#DemolishingMuslimSitesInIndia
Islamabad, October 17 (KMS): The systematic demolitions of mosques, shrines, and dargahs in India under Narendra Modi’s BJP are part of a Hindutva-driven campaign aimed at marginalizing Muslims and eroding their religious rights.
A report released by Kashmir Media Service, today, said these demolitions reflect a deliberate attempt to erase Islamic history and presence in India, exposing a deep-rooted anti-Muslim agenda that has been institutionalized under the current government.
The BJP, it said, driven by radical Hindu ideology, seeks to assert Hindu supremacy while relegating Muslims and other minorities to second-class status, depriving them of the constitutional right to practice their faith freely.
The report said since 2014, when Modi came to power, there has been a sharp increase in violent incidents against Muslims, including lynching, attacks on places of worship, and hate speeches.
It said this rise in violence, documented by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, shows how radical Hindu groups, emboldened by the state, operate with impunity, furthering the exclusion of Muslims from the Indian mainstream.
The report said these actions are a part of a broader strategy to marginalize Muslims and strip them of their identity, using religious sites as battlegrounds for this ideological war.
The targeting and destruction of Islamic religious structures represent a physical manifestation of the narrative that Muslims do not belong in Modi’s vision of India, it added.
It said these demolitions are clear violations of international human rights standards, including the right to freedom of religion as protected by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The report lamented that India’s claim to be a secular democracy was contradicted by the actions of the BJP government, which systematically reduced the space for Muslims to live and follow their religion.
It said Legislative moves like the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) show how the state is formalizing the exclusion of Muslims.
Reports from the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) have categorized India as a “Country of Particular Concern” due to its worsening treatment of Muslims, reinforcing the grim reality that religious freedom is under assault in Modi’s India, it added.
It deplored that the marginalization of Muslims and the destruction of their religious sites were part of a coordinated effort to erase Islamic identity in India.
This is not just about demolishing structures, but about eradicating the Muslim way of life, culture, and the right to practice faith without fear, the report maintained.
It said the international community, including the United Nations, must take action to prevent further religious persecution and hold India accountable for its blatant disregard for the religious freedoms of its minorities.
Under Modi’s BJP, India is transforming into a nation where Muslims are denied the fundamental right to live and follow their religion, violating the very principles of equality and freedom that a democracy is meant to uphold, the report concluded.
