India Is One Of The Main Sources Of Online Islamophobic Content
Islamic Council of Victoria (ICV) is the apex Muslim body in the Australian state of Victoria and it represents an estimated 270,000 community members. ICV has found “a strong correlation between spikes in hate and newsworthy events related to Islam, particularly protests, terrorist attacks and eruptions of conflict in the Muslim world”. The study also revealed that the response of politicians to current events related to Islam can have a considerable impact on the prevalence of Islamophobia. In addition to that, a large spike in Islamophobic tweets was observed on February 25, 2020, which links with hateful remarks made by leaders of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) against Muslim protesters of the Citizenship Amendment Act. The major factor contributing to the rise in hateful content online in India was particularly associated with the ruling party, as most people know how the BJP has actively normalized hatred towards Muslims. In the same way, Islamophobia has long been a problem in the US as well. According to the study, it was dramatically exacerbated by the racist, conspiratorial and inflammatory rhetoric employed by Donald Trump. The study also reported that: The anti-Muslim remarks made by other leaders such as former British prime minister Boris Johnson and French President Emmanuel Macron were also considered to be associated with spikes in hateful content online. As far as Islamophobia and terrorism are concerned, the study also revealed that attacks in the West were more likely to lead to anti-Muslim hate than those committed elsewhere. Also Read: The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Hosted An Event Inside Fortnite (phoneworld.com.pk)
