{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,23]],"date-time":"2026-09-23T06:13:09Z","timestamp":1790143989669,"version":"4.0.1"},"reference-count":58,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,1,22]],"date-time":"2021-01-22T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1611273600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Psychiatry"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has emerged as a global public health threat over the last few months. Historically, infectious disease outbreaks like the plague, Influenza, cholera, HIV, etc. have generated stigma, prejudice, \u201cothering\u201d and xenophobia, against certain communities. One such prevalent form of xenophobia, is Islamophobia or \u201cfear and discrimination against the Muslims.\u201d Though debated over its various facets and definitions, it is on the rise worldwide. India, being a socio-politically diverse and populous nation, has been facing unique challenges during COVID-19. Considering Hinduism and Islam are the two major religious communities, the subcontinent has witnessed complex dynamics in their relationship throughout history. The pandemic has further instigated Islamophobia, and consequent discrimination, as well as unrest. This can have significant effect of public behavior and health. In the recent past, few legislations in India were interpreted to be Islamophobic and generated nation-wide protest, which provided a fertile backdrop against the discriminative effects of the pandemic. Keeping this in background, this commentary highlights the social contexts of increase in Islamophobia in India during the pandemic, discusses the possible psychological explanations and public health impact, as well as outlines some ways to mitigate it focusing on collectivism.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyt.2020.604949","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,1,22]],"date-time":"2021-01-22T04:53:13Z","timestamp":1611291193000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":13,"title":["The \u201cLabeled\u201d Side of COVID-19 in India: Psychosocial Perspectives on Islamophobia During the Pandemic"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"11","author":[{"given":"Kanika K.","family":"Ahuja","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Debanjan","family":"Banerjee","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,1,22]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"510","DOI":"10.1056\/NEJMp2008017","article-title":"Mental health and the Covid-19 pandemic","volume":"83","author":"Pfefferbaum","year":"2020","journal-title":"N Engl J Med."},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"121","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-319-97637-2_8","article-title":"Gender-based violence among adolescent girls and young women: a neglected consequence of the west african ebola outbreak","volume-title":"Pregnant in the Time of Ebola: Women and Their Children in the 2013\u20132015 West African Epidemic. 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