Discrimination against Muslims increased by 56%

Ground Report | New Delhi: Discrimination against Muslims increased; Most Indians believe that social media is responsible for the growing gap between Hindu and Muslim communities in the country. This was revealed from a nationwide survey conducted by IANS-CVoter with a sample size of 1942 using random sampling on December 5, a day before the start of the 30th anniversary of the demolition of the Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992.

Discrimination against Muslims increased

Close to half of the respondents surveyed, 48.2 percent felt that social media had widened the gap between communities to a great extent. About 23 percent of the respondents felt that social media had widened the gap to some extent. In fact, over 71 percent of Indians attribute the recent conflict between the two communities to social media.

In contrast, 28.6 percent were of the opinion that social media had no role in the incident. If you look at the political divide, 40.7 per cent of NDA voters held social media largely responsible, while 53.6 per cent of opposition voters felt the same.

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Social media platforms in India have come under scrutiny for their alleged role in spreading misinformation, fake news, defamatory and defamatory content, and outright inciting violence. It has become routine for state and local level administrations to temporarily ban access to social media platforms in areas of tension and violence.

A parliamentary committee recently presented a set of recommendations for regulating social media platforms. One major recommendation is to treat them as publishers while the other is to create a regulatory body on the lines of the Press Council of India to regulate their activities.

Discrimination in Healthcare

One-third of Muslims, more than 20 percent Dalits and tribals, and 30 percent of respondents in general have no access to religion, caste, or health care due to illness or health conditions in hospitals.

Oxfam India’s report is based on a recent survey ‘Securing Rights of Patients in India’, and provides an insight into the plight of patients and citizens in the healthcare system. The Pan India survey was conducted between February and April 2021 and received 3,890 responses. The survey highlighted shortcomings in the implementation of patients’ right to information, informed consent, and other opinions.

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More than 70% said that the doctor only prescribed prescription or treatment or asked them to perform tests/investigations without stating their illness, nature, and/or cause of illness, while more than half said no about the investigation. Didn’t get the information. Tests are being performed on admission to the hospital. At least one-third said their doctor did not allow a second opinion.

The survey on the Ministry of Health’s Patient Rights Charter was conducted between February and April and received 3890 responses, while the survey on India’s vaccine campaign was conducted between August and September covering 28 states and five centers. The administered areas covered 10,955 respondents.

Several foreign governments and international bodies have condemned the BJP's discrimination against Muslims, calling the actions in Kashmir and the Citizenship Amendment Act a matter of particular concern.

The UN Human Rights Office described the law as "fundamentally discriminatory" and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed concern that it could render people stateless. Many Muslim-majority countries and Muslim Arab activists have raised their voices against the growing Islamophobia in India. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), a grouping of fifty-seven member states, advised India to "take immediate steps to stem the rising tide of Islamophobia".

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