To be a good Muslim — according to a new wave of reels online — is to be a good Hindu or behave like a practising one. At least, this is what a number of content creators on social media platform, Instagram have been propagating and want users to believe.
A new pattern has emerged. The Quint went down the rabbit hole of the widely popular side of Instagram, where under the pretense of spreading syncretism, creators are frequently pushing the 'good vs bad' Muslim stereotype with heavy communalistic undertones.
The poster boy of it all? Abdul. You must have seen or heard about him.
Right-wing influencers who have come to wield huge influence such as Kajal Hindustani and Suresh Chavhanke's Sudarshan News channel have often peddled narratives about 'Abdul' and various kinds of supposed 'jihad.'
Abdul is a misnomer; a blanket term used for all Muslim men. It is conspicuously used by the Hindu right-wing in a derogatory manner.