Rana Ayyub: The Mullah Journalist Manufacturing One-Sided Narratives
- MGMMTeam
- Jul 17
- 5 min read
In the realm of global journalism, few names are as controversial and ideologically consistent as Rana Ayyub. Lauded in Western liberal circles as a courageous voice speaking truth to power, Ayyub has built her brand on one consistent theme: India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi is fascist, Hindu nationalist, and systemically oppressive to minorities. However, a closer look at her body of work reveals a troubling pattern — a deeply selective, distorted portrayal of facts that often exaggerates Hindu culpability, ignores Muslim or Christian extremism, and weaponizes grief to serve an agenda. Her latest article, “The Death of Two Flight Attendants Reveals Brutality on the Ground”, is yet another example of this manipulative style of storytelling.
Old Conflicts, Fresh Agendas: The Truth About Manipur
In her Manipur piece, Rana Ayyub writes about the tragic deaths of two flight attendants — Kongbrailatpam Nganthoi Sharma (a Meitei Hindu) and Lamnunthem Singson (a Kuki Christian) — as a symbolic reference to the ethnic conflict in the state. The article suggests that the deep divisions between the Meitei and Kuki communities are recent, sparked primarily by a court decision to consider granting Scheduled Tribe status to the Meiteis. This narrative subtly frames the Meitei demand as a “power grab” and portrays the Kuki community as helpless victims.
But this is a gross historical misrepresentation. The ethnic conflict in Manipur did not begin under the Modi government or BJP’s Biren Singh. In fact, the Meitei-Kuki-Naga tensions date back decades, with armed groups like the United National Liberation Front (UNLF) active since 1964. The Kuki-Naga conflict in the 1990s, under Congress rule, led to hundreds of deaths and massive displacement. The Kuki demand for autonomy, the rise of Kuki National Front (KNF), and cross-border insurgent movements from Myanmar have plagued Manipur for decades.
To ignore this history and suggest that the BJP created or caused this conflict is dishonest journalism. Ayyub doesn’t mention these facts because they do not serve her pre-decided narrative: that all social unrest in India originates with Modiji’s politics.
Tribal or Hindu? Religious Identity as a Weapon
Ayyub simplifies the identity of the Meiteis by calling them the “Hindu majority community,” contrasting them with the “Christian Kuki tribe.” This simplistic binary ignores the cultural and religious diversity within the Meiteis themselves. A significant section of Meiteis follow Sanamahism, an indigenous animist tradition, while others practice Vaishnav Hinduism. Moreover, the Meiteis are not yet classified as a Scheduled Tribe, and their demand for it is based on legitimate concerns over land rights and demographic shifts.
Meanwhile, Kukis — labeled merely as “Christian tribes” — are already protected under ST status and are heavily supported by foreign-funded missionary networks. Many reports also point to illegal immigration of Kukis from Myanmar, involvement in the poppy trade, and militant separatist outfits that have long destabilized the region.
Ayyub mentions none of this. Her intent is clear: establish a victim-oppressor framework, with Hindu Meiteis (and by extension, the BJP government) on the wrong side, and Christian Kukis as the voiceless, oppressed.
No Room for Christian Victims in Pakistan or Muslim Violence in Kerala
If Rana Ayyub is truly a voice for the oppressed, where is her outrage over Christian persecution in Pakistan? In August 2023, over 20 churches were burned in Jaranwala, and Christian families were chased out of their homes after a false blasphemy allegation. This came on the heels of cases like Asia Bibi, who spent years on death row for blasphemy. Every year, young Christian girls are kidnapped, raped, and forcibly converted in Pakistan, often with police complicity.
And yet, Rana Ayyub — a Muslim journalist with access to global platforms — has not written any major column in The Washington Post, TIME, or even social media on these atrocities. The silence is deafening.
Similarly, in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, there have been increasing tensions between Christians and Muslims over forced conversions, violent attacks, and the controversial issue of "Love Jihad." Even Syro-Malabar bishops have publicly warned about Christian girls being targeted by Muslim men for conversion and radicalization. But Ayyub avoids such topics because they expose internal fissures within India's minority communities — and that does not align with her "Hindu oppressor" narrative.
Every Article, Every Time: The Blame Is Always Modi
Whether it's the Manipur conflict, the Gujarat riots, CAA/NRC protests, or the abrogation of Article 370 in Kashmir, Rana Ayyub’s message is unchanging: Narendra Modi is to blame.
In her TIME and Washington Post columns, she accuses Modiji of:
Orchestrating Muslim exclusion via CAA.
Silencing Kashmir through "fascist lockdowns."
Igniting violence in Manipur by inaction or complicity.
Leading a majoritarian state that targets Muslims and Christians.
What she never does, however, is acknowledge the complex, pre-existing conflicts, the role of Islamic fundamentalism, or the repeated failures of previous regimes.
Even her book, Gujarat Files, was built on hidden-camera interviews and indirect claims — with no legal evidence — yet it was marketed as a definitive indictment of Modiji.
This isn’t journalism. It is activism wrapped in grief, with a headline and a byline.
The Manufactured Narrative: A Template of Bias
Rana Ayyub’s career follows a template:
Find a local tragedy involving a minority victim.
Omit any context that shows the victim group as violent, radicalized, or aggressive.
Blame the Hindu majority, preferably linking it to Modiji or the BJP.
Write for Western audiences who are eager to read about “India’s descent into fascism.”
Her writing avoids questions like:
What about Islamist radicalization in Kerala?
What about Christian persecution in Muslim nations?
What about Kuki militant actions in Manipur?
What about Hindus displaced from the Valley or burned alive in Godhra?
Because her answer is pre-written: Modiji is the villain, no matter the story.
Conclusion: The Mullah Journalist Who Preaches to the Choir
Rana Ayyub is not an objective journalist. She is a Mullah Journalist — not by religion, but by approach. Her work resembles a sermon rather than an investigation, complete with a predictable villain (Modiji), silent omissions (Islamist extremism), and selective compassion (only for those useful to her narrative). Her journalism isn't about justice — it’s about ideological warfare, waged on global platforms under the mask of human rights.
India deserves better. Its victims — whether Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Meitei, or Kuki — deserve to be seen fully, not filtered through the lens of narrative politics. A journalist who can’t speak truth across the board is not a voice of the voiceless — she’s just a loudspeaker for propaganda.
(Sources: Apple News, The Print, OpIndia, Hindupost, India.com)
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