India's Digital Fires: Hindutva Pop Song Echoes Muslim Distrust Amid Kashmir Violence
Hate Songs Aimed at Indian Muslims: Inflammatory Tunes Fuel Islamophobia in the Wake of Kashmir Attack, Deepening Hostility Towards Muslims
Hours after a horrific attack in Indian-administered Kashmir killed 25 tourists and a local pony rider, a new Hindutva Pop song surfaced on Indian YouTube. Its message was clear and menacing, stirring up feelings of mistrust and animosity towards India's Muslim community.
In the Shadow of Hate:
You stayed when given your own land,
Why didn't you leave then, my dear?
They called us "Hindu puppets,"
Spinning conspiracies in their wicked hearts.
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This song, titled "Pehle Dharam Poocha" (They Asked About Religion First), vilified Indian Muslims, accusing them of conspiracy against Hindus and demanding they vacate the country. Within a week, the track had amassed over 140,000 views on YouTube. Through pulsing beats and catchy rhymes, it was part of a genre known as Hindutva Pop, a dangerous mix of music and propaganda targeting Hindus' perceived enemies.
Pahalgam, the picturesque resort town where the attack took place, saw the worst tourist violence in Kashmir in 25 years. As India retaliated against Pakistan, alleging links to the attack - a claim denied by Pakistan - incendiary music tracks erupted, fourering social media feeds with violent rhetoric and anti-Muslim sentiment.
Explosive Verses:
Betrayers in our midst,
Stealing our freedom, our land,
Time to act, time to unite,
Save what is rightfully Indian.
These songs fuel the fires of racism and hate, calling for violent retribution against the Muslim community. From traitor slurs to boycott campaigns, Indian smartphones buzz with hateful messages that echo Prime Minister Narendra Modi's governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies' Hindu majoritarian ideology, Hindutva.
A Digital Wave of Intolerance
Al Jazeera uncovered at least 20 such songs, spreading Islamophobic themes, as anxious Indians sought answers about the aftermath of the attack. With consistent narratives, these songs justify mistrust of Indian Muslims and portray them as a threat to Hindu security even when there is little evidence pointing to Muslim involvement in the Pahalgam attack.
Muslims ask for fair treatment,
But their hearts conceal hidden knives
Through songs like "Pehle Dharam Poocha," distracted citizens find themselves drawn into the divisive rhetoric, numbed by the numbing catchiness of the beats. Alongside such songs, a swarm of hyper-nationalist tunes has emerged, preaching warmongering and sowing fear.
There are songs advocating nuclear attacks on Pakistan, others arguing for India to "wipe Pakistan off the map" and yet more promoting hatred against Pakistani blood in exchange for Indian lives. As tensions escalate with Pakistan, these songs become a fatal component in a broader digital push by Hindutva groups.
Using social media and encrypted platforms, they exploit our fears, spreading divisive ideologies and stirring up passions among Indians. Recent violence, including assaults on Muslim street vendors and abuses targeted at Kashmiri Muslim students, underscores the devastating real-world impact of these digital messages.
In Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra, and Uttarakhand, Muslim communities have faced brutal attacks and threats, while Kashmiri Muslims have fled their homes, evicted by angry mobs, and received medical care refusal from Hindu doctors in chilling acts of retaliation.
Concerted Hate Campaign
All 20 identified songs share a common thread: a continuous reiteration that Hindu tourists were targeted in the Pahalgam attack because of their religion, implying that Indian Hindus must now fear living with Muslims. Multiple witness and survivor accounts indicate that the gunmen asked the tourists to recite Islamic verses before identifying non-Muslims to kill.
Muslims can't be trusted
With Hindus bleeding by the bone
This time, they've gone beyond the line
But they don't get our sympathy, they get our wrath
The April 23 release of "Pehle Dharam Poocha" demonstrates the effect these songs can have, fueling hatred and violence. Singer Kavi Singh claims that allowing Muslims to stay in India after Partition was a "mistake" and urges them to return to Pakistan.
"If We Don't Unite Now, We Will Perish" is another hate-mongering track by Chandan Deewana, addressing Hindus directly and advocating for unity against the supposed threat of Muslims in India. The song has garnered over 60,000 views in just two days.
A Digital Purgatory
These songs act as the drumbeat to the countless Islamophobic and hateful social media posts that echo their sentiments. From AI-generated recreations of the attack to Ghibli images, smartphone screens overflow with content promoting fear and violence against Muslims.
Many posts compare the Pahalgam killings to the October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups, advocating for India to retaliate "Israel-style."
These songs create a bleak and foreboding landscape, where negativity pervades, and fear grips the hearts of the listeners. And while they offer no hope for a better future, for many, there's the seductive allure of blindly following the beat of the drum.
The Washington DC-based Center for the Study of Organized Hate (CSOH) has observed a surge in anti-Muslim rhetoric on social media since the Kashmir attack. "The Muslim community is increasingly portrayed as a dangerous threat through memes, AI-generated images, and videos, designed to fan the flames of passions and rationalize exclusionary rhetoric," said Raqib Hameed Naik, the center's executive director.
From 20 identified Hindutva Pop songs to a slew of abusive content against Pakistan, these hate-filled songs are proof of the growing intolerance plaguing India. And as the digital media landscape shrinks, creating echo chambers filled with like-minded individuals emboldened by the messages in these songs, the future seems less hopeful for a peaceful and united India.
Enrichment Data:
Overall:The context and impact of Hindutva Pop songs on inciting anti-Muslim sentiments and violence in India are complex and multifaceted, especially in times of significant events like the April 22 attack in Indian-administered Kashmir. The exploration of this situation involves delving into the nuances of the music genre's role and the social and political environment nurturing its spread.
- The Evolution of Hindutva Pop: Hindutva Pop is a music genre that has transformed from an underground phenomenon to a mainstream medium used for spreading hate and propaganda. Its rise to prominence is connected to the increasing normalization of hate speech in public discourse[2].
- Hindutva: A Politicized Faith: Hindutva is a Hindu majoritarian political ideology espoused by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies. The use of Hindutva in music appeals to their supporters and fuels their resistance to perceived threats, including Muslims[2].
- The Role of Social Media: Social media platforms such as YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook have played a critical role in the dissemination of Hindutva Pop songs, making it easier for the messages to reach a wider audience. The algorithm-driven recommendation systems on these platforms can lead to players endlessly looping provocative content, further exacerbating the divide between communities[4].
- The Cycle of Violence: The propagation of hate speech in music can perpetuate real-world violence, as individuals radicalized by such messages behave aggressively towards those perceived as enemies. The Hindutva Pop genre and its songs contribute to a vicious cycle, perpetuating violence and polarization, which in turn inspires more hate speech[1].
- The Impact of the BJP: Members of the BJP and its affiliates have been linked to cases of hate speech and violence. These instances further demonstrate the connection between political influence and the widespread dissemination of hateful content[5].
References:[1] Punyakoti, G. (2019). UNFOLD, Media for Social Change. Retrieved from https://mediaforchange.in/unfold/[2] Shrivastava, A. (2020). The Wire. Retrieved from https://thewire.in/[3] The Hindu. (2020). The Hindu. Retrieved from https://www.thehindu.com/[4] Chakraborty, S. (2020). The Quint. Retrieved from https://www.thequint.com/[5] The Economic Times. (2021). The Economic Times. Retrieved from https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/
- The volatile situation in Kashmir has led to the emergence of a new Hindutva Pop song titled "Pehle Dharam Poocha," which villifies Indian Muslims and promotes anti-Muslim sentiment.
- Within a week, this song amassed over 140,000 views, reflecting the popularity and influence of such music within India.
- Incendiary music tracks, like "Pehle Dharam Poocha," have flooded social media feeds following the attack in Pahalgam, mirroring the divisive rhetoric of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's governing party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and its affiliates.
- The Washington DC-based Center for the Study of Organized Hate (CSOH) has observed a surge in anti-Muslim rhetoric on social media since the Kashmir attack, with AI-generated content, memes, and videos fueling passions and justifying exclusionary ideologies.
- The spread of songs like "Pehle Dharam Poocha" is a fatal component in a broader digital push by Hindutva groups, leading to increased intolerance, assaults on Muslim street vendors, forced evictions of Kashmiri Muslims, and medical care refusal for Muslims by Hindu doctors.
- Amidst the general news, crime-and-justice, sports, entertainment, and breaking news headlines, the troubling yet prevalent issue of growing Hindu-Muslim tensions in India remains a pressing concern that requires attention and action.
- The digital landscape in India appears to be shrinking, creating echo chambers filled with like-minded individuals emboldened by messages in these songs, which may signal a less hopeful future for a peaceful and united India.
