NEW DELHI: United Arab Emirates’ top daily Gulf News on Wednesday demanded an all out ban on the India’s most prominent news channels-Republic TV, Zee News, India TV, Aaj Tak, ABP and Times Now for exporting hate through Islamophobia in the Gulf region.
Preachers of hate
Calling them the real culprits and preachers of hate, the UAE-based newspaper, in a scathing editorial on 6 May outlined how the ‘Toxic TV channels’ with hateful content on prime time in India had immensely caused religious disharmony in Gulf countries.
“Hate propagated on live TV has a powerful impact especially when it comes from popular anchors. Authorities in the Gulf must take action against these channels, the preachers of hate, including Republic TV, Zee News, India TV, Aaj Tak, ABP and Times Now”, Gulf News wrote.
The editorial came amidst a number of “hate-filled and extremist” posts on social media by Indians living in the UAE and other Arab states in the last few week.
Face the axe
In last two weeks, about half a dozen Indian expats paid heavily for their Islamophobic social media posts after the UAE has axe them for their alleged “vicious” campaign against Muslims.
Referring to the recent cases, the daily said, “Many Indian expats who were called out for hatred and religious discrimination were long term residents of the UAE.”
“Prominent Arab personalities based in the UAE and other Gulf countries have also raised concerns about growing Islamophobia among the expats. Indian embassies in the UAE, Oman and Qatar have issued warnings on social media conduct, reminding Indians about tough anti-discrimination laws.”
“But the bigger question is why long-term residents who are familiar with local laws and sensitivities are posting such abusive content on social media?” the daily asked.
“The culprit is Indian media, specifically some news channels which are exporting the narrative of hate against Muslims from India to the Gulf countries”, Gulf News said.
Twisting news
Gulf News, which is owned by powerful Al Nisr Publishing Group in the UAE, also accused some leading media channels of twisting news and building fake narratives to target Indian Muslims.
“For example, media watchdogs have pointed out fake news of Muslims spitting on fruits to spread Coronavirus. This fake news was repeated on some news channels until people actually started believing it”, the daily said.