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Current controversy
Impact of Islamophobic myths on Indian healthcare
  1. Sana Saboowala
  1. Integrative Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
  1. Correspondence to Dr Sana Saboowala; sanas4{at}illinois.edu

Abstract

This paper explores how anti-Muslim myths, particularly the related neo-eugenic ideas of ‘population jihad,’ ‘love jihad,’ and ‘corona jihad’, work to stigmatise Muslims in India. I discuss how these ideas, although debunked, are mobilised in the Indian healthcare system, systematising eugenics and negatively impacting Indian Muslims. This paper focuses, in particular, on the discriminatory experiences of pregnant Muslim women due to the ‘population jihad’ myth. I conclude by discussing the activist work of doctors in India who oppose Islamophobia and outline their suggestions for moving towards a more just healthcare system.

  • COVID-19
  • Ethics
  • Women's health
  • Popular media
  • Anthropology

Data availability statement

All data relevant to the study are included in the article.

https://doi.org/10.1136/medhum-2023-012798

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    Data availability statement

    All data relevant to the study are included in the article.

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    Footnotes

    • Contributors SS is the guarantor of this work and is solely responsible.

    • Funding This study was funded by the University of Illinois Graduate College’s Illinois Distinguished Fellowship.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.