‘I Love Muhammad’ protests: Propagandist media outlet Al Jazeera hides Islamic violence, peddles Islamophobia narrative to malign India

Al-Jazeera, the Qatar government-funded international media outlet which is notorious for spreading anti-India and anti-Hindu propaganda, has once again exposed its anti-India bias. The propagandist media outlet has published a lengthy article about the recent “I Love Muhammad” protests in India. However, in this article, Al-Jazeera has maliciously concealed facts and attempted to portray Muslims as victims of persecution.

The anti-India propaganda in the article begins right with its headline, which reads, “Why is India prosecuting Muslims who said ‘I love Muhammad’?” It’s clear from the headline itself that Al-Jazeera has pre-decided that Muslims are being prosecuted, and then it goes on to explain why the prosecution is taking place.

Is Al-Jazeera lying about the beginning of the ‘I Love Muhammad’ protests?

Al-Jazeera concealed the truth about the origin of the ‘I Love Muhammad’ protests. Al-Jazeera reported that on 4th September, a dispute arose in Kanpur over Muslims displaying a sign that read “I Love Muhammad,” and that an FIR was filed based on a complaint. The information provided in Al-Jazeera’s report is incomplete.

It’s true that there was controversy over the “I Love Muhammad” banner, but the real story is what happened after that. The matter was settled after the billboard displaying the words “I Love Muhammad” was relocated, well within the knowledge of both parties. However, the real controversy erupted the following day, on 5th September.

A Barawafaat procession was taken out on 5th September, in which Muslim men deliberately tore down religious posters of Hindus. According to the FIR, “When the procession was being taken out through a Hindu locality in Rawatpur village, some unidentified Muslim men participating in the procession on their vehicles, deliberately tore down religious posters belonging to the Hindu community along the route using sticks…by Muslim youths travelling in a vehicle participating in the procession.”

If you pay attention to these words, it becomes clear that this matter is not just about the “I Love Muhammad” banner. The story Al-Jazeera is trying to sell is actually a half-baked, self-selected “truth,” which, in many ways, is more dangerous than a lie. Al-Jazeera’s propaganda isn’t limited to this.

Al-Jazeera also spread lies about Bareilly and Gujarat.

Although there was unrest in several states, the intensity was most pronounced in Bareilly and Gujarat. Al-Jazeera mentioned both incidents in its report, but here too it concealed the truth. Al-Jazeera stated that in Bareilly, protesters clashed violently with police.

The media outlet failed to report that the protesters in Bareilly did not just have violent clashes with the police, but that the so-called protesters had arrived there with plans to attack the police. The investigation revealed that Maulana Tauqeer Raza, founder of the Ittehad-e-Millat Council, had plotted to kill policemen.

The so-called protesters had conspired to incite a riot in Bareilly. Hundreds of people were called in from outside and housed in various mosques. On the day of the purported protests, the rioters attacked the police with petrol bombs, opened fire, and pelted stones. Al-Jazeera dismissed this entire conspiracy by Islamic fundamentalists as simply a “violent clash”.

Al-Jazeera also failed to report the violence that erupted in Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state. “Muslims have been arrested in several states, including Gujarat, for social media posts and videos that included slogans like ‘I Love Muhammad,” Al-Jazeera wrote.

In Godhra, Gujarat, Islamic fundamentalists pelted stones at police. A post that read “I Love Mahadev” caused widespread uproar in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. Extremists selectively targeted Hindu homes and shops. Stones were even pelted at the Garba pandals and surrounding areas, yet Al-Jazeera, blinded by its love for Islamic fundamentalists, failed to see this.

Al-Jazeera further attempted to create propaganda in this story by citing statements from individuals associated with organisations like Amnesty International, but none of them contained any facts. The crackdown on encroachments on drains, ponds, and other government land was portrayed as the targeted demolition of houses of Muslims. However, it failed to disclose that these homes were built on encroached land.

The battle of narrative, not bombs and guns

Organisations like Al-Jazeera, the BBC, and the Washington Post repeatedly attempt to portray every internal incident in India through their default “Muslim versus the state” lens. They do not report the plain news, but rather attempt to create a narrative portraying India as a Hindu-majority and anti-Muslim country. This, of course, aims to undermine India’s reputation in the international community. It is natural for any religion to have love for its prophet. But when such emotional slogans are used to incite mobs, politicise, or mobilise against a community, they become a ‘religious weapon,’ not ‘religious love’.

In such circumstances, radicals use this weapon, and whenever the police take legal action against them, the foreign media portrays it as a conspiracy against Muslims. These media outlets never question whether stone-pelting, rioting, or planning violence are part of any religion. Should the police be held accountable simply because the culprits belong to a particular community?

Today’s era isn’t just about bombs and guns, but about narrative. When India strongly enforces its law and order measures, the global media seeks to exploit them against India to their advantage. Such organisations strive to garner international support by portraying Muslims as victims in any way possible.

(This article is a translation of the original article published in OpIndia Hindi.)