Hundreds of posts with party popper emojis and hateful messages flood social media after the assassination, exposing deep anti-Muslim hate among some Hindus
NEW DELHI – Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s assassination in a US-Israeli attack has left many Indian Muslims shocked and hurt. Instead of respect for a world leader, some elements in the country, mostly from right-wing Hindu groups, started celebrating openly on social media. They posted happy emojis, jokes and messages full of joy. This has raised serious questions about how low some people’s feelings have gone in our country.
The celebrations started right after the news came out. People wrote things like “Finally one less” and shared videos with firecrackers. Many of them seem to be supporters of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the same political party that talks about national interests day in and day out. But here they forgot India’s own good relations with Iran. One Muslim teacher from Uttar Pradesh, who asked not to be named because he fears trouble, said, “I cannot believe. A leader of a friendly country dies and some Indians are dancing. What kind of hearts do they have? We are all human first.”
Ayatollah Khamenei was 86 when he was killed in the strikes on Tehran. He had led Iran for more than 36 years. He was known for standing against big powers, but he always showed great respect for India. When someone once asked him which country he would like to visit most, he proudly named India. He spoke many times about his love for the Indian people. Yet some in India chose to forget all that and celebrated only because he was a Muslim leader.
India and Iran have shared strong ties for many years. In 1950, the two countries signed a friendship treaty. Between 2001 and 2003, they built important strategic links. Iran gave India the Chabahar port even when America put heavy pressure and Pakistan asked them not to. This port helps India reach Central Asia without depending on Pakistan. Khamenei’s government stood by India despite threats from the US. But now some people in India are happy he is gone.
Many of the posts celebrating the death also praise US President Donald Trump. The same Trump who put tariff threats on India, forced us to stop buying oil from Venezuela and Russia, and even claimed he stopped a war between India and Pakistan by putting pressure on us. One senior Muslim leader in Delhi said, “These people are standing with Trump who harmed Indian interests many times. They forget Chabahar, they forget our old friendship. They only see that Khamenei was Muslim and feel happy. This is not patriotism. This is pure hate.”
Local Muslims across India have spoken out against this behaviour. In a small gathering in Hyderabad, one woman from the Muslim community told reporters, “We feel sad for the people of Iran who lost their leader. We pray for peace. But seeing Indians celebrate death makes us worried about our own safety here. If they can dance over a foreign Muslim leader, what will they do to us one day?”
The caretaker of a mosque in Mumbai added, “India has always been a country of brotherhood. Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji worked hard to keep good relations with Iran. Were those steps wrong? No. But today, some people linked to Hindu groups are showing their real face. They want to divide us on religion even in death.”
The videos and posts have spread fast. Thousands liked and shared them. Many users pointed out that no solid reason was given for the joy except that Khamenei was Muslim. One young Muslim student from Bengaluru posted, “Ask them why they are celebrating. They have no answer. It is just blind hate. We Indian Muslims have lived here for centuries. We love this country. But days like this make us feel like second-class citizens.”
This is not the first time such hate has shown up. In recent years Indian Muslims have seen attacks on their places of worship, on their children and on their daily life. The celebrations over Khamenei’s death have added to that pain. Rights groups have asked the government to speak out clearly against this kind of behaviour on social media. One activist from a Muslim organisation said, “The government must tell people that celebrating death is not Indian culture. We need to stand together as one nation, not fall into hate traps.”
Iran has announced 40 days of mourning. In India, many Muslims held quiet prayers for the late leader and for peace in the region. They remembered how Iran helped India during tough times. A shopkeeper in Old Delhi said, “Khamenei gave us Chabahar when the world was against us. He respected India. We should show respect back, not cheap joy.”
The whole episode has left Indian Muslims feeling let down. They say true Indians respect all faiths and all countries that stand with us. Celebrating the death of a leader who liked India shows how some people put religion above the nation. One elder in Lucknow summed it up well: “We pray that better sense comes to everyone. Death is not a time for parties. It is a time to think about peace and friendship between countries and communities.”
As the videos keep circulating, more voices from the Muslim community are calling for calm and unity. They want the authorities to check the worst posts and stop this hate before it grows bigger. Indian Muslims have always believed in living together in peace. They hope the rest of the country remembers that, too.
This sad chapter has once again shown the ugly side of religious hate in parts of India. While the world mourns or discusses the big changes after Khamenei’s death, many Indian Muslims are simply asking their fellow citizens to show basic humanity. No one should feel happy over another person’s death, especially not over a leader who always spoke kindly about India. The demand is clear: stop the celebrations and start respecting each other as Indians first.
