In part two of The Ten Stages of Genocide in India Series we will be analyzing how Symbolization, the second stage of Genocide, is occurring against the Muslim population in the country. We conclude part two of the series by outlining actionable recommendations to address this early warning sign of genocide.
India’s Muslim community has been facing growing demonisation. Photograph: Getty Images
Symbolization occurs when symbols are applied to classified groups to distinguish them from the dominant or genocidal group. While many groups can be identified by their signs of faith such as a Star of David or by the cultural dress group members choose to wear, when signs or symbols are forced upon members of specific groups, symbolization can signal a potential genocide. Such signs or symbols are deliberately applied to differentiate targeted groups from the general populace. For example, in Nazi Germany, Jews were forced to wear a yellow star on their clothing to mark their othered (and targeted) status. Symbolization may be coupled with dehumanization to deliberately mark members of the group as an internal threat.
Symbolization in India is most visible in political rhetoric and political cartoons. In political speeches and art, allusions to “Islamic attire” are used when describing the threats that India faces. After the outbreak of the Coronavirus in March 2020, “Corona Jihad” became a common phrase used to accuse the Muslim community of carrying out a ‘holy war’ (Jihad) against India by spreading Covid-19 in the country. In the backdrop of this , The Hindu, a widely circulated English daily newspaper in India, published a political cartoon that showed Coronavirus dressed in a Pathani suit, traditional attire worn by Muslims, pointing a gun at the world. The cartoon implied that the spread of COVID in India was caused by Muslims. This is an example of how symbols are used to promote categorization of Muslims as a threatening group.
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) inspired Sangh Parivar nationalists and the BJP government to use symbols to incite mobs to violently attack Muslims. Hindu mobs have killed Muslims and destroyed Muslim homes, believing that doing so will ‘purify’ the country. Without any judicial hearing or notice, bulldozers have demolished over a thousand Muslim homes in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. Their owners are accused of being Muslim ‘conspirators’ or protesters who have allegedly incited communal violence.
A bulldozer, adorned with posters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his ally, Yogi Adityanath, rolling through a main street in Edison, New Jersey, 2022 (Indian American Muslim Council)
As more Muslim homes have been demolished, the bulldozer has transcended its physical purpose. It is now used by the BJP as a symbol for response to the Muslim threat. The symbol of the bulldozer has now traveled to the diaspora. For example, during the Indian Independence Day Parade in Edison, New Jersey in 2022, a bulldozer with a picture of Modi and Uttar Pradesh’s Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and the slogan ‘baba bulldozer’ or ‘father bulldozer’ was featured. The symbol of the bulldozer not only reinforces the perception that Muslims are a threat within India, but the belief that the solution to the “Muslim problem” is to “cleanse” Indian society by erasing the most basic rights of Muslims.
Sangh Parivar nationalists have used the slogan “Jai Shri Ram” or “Victory to Ram” to symbolize Hindu dominance over non-Hindu minorities. Hindu nationalist militias chanted “Jai Shri Ram” as they marched through Muslim majority areas of Delhi during the Delhi Riots in 2020. The phrase has become a dog whistle call for anti-Muslim violence. Such violence is particularly evident when Hindutva extremists physically attack Muslims and force them to chant the phrase. When BJP won their second electoral victory in 2019, legislators chanted “Jai Shri Ram” in Parliament, using the phrase to heckle Muslim legislators who were taking their oath of office. Both at the Union and grassroots levels, “Jai Shri Ram” has been used as a symbol of Hindu supremacy.
Cartoonist Satish Acharya says using Ram's name to unleash violence risks widening India's religious divide © 2024 BBC
Genocide Watch recognizes the coded and suggestive language and visual signs used to mark Muslims as an Othered group. Symbolization is a potent driver of hatred against Muslims.
Genocide Watch recommends:
1. India is a state party to the 1948 Genocide Convention. India needs to enforce its anti-hate speech laws and prosecute Hindutva leaders’ calls for genocide against Muslims.
2. The Central government should order state governments to cease targeted demolitions against Muslim homes as discriminatory measures against alleged “communal” religious violence.
3. The Central government must publicly condemn attacks against Muslims by Hindus and must acknowledge the religious hatred that drives such attacks.
4. The U.S. Congress should raise Indian denial of religious freedom in U.S-India bilateral meetings and express strong concern over the marginalization of Muslim culture and the targeted attacks against human rights activists and Muslims .
5. U.S. opposition to Hindutva hate speech and discrimination against Muslims must be expressed in public hearings, briefings, letters, and congressional delegations. United States Senator Cory Booker spoke out against the display of bulldozers at the India Day Parade in New Jersey in August 2022. American political leaders must continue to issue statements and condemn instances where hate is displayed against Muslims by the Indian community in the U.S.
In the third part of this report, Genocide Watch will examine how the third stage of Genocide, Discrimination, is occurring in India.
Read Part One of the series here : The Ten Stages of Genocide in India - Part One