AI-generated deepfakes used to target Muslim women in India
Muslim women in India have been targeted with AI-generated deepfake videos that fabricate sexual content and propaganda using free face-swapping and voiceover tools. A study documented over 6.7 million engagements with sexualized AI-generated images of Muslim women across social media platforms from 2023 to 2025.
What happened
Samreen Ayoub, a freelance model from Kashmir, discovered a fabricated video circulating on Instagram that stitched together her university photographs into a fake news-style segment with AI-generated voiceover falsely claiming she was a Muslim woman 'selling her body' to Hindu men and mislabeling people in the photos.
A study by the Center for the Study of Organized Hate analyzed 1,326 publicly available AI-generated images and videos from 297 public accounts on X, Facebook and Instagram between May 2023 and May 2025, finding that sexualized depictions of Muslim women generated the highest engagement with more than 6.7 million interactions across platforms.
Reported impact
Muslim women targeted by AI-generated deepfakes have experienced harassment and declined to speak publicly, citing shame and risk of retraumatization.
The use of AI to generate sexualized imagery and propaganda targeting Muslim women has been described as an increasingly visible pattern.
Index analysis
The deepfakes used free AI face-swapping apps and AI voiceover generation technology to create fake videos that appeared photorealistic and could deceive viewers including family members.
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
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