THE OBSERVERS « ‘Love jihad’: Unmasking an Indian conspiracy theory »
Saturday 24 June at 10.45 am*
Format: 12 minutes
Produced by: Young Pariesa
Coming up on the FRANCE 24 Observers: a 12-minute documentary on “love jihad”, a conspiracy theory widely held in India, which says that Muslim men are seducing Hindu women to expand the influence of Islam in the country and the non-stop flow of disinformation online around this conspiracy theory.
Using firsthand accounts from victims of love jihad accusations and an analysis of the deluge of cartoons, fake stories, news articles and dramatised videos circulating online, this report unravels the disinformation and propaganda associated with this divisive narrative.
The “love jihad” conspiracy theory is deeply ingrained: Muslim men who dare talk to Hindu women often find themselves targets of real-life violence. Muslim men have been arrested, beaten and killed after being accused of “love jihad,” and a number of Indian states are now enacting laws against interfaith marriages or “forced” conversions.
The theory has no basis but continues to be spread by the Hindu nationalist movement, notably members of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling BJP.
To carry out this investigation, Observers journalist Pariesa Brody analysed and verified dozens of images circulating on social networks, including hate speeches from Hindu far-right leaders, incidents of violence against those accused of “love jihad”, and the massive web of propaganda and disinformation that has propagated online.
« ‘Love Jihad’: Unmasking an Indian conspiracy theory» to be aired:
- Friday 23 June at 6.30 pm*: On the Observers' social networks (YouTube, Facebook)
- Saturday 24 June at 10.45 am*: On France 24 (in English, in French, in Arabic and in Spanish) and available on france24.com
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In collaboration with production company Upian, the France 24 Observers are airing in the 2022-23 season six exclusive digital investigations, available in four languages (French, English, Arabic and Spanish). Here are the exclusive reports to be (re)watched: - May 2023 -“Syria: Death in the desert” (2023) - November 2022 - “The hidden world of Iran’s smugglers” ; “Iranian police ‘aim to kill’ using shotguns to repress protests” and “Haiti: In the grip of the gangs” - October 2022 : Zahedan's 'Bloody Friday': Reconstructing a massacre in Iran's Sistan and Baluchistan province To carrying out these investigations, the France 24 Observers team in Paris uses open-source digital investigation methods, known as "OSINT" (geolocation, cartography, etc.), along, from 2007, with human intelligence from a worldwide network of 5,000 amateur contributors. The system offers a different perspective on current events and often provides access to information that is inaccessible to journalists on the ground. From 2019, the France 24 Observers team provide different contents to fight against fake news. All investigations can be found on the dedicated page on france24.com and on social media. |
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