Asif Mahmood

India’s problem is no longer confined to hate speech. Hate itself has become an industry. It is being written, recorded, marketed, streamed, and monetized on some of the world’s largest digital platforms. A new report by the Washington-based Center for the Study of Organized Hate (CSOH) suggests that what was once political rhetoric has evolved into a profitable business where religious hatred is packaged as entertainment and consumed by millions.

The report, Profiting from Hate Music: The Role of YouTube, Meta, Spotify, and Apple Music in Hosting and Monetizing India’s Hate Music Industry, exposes what it describes as a vast ecosystem of Hindutva hate music operating across global streaming platforms. It identifies 523 songs available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, and Meta’s Music Library that allegedly violate the companies’ own content policies by promoting hatred against Muslims and Christians. These are not isolated incidents or random uploads. The report describes an organized industry driven by dozens of artists and amplified by algorithms that reward engagement regardless of its social cost.

The figures are deeply disturbing. YouTube alone reportedly hosts 210 hate songs produced by 98 artists. According to the report, 104 of those songs contain direct threats or incitement against Muslims and have collectively attracted at least 97 million views. Spotify reportedly hosts another 109 such songs, Meta’s Music Library 103, and Apple Music 101. Several songs, the report says, openly advocate the removal, expulsion, or elimination of Muslims and Christians while glorifying the idea of an exclusively Hindu state. This is not merely offensive speech. If the report’s findings are accurate, it represents the normalization of hatred on an industrial scale.

For years, the world has watched anti-Muslim rhetoric become increasingly mainstream in India. Political speeches, television debates, social media campaigns, and vigilante violence have all contributed to an atmosphere of growing intolerance. The CSOH report suggests that this process has entered another, even more dangerous phase. Hatred is no longer confined to politics. It has become part of popular culture. Music is now being used to reinforce prejudice, dehumanize religious minorities, and cultivate hostility among younger audiences. A political speech disappears when the rally ends. A song remains online indefinitely, gathering streams, attracting new listeners, and reinforcing the same message every day.

The report is equally damaging for the global technology companies that host this content. YouTube, Meta, Spotify, and Apple Music repeatedly portray themselves as champions of responsible digital spaces. They publish elaborate community standards, invest billions in content moderation, and promise zero tolerance for hate speech. Yet the report raises an uncomfortable question: if these platforms can instantly identify copyrighted material and remove it within minutes, why do they struggle to enforce their own rules when the targets are religious minorities in India? Selective enforcement weakens the credibility of every policy they claim to uphold.

There is another reality that cannot be ignored. Hate has become commercially valuable. Every click, stream, recommendation, and advertisement generates revenue. Algorithms do not distinguish between outrage and entertainment. They reward engagement. If content promoting religious hostility continues to generate traffic and income, platforms inevitably become more than passive hosts. They become beneficiaries of the very ecosystem they claim to oppose.

The significance of this report extends well beyond India. Democracies are judged not only by elections but also by how they protect vulnerable communities. Equally, technology companies cannot demand accountability from governments while failing to enforce their own standards consistently. Principles that change with geography or commercial interests are not principles at all.