In her years of experience as a journalist, working with various reputed media organizations, Sabrina Siddiqui couldn't have faced such a huge scale of online attack and harassment like how she is facing now. On the front of who is attacking her, it is the right-wing group, the hardcore supporters of BJP and the pro-Hindutva ideology, and why she is been attacked? Because she questioned Prime Minister Modi about his government's discrimination against the minorities. 

For Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing the press conference is not his cup of tea and in his nine-year tenure in office, Sabrina Siddiqui is one of the extremely few journalists who had posed a question to Narendra Modi. Siddiqui is the White House Correspondent of the Wall Street Journal and when Narendra Modi recently went to the United States in a historic state visit, he addressed the reporters along with his host, US President Joe Biden at the White House. 

It is also the first time that Narendra Modi had addressed a large hall of global journalists and during the presser, Siddiqui raised a crucial question about the treatment of minorities by the Modi regime in India. As the Modi rule in the country has been contentious with the public outcries on the discrimination and crackdown on minorities, particularly Muslims, Siddiqui's question had reflected larger expectations in India that Modi could face such a question. 

The outcome was Modi's rhetoric of democracy and the online attack on Siddiqui by the BJP and pro-Hindutva supporters. The attacks and trolls against Siddiqui carried the same weaponry from the Hindutva supporters - bigotry, as they highlighted Siddiqui's Muslim heritage and connections to Pakistan, as one of her parents is a native of Pakistan. These online attacks were led by BJP's head of the information cell, Amit Malviya. 

During the press conference at the White House, Sabrina Siddiqui asked PM Modi, "Mr Prime Minister, India has long prided itself as the world's largest democracy, but there are many human rights group who say that your government has discriminated against religious minorities and sought to silence its critics. As you stand here in the East Room of the White House, where so many world leaders have made commitments to protecting democracy, what steps are you and your government willing to take to improve the rights of Muslims and other minorities in your country and to uphold free speech?"

Responding to her question, Modi said, "Democracy is our spirit. Democracy runs in our veins. We live democracy, our government has taken the basic principles of democracy. We have always proved that democracy can deliver. And when I say deliver, this is regardless of caste, creed, religion, or gender. There is absolutely no space for discrimination." Siddiqui's question and Modi's answer made headlines in India and while celebrating his answer, the BJP had also launched a scathing attack on Siddiqui. 

Taking to Twitter, BJP's Amit Malviya claimed that Siddiqui's question is motivated and that she was given a fitting answer by Modi, which was a blow to the toolkit gang - the term used by the BJP to refer to those who criticize the party and the Modi's government at the centre. Malviya wrote, "Prime Minister Modi completely destroyed the motivated question on steps being taken to ‘protect’ rights of Muslims and other minorities. In his response he didn’t mention Muslims or any other denomination, spoke about Constitution, access to Govt resources based on eligibility and no discrimination based on caste, creed, religion or geography. After President Biden’s cold response to a similar question, this was another blow to the toolkit gang."

A pro-BJP Twitter user has labelled Siddiqui as a Pakistani Islamist. "She only attacks India. Hate is in DNA of Pakistanis", another user wrote. Another user said, "Though answered extremely well by Narendra Modi, I wonder on whose behalf Sabrina Siddiqui ask the question? 1. Leftist 2. Islamists 3. Country for whom she prays for". "Sabrina Siddiqui is White House reporter for The Wall Street Journal. She is daughter of an Indian-Pakistani father and a Pakistani mother. Now, you can guess the reason of her question based on the agenda", another user tweeted. 

A pro-BJP website went on to say that Sabrina Siddiqui is the daughter of Pakistani parents and is echoing the claims of Islamists. Another troll read, "A Pakistani Islamist at Wall Street Journal ambushed Modi at press conference today. This lying hater Sabrina Siddiqui has never in her life said one word about Pakistan's brutal repression and assaults on women, and minorities. She only attacks India. Hate is in DNA of Pakistanis." 

As the online attacks against her were rampant, Siddiqui broke her silence and responded through a tweet in which she shared a photograph of her along with her Indian-born father cheering for the Indian cricket team. She wrote, "Since some have chosen to make a point of my personal background, it feels only right to provide a fuller picture. Sometimes identities are more complex than they seem." While her father was born in India, her mother is Pakistani. 

Coming in to support Siddiqui, Congress social media head Supriya Shrinate said, "You are a fearless journalist - and that's all that matters." Veteran Congress leader Digvijaya Singh wrote on social media, "Sabrina, you need not worry, you don't have to prove anything. You have done a great job as a journalist." As per her profile at The Wall Street Journal, Sabrina Siddiqui currently covers the White House for the journal and prior to joining the Journal in 2019, she covered the White House and 2016 presidential election at the UK-based Guardian. 

Since some have chosen to make a point of my personal background, it feels only right to provide a fuller picture. Sometimes identities are more complex than they seem. pic.twitter.com/Huxbmm57q8

— Sabrina Siddiqui (@SabrinaSiddiqui) June 24, 2023