Mockery of Gaza Weaponized Against Indian Muslims, MEE Says
Mockery of Gaza Weaponized Against Indian Muslims, MEE Says
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An opinion piece published by Middle East Eye (MEE) reports that the tragedy in Gaza has been weaponized by right-wing elements in India as a new tool to threaten and marginalize the country’s Muslim minority.
The report highlights a trend on Indian social media, particularly during the recent Diwali festival, where users made grotesque comparisons between celebratory fireworks in India and the bombings in Gaza. This imagery, amplified by some public figures like filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma, who tweeted, “In India only one day is Diwali and in Gaza, every day is Diwali,” is cited as evidence of a “transnational solidarity of supremacy” rooted in the shared ideological alignment between Hindutva nationalism and Zionism.
The author argues that this behavior is not mere insensitivity but a deliberate political act. For many Indian Muslims, who feel a strong sense of solidarity with Palestinians, this mockery is intended to inflict psychological harassment and ridicule their grief.
The report suggests this tactic is part of a broader cultural shift where Hindu festivals are increasingly transformed into public performances of dominance, where hostility towards Muslims is normalized and celebrated. This digital violence, it claims, further erodes trust between the Muslim community and the Indian state by linking cruelty to a shared national identity.
