Modi and India’s Muslims? Al Jazeera

In the aftermath of his party’s convincing election victory, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has tried to push the issue of decreasing inclusion and representation by the substantial Muslim minority to the spotlight. History shows that the rise of the right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party, or BJP, has led to increasing violence against Muslims in recent years. Muslim leaders do not trust Modi’s minority outreach, as his tenure has coincided with hate crimes against Muslims. More than 40 lynching deaths, most Muslims, during the past five years have gone unaddressed. Religious polarization has become a strategy of the Hindu nationalist BJP party that has embraced national security, invoking the impression of a rising Muslim threat to the Indian public. States with vulnerable Muslim populations like Assam and Kashmir are at risk of expulsion, with removal of safeguards and documentation on a religious basis. Despite actions suggesting notions of Hindu supremacy, Modi continues to be seen as a working-class hero due to his lower caste origins and humble beginnings. – YaleGlobal