Subheading: Highlighting the Global Rise of Violence Based on Religious Foundations
Today, across the world, the International Day of Solidarity with Victims of Religious-Based Violence is being observed, shedding light on the alarming issue of violence stemming from religious extremism. India is prominently featured in the context of religious extremism and violence against minorities. Since its independence, more than 500,000 Muslims have tragically lost their lives in around 93,647 incidents of violence. The Bihar events of 1989, Gujarat riots of 2002, and Delhi riots of 2020 have resulted in the martyrdom of thousands of Muslims. Furthermore, hate crimes against Christians have exceeded 400 within the first six months of this year. The Gujarat incidents of 1998, Odisha incidents of 2008, and the recent violence in Mani Puri have witnessed the unfortunate loss of thousands of Christian lives due to the actions of extremist Hindus. According to findings from Open Doors organization, incidents of violence against Christians in India have escalated, ranking India 10th in the world for violence against Christians, up from the 28th rank in 2014.
ABC News has reported a 66% increase in hate crimes against minorities since the ascent of the Modi government. According to statistics from the National Crime Records Bureau, in the past five years, there have been more than 1.5 million reported cases of hate crimes against lower-caste Hindus. During the Karnataka incidents of 2000 and the Tamil Nadu incidents of 2012, thousands of lower-caste Hindus were tragically targeted and lost their lives due to the actions of upper-caste Hindus. Similarly, in 1984 in Jammu, 1969 in Gujarat, and 2000 in Chittisinghpura, thousands of Sikhs fell victim to violence. The National Crime Records Bureau reveals that, on average, a hate crime against Muslims occurs every five minutes, against Dalits every ten minutes, and against Christians every twelve minutes in India.
Prominent media outlets such as Al Jazeera and BBC have highlighted that the Modi government is involved in policies that affect various religious and social groups. These include citizenship laws, cow vigilantism, bulldozer policies, and dress code laws, which have particularly impacted Muslims. Additionally, anti-conversion laws target Christians, and anti-farmer policies affect farmers across the nation.
