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Tag: American Muslim Institution

  • US coalition asks New York Governor, NYC mayor to refuse Islamophobic float at India Day Parade

    US coalition asks New York Governor, NYC mayor to refuse Islamophobic float at India Day Parade

    NEW YORK – The Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) today joined in a letter by a coalition of human rights and interfaith organizations sent to New York Governor Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Eric Adams urging them to condemn and oppose the inclusion of an anti-Muslim float at the India Day Parade scheduled for August 18, 2024.

    For a digital copy of the full letter, click here.

    The float celebrates the destruction of the historic Babri Mosque, which was demolished on December 6, 1992, by a mob of over 150,000 right-wing Hindu militants.

    Letter co-signers include: Indian American Muslim Council, Council on American-Islamic Relations, Council on American-Islamic Relations-New York, Hindus for Human Rights, The Federation of Indian American Churches of North America (FIACONA), Muslim Public Affairs Council, New York State Council of Churches, Genocide Watch, Center for Pluralism, India’s Civil Watch International, American Muslim Institution, and Association of Indian Muslims in America

    The letter highlights concerns about the Indian consulate’s partnership with far-right groups to display the float, which features imagery of India’s Ram Temple. This temple stands on the ruins of the Babri Mosque, whose demolition led to widespread riots and the deaths of thousands, predominantly Muslims. The inauguration of the Ram Temple in January 2024 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has further fueled religious tensions, resulting in violence and attacks on other places of worship.

    The event’s organizers, including the Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America (VHPA) and Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS), have histories of spreading hate speech and exploiting laborers. Allowing the float at the parade would embolden anti-Muslim actors and undermine New York City’s commitment to diversity and peaceful coexistence.

    The organizations call for immediate and decisive measures to prevent the inclusion of the divisive float to ensure New York remains a safe and welcoming place for all its residents.

  • American Organisations Call on India’s Supreme Court to Order a New Investigation of Modi in Gujarat Riots

    American Organisations Call on India’s Supreme Court to Order a New Investigation of Modi in Gujarat Riots

    International Society for Peace and Justice called on India’s Supreme Court to order a new investigation of Modi regarding his role in the Gujarat riots.

    It condemned assaults on freedom and the persecution of religious minorities in India, “what is supposed to be the world’s largest democracy.”

    The statement is endorsed by American Muslim Institution, Association of Indian Muslims in America, Federation of Indian American, Christians of North America, and Indian American Muslim Council.

    “The survivors of this pogrom deserve justice and compensation.” It urged the international community to assist those fighting for freedom in India today, as well as the fight for justice for those whose loved ones were killed in Gujarat 21 years ago. It also appealed to right-minded people across the globe to speak up for the many women who were systematically raped and the people who were displaced and had their homes and businesses destroyed.

    The statement has been issued in the context of the recent ban on the BBC documentary titled “India: The Modi Question,” which shows the role of PM Modi in the anti-Muslim Gujarat pogrom, which happened when he was the Chief Minister of the state. The film includes revelations from a recently declassified investigation of the riots by the British government. Investigators determined that Modi, as Gujarat’s chief minister, was “directly responsible” for the violence. Their report characterizes the riots as a “pogrom,” or a “systematic campaign of violence,” which had “all the hallmarks of ethnic cleansing” meant to force Muslims out of Hindu areas of Gujarat, according to the documentary.

    The Indian government has dismissed the film as propaganda meant to undermine Prime Minister Modi, and officials have said it will not be screened in India. Major online platforms such as Twitter and YouTube have been blocked from showing the documentary in India. The legal validity of using emergency powers to censor the documentary has yet to be determined by the Indian judiciary.

    The Supreme Court of India on Friday issued a notice to the Modi government over petitions challenging the move to block the BBC documentary. The court has sought original records about the government’s decision and will now hear the matter in April.

    Recently, more than 500 Indian scientists and academics endorsed a statement criticizing the Indian government for blocking the documentary, saying that the pretext that it undermines “the sovereignty and integrity of India” does not withstand scrutiny. “The removal violates our rights, as Indians, to access and discuss important information about our society and government,” the joint statement said.

  • Treatment of Indian Muslims has echoes from the Holocaust says Genocide expert

    Treatment of Indian Muslims has echoes from the Holocaust says Genocide expert

    Washington, DC: The Indian government is gearing up for genocide of Muslims similar to the Holocaust through discriminatory policies and acts of state-sponsored violence, said Dr. Ellen Kennedy, founder and Executive Director of World Without Genocide, during a Congressional Briefing on April 26.

    “I speak to you as a Jew… We must pay attention to what is happening to Muslims in India today because it is beginning to echo what happened to Europe’s Jews 80 years ago,” said Dr. Kennedy, while speaking on the decision of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) to recommend India as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) in its 2022 annual report for egregious violations of religious freedom for the third year in a row.

    Indian Muslims today face fate of European Jews under Hitler: Dr Kennedy, World Without Genocide
    Indian Muslims today face the fate of European Jews under Hitler: Dr. Kennedy, World Without Genocide

    Drawing parallels between the Indian government’s policies of forced statelessness for Muslims and Nazi Germany’s Nuremberg laws, Dr. Kennedy stated that India’s growing Hindu extremist movement had “created anti-Muslim hate and official support and impunity for anti-Muslim violence.”

    “In the past few months, violence against Muslims in India has escalated to the point that the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum ranks India second in the world in this year’s Early Warning statistical risk assessment second in the world. Dr. Gregory Stanton of Genocide Watch warns that genocide of Muslims in India is about to take place,” she said.

    Professor Rohit Chopra, academic and author, drew attention to the infiltration of the Hindu supremacist ideology in all levels of the government, legacy media, and social media.

     
    Genocide of Muslims has already begun in India: Prof Rohit Chopra
    Genocide of Muslims has already begun in India: Prof Rohit Chopra

    “What has happened is essentially the BJP has fused with the Indian state… This is extremely, extremely alarming because it actually not just excuses violence or turns a blind eye to it, but actually calls upon Hindus to perform violence against Muslims… as proof of being a good Indian and being a good Hindu. Lower-level leaders have openly bayed for Muslim blood and nothing has happened to them,” he said.

    “[Hindu nationalists] defy their Constitution… by devoting themselves to creating a Hindu nationalist state where Hindu people have more rights than anyone else. And they will do anything, including the barring of non-Hindu visitors to India… to carry out their discriminatory and violent practices,” said Rev. Peter Cook, Executive Director of the New York State Council of Churches.

    Violence against religious minorities in India reaches an all time high: Rev Peter Cook

      Violence against religious minorities in India reaches an all-time high: Rev Peter Cook

    “USCIRF has made this recommendation three years in a row, and things are getting worse, not better, for religious minorities in India… Congress must hold hearings on human rights in India. Through its power of the purse, Congress can condition foreign and security aid to India based on religious freedom issues,” said Ria Chakrabarty, Policy Director at Hindus for Human Rights.

    The US state department must do more than merely monitor human rights in India: Ria Chakrabarty

    The US state department must do more than merely monitor human rights in India: Ria Chakrabarty

    “Nearly every single pillar of democracy in India seems to have crumbled under the weight of Hindu nationalism…  United States foreign policy is going to suffer immeasurably if it continues to behave in an ostrich-like manner and ignore the violations of human rights and religious freedom in India,” said Ajit Sahi, Advocacy Director at Indian American Muslim Council.
    India’s judiciary has become like the judiciary in China: Ajit Sahi

    India’s judiciary has become like the judiciary in China: Ajit Sahi

    The briefing was co-hosted by Genocide Watch, World Without Genocide, Indian American Muslim Council, Hindus for Human Rights, International Christian Concern, Jubilee Campaign,  21Wilberforce, Dalit Solidarity Forum, New York State Council of Churches, Federation of Indian American Christian Organizations of North America, India Civil Watch International, Center for Pluralism, American Muslim Institution, Students Against Hindutva Ideology, International Society for Peace and Justice, The Humanism Project and Association of Indian Muslims of America.