Indian pop singers producing anti-Muslim music

• Anti-Muslim songs are played in rallies by Hindu supremacist groups.
• Cultural items such as music, poetry, and film have also become tools for sustaining hatred politics.
• Right-wing gangs marched through predominantly Muslim neighborhoods, and played loud music with Islamophobic lyrics outside mosques

Prem Krishnavanshi’s song is part of a new mass culture in India, where anti-Muslim songs are played in rallies by Hindu supremacist groups. They are sparked by modern hate politics.

“Insaan nahi ho saalo, ho tum kasaayi; Bahut ho chuka Hindu-Muslim bhai bhai.” The line translates into, ‘you are not humans, you are butchers; it’s enough of Hindu-Muslim brotherhood.’

These are the lyrics to a ‘bhajan’ (devotional song) that singer Krishnavanshi posted three years ago on YouTube. It still receives the exact appreciation.

Hundreds of such music videos are available on YouTube and other social media platforms. Hindu far-right fans adore and share them for their messages of hatred, abuse, and even threats of genocide, directing the minority.

Krishnavanshi, an engineering graduate from Uttar Pradesh’s capital, Lucknow, aspired to be a Bollywood singer. It was, however, far too competitive. To make a living, he turned to live shows and events.

When the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in 2014, it was a watershed moment. Since the inauguration of a new government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has experienced unprecedented polarization. It has started hate assaults on India’s minorities, primarily Muslims, becoming a near-daily occurrence.

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In such a situation, cultural items such as music, poetry, and film have also become tools for sustaining hatred politics.

During Hindu festivals in recent months, India encountered religious violence in various states. Right-wing gangs marched through predominantly Muslim neighborhoods, and played loud music with Islamophobic lyrics outside mosques.

Krishnavanshi performs in both Hindi and Bhojpuri. Yogi Adityanath, the BJP’s saffron-robed Hindu monk who is known for his anti-Muslim rhetoric and policies, governs Uttar Pradesh. It is the India’s most populous state with roughly 205 million citizens.

Krishnavanshi says that Muslims are “anti-nationals who should go to Pakistan.”

“Muslims will eventually force Hindus to pray namaz if they don’t wake up soon,” he sings in one of his songs.

However, the performer argues that these are not anti-Semitic songs.

He told, “I don’t think my music is Islamophobic. My music signifies truth and if someone thinks it’s Islamophobic, I can’t stop them from feeling that way.”

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The songs also refer to the Mughals and other Muslim rulers of the subcontinent as “invaders.” They, according to him, use violence and threats to spread Islam. Hindu males with vermillion on their foreheads wield swords, tridents, and pistols in their music videos.

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