The Rise of Hindu Nationalism and the Spread of Conflicts with Muslims in India

Since the 1990s, the conflicts and tensions between Muslims and Hindus have increased, and by entering the 21st century, it has increased. For this reason, the aim of the research is to investigate the cause of the spread of the conflicts and tensions between Hindus and Muslims since the 1990s and especially in the 21st century.

The research is based on Hypothetical-Deductive method, and the hypothesis is investigated by applying the concepts of Ethnic and Religious Nationalism. The method of data collection is based on Documentary Research.

Anti-Muslim sentiments have increased in India with the spread of influence and power of extreme Hindu nationalists. By increasing their influence in the political and social arena and by emphasizing the vulnerability of Hindus, Hindu nationalists falsely represent Indian Muslims as a threat to the unified Hindu values, population and unity of India. This distorted and promoted view of Muslims has caused the escalation of conflicts and tensions between Muslims and Hindus, and justification of misconducts and malfeasances towards Indian Muslims.

Extreme Hindu nationalism or Hindutva emerged as a contemporary phenomenon with the aim of defending the values ​​of Hinduism, and institutions related to Hindutva are gaining more influence and popularity in the society. For Hindu nationalists, the defense of the Hindu national identity is a priority and they consider the Hindu identity equal to the national identity of India. In other words, the criteria for evaluating the citizenship of Muslims is measured based on the nationalist values and standards of Hindutva. This type of view of Muslims has questioned pluralism and coexistence between religions in India and can affect the entire political atmosphere of India.