Hindutva and the Muslim Problem: An Exploration of Gendered Islamophobia in India

This chapter examines the nature of gendered Islamophobia in India in relation to the spread of Hindutva under the BJP government. In particular, the chapter focuses on the institutionalization of Islamophobia through examples of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) 2019, the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam, the Abrogation of Article 370, the Karnataka ban on the hijab in educational institution, the “love jihad” conspiracy, especially in relation to the implementation of the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance 2020, and the creation of the “Sulli Deals” and “Bulli Bai” platforms. These examples are analysed through Alimahomed-Wilson’s “matrix of gendered Islamophobia” as located within the context of India, informed by the history of British colonialism, and the tensions between the Hindu-Muslim communities in India, the independence struggle and the eventual partition of the Indian sub-continent. The chapter shows how Islamophobia, and in practice, gendered Islamophobia, is a process of othering where the ultimate goal is the erasure of the Muslim identity in Hindutva India.