AI-Generated Deepfakes Target Muslim Women in India

Weaponized synthetic media

Artificial intelligence tools are being systematically deployed to create fabricated sexual imagery targeting Muslim women in India, according to new research that documents a disturbing intersection of technology, misogyny, and religious discrimination.

A study by the Washington, DC-based Center for the Study of Organized Hate analyzed 1,326 publicly available AI-generated images and videos collected from 297 accounts across X, Facebook, and Instagram between May 2023 and May 2025. The research, first reported by Al Jazeera, found that sexualized depictions of Muslim women generated more than 6.7 million interactions across these platforms—the highest engagement of any content category examined.

Samreen Ayoub, a 24-year-old freelance model from India-administered Kashmir, experienced this firsthand when an AI-generated video falsely claimed she was "selling her body" to Hindu men. The fabricated content stitched together photographs from her university years with synthetic narration and misidentified her own brother as her "pimp."

"It looked so real that if someone, even my parents, saw the video, they would think it was real," Ayoub told Al Jazeera.

Why it matters

This represents a significant evolution in online harassment infrastructure. Generative AI has eliminated technical barriers to creating convincing fabricated content, enabling harassment at unprecedented scale and speed. For minority communities already facing systematic discrimination, these tools amplify existing vulnerabilities while existing legal frameworks struggle to provide recourse. The pattern documented in India offers a preview of how synthetic media may be weaponized against marginalized groups globally.

Pattern of political harassment

Researchers identified recurring visual themes in the AI-generated content: Muslim women in religious attire paired with Hindu men in sexually suggestive scenarios. Digital research analyst Zenith Khan, who co-authored the study, described this as part of a broader ideological project.

"In many South Asian cultures, women are portrayed as the honour of the family," Khan explained to Al Jazeera. "So attacking Muslim women visually becomes a way of portraying Muslims as inferior."

The Mumbai-based RATI Foundation, which operates the Meri Trustline online safety helpline, has documented similar trends. Since 2022, the organization has handled more than 482 cases, with roughly 10 percent involving digitally manipulated material—a share that continues to grow as AI tools become more accessible.

Salman Mujawar, a front-line counselor at the helpline, noted that "these violations are muted by shame, fear and trauma. Incidents are rarely revealed even to close family members."

Legal gaps and platform failures

India's existing legal framework struggles to address AI-generated content. Section 66E of the Information Technology Act criminalizes capturing or publishing images of private areas without consent, but may not apply when no actual recording occurred.

"Even if the image is fake, it creates a permanent scarlet letter for women," said Apar Gupta, founding director of the Internet Freedom Foundation, in comments to Al Jazeera.

Digital platforms enjoy "safe harbour" protections as long as they remove illegal material once notified, but victims report difficulty navigating reporting mechanisms. Ayoub filed complaints with New Delhi's police cybercrime unit but said "nothing happened." Most abusive content was removed only after her friends mass-reported the accounts.

For Ayoub, the fabricated video had tangible professional consequences. "As a model, your reputation matters," she said. "If negative comments appear on your profile, brands stop approaching you."

Media anthropologist Sahana Udupa of Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich described the phenomenon as part of a broader "pornification of politics" targeting women and minority communities, combining humor, memes, and sexualized imagery to normalize abuse.

These details were first reported by Al Jazeera.