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Owaisi is wrong: Mob lynchings against Muslims have not increased
Dear Reader,
During the Lok Sabha proceedings on 1 July, AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi raised the alarm over ‘increased lynchings of Muslims across India.’
But is there data to support a trend of anti-Muslim violence since 4 June? Not really. Let's look at the claims, the data, and what the full picture actually looks like.
Claims: During the Lok Sabha proceedings on July 1, AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi claimed that mob lynchings of Muslims have increased since June 4, with six Muslims lynched since then.
CPI (M) echoed this, citing five deaths of Muslim men and the demolition of 11 houses of Muslims in Madhya Pradesh as evidence of increasing anti-Muslim violence.
Sources: These claims seem to originate from news portals like Maktoob Media and The Wire which have been caught spreading misinformation and fabricated information on various occasions.
Maktoob Media: Reported on June 27 about a man named Salman Vohra in Gujarat, claiming it was the sixth lynching incident since June 4.
The Wire: Published a report citing seven cases of attacks on Muslims, presenting them as part of a trend of rising violence under the third term of the Modi government.
Other incidents selectively reported by Maktoob Media and The Wire:
Three Muslim men from Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, were attacked by a mob in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, resulting in two deaths on the spot and one after ten days.
A Christian woman was murdered in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada after her family converted to Christianity.
Vandalism of a shop owned by Mohammed Javed in Himachal Pradesh after he posted a Whatsapp status showing animal slaughter on Bakrid.
A Muslim man in West Bengal’s Birbhum was beaten for allegedly dropping meat near a Hindu temple.
Demolition of 11 houses of Muslims in Madhya Pradesh after accusations of cow slaughter.
A Closer Look: These incidents are indeed concerning, but do they establish a trend? The data is limited and selectively highlights violence against Muslims.
To understand the full picture, we must also look at the incidents involving Hindu victims during the same period.
Uttar Pradesh: In Jaunpur, a Hindu man was attacked by a Muslim group after a social media spat.
In Hardoi, a Muslim mob attacked a Hindu family, resulting in a death and several injuries.
Bihar: In Muzaffarpur, a minor Hindu boy was beaten by a Muslim group and forced to chant Islamic slogans.
Karnataka: Two Hindu men were stabbed by a group of Muslims during a victory procession.
Odisha: Hindu residents in Balasore protesting cow slaughter were assaulted by a Muslim mob.
Mischief: The data cited by Owaisi and CPI (M) lacks balance and comprehensiveness. It selectively highlights violence against Muslims while ignoring similar or even more severe attacks on Hindus.
This selective reporting can distort the narrative and exacerbate communal tensions.
Bottomline: The claims of increased mob lynchings of Muslims since June 4 are not supported by sufficient data. The incidents reported do not provide a balanced view of communal violence in India.
Dig Deeper: Check out the full article by Swati Goel Sharma where she debunks these claims and calls for addressing communal violence irrespective of the victims' religious affiliations.
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Until tomorrow then,
Anmol N Jain
