslim women in India is not a series of isolated incidents but part of a broader genocidal pattern. From the 2002 Gujarat riots to the 2020 Delhi violence, Muslim women have consistently been subjected to brutal sexual violence with no justice. These incidents have not only caused immediate harm to individuals but have also contributed to the larger project of sowing division, fear, and distrust within India’s social fabric.
Digital Abuse
In recent years, the violence against Muslim women has expanded into the digital realm, making them victims of new forms of abuse and humiliation. Online platforms, particularly apps like “Sulli Deals” and “Bulli Bai,” have become tools to publicly shame Muslim women, especially journalists, activists, and vocal critics of the BJP. These platforms have been used to auction Muslim women, turning them into public spectacles while also subjecting them to sexual violence and threats.
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The rise of AI-generated pornography and rape threats online is a disturbing reflection of the increasing normalization of violence against Muslim women. The aim of this digital abuse is not only to silence Muslim women but also to exclude them from the public sphere. These acts are part of a wider strategy to intimidate, humiliate, and marginalize Muslim women, particularly those who challenge the Hindutva agenda.
Genocide Watch has linked the sexual violence against Muslim women in India to broader genocidal patterns as outlined in Dr. Gregory Stanton’s “10 Stages of Genocide.” These stages include classification, symbolization, discrimination, dehumanization, and the organization of violence. According to Stanton’s framework, sexual violence is not just a crime against individuals but a strategic tool used to destroy communities, making it clear that the ongoing abuse of Muslim women falls within the legal parameters of genocide.
While the primary focus of this article is on the systemic violence faced by Muslim women, it is important to note that this violence is not unique to them. Dalit women also face severe forms of sexual violence and oppression. In both cases, the state’s failure to act against the perpetrators is emblematic of a broader pattern of caste-based discrimination that exacerbates the vulnerability of marginalized women. Human Rights Watch has documented these crimes, which show that the sexual violence faced by Dalit and Muslim women is part of a larger social order that systematically oppresses them based on gender and caste.
