India and the Rise of Islamophobia

Why and Why Now?

November 21, 2022
11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. EST
Location: Online Zoom Webinar

Since the rise of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to power in India, anti-Muslim rhetoric and discriminatory measures have been increasing, even more so as the country emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic. Islamophobia has reached an unprecedented peak, with Muslims increasingly subject to hate speech, racist attacks, and violence. The Hindu nationalism driving these developments has complex historical roots. In her recent book, We God’s People: Christianity, Islam and Hinduism in the World of Nations (2021), Berkley Center Senior Fellow Jocelyne Cesari argues that Indian national identity is shaped by the nexus of secularism, communalism, and Hinduism.

This online event addressed the particular characteristics of Indian Islamophobia through an examination of the past, present, and future dynamics of Indian nationalism and secularism. Jocelyne Cesari engaged in conversation with Kalpana Jain, senior journalist and senior ethics and religion editor at The Conversation US.

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Participants

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