Case Summary

In the Ramkot area of Hyderabad, Telangana, derogatory remarks about Hindus and Hindu deities' idols were made by a Muslim man during a minor verbal argument with a Hindu shopkeeper. Muslim Mirror, a media outlet that also runs an Instagram handle (@muslimmirroreng), published a report covering this incident. They, however, deliberately published a misleading narrative blaming Hindus for the incident, while completely ignoring the derogatory statements made by the Muslim man against Hindu gods and goddesses. On Instagram, they posted the video of the incident with the caption "#Hyderabad: A Hindu mob attacked a Muslim man after he questioned being overcharged and expressed his faith, which they claimed hurt their religious sentiments during the dispute." This framing is a clear distortion of the actual events, as proven by the CCTV footage, with the audio of the incident, which was widely reported by local media. The video shows the Muslim man verbally abusing Hindus by saying, “I’m not lying and I’m truthful since I’m a Muslim. What about this man, who worships and bows before stones?”, directly insulting Hindu religious practices. Contrary to the Muslim Mirror's portrayal of events, at no point did the man merely “express his faith”; he denigrated the faith of Hindus in an aggressive and provocative manner. He made those statements with a clear intent to insult Hinduism and portray Hindus as thieves. Furthermore, the video evidence clearly shows that the man was never physically attacked. He was confronted for his derogatory statements, shouted at, and eventually pushed away by bystanders after repeatedly abusing Hindu beliefs, but he was never assaulted. Additionally, the description of those gathered as a “Hindu mob” was also a deliberate misrepresentation, as there was no organised or violent group, but rather a group of individuals who reacted spontaneously to an open religious provocation. Notably, this incident was originally documented by Hinduphobia Tracker as a clear case of anti-Hindu hate speech, where a Muslim man insulted Hindu deities and practices in public. Muslim Mirror published a distorted report misrepresenting the incident and falsely framing Hindus as aggressors. Recognising this deliberate misrepresentation, Hinduphobia Tracker has now separately documented the Muslim Mirror’s distortion, emphasising that the platform attempted to rewrite an already-recorded hate speech incident and distorted facts to portray Hindu victims as aggressors.

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Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category of: - Hate speech against Hindus. Within it, the sub-category selected is: - Anti-Hindu subversion and prejudice, with the tertiary category being: - Anti-Hindu Fake News or Downplaying and Mislabeling/Misrepresentation of perpetrator's religion as Hindu. Hate speech is defined as any speech, gesture, conduct, writing, or display that is prejudicial against a specific individual and/or group of people, which is leading to or may lead to violence, prejudicial action or hate against that individual and/or group. Media plays a specific and overarching reach in perpetuating prejudicial attitudes towards a community owing to unfair, untrue coverage and/or misrepresentation/misinterpretation, selective coverage and/or omission of facts of/pertaining to issues affecting a specific religious group. This type of bias can dehumanise the victim group, making it easier for others to justify harmful actions against them, which aligns with the objectives of hate speech laws aimed at preventing such harm. It is often observed that the media takes a prejudicial stand against the Hindu community driven by their need to shield the aggressor community which happens to be a numeric minority, however, is the one perpetrating violence against Hindus. For example, the media is often quick to contextualise religiously motivated crimes against Hindus, omit or misrepresent facts that point towards religiously motivated hate crimes, justify and/or downplay religiously motivated hate crimes or simply present fake news to stereotype Hindus. Such media bias leads to the denial of persecution and is often used to dehumanise Hindus, leading to justification for violence against them. For example, the media covered several fake allegations of Hindus targeting Muslims and forcing them to chant Jai Shree Ram. Most of these cases were proved false and fabricated after police investigation. These fake news reports were subsequently never retracted or clarified. Such fake news led to the justification of violence and dehumanisation of Hindus based on the argument that since Hindus targeted Muslims and forced them to chant Jai Shree Ram, the dehumanisation of Hindus and violence against them was par for the course and merely a retaliation. Such media bias leads to prejudicial portrayal of Hindus and offers a justification for violence against them and therefore, is considered hate speech under this category. This case has been added to the tracker due to the deliberate misrepresentation of facts by the news media outlet Muslim Mirror, which falsely portrayed Hindus as aggressors. This was not just a distortion; it was a deliberate act of manipulation designed to paint the Muslim man as a victim of Hindu oppression, while completely ignoring the fact that he was the one who mocked and insulted the Hindus and Hinduism. Muslim Mirror conveniently ignored the derogatory statement made by the Muslim man calling Hindus idol worshippers. This statement was a direct insult to Hindu beliefs and deities. Hindu deities are an integral and sacred part of the religion. Mocking them isn’t simply someone “expressing their faith” but rather it's a targeted religious insult. There was no “expression of faith” here. It was deliberate, contemptuous mocking of Hindu practices. This misreporting not only distorts the factual sequence of events but also actively fuels negative stereotypes about Hindus as a community. In Islamic theology, idol worship, referred to as Shirk, is regarded as the gravest sin. The Qur'an strictly condemns it, and Islamic teachings emphasise the complete rejection of any practice associated with idol worship. Muslims are taught from a young age that idolatry is an unforgivable sin. While this belief is central to Islamic faith, it has also led, historically and in contemporary times, to intolerance and hostility towards idol-worshipping religions, especially Hinduism. It is often the manifestation of deep-seated theological contempt against Hindu practices, stemming from the Islamic doctrinal view that idol worship is impure and offensive. Furthermore, calling a few bystanders a “Hindu mob” adds another layer of misrepresentation. There was no organised or spontaneous mob. A small number of local people confronted the Muslim man for his statements. The CCTV video itself confirms that no one physically assaulted him; he was at most verbally confronted and pushed away. Yet, the Muslim Mirror uploaded the video with a caption falsely stating that a Hindu mob attacked a Muslim man for merely expressing his faith, which was a complete fabrication. By labelling the group a “Hindu mob,” Muslim Mirror attempted to criminalise Hindu bystanders while victimising the actual provocateur. This narrative manipulation erases the context of religious insult and replaces it with a fabricated image of communal victimhood. This is a clear example of anti-Hindu fake news, where the Muslim aggressor is portrayed as a victim, while the Hindu community is painted as intolerant. It shows how some sections of the media selectively twist facts to suit their own agenda. This misrepresentation is part of a broader media trend that often downplays or justifies hate speech and violence against Hindus while vilifying them whenever they respond or resist such statements or provocation.