The Muslim minority in Nepal has for centuries lived peacefully in this Hindu-majority country, whose people have long been proud of their long history of religious tolerance in a region where differing religions have formed the basis of many bloody events.
But Hindu extremists in India are trying hard to change that reality, according to an article in the Foreign Policy magazine of Nepalese journalist Aaron Bodathoki.
The author believes that Hindu nationalists in India and their anti-Islam media have exploited the outbreak of the new Corona Virus to stir up feelings of hatred against Muslims in Nepal, who account for 4% of the total population, and therefore armed social media and famous Indian news channels.
He pointed out that the large number of Hindi speakers in Nepal and the wide number of Indian TV stations available to Nepalis, facilitated the spread of a wave of anti-Islam coming from India.
The rise of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and his connection with organizations with Hindu nationalist ideology, have also strengthened New Delhi's role in reshaping Nepal as a Hindu state.
Corona's struggle
In April, Indian right-wing media reported a thrilling news of a Muslim plot against India that Pakistan may have sent Muslim men infected with the Coronavir virus to India via Nepal, with the aim of spreading the deadly epidemic there.
These Hindu channels devised a new term that was promoted by "Corona's jihad," and those allegations were based on an unverified, unverified report sent by the state of Bihar to the Indian Ministry of the Interior, which contained false allegations that Nepali Muslim politician Galeem Mia was behind the supposed plot.
Mia has categorically denied allegations of an Islamic plot against India, and the central government in Nepal has also denied those allegations.
Other rumors, such as these, have previously closed the India-Nepal border and quarantined huge numbers of travelers between the two countries.
The article cited the opinion of the former member of the Hajj Committee in Nepal, Haji Abdullah Mia, who said that the attitude towards Muslims in India had changed after the rise of Modi, and that there was an old general trend towards portraying Muslims negatively in India, which used to spread rumors against Nepalese Muslims to create an atmosphere From hostility to Muslims, he added, "Whether it comes to mosques and religious schools in the border region of Terai or other issues, India has been attacking Nepalese Muslims."