NEW DELHI: India’s Muslim women are facing a new wave of online abuse as generative artificial intelligence makes it easier to create fake sexualised images, memes and propaganda, according to an Al Jazeera report.
The report said ordinary photographs of Muslim women are being manipulated into pornographic images, placed in sexual scenarios and circulated online to humiliate, threaten and silence them.
One case cited in the report involved a woman who was recorded without consent while standing in her burqa. Sameer, Programme Leader at the Rati Foundation Helpline, said her image was later misused and shown in a sexualised manner before going viral online.
Researchers warned that the sexual representation of Muslim women in India generates high engagement on social media, with more than 6.7 million interactions recorded across X, Facebook and Instagram.
Eviane Leidig, Director of Research and Outreach at the Centre for the Study of Organised Hate, said Muslim women are particularly targeted because such content feeds into narratives of subjugation and sexualisation.
The impact has been severe. Some women have lost jobs, withdrawn from social media and begun living with fear of further harassment.
This is not the first time Muslim women in India have been targeted online. In 2021 and 2022, the Sulli Deals and Bulli Bai apps used doctored photographs to “auction” dozens of Muslim women, triggering national outrage.
