Indian authorities are targeting Muslim properties, threatening the erasure of imminent Muslim culture in India, shown in a recent Mosque demolition under the jurisdiction of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. According to Al Jazeera and the Independent, five people were killed and over 600 people were rendered homeless and displaced. These constant threats of violence created by state-sanctioned violence raises constant threats to the Muslim community in India.

The mosque that was recently destroyed was the Akhundji Mosque along with its joint Islamic school located in Delhi. The mosque was a safe haven for worshippers for more than 600 years. The BBC reports that the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), a government-run urban development organization, bulldozed the historic site on January 30, 2024. The DDA stated that the mosque was an “illegal structure” as their reasoning for the destruction. However, this was countered by the mosque’s imam (a prayer leader of the mosque) Zaker Hussain and advocate Shams Khwaja stating the mosque was the property of the Delhi Waqf Board, which is responsible for the conservation of Islamic properties in Delhi. The BBC also covers that Hussain stated that the authorities did not notify them prior to the destruction of the mosque, and moreover stated that the property records that proved the mosque’s building wasn’t illegal were also destroyed. Hussain added, “They left us out in the cold with nothing but prayers.”

The destruction of this historical site angered many, sparking heated protest at the destroyed Mosque site. Al Jazeera reports that five people were killed during the protest, and spoke with Mohammad Arif, who unfortunately had his brother and nephew among the victims in the protest. “They [The police] shot my brother Zahid in the chest and the boy on the side,” Ariff says. “The police didn’t even let them go to the hospital, if they had gone the boy would’ve survived.” Another relative of one of the victims, Shabeena, stated they weren’t even allowed to mourn the loss of their loved ones. “We were not allowed to attend the funeral. If we had gone, the police would have shot us.”

This destruction of the mosque has left 600 displaced. Not only was the mosque a worship space, it was also a home to many. As per the BBC, Muhammad Salmani, an English and Hindi teacher states, “People don’t understand – this was not just an old mosque, graveyard or madrassa. It was a shelter.”

The violent removal of Muslim culture from Delhi has called human rights organizations to protest against these horrific actions under Prime Minister Modi’s administration. One of these well-known human rights organizations was Amnesty International, who cited two reports against the destruction. Amnesty reports: “India’s widespread unlawful demolitions of Muslims’ homes, businesses and places of worship through the use of JCB bulldozers and other machines must stop immediately.” This showcases the ongoing struggle Muslim communities have to face, as the government is destroying their rightful properties with bulldozers. Moreover, the Security General of Amnesty, Agnès Calalmard also stated that the “unlawful demolition” was “deeply unjust, unlawful, and discriminatory.” 

Campaigns for the removal of Muslim properties and communities have been on the rise, Al Jazeera reports. This is seen when Prime Minister Modi inaugurated a new temple atop of the ruins of the Babri Masjid mosque, which was opened in 1527 and destroyed 31 years ago in 1992 by a Hindu mob. This unlawful destruction prompted one of the most devastating religious riots, killing 2,000 people– mostly Muslim. Moreover, last year alone saw 4,000 Muslim homes destroyed in the city of Haldwani.

Violence against Muslim communities has been visibly on the rise in India, especially under the administration of Modi. However, it is also important to note that violence against Muslim communities has been ongoing in India for several centuries, and it is crucial for us to draw attention to the horrific violence that is being allowed to continue by the Indian government. If the destruction does not stop, it could be the very undoing of Muslim culture in India, proven with the thousands of displaced and killed Muslim communities as a result of these violent hate crimes.