India’s Muslims Fear a Growing Backlash After Kashmir Attack - The New York Times


AI Summary Hide AI Generated Summary

Summary of the Article

The article discusses the growing concerns over a backlash against India's Muslim minority following a terrorist attack in Kashmir. The attack, which killed mostly Hindu tourists, has fueled public anger and led to increased targeting of Muslims under the guise of cracking down on illegal migrants.

Key Points

  • Widespread detentions and demolitions of Muslim-owned property are reported.
  • Right-wing Hindu nationalists are accused of exploiting the situation to intensify oppression against Muslims.
  • India's government is focusing on punitive measures against Pakistan, while local officials in BJP-ruled states are intensifying harassment of Muslims.
  • Killings of Muslims are reported in Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka, and some are suggested to be hate crimes.
  • The use of labels like "illegal Bangladeshis," "Rohingya," and "Pakistani" is used to target Muslim migrants.

Main Argument

The article argues that the terrorist attack in Kashmir is being used as a pretext by some to escalate a campaign of oppression against India's Muslim population.

Sign in to unlock more AI features Sign in with Google

Widespread detentions and demolitions of property targeting Muslims in India have provoked concerns that right-wing Hindu nationalists are exploiting last week’s terrorist attack in Kashmir to deepen a campaign of oppression against the country’s largest minority group.

Public anger has swelled after 26 people — all but one of them Hindu tourists — were killed by militants near the town of Pahalgam in the Indian-administered part of Kashmir, a Muslim-majority region. India has said that Pakistan had a supporting hand in the attack, an accusation that Pakistan denies.

India has appeared to be preparing to strike Pakistan militarily in response to the terrorist attack, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowing to hunt down the terrorists and “raze” their safe havens. A Pakistani government minister said on Tuesday that Pakistan believed an Indian strike was imminent.

So far, India’s central government has been focused on carrying out a series of punitive measures against Pakistan, including threatening to disrupt the flow of cross-border rivers. But officials and right-wing Hindu groups have intensified harassment of Muslims, which they have framed as a drive against illegal migrants.

In several states run by Mr. Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, local officials have used the moment to hound what they call “illegal Bangladeshis” and Rohingya, the Muslim minority who have fled Myanmar. Such labels, including “Pakistani,” are often used to target Muslim migrants from other parts of India.

The killings of Muslims were reported in two states, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka, with media reports suggesting they were hate crimes.

We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

Already a subscriber? Log in.

Want all of The Times? Subscribe.

🧠 Pro Tip

Skip the extension — just come straight here.

We’ve built a fast, permanent tool you can bookmark and use anytime.

Go To Paywall Unblock Tool
Sign up for a free account and get the following:
  • Save articles and sync them across your devices
  • Get a digest of the latest premium articles in your inbox twice a week, personalized to you (Coming soon).
  • Get access to our AI features

  • Save articles to reading lists
    and access them on any device
    If you found this app useful,
    Please consider supporting us.
    Thank you!

    Save articles to reading lists
    and access them on any device
    If you found this app useful,
    Please consider supporting us.
    Thank you!