Muslim school teacher assaults Hindu students including girls; routinely insults Hinduism
Bhadarwah, Jammu and Kashmir, India 
6 August, 2024
Case Summary
In Bhaderwah, Jammu and Kashmir, students from High School Manthala protested against teacher Arif Iqbal for repeatedly insulting the Hindu religion and mentally harassing them. Iqbal made disparaging remarks about Hinduism and even threatened to sacrifice a student. He also forced female students to rub their noses in his spit and brutally beat students, including girls, causing some to faint. This led to a large demonstration by students and parents demanding his arrest. The chief education officer of Doda suspended Arif Iqbal after a preliminary investigation confirmed his misconduct. The suspension order highlighted his derogatory remarks against Hinduism and physical assault on students.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the hate tracker as a religiously motivated hate crime under two prime categories. the first is- Attack not resulting in death and under this, the sub-category selected is- Attacked for Hindu identity. In several cases, Hindus are attacked merely for their Hindu identity without any perceived provocation. A classic example of this category of religiously motivated hate crime is a murder in 2016. 7 ISIS terrorists were convicted for shooting a school principal in Kanpur because they got ‘triggered’ seeing the Kalava on his wrist and tilak that he had put. In this, the Hindu victim had offered no provocation except for his Hindu religious identity. The motivation for the murder was purely religious, driven by religious supremacy. Such cases where Hindus are targeted merely for their religious identity would be documented as a hate crime under this category. The second category under which this case has been placed is- Hate speech against Hindus. Under this, the sub-category selected is- Anti-Hindu slurs, mocking faith. Anti-Hindu slurs and the deliberate mocking of the Hindu faith owing to religious animosity involve the usage of derogatory terms, stereotypes, or offensive references to religious practices, symbols, or figures. One of the common anti-Hindu slurs used against Hindus is “cow-worshipper” and “cow piss drinker”. The intention of using this term is to demean and mock Hindus as a group and their religious beliefs since Hindus consider the cow holy. Additionally, some symbols and the slurs attached to them have a historical context that exacerbates the insult, hate, stereotyping, dehumanisation and oppression against Hindus. Cow worship has been used for centuries to denigrate Hindus, insult their faith and oppress Hindus specifically as a religious group. There has been overwhelming documentation about how cow slaughter has been used to persecute Hindus with cow meat being thrown in temples and places of worship. There has also been overwhelming documentation where cow meat (beef) has been force-fed to Hindus to either forcefully convert them to Islam or denigrate their faith. Apart from cow worship, the Swastika – which holds deep religious significance for the Hindus – has also been misinterpreted and distorted to use as a slur against Hindus. Similarly, the worship of the Shivling has been used by supremacist ideologies and religions to denigrate Hindus owing to religious animosity. Such slurs and denigration stem out of inherent animosity and hate towards Hindus and their faith, therefore, it is categorised as hate speech targeted at Hindus specifically owing to their religious identity. The selective targeting of students belonging to the Hindu faith, combined with the denigration of Hinduism, clearly reflects the profound hatred the Muslim teacher harboured towards Hindus and their religion. By specifically singling out Hindu students for abuse, both verbal and physical, Arif Iqbal's actions demonstrate a deliberate attempt to disrespect and undermine their religious identity. His derogatory remarks about Hinduism, coupled with psychological and physical harassment, were not isolated incidents but part of a pattern of religious persecution aimed at humiliating and intimidating Hindu students. This deliberate focus on Hindu students and the mockery of their faith reveal a deep-rooted animosity, which goes beyond individual misconduct and crosses into the realm of religiously motivated hate crime. By exploiting his authority as a teacher, Iqbal used his position to inflict emotional trauma and impose his prejudice on vulnerable young minds, effectively vilifying their religious beliefs in an environment meant for education and growth. Such actions are not only damaging to the students involved but also indicative of a larger religious intolerance that seeks to demean and marginalize a specific religious community and this is why this case has been added to the Hinduphobia tracker.
Case Status
Complaint registered
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
