Whether it be the Africans, the Latinas, the Asians or the Muslims there is no doubt that certain ethnic groups have experienced discriminatory behavior since the dawn of time. One of these cases becoming prevalent mostly after the partition of the sub-continent are the Muslims in India. A minority in the primarily Hindu nation, India is home to roughly 200 million Muslims, one of the largest Muslim populations in the world. Despite constitutional protections, Muslims in India have consistently experienced bigotry, violence, and discrimination. 

According to experts, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ruling party (BJP), which has promoted a Hindu nationalist agenda since coming to office in 2014, are to blame for the rise in anti-Muslim attitudes. Since Modi's reelection in 2019, the government has promoted divisive measures that critics claim blatantly disregard Muslims' rights and are actually designed to deny millions of Muslims their right to vote. The actions have triggered protests in India and drawn criticism from around the world.

In terms of employment, education, and housing, Muslims have faced bigotry. Many people face obstacles to acquiring income and political influence as well as a lack of access to essential amenities like healthcare. In addition, despite constitutional rights, individuals frequently struggle to obtain justice after being the victims of discrimination. In a report published in 2019 by the organization Common Cause, it was discovered that half of the police surveyed had anti-Muslim prejudice, which decreased their inclination to step in and halt crimes against Muslims. Analysts have observed that attackers of Muslims frequently escape unpunished; in recent years, courts and government agencies have occasionally overturned convictions or withdrawn cases that implicated Hindus in violence against Muslims. 

Furthermore, the Citizenship Amendment Act, which allows for the quick citizenship of migrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan who identify as Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, or Christian, was approved by the Indian parliament in December 2019 and signed by Modi. Critics claim that the law is discriminatory since it excludes Muslims and, for the first time, bases citizenship decisions on religious criteria. According to the Modi’s administration, the rule is intended to protect weak religious minorities who have experienced discrimination in these three Muslim-majority nations. 

Jammu & Kashmir, which was once the only state in India with a majority of Muslims, has seen its political influence decline under Modi. The state, which is located in the mountainous border region in conflict with Pakistan, was divided into two territories in August 2019 and lost its unique constitutional autonomy. Thousands of people, including well-known members of the mainstream political establishment and separatist activists, have been jailed or put under house arrest as a result of the government's months-long shutdown of internet and mobile services in the area. According to Ashutosh Varshney, a Brown University expert on Indian intercommunal conflict, "the longer Hindu nationalists are in power, the greater the change to Muslims' standing and the harder it will be to reverse such changes."

Large-scale acts of violence have been rare in recent years, but periodic attacks against Muslims have been common. Hindu mobs are now so frequent that India's Supreme Court issued a warning that they would start to feel like the "new normal." One of the most prevalent anti-Muslim acts of violence is vigilante groups targeting individuals who are allegedly involved in the trading or slaughter of cows, which many Hindus consider to be holy. According to a 2019 Human Rights Watch study, these so-called cow protection gangs have killed at least 44 people, the majority of whom were Muslims. 

Varshney, an expert, points out that while anti-Muslim sentiment is on the rise among Hindus, not all Hindu voters hold anti-Muslim views. Muslims and Hindus alike have pushed back against the BJP's attempts to destroy India's secularism, including activists, professors, and students. Particularly, the Citizenship Amendment Act has provoked considerable action and protests. After it was passed, student activists—among them many Muslims—organized protests that lasted well into 2020. Several state chief ministers declared they will not carry out the law. In a declaration that was signed by around 2000 academics and professionals, they criticised the bill for going against the letter of the constitution.

Numerous foreign nations and international organisations have denounced the BJP's treatment of Muslims as being discriminatory, highlighting the Citizenship Amendment Act and events in Kashmir as being of special concern. The rule was labelled as "fundamentally discriminatory" by the UN human rights office, and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed concern that it would cause people to lose their nationality. Muslim Arab activists and representatives of a number of Muslim-majority countries have denounced the rise of Islamophobia in India. The organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) urged India to take "urgent steps to stem the growing tide of Islamophobia." On a personal level we can also help Muslims in India get their fundamental rights promised by their constitution through protests, donations, petitions and other forms of awareness.