Mapping Islamophobia: The Indian Media Environment

India’s diverse and complex media environment reflects the wide range of linguistic, social, political, and economic differences encompassed by the country’s population. A recent Islamophobic trend in the Indian media environment—the spread of fake news and incendiary narratives in online media against Muslims—has led to social, religious, political polarization, and recurrent violence against Muslims. It seems that Islamophobia is holding sway in the entire country and a certain mentality has developed. If we analyze contemporary Indian society, it is apparent that every layer of the society is in the grip of deep Islamophobia. The dissemination of Islamophobic information in media, particularly social media, often peddled by political actors and their supporters to further xenophobic politics, has in recent years emerged as a formidable challenge that threatens to tear apart the social fabric of India. This chapter will examine the Islamophobic media coverage in India, the deliberate and carefully designed dissemination of factually inaccurate narratives, signs of Islamophobia, and the government’s stance on this issue.