The rise of Hindu nationalism is causing concern among Muslims in India

Textbooks have been rewritten, streets have been renamed, and Muslim properties are being demolished by the government as punishment for trespassing on public land and for their involvement in riots to obscure the history of India's ancient Islamic rulers.

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Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party, which came to power on promises of development and anti-corruption, is now accused of turning India, a country committed to constitutional secularism, into a Hindu rashtra.

As the world's most populous nation goes to the polls, more than 200 million Muslims fear Modi's re-election.

Ten years after he came to power, many Muslims in Varanasi feel neglected, even betrayed, especially as the demolition of the centuries-old Babur Mosque marks the latest in a test of India's secular foundations.

Local Muslim leader Syed Muhammad Yasin believes the government is failing to protect his community, and he feels vulnerable due to fear of hate crimes in modern India.

There is no doubt that Modi's decade in power has brought about change. India has entered the world stage, gradually approaching the status of a global power, has the fastest growing economy and has made great strides in technology and space. But religious polarization has also increased.

Hindu nationalists have been appointed to top positions in key government offices, giving them the power to introduce sweeping legislative changes that human rights groups have unfairly targeted Muslims.

Textbooks have been rewritten, streets have been renamed to obscure the history of India's ancient Islamic rulers, and Muslim properties have been illegally built on government land and demolished by the government as punishment for rioting.

Let us remind you that in 2019, Modi canceled the special autonomy of Jammu and Kashmir, India's only Muslim state, and placed it under the direct control of New Delhi. That year, his administration passed a controversial citizenship law that excluded Muslim immigrants, leading to widespread unrest.