Katua, Katmulla, and Katmulli are derogatory Hindi slurs used to vilify Muslims. Katua and Katmulla target Muslim men, while Katmulli targets Muslim women.
Background and Context
The origins of these slurs lie in longstanding efforts by Hindu nationalists to stigmatize Muslims by mocking common Islamic practices. The words reference the practice of circumcision, combining the Hindi word for “cut” (kaatna) with “mullah,” a term for a Muslim cleric or devout practitioner, but one that is often used pejoratively to describe all Muslims.
The terms aimed at Muslim men are often weaponized to ridicule and dehumanize Muslims, portraying them as mutilated or incomplete and mocking their compromised masculinity. In some cases, such rhetoric has incited or directly justified physical violence, with members of Hindu mobs using circumcision as an identifying marker to target Muslim men during sectarian riots. On social media platforms, the slurs have also been used as a reference to the chemical formula for potassium oxide (K₂O), whose Hindi pronunciation, “K-two-O” or “K-two-A,” is phonetically similar to “Katua.”
Impact and Harm
These slurs reinforce Islamophobic stereotypes, dehumanize Muslims, and stir up hatred that has contributed to physical attacks against Muslims during sectarian violence. The terms normalize violence by framing Muslim bodies as inherently defective or threatening, making it easier to justify discrimination and assault. The coded use of ‘K₂O’ allows such speech to evade content moderation, enabling the slurs to spread across digital platforms while maintaining plausible deniability for those who deploy them.
Variants and Alternative Forms
कटुआ कठमुल्ला K2a
Online Usage
