We The Minority: India’s Muslims Speak Out in Times of Gau Raksha
How has the everyday life of an Indian Muslim changed? The Quint speaks to Muslims across 16 cities in India.
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“India belongs to us all,” says Liaqat Ali, a resident of Ballabgarh, the town in Faridabad district of Haryana that was once home to 16-year-old Junaid. The teen was on his way back home from Delhi’s Sadar Bazaar in June when he was brutally lynched on a train. His only crime – he was a Muslim.
According to an IndiaSpend survey, 86 percent of those killed in cow-related violence in India since 2010 were Muslims.
Mob lynching in the name of ‘gau raksha’ seems to have become the new normal; the hatred often spills into our political discourse, our social media timelines, and everyday lives.
How has the increasing levels of intolerance affected inter-community ties, social relations, mindsets and even business practices among India’s Muslims? Is the polarising discourse restricted only to TV studios and newspapers, or is there a pervading atmosphere of fear?
(We all love to express ourselves, but how often do we do it in our mother tongue? Here's your chance! This Independence Day, khul ke bol with BOL – Love your Bhasha. Sing, write, perform, spew poetry – whatever you like – in your mother tongue. Send us your BOL at bol@thequint.com or WhatsApp it to 9910181818.)
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