France 24: India awaits results of general election marred by ‘unprecented’ disinformation
India’s six-week election was staggering in its size and logistical complexity, but also in the “unprecedented” scale of online disinformation. Raqib Hameed Naik, from the US-based India Hate Lab, said they had “witnessed an unprecedented scale of disinformation” in the elections. “Conspiracy theories… were vigorously promoted to deepen the communal divide,” said Naik, whose organisation researches hate speech […]
Oslo Freedom Forum: Unmasking Hate in India
India Hate Lab founder Raqib Hameed Naik will deliver the keynote address on India’s authoritarian descent at the 16th Oslo Freedom Forum on June 4, 2024, in Oslo, Norway. This year’s theme, Reclaim Democracy, will emphasize the pivotal role every individual — speaker and participant alike — plays within the global movement for liberal democracy […]
India Hate Lab Brief: Dangerous Rise of Anti-Muslim Hate Speech in India’s Elections
As Indians take to the polling booths for the world’s largest elections, the India Hate Lab has noted a discernable rise in anti-Muslim hate speeches at election rallies. This was most concerningly and illustratively showcased in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s campaign speech in Rajasthan state on April 21. “When they (the Congress) were in power, […]
Newslaundry: More hate, more votes? Maharashtra’s voters on how they’re impacted by hate speech
There’s a larger pattern of hate speech in Maharashtra, which recorded 118 instances of hate speech in 2023, according to data from India Hate Lab. This was higher than any other state in India, with Uttar Pradesh in second place with 104 instances. In other words, Maharashtra recorded a hate speech once every three days in […]
Hate in Rhymes: The Toxic Mix of Hindutva Pop, Social Media and its Global Reach
By N Fathima Kunal Purohit is an award-winning independent journalist, documentary filmmaker, and author who has written extensively on development, politics, inequality, and the rise of Hindu nationalism. Kunal’s recent book, “H-Pop: The Secretive World of Hindutva Pop Stars” delves into the infiltration of Hindutva (Hindu nationalist) ideology into popular culture and its alarming consequences, […]
Independent: Why a third term for Modi could be ‘catastrophic’ for India’s 200 million Muslims
India Hate Lab, a research group in the US, documented 668 incidents of hate speech against Muslims in 2023, of which 413 took place in the last six months of the year, coinciding with key state elections. In the decade since Modi took power, “what has exponentially increased is runaway hate speech spouting venom against Muslims”, including calls […]
CNN: Rising Hindu nationalism leaves Muslims fearful in India’s holy city
Anti-Muslim speech has also risen dramatically, a recent report by the Washington-based research group India Hate Lab showed, which documented 668 such cases in 2023. BJP politician T. Raja Singh openly called for violence against Muslims in an October speech in Rajasthan, proclaiming: “If they (Muslims) take one Hindu girl, we’ll take 10 of theirs.” At […]
BBC: Being Muslim in Modi’s India
And anti-Muslim hate speech has surged – three quarters of incidents were reported from states ruled by the BJP. “Muslims have become second-class citizens, an invisible minority in their own country,” says Ziya Us Salam, author of a new book, Being Muslim in Hindu India. But the BJP – and Mr Modi – deny that minorities are […]
ABC: Critics of Narendra Modi barred from entering India after speaking out against government
Mr Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party denies accusations of fostering religious intolerance and says its policies benefit all Indians. India Hate Lab, a website tracking hate speech in India, found a steep rise in hate speech targeting Muslims in the second half of 2023. It documented 413 incidents, a 62 per cent rise compared to the […]
ACLED: Resurgent Hindu nationalism sets the stage for the upcoming elections, driving communal violence
A recent report by the Washington, DC-based India Hate Lab found that hate speech, mainly directed against Muslims, peaked during campaigning for Indian state elections in 2023; the BJP won three of the five states that went to polls.32 Anti-Muslim sentiment in the aftermath of the 2002 Gujarat riots, where Hindu mobs reportedly killed hundreds of […]