Understanding Extremist Voices Amid Strong India-Israel Ties

In Budgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on March 6, 2026, Kashmiri Shiite Muslim women march during a protest against the killing of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. (Photo by Faisal Khan/NurPhoto via Getty Images).

A concerning trend is emerging in some pockets of India, even as the country strengthens its strategic partnership with Israel. Small but vocal groups within the Shia community have demonstrated fierce allegiance to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, whom they regard as their spiritual guide. In protests, effigies of Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump have been burned, while demonstrators have pledged to produce hundreds of martyrs in his name.

This alarming trend highlights the complexities that India-Israel relations may face even as the two nations deepen their friendship and strategic partnership. Far from marginal, this development concerns a significant population: India is home to one of the world’s largest Shia communities outside Iran, estimated at around 40 million people, concentrated in cities such as Lucknow, Hyderabad, and Srinagar in Kashmir.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Israel and his public show of solidarity was significant and strategic. India’s alignment with Israel is rooted in shared national security concerns, particularly India’s own experience with jihadist threats along its borders and, sometimes, also within its social fabric. While a substantial part of the Indian population supports Israel, in recognizing the dangers posed by militant ideologies and rejecting terror, the rapidly evolving situation following the death of Ali Khamenei cannot be taken lightly.

India is a vast and vibrant democracy of nearly 1.5 billion people — its scale is both a strength and a complexity. For Israel, India’s support carries great weight because of these immense numbers; yet the same demographic reality also amplifies radicalized voices. Their sheer volume allows them to travel far beyond India’s borders, influencing and shaping global narratives in ways that cannot be underestimated.

Hypocrisy and Selective Outrage in the Global South

Critics in India — particularly left-leaning commentators and the opposition Indian National Congress — often rush to condemn Israel and the United States for allegedly violating Iranian sovereignty, while turning a blind eye to decades of Iranian aggression. Through proxies such as Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis, Iran has repeatedly launched attacks on Israel with little warning, whereas Israel consistently issues evacuation notices to minimize civilian harm. This selective outrage, condemning Israel for defending itself while excusing Iran’s calls for its destruction, reflects a troubling underlying premise: that Israel’s right to exist is being questioned.

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Anti Israel-US Protest And Restrictions Mark Friday In Kashmir (Photo by Faisal Khan/NurPhoto via Getty Images).

The rhetoric — “US imperialist bullying,” “Netanyahu’s blood-stained hands,” “Zionist aggression” — only recycles anti-colonial narratives without context. Across the Middle East, the Muslim-majority countries have historically opposed Israel, yet media narratives simplify Israel as the aggressor while ignoring Iran’s regional ambitions and proxy networks. Blatant violations of international law by Iran, and its brutal oppression of women and minorities at home, seem to have been easily forgotten. Human rights and justice appear to be applied selectively by Indian critics of US-Israeli strikes on Iran.

Even when civilians are harmed in Iran, some political voices immediately blame Israel or the US, often without evidence, echoing propaganda tactics seen during the Gaza conflict. Meanwhile, the people of Iran who have been facing systemic repression, and Iranian attacks on civilian infrastructure across the Middle East, from Dubai to Erbil, receive little scrutiny. The result is a stark double standard: Israel’s precise, retaliatory actions are condemned, while Iran’s decades-long aggression and domestic tyranny are conveniently overlooked.

Radicalization on the Ground: “Guide,” Martyrs, and Mobilization

Shiite Muslims Protest In Kashmir Following Death Of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (Photo by Firdous Nazir/NurPhoto via Getty Images).

The anti-Israel protests from the Shia community are significant because of what they reveal. In Srinagar and elsewhere, mourning processions portrayed Khamenei as a Marja‑e‑Taqlid (religious authority) — as a spiritual guide whose death demands public response. This is not just a symbolic matter. Rather, it is a deeply rooted theological loyalty that now finds expression in political activism directed against Israel and the US.

The scenes coming out of parts of India today look uncannily similar to Islamic-Regime dominated Iran. Women clad in chadors vowing martyrdom, slogans promising more martyrs, anti‑Israel chants, and oral expressions of threats to “kill Netanyahu”– signal a form of radicalization that goes beyond political disagreement to ideological commitment shaped by religious identity and global alliances. In some places, protesters even clashed with Indian security forces, showing that this is not mere performative dissent but a mobilization that is aimed at destabilizing domestic order as well as threatening the deepening Israel-India partnership.

This radicalization did not emerge overnight; it has developed from a combination of historical Shia consciousness in India and the broader public discourse surrounding India’s long-standing civilizational ties with Iran. Mourning processions, anti-Israel rhetoric, and public anger are fueled in part by these perceived historical and spiritual connections. While India and Iran have indeed shared cultural, religious, and trade ties for centuries, in reality, India’s Persian legacy is multifaceted. It includes not only Shia traditions but also the peaceful, small but prosperous Parsi community — Zoroastrians who fled Persia after the Islamic conquest. Therefore, heritage of India-Iran ties cannot be reduced to a single political allegiance or unilateralism, especially as those civilizational ties have transformed dramatically over time depending on who holds power in Iran. What is fueled today is a politicized interpretation of that history that has begun to mobilize and radicalize far beyond its original context.

A Parsi family buy flowers outside a fire temple during Navroze, the Parsi New Year, in Mumbai on August 17, 2019. – Parsis, followers of Zoroastrianism, a small religious community, were exiled from Iran in the 7th century AD during religious persecution by the Muslims. The Indian followers of Zoroastrianism are called Parsis because the religion arrived in India from Persia. (Photo credit should read INDRANIL MUKHERJEE/AFP via Getty Images).

Guarding Against Bias and Destabilization

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara watch Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi sign the guestbook in the Chagall Hall in the Knesset, the Parliament, in Jerusalem on February 25, 2026. Modi arrived in Israel on February 25 for a two-day visit aimed at deepening ties with a key trade and defence partner, a trip that has drawn criticism at home. (Photo by DEBBIE HILL / POOL / AFP via Getty Images).

The protests in India are not accidental—they are funded and driven by ideology, aiming to create unrest and weaken PM Narendra Modi’s solidarity with Israel. The Indian National Congress (opposition party) and the media often frame Israel as the aggressor and its opponents as victims, using spiritual and humanity-related narratives to sway even non-Shia communities. But we cannot allow anti-Israel rhetoric, especially sweeping statements without evidence, to go unopposed in India or anywhere.

At the same time, it is important to recognize that these radicalized voices do not represent India as a whole. The vast majority of Indians understand the dangers of religious extremism because they themselves have faced the consequences of jihadist violence. From attacks on Hindu pilgrims in Jammu and Kashmir by militants linked to groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba, to ISIS-inspired terror plots uncovered in Indian cities, ordinary citizens have repeatedly been the victims of radical ideology. For this reason, Indians instinctively understand Israel’s dilemma: the desire to live in coexistence while remaining clear-eyed about the threats posed by extremist movements. Recognizing this shared reality will ensure that the friendship between India and Israel grows stronger than the forces that seek to divide them.

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)