## Colophon tags:: url:: https://time.com/7268199/india-muslims-identity-hindu-nationalism/ %% title:: Why Some Indian Muslims Hide Their Identity type:: [[clipped-note]] author:: [[@time.com]] %% ## Notes > Indian Muslims Have Learned to Hide Our Identities. We Shouldn’t Have to — [view in context](https://hyp.is/HWlJRAIHEfCR3Sfgv37uIQ/time.com/7268199/india-muslims-identity-hindu-nationalism/) ⬆️ date:: [[2025-03-16]] > As an Indian Muslim, I have learned to say many words in whispers. The thought recently struck me when my husband and I were at a McDonald’s in Thailand that casually offered beef burgers to customers. The word “beef” felt oddly jarring to me. — [view in context](https://hyp.is/KDPvlgIHEfChph_yy_9lSw/time.com/7268199/india-muslims-identity-hindu-nationalism/) > I know that suspicion is enough to kill because I have reported on hate crimes against minorities for more than half a decade. The script is often the same: the crowd swells, accusations fly, fists land, and the spectacle is sometimes even filmed. The names of the victims fade into background noise. The victims’ families, meanwhile, are left navigating endless court dates. — [view in context](https://hyp.is/OHVeWAIHEfCCqfvOlPHgbw/time.com/7268199/india-muslims-identity-hindu-nationalism/) > But here we were, in a fast food chain that offered beef burgers. Even outside our state’s borders, the image of the burger still scares me. — [view in context](https://hyp.is/U2__OAIHEfCGBG_I2qWtIQ/time.com/7268199/india-muslims-identity-hindu-nationalism/) ⬆️ :( > When men wielding lathis asked me my name, I answered: Isha. And just like that, I was safe. That was the day I thought: Every Indian Muslim should invest in a second name. — [view in context](https://hyp.is/8gzb6AIHEfCeRJeFAaNkqw/time.com/7268199/india-muslims-identity-hindu-nationalism/) ⬆️ :( + They will use that also to accuse people of something, like they already do. > Yet even that is no guarantee of safety. For years, some Muslim street vendors have used religion-neutral names like Raja or Sonu, a simple tweak to keep business running smoothly and avoid an economic boycott. — [view in context](https://hyp.is/pJ-WggIJEfCWJhdHZyE1ng/time.com/7268199/india-muslims-identity-hindu-nationalism/) ⬆️ And when they've done this, they've been accused of wrongdoing / hiding their identity for nefarious reasons. > But over the past two terms of the Hindu nationalist government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, these vendors were accused of hiding their identity, of pretending to be Hindu. It is no longer just about having a Muslim name but about the audacity of not having one visible enough. — [view in context](https://hyp.is/raZMOgIJEfChE-t5b_rQ9A/time.com/7268199/india-muslims-identity-hindu-nationalism/) ⬆️ Confirming my comment on the last highlight. > The problem anyway never ended at the market stall. An alias will not always save you when your very existence is already a disqualification. A landlord will backtrack the moment they hear your real name. A broker will suddenly remember that the flat has been taken. An employer will hesitate, then say they’re looking for someone else. You can try to disappear into an alias, but eventually, someone will see you for who you are. You can soften the syllables, shorten the name, and pretend to be something else. But at some point, the truth catches up, and the answer remains the same. — [view in context](https://hyp.is/QuOrTgIKEfC5FVfliszziA/time.com/7268199/india-muslims-identity-hindu-nationalism/) > Many Indian Muslims are retreating into Muslim spaces. But they are being surveyed, renamed, or even disappearing. The places where we once belonged now feel abandoned, watched, or unwelcome. — [view in context](https://hyp.is/UFzErgIKEfC4b9e6Xor9hg/time.com/7268199/india-muslims-identity-hindu-nationalism/) > At the same time, those who dared to protest or mobilize for Muslim rights face the prospect of crackdowns. During the protests against the controversial citizenship law, several activists, including students and community leaders, were arrested under anti-terrorism laws. — [view in context](https://hyp.is/caCstgIKEfC3lR9RYdOXHA/time.com/7268199/india-muslims-identity-hindu-nationalism/) > So, where does that leave us? I have tried to adjust. To learn the art of vanishing. To keep my voice neutral. To not look too religious. To smile just enough. To learn to downplay my identity in conversations. To self-police my social media posts. To move through public places with quiet calculation — [view in context](https://hyp.is/sBO0ZgIKEfCdf1MamQD3VA/time.com/7268199/india-muslims-identity-hindu-nationalism/) > Yet I have always wondered if this quiet, internalized fear is the biggest tragedy of all. The moment a Muslim self-censors their own words, lowers their voice, erases a part of themselves, the job is done. — [view in context](https://hyp.is/sDuGRAIKEfCYJgviU2zCcw/time.com/7268199/india-muslims-identity-hindu-nationalism/) > But fear, like a name, is also fragile. I have learned the art of vanishing but I no longer want to vanish. — [view in context](https://hyp.is/s0-oVgIKEfCEWMs9Ll4ZXg/time.com/7268199/india-muslims-identity-hindu-nationalism/) > A simple order at a McDonald’s in Thailand was a reminder of this. I am slowly trying to learn that there is power in being seen, in just being. Some days, I am forced to be Isha. On others, my very name Ismat is a political statement. On those days, I am exactly who I was meant to be. — [view in context](https://hyp.is/u49zIAIKEfC6Ky_oBSbnlw/time.com/7268199/india-muslims-identity-hindu-nationalism/)