Islamophobic Remarks :
Siddharth Yadav, also known as Elvish Yadav, is a well-known YouTuber and social media influencer from Gurugram, Haryana, who espouses Hindu nationalism. He runs two well-known YouTube channels where he uploads videos with hate speech, conspiracy theories, anti-Muslim propaganda, and Hindu supremacist discourse. Yadav has amassed a big following on Facebook, X, Instagram, and YouTube with over fifteen million subscribers. In Hindu supremacist circles, he is referred to as a “Hindu Sher,” or Hindu lion, for “roasting” progressive voices.
Yadav uses his extensive platform to disseminate propaganda and conspiracy theories supporting right-wing Hindu ideologies and anti-Muslim sentiments. In his books and videos, he regularly promotes anti-Muslim and Islamophobic themes by using terminology like “Love jihad,” “Hindu Rashtra” (Hindu country), Islamic jihad, demographic shift, and cow vigilantism. He frequently uses hashtags like #HinduLivesMatter and #HindusUnderAttackInIndia on social media. In addition, he calls Muslims a group with a “massive amount of hate inside,” alleging that Muslims blow things up for amusement and engage in terrorism as a career.
Yadav has a history of intimidating activists who oppose radical Hinduism. He wrote on X in October 2021 that Muslim activist Sharjeel Usmani was “no less than a terrorist” and that Usmani would meet “seventy-two virgins” as a result of his beliefs.
Actress and human rights advocate Swara Bhaskar filed a criminal complaint against Yadav in October 2021 for cyberbullying under Indian Penal Code sections 354D (stalking), 67 (punishment for publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form), and 509 (insulting a woman’s modesty). Swara Bhaskar has been a vocal supporter of minority rights and has denounced the prejudice that minorities in India—Muslims in particular—face, especially under the Hindu nationalist government of the BJP.
Yadav made fun of Muslim women who were protesting the Karnataka state government’s ban on headscarves in schools in February 2022 by sharing a photo of himself wearing a hoodie and the slogan #HijabisOurRight.
Yadav is an outspoken opponent of Islam and supports the notion of a “Hindu Rashtra,” or Hindu homeland, for India. “Islam Ke Bare Me Sach Bolke Islamophobia Fela Deta Hu,” he tweeted on March 14, 2022. (I propagate Islamophobia by exposing Islam’s falsehoods.)
Yadav is blatantly anti-Islamic and publicly supports the notion of a “Hindu Rashtra” (Hindu country) for India. He said on Twitter in March 2022 that by “speaking the truth about Islam,” he encourages Islamophobia.
On March 15, 2022, Yadav posted a video on his vlog channel purporting to critique the movie The Kerala Story. The video was an anti-Muslim and Islamophobic tirade full of false information and propaganda. In order to propagate “Islamic terrorism,” he charged Muslims of brainwashing their children in madrassas, or traditional Islamic educational institutions. Additionally, he resorted to spreading the myth that Hindus are protected as long as Muslims remain a minority and that demographic shift is occurring. The day Muslims outnumber Hindus in population, he continued, Hindus would have to hide in bunkers.
Yadav posted an anti-Muslim and Islamophobic tirade on his vlog channel on March 15, 2022, under the pretense of reviewing the movie “The Kerala Story.” In this video, he promoted the “demographic change” conspiracy theory, alleging that Hindus would have to hide in bunkers if Muslims took over as the majority and accused Muslims of brainwashing their children in madrasas.
In June 2022, Yadav made fun of Aafreen Fatima, a Muslim woman activist whose house was destroyed by the Uttar Pradesh government. Yadav is in favor of demolishing Muslim-owned buildings and companies as a kind of collective punishment. “Aafreen Fatima literally standing now,” he tweeted following the demolition, along with the hashtag #StandWithAfreenFatima.
Yadav also mocked actress Swara Bhaskar’s marriage to a Muslim politician, implying concerns about “love jihad.”
Following the release of a video by YouTuber Dhruv Rathi titled ‘Reality of the Kerala Story’ in May 2023, which debunked the anti-Muslim propaganda in the film ‘The Kerala Story,’ Yadav accused Rathi of ‘Hinduphobia’ and bias towards Muslims.