Hezbollah flags unfurled, pro-Hezbollah slogans raised, and police officer physically assaulted by Muslims amidst Muharram procession

Case ID : e274b2e | Location : Magam, Jammu and Kashmir, India | Date of Incident : Thu, 3 July, 2025

Case ID : e274b2e

Magam, Jammu and Kashmir, India

3 July, 2025

Hezbollah flags unfurled, pro-Hezbollah slogans raised, and police officer physically assaulted by Muslims amidst Muharram procession

Hate speech against Hindus

Anti-Hindu slurs, mocking faith

Attack not resulting in death

Attacked for opposing radicals or trying to save victim

Case Summary

In Magam, Kashmir, tensions arose during Muharram processions as Muslims unfurled flags of the Islamic terror group Hezbollah and raised slogans in their support. According to media reports, during the event, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) was physically assaulted by the Muslim mob. The mob attacked the DSP when he and other police officials attempted to remove flags and banners associated with Hezbollah, the Iran-backed terror organisation. The Muslim mob also shouted provocative slogans such as “Pehchaan Hamari Hezbollah”, meaning “Our identity is Hezbollah”. The Muslim also pasted a poster of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah on the wall of a local police station. Following this, security forces were deployed to disperse the crowd and prevent further escalation. The incident triggered widespread concern over the public display of support for Hezbollah, a designated Islamic terror outfit. Subsequently, the police launched an investigation to identify and apprehend those responsible, including the organiser of the event. Videos of this incident circulated on social media. It showed a large group of Muslim men surrounding and physically attacking the DSP. This further caused social media outrage.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category- Hate Speech against Hindus. Within this, the subcategory 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. Another primary category selected in this case- Attack not resulting in death. Within this, the subcategory selected is- Attacked for opposing radicals or trying to save victim. In several cases, Hindus are attacked for opposing religiously motivated crimes being committed against a fellow Hindu or simply for voicing an opinion opposing radical elements, who either have in the past or continue to persecute Hindus. In such cases, the initial attack against the victim, against which the Hindu was trying to defend the victim, would also need to be classified as a religiously motivated hate crime. Since the initial crime itself was religiously motivated and the subsequent crime of attempting to save the victim or speaking against the radical elements ends up inviting a violent attack, it would also be classified as a religiously motivated hate crime under this category. The events that unfolded in Magam, Kashmir, during the Muharram procession sent a powerful and deeply unsettling message to the Hindu community of India. In this case, a Muslim mob openly displayed Hezbollah flags and shouted slogans aligning themselves with the Islamic terror group. The Muslims were expressing religious solidarity and making their stance crystal clear that their primary allegiance was to the global Muslim ummah, rather than to India, a country that they see as a Hindu collectivity. Furthermore, the chants made by Muslim perpetrators like "our identity is Hezbollah" strongly demonstrate that the allegiance of the Muslim community lies with the global Muslim brotherhood and not with India. This is because they view India as a 'Hindu country'. Such action reveals the deep-seated hatred for the Hindu community of India due to hostility and hatred towards their religion. Muslim extremists consider Hindus as low-born infidels (kafirs) and view Islam as a nation unto itself, separate from the broader Indian identity. This separation from the Indian identity is because the Muslims perceive India as a Hindu collectivity and not a country ruled by Muslims. Therefore, their allegiance is always towards a Muslim country rather than India. This mindset is reflected in numerous anti-Hindu actions and attacks, where Muslim perpetrators repeatedly express allegiance to Muslim countries or causes outside India. For example, in many incidents of violence against Hindus or anti-Hindu hate speech, there is a consistent pattern of Muslim extremists raising slogans or making public statements in support of Pakistan, Palestine, or, as seen in this case, Hezbollah. These actions stem from a strong allegiance to the concept of the ummah, the global Muslim community. Such actions are clear demonstrations of religious hostility towards Hindus, making it a religiously motivated crime. Additionally, the attack on the Deputy Superintendent of Police, even though his identity is unclear, further highlights the intensity of this allegiance to the Muslim ummah. The violence directed at him for attempting to remove Hezbollah flags showed that loyalty to the Muslim brotherhood could override respect for law and order, and can result in aggression, showcasing the extent of Islamic indoctrination. This incident did not occur in isolation. It occurred during Muharram, a period meant for solemn mourning in Islam. However, this festival has increasingly been exploited by Muslim extremists to assert Islamic dominance and target Hindus and their religious symbols. Across various regions, Muharram processions have seen stone pelting at temples, desecration of idols, forced extortion from Hindu households, and violent assaults, all under the guise of religious observance. The Hinduphobia Tracker has documented numerous such incidents this year, where the occasion was misused to launch coordinated attacks against Hindus and their places of worship. These acts of solidarity with Islamist terror groups, rooted in allegiance to the Islamic ummah, during Muharram, showcase a pattern of Islamic extremists carrying out their underlying agenda of imposing Islamic supremacy. When Muslim extremists prioritise the global Muslim brotherhood, it sends a message of exclusion, hostility and animosity towards non-Muslims, particularly Hindus. Therefore, any action of allegiance to the ummah is a result of deep-seated hatred for Hindus; therefore, this case is being added to the hate crime database.