NEW DELHI: More than 2,500 people have been charged across India after writing or displaying the slogan “I love Mohammed”a reference to the prophet Muhammad, sparking a national debate on religious freedom and suppression of the state.
Repression – concentrated in states led by the Prime Minister Narendra ModiIt is Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Festival (BJP) – led to dozens of arrests, house demolitions and widespread protests.
Authorities say the slogan threatens “public order,” but rights groups argue it is a threat. peaceful expression of faith being selectively criminalized.
The origin of the repression
The controversy began on September 4 In KanpurUttar Pradesh, during the celebrations of Eid al-Milad al-Nabiwhich marks the birth of the Prophet Muhammad.
A local Muslim neighborhood has installed an illuminated sign reading “I Love Muhammad,” modeled after the famous “I Love New York” drawing. Some Hindu residents opposed it, saying it violated state rules regarding the introduction of new religious manifestations.
The police made the situation worse by accusing more than two dozen Muslims of promote religious enmity— a serious offense punishable by imprisonment of up to five years.
The protests quickly spread to other states, including Telangana, Gujarat, Maharashtra, UttarakhandAnd Jammu and Kashmir. T-shirts, posters and social media posts emblazoned with the message “I Love Muhammad” have appeared across the country as a form of peaceful resistance.
Police raids, arrests and bulldozers
In BareliUttar Pradesh – about 270 km from Kanpur – a demonstration led by the imam Tauqeer Raza September 26 became violent. Police responded with mass arrests, arresting 75 people, including the imam and his relatives. The authorities then bulldozed at least four houses belonging to the accusedpursuing a model of punitive demolitions targeting Muslim communities.
Such demolitions, often carried out without court order or notice, have been criticized by Indian authorities. Supreme Court of Indiawho stated that demolitions cannot be used as a form of extra-legal sanction. Despite this, activists say the practice continues unchecked in many BJP-ruled states.
Meanwhile, arrests have been reported in other states, including Gujarat, for simply posting the slogan on social media.
Is it illegal to say “I love Muhammad” in India?
India Constitution of India guarantees both freedom of religion (article 25) And freedom of expression (article 19(1)(a)). Legal experts say no law criminalizes the declaration “I love Muhammad.”
However, the police used provisions relating to public order and incitement prosecute those displaying the slogan, a tactic human rights groups call “legally fragile but politically motivated”.
Nadeem Khan Association for the Protection of Civil Rights (APCR) said Al Jazeera that the authorities deliberately target those who use or defend the slogan – not the slogan itself.
“They know there is no law criminalizing ‘I love Muhammad,'” Khan said. “The government cannot selectively criminalize a religion. »
Human rights alarm
Amnesty International India chair Aakar Patel warned that the crackdown violates India’s legal and international human rights obligations.
“Targeting people with slogans such as ‘I love Muhammad’, which are peaceful and devoid of any incitement, does not meet the threshold for criminal restriction under Indian or international law,” Patel said.
“The role of the state is to protect rights equally, not to control expressions of belief. »
A tendency to target Muslims
Critics say it’s part of a larger tendency to marginalize Indian Muslims under the Modi government. Incidents of hate speech have increased by 74% in just a year, with most occurring in BJP-ruled states.
Local conflicts between Hindu and Muslim communities are increasingly turning into national flashpoints, amplified by partisan media and online networks.
In Modi’s own constituency, BenaresBJP leaders responded to the Kanpur episode by putting up posters reading “I love bulldozers” – a mocking reference to the destruction of Muslim homes.
Impact on young Muslims
Many of those arrested are young Muslimssome prisoners for wear t-shirts or share posts with the slogan. Analysts warn that this climate of fear and surveillance is growing alienation among Muslim youth.
“In theory, everyone is already guilty and can be punished simply for being,” political analyst Asim Ali told Al Jazeera. “The pace of hatred is accelerating day by day. »
Rasheed Kidwai, another analyst, noted that the dispute is “overtly political, not religious”reflecting broader identity tensions in India.
A constitutional stress test
The crackdown on the ‘I Love Muhammad’ message has become a test of India’s constitutional commitments to freedom of religion and expression. Rights groups warn that selective enforcement of laws based on identity could undermine democratic norms in the world’s largest democracy.
The story is a rewritten version of Al Jazeera
