The recent incident in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, in India has highlighted the extent to which they are being denied the opportunity to express their faith. The display of an ‘I Love Muhammad’ banner during the Eid Milad-un-Nabi celebrations in Kanpur has led to police intervention and arrests of Muslims in several cities. This serves as a warning that Muslims continue to face social and administrative obstacles to their religious expression.
FIRs have been filed over the display of this banner, and Muslims have protested against it in several cities of the country, including Uttar Pradesh. Several FIRs have been filed in different cities and many have been arrested.
In Kashipur, Uttarakhand, a clash broke out between the police and protesters carrying an ‘I Love Muhammad’ banner. Eight people have been arrested in this incident.
In Unnao, Uttar Pradesh, the police have arrested five people after a similar procession was taken out on the same day.
There have been allegations that the police are targeting Muslims for expressing their religious freedom.
How true is the police statement?
Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Dinesh Tripathi said in a statement, “A traditional Milad-un-Nabi procession was supposed to take place in the Rawatpur police station area. Instead of the place that had been designated, people from the locality set up a pandal at another spot and put up an ‘I Love Muhammad’ banner. People from one side objected to this. Later, by mutual agreement between the two sides, the banner was put up at the place that had traditionally been used for the procession.”
Mr. Tripathi has claimed that the FIR was not filed for writing “I Love Muhammad” or for putting up the banner, but for erecting a pandal at a different place than the traditional one, and for the allegation that during the procession one side tore down the other side’s posters.
The FIR states that by putting up the ‘I Love Muhammad’ banner the Muslim community attempted to start a new practice, and people of the “other community” objected. The FIR was filed by the police officers who were deployed during the procession.
The FIR also alleges that religious posters belonging to the “other community” were torn during the procession. It accuses parties of stoking enmity between the two “communities” and spreading hatred. Several organisers of the procession are named in the FIR.
Kanpur police have said that no one has been arrested in the matter.
According to local journalist Abhishek Sharma, the controversy over putting up the banner began on 4 September and the procession took place the next day, on Milad-un-Nabi. However, the FIR was filed on the evening of 10 September.
After the row over the ‘I Love Muhammad’ banner in Kanpur escalated, AIMIM leader and Member of Parliament Asaduddin Owaisi tagged the Kanpur police on his X handle on 15 September and wrote, “Writing ‘I Love Muhammad’ is not a crime. If it is, then I will accept the punishment.”
Protest in Lucknow, allegations of detention
A group of women in Lucknow held a protest at the entrance of the state assembly with banners of ‘I Love Muhammad’. The protest was led by Sumaiya Rana, daughter of the late poet Munnabar Rana and leader of Samajwadi Party.
Ms. Rana told The Islamic Information that several young men also wanted to join their protest, but the police stopped them on the way.
She said, “We women went to the assembly in cars, protested there. The police removed us.” She alleged that some of the protest participants were kept in custody by the police for several hours. However, the Lucknow police did not issue any statement on this.
Ms. Rana said, “No case is filed if provocative and hate speeches are made against Muslims. When Muslims express their religious sentiments under their constitutional right, FIRs are filed. This is an attempt to suppress the religious sentiments of Muslims. This will not be tolerated.”
On the other hand, Lucknow Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Ashish Srivastava told the local media, “No FIR has been filed regarding the protest near the Assembly. The designated place for the protest is Eco Garden. The protesters were taken there and released.”
Protests in Unnao, Bahraich too
A protest march was held in Unnao, Uttar Pradesh, against the FIR filed in Kanpur. There too, the police have filed another FIR and arrested five people. There was also a scuffle between the police and the protesters.
Several videos on social media show women and children in the Gangaghat police area of Unnao holding “I Love Muhammad” banners and chanting slogans.
In a statement, Unnao Senior Superintendent of Police (North) Akhilesh Singh said, “There is a ban on assembly in Unnao under Section 163, so no procession or protest can be held without permission. A procession was being taken out without permission in the Gangaghat area. When the police reached there, some women and children tried to obstruct government work. Five people have been taken into custody in this incident and then a case has been registered and arrested. The names of eight people have been found. The investigation process is underway.”
He also said that the situation is normal now and the police are patrolling.
Uttar Pradesh government minister Dharampal Singh said in a statement, “No one will be allowed to play with the law. Strict action has been taken as soon as the information is received. Several people have been arrested. Strict action will be taken after further investigation.”
A case has also been filed in Kesharganj in Bahraich district to submit a protest letter to the sub-division administrator.
Protests in Godhra, Mumbai, and Other States
There have also been protests in Uttarakhand, Gujarat, and Mumbai over the “I Love Muhammad” banner.
According to BBC’s correspondent Dakshesh Shah, a protest and vandalism took place in front of a police station in Godhra, Gujarat. Police have filed cases against 87 people and arrested 17 of them.
He reported that a young man named Zakir Jaba, who is very active on social media, had posted about the “I Love Muhammad” controversy online. After that, police called him for questioning.
Police said they released Mr. Jaba, but after leaving the police station, he uploaded another video on social media accusing the police of harassment and misconduct.
The police said that this video sparked anger among local residents.
In Mumbai’s Byculla area, Muslims also took out a rally on September 21. There too, an FIR was filed for organizing the rally without permission, and one person was detained, though later released.
In Kashipur city of Uttarakhand, local Muslims held a rally with the “I Love Muhammad” banner on Sunday evening. A scuffle broke out between the protesters and the police.
Local journalist Abu Bakar said, “After that incident, police filed cases and deployed additional forces. Several people were arrested late at night.”
Manikant Mishra, the Senior Superintendent of Police of Udham Singh Nagar district (where Kashipur is located), said, “A rally was held in Kashipur without permission. Around 400 people joined it. The crowd attacked a police vehicle. Nadeem Akhtar and seven others have been arrested, and ten more have been detained.
‘We are questioning Nadeem to find out who is actually behind this wave of religious frenzy,’ said Mr. Mishra.”
But what is the public’s opinion on the police statement?
The Islamic Information asked Syed Zubair Ahmad, the editor of Muslim Mirror India, that we saw the police statements regarding the FIRs filed across various provinces in India in connection with the “I Love Mohammed” banner. The police said that Muslims have violated the law everywhere—maybe they didn’t hold rallies where they were supposed to, maybe they didn’t put up posters where required. We would like to know your opinion on this: is the police statement actually correct, or is the police speaking in favor of a particular community?
He said that ”the police statement is not entirely correct. Because the police do not allow Muslims to protest anywhere. Even those who put I Love Muhammad stickers on their Hondas are arrested. Basically, they are taking away the freedom of speech of Muslims by not allowing them to protest”.
The Islamic Information also asked the Indian correspondent of Dhaka Tribune, Ayanangsha Maitra, that since Uttar Pradesh is currently governed by the ultra-Hindutva Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the police naturally act in favor of Hindu interests. If, however, any other political party such as the Samajwadi Party (SP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Indian National Congress (INC), Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) were in power, the situation and administrative context would undoubtedly have been completely different.
Faizul Hasan, former president of the Aligarh Muslim University Students’ Union, told the media, “We peacefully marched and protested against the FIRs being filed for putting up ‘I Love Muhammad’ banners. We did not raise any slogans, did not break any law. Later we came to know that a case has been filed against us.”
Mr. Hasan has now appealed to the Allahabad High Court to quash the FIR.
“Muslims love Prophet Muhammad. Even if we express our love for our Messenger, we are being targeted for that,” he said.
What are human rights activists saying about these incidents?
Human rights activists say that small incidents are being exaggerated to target Muslims and hurt their religious feelings.
Nadeem Khan, a member of the social organization United Against Hate, told the BBC, “We are getting reports from several areas that police are taking action against Muslims. We don’t yet have full details about how many FIRs have been filed or how many people have been arrested.”
He added, “The incident in Kanpur has caused anger among Muslims. But this is not the first time something like this has happened. Gradually, the situation has reached this point. During Ramadan, cases were filed in Moradabad just for praying inside homes. People were stopped from praying on their rooftops. Now cases are being filed over posters of the Prophet. It seems Muslims are being specifically targeted and their religious feelings are being hurt.”
Talking about the Kanpur incident, Nadeem Khan said, “Muslims had filed a complaint after the ‘I Love Muhammad’ banner was torn down. But no FIR was registered based on their complaint — instead, cases were filed against them.”
What are the politicians saying?
Imran Pratapgarhi, a Congress MP, asked: if people can be charged for showing love for the Prophet Muhammad, will the government file cases against India’s 30 crore (300 million) Muslims? After all, every Muslim loves the Prophet more than their own life.
He also said that young Muslims should not hold rallies without permission — they could get caught in the law.
Mr. Pratapgarhi said, “If you want to protest or sit in a dharna, get permission first. Every state and district has specific places where peaceful protests are allowed — you can protest there. People can also protest on social media.”
The BJP says the government is not acting against people because of their religion; action is taken against those who break the law.
Rakesh Tripathi, the BJP spokesperson in Uttar Pradesh, told the BBC: “Nobody can be targeted because of their religion. People can chant religious slogans — that’s fine. But if any slogan crosses the limits of law, action will be taken. There are rules about where you can put posters, banners or raise slogans. If someone breaks those rules or puts up posters and banners without permission, action will be taken.
“It is wrong to run a deliberate campaign to provoke people’s feelings,” Mr. Tripathi said.
Why are Muslims reacting this way?
After the Kanpur incident, protests broke out not only in Uttar Pradesh but also in several other states. People in Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat also expressed anger over the “I Love Muhammad” issue.
Many Muslims are posting the “I Love Muhammad” image on social media, and many have even set it as their profile picture.
Professor Vivek Kumar of Jawaharlal Nehru University said, “It cannot be said that there is a central policy or a specific campaign targeting Muslims. But the small incidents and the reactions they generate show that a feeling is growing among minorities that they are being isolated.”
He added, “A community is being made to feel that it is weak.”
However, Professor Vivek Kumar also questioned why people are giving so much importance to the filing of FIRs against one community. “Why do they feel that their constitutional rights are being violated just because an FIR has been filed?” he asked.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has reportedly warned that if any Muslim writes “I Love Muhammad” in front of their house, their home could be demolished with a bulldozer.
The slogan “I Love Muhammad” has also been banned in all Muslim religious processions. Many Muslims have been beaten and arrested by police in India for carrying posters and banners with this slogan. In northern India, Muslim youths are even being fined by police for having “I Love Muhammad” stickers on their motorbikes.
Videos show that after the bulldozer threat, many Muslims began removing “I Love Muhammad” posters and stickers from their homes.
Even though Muslims are being punished for writing “I Love Muhammad,” thousands of Hindu homes across cities display slogans like “Jai Shri Ram,” “Jai Hanuman,” “Har Har Mahadev,” or “Hare Ram Hare Krishna,” and the BJP government has no objection to them. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP rule, the Muslim minority is reportedly facing severe persecution.
In the United States or Europe, would anyone be arrested for carrying a banner or poster that says “I Love Jesus”? Never. For most people in civilized countries, it is hard to believe that in India, a Muslim could be punished by police or threatened with the demolition of their home simply for having an “I Love Muhammad” poster, banner, or sticker.
The situation of Muslims under the BJP government in India is being compared to that of Hindus in Bangladesh — where, according to this claim, such persecution of minorities by the government never happens. Supporters of Hindu nationalist groups in India are often accused of violence and attacks against Muslims.
Meanwhile, no Islamic group or party in Bangladesh has been shown to commit such acts against Hindus. Yet, BJP leaders and pro-government media in India often claim — sometimes in a very exaggerated way — that Hindus in Bangladesh are being denied religious freedom or are persecuted.
WhatsApp Channel
ChatGPT
Instagram
Facebook
X (Twitter)
Perplexity
Google News
Ask Gemini AI
Ask Grok AI
Support the officially authentic Islamic website.
Support our mission to spread Islamic knowledge. Your donation helps our volunteer writers and infrastructure. Contribute now.
