In India, chorus of anti-Muslim hatred grows louder with rise of Hindutva pop
- A wave of young Hindu singers are releasing songs that ‘spew hatred against Muslims’ and other minorities in an emerging genre known as H-pop
- India has seen a rise in hate crimes since the Hindu nationalist BJP took power, and the emergence of H-pop ‘reinforces its political dominance’, an analyst says
With catchy tunes and provocative lyrics, young Indian singers are among a wave of personalities fuelling the rise of Hindutva Pop, or H-pop, a brand of entertainment demonising Muslims and other minorities that observers say has helped fuel real-world violence.
On YouTube, hundreds of H-pop singers openly attack Muslims, calling them derogatory names to thumping beats. The songs are widely shared on social media platforms and passed on from one chat group to another on WhatsApp, collectively racking up billions of views.
“They’re bringing the political project into the cultural realm,” Purohit said, adding that H-pop “stripped off of a lot of the sharp edges political rhetoric carries”.
Most lyrics have a common theme: to wave the saffron flag, a colour associated with Hinduism. Many songs are also dedicated to the Hindu god Ram while featuring dehumanising sentiments against Muslims, contrary to the image associated with the deity known for righteousness and compassion.
