Media Narratives and Public Discourses: ‘Hate’and Exclusion of Ahmadiyyas in South India

Abstract

This paper explores the everyday manifestations of ‘hate’ against the Ahmadiyya community in South India, focusing on how symbolic violence sustains and affirms majoritarian politics within Muslim society. While much scholarly attention is often given to the Sunni-Shia divide, the exclusion of the Ahmadiyyas reveals the broader stratification within Muslim communities. As one of the most marginalized Muslim groups globally, the Ahmadiyyas face exclusion due to theological differences, with dominant Muslim groups labeling them as non-Muslims. Using ethnographic research conducted in Malabar, Kerala this study examines how symbolic violence, as theorized by Bourdieu (1991), operates subtly yet powerfully in their lives, normalizing their marginalization through everyday acts of ‘hate’.