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.
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.
Washington, D.C.: As India will undergo the United Nations Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) to examine its human rights record on Thursday, November 10, the Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) Executive Director Rasheed Ahmed said:
“The current UPR of India comes at a time when human rights in India are dangerously ignored, minorities face discrimination, fundamental rights such as freedom of religion and freedom of the press are under attack, and hate speeches calling for the genocide of Muslims are at an all-time high. It is an excellent opportunity for the member states of the UN to formally recognize the gross human rights abuses India’s religious minorities face at the hands of the ruling Hindu nationalist government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Each member state must hold India accountable for failing to uphold basic human rights for minority citizens, whether that be targeting Muslims through discriminatory legislations such as the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) or Indian Christians who are being persecuted by the enaction of anti-conversion Laws.
Nations must also make recommendations that will help prevent the continuation of anti-minority discrimination pervasive in legislative, executive, and judiciary. We urge member states to provide recommendations that will encompass ignored recommendations from the previous sessions, such as the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment, which India is yet to ratify. This session provides member states with the opportunity to continue their ongoing dialogues with India regarding these issues, and to work to enable the Indian government to guarantee the fundamental rights of each Indian citizen, regardless of their faith.”
Tomorrow, a coalition of 18 American civil rights groups is holding a special congressional briefing, where prominent American and Indian civil society members, global human rights defenders, and experts will analyze the human rights situation in India, examine the UPR, and the recommendations made by the member states.
Indian Americans condemn violence in India, welcome Ilhan Omar’s resolution
Washington, DC: Hundreds of Indian Americans in Houston joined a coalition of Muslim community organizations in a protest against the recent human rights violations against Christians, Muslims & Dalits by the Indian government, as well as the insults by a member of the ruling BJP party toward the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him).
The condition of Muslims in India has become appalling. The police and judiciary remain complicit to the Indian government’s brutal crackdown against its own Muslim citizens. In the month of June alone, Muslims in India have been killed, arbitrarily detained, and had their houses unlawfully demolished.
The President of Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) Houston Chapter, Shakeib Mashood, said, “India is rapidly turning into a fascist state where minorities are facing humiliation and being harassed regularly. We call on the community to join our coalition protest and have your voices heard.”
In its annual report released in April of 2022, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), listed India among its Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) for the systematic, ongoing, egregious violations of religious freedom for the third consecutive year.
The deteriorating conditions for minorities, especially Muslims have drawn the attention of elected officials, including State Representative of Minnesota, Ilhan Omar.
On June 21, Omar introduced House Resolution 1196 which condemns India for egregious violations of human rights and religious freedom. The resolution which was co-sponsored by Congressman Jim McGovern (MA), Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (MI), and Congressman Juan Vargas (CA), also urges the State Department to act on the recommendations of USCIRF and designate India as a CPC under the International Religious Freedom Act.
The Director of Operations of Council of American Islamic Relations (CAIR) – Houston, William White, said, “The authoritarian Islamophobia demonstrated by the government in these states and across India is the same across the globe: collective punishment of innocent civilians as a means of retribution on those that partake in public protest.” He also urged everyone to call their congressperson to pass House Resolution 1196.
The Houston crowd chanted slogans of unity with Muslims in India, including, “We Stand with Afreen Fatima,” and “Stop Indian Muslim Genocide.”
Islamic Society of Greater Houston (ISGH) President Ayman Kabire asked people to simply speak out against the barbaric violence against Muslims & Christians in India.
“We stand for justice. We stand for human rights. The egregious acts perpetrated against Indian Muslims and minorities need to stop. People of all walks of life should be condemning and working to highlight the plight of Indian Muslims,” he said.
Protests for this cause have already taken place in California and Dallas, with cities like Seattle and Indianapolis following suit with upcoming protests.
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 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
“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
“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
“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
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.
Washington DC: On Tuesday, US-based advocacy group Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) issued an open letter, strongly condemning the continuous attacks on the organization and its coalition partners by the Islamophobic Middle East Forum (MEF) and its Hindutva allies.
The latest letter comes on the heels of a defamatory article written by Benjamin Baird of MEF and published by The Sunday Guardian – a right-wing Indian publication founded by Bharatiya Janata Party leader MJ Akbar. The article peddles fallacies as fact and lies as truth in an attempt to discredit IAMC’s work on safeguarding India’s pluralist and tolerant ethos.
The MEF article makes many baseless allegations against IAMC, Indian Vice President Hamid Ansari, prominent activist Harsh Mander, Ladeeda Farzana, and Aysha Renna.
“The pathetic attacks published in a barely known online publication are laughable for their sheer absurdity. However, they also demonstrate the desperation of Hindu nationalist front organizations in the US to besmirch IAMC, even at the expense of collaborating with racist and xenophobic organizations like MEF that have zero credibility,” said Mr. Rasheed Ahmed, Executive Director of IAMC.
MEF, which is run by the infamous anti-Muslim provocateur Daniel Pipes has been called out by hugely respected US non-profit Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) as having “spent the better part of three decades vilifying Muslims.”
MEF is not only notorious for its Islamophobic views but has also inspired terror attacks in the past. The MEF and Pipes were cited sixteen times in far-right mass murderer Norwegian Anders Breivik’s manifesto, detailing his motivations for his July 2011 attack that resulted in the killing of 77 people.
Besides inspiring a mass murderer, MEF has long been touted as one of the worst xenophobic and racist organizations that revel in peddling hate and disinformation. It is also embroiled in multiple sexual assaults, sexual harassment, and gender discrimination lawsuits by several of its female employees.
According to the letter, MEF is targeting IAMC on behalf of its Hindutva allies, including the Hindu American Foundation (HAF), an advocacy group that lobbies to deflect scrutiny of the rapidly deteriorating situation in India with respect to human rights and religious freedom.
“IAMC is working with the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and the UN Special Rapporteur to bring international attention to the plight of Muslims and Dalits in India,” the letter mentions as the reason for Hindu nationalist front organizations in the US attacking IAMC.
These Hindutva front organizations have now extended their dragnet to target anyone working with IAMC, including credible Hindu organizations such as Hindus For Human Rights,” says a statement issued by IAMC that references the letter.
In December last year, MEF’s Sam Westrop, another known Islamophobe, wrote an article in Newsweek accusing IAMC of being an “anti-Hindu Islamist group with alleged ties to SIMI, a banned terrorist organization in India.” Notably, after IAMC tweeted its second letter to Newsweek expressing displeasure with the Westrop canard, the editor-at-large of Newsweek, Naveed Jamali, wrote on Twitter that “people like Sam Westrop or the Middle Eastern Forum shouldn’t be given a platform,” while citing the history of their Islamophobia and misinformation.
He, however, later deleted the tweets, possibly due to pressure from within the news organization.
IAMC President Mr. Ahsan Khan termed the continuous attacks by Hindu nationalist front organizations as a larger part of the “smear campaign” to spread vile and dangerous propaganda against Muslim organizations in America.
“Them going to this extent to attack IAMC actually energizes us even more, as it implies that our advocacy is hurting their efforts at ‘contextualizing’ the persecution of minorities in India and at mainstreaming Islamophobia in the US,” Mr. Khan said.
“We urge everyone interested in the details of the absurd attack on IAMC to read the open letter to Sunday Guardian Live. They provide a window into the minds of bigoted individuals who are behind the attacks and for whom facts do not matter,” he added.
The Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC), an advocacy group dedicated to safeguarding India’s pluralist and tolerant ethos, marked India’s 74th Independence Day on Saturday, August 15, 2020, with an online celebration featuring Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), as the keynote speaker and prominent human rights activists from India and the US.
The online event titled, “Solidarity in Times of COVID-19,” intended to celebrate India’s Independence Day was marked with high energy and rousing speeches punctuated with resolutions and pledges to uphold India’s pluralistic democracy. A virtual flag hoisting ceremony was held at the start of the online event. Besides US Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, guest speakers included Mr. Harsh Mandar (noted human rights activist), Mr. Anil Wagde (Ambedkar International Center), Mr. Raju Rajagopal (Hindus for Human Rights), Ms. Sujatha Ramni (Coalition of Seattle Indian-Americans), Ms. Ladeeda Farzana andMs. Ayesha Renna (Jamia Millia Islamia), and Mr. Ahsan Khan, President of IAMC.Emceed by IAMC Youth leader, Ms. Aminah Ahmed, the event drew attendees from around the world.
Event organized by Indian Muslims in US draws prominent activists from India and US as well as diaspora members from around the world
IAMC also marked the occasion of India’s Independence Day with an essay and video contest on topics relating to pluralism, democracy, and religious freedom in India. Winners of respective contests can be found here
Rep. Pramila Jayapal, the first South Asian American woman to be elected to the US House of Representatives called for India’s Independence Day to be “a time to reaffirm the democratic, pluralistic principles on which our countries were founded.” Bemoaning that “hate crimes are threatening Muslims in India”, she took pride in “speaking out for the rights of minorities in India” since she took office.
“I also spoke out against Prime Minister Modi’s Citizenship Law that excludes Muslim migrants from a new pathway to citizenship, an unprecedented break from India’s secular constitution,” Rep. Jayapal said. “Taken together with the National Register of Citizens, I fear that this citizenship law could be used to prevent Muslim migrants from becoming citizens and voting,” she added. Her keynote address was noteworthy for many reasons, including her words of inspiration and resolve. “If there is anything I have found as an immigrant, advocate, and woman of color, it is that nothing is stronger than committed and passionate people working together to do good and deliver justice…. I will not stop fighting for justice for Muslims here and in India and I know you won’t either.”
Rep. Pramila Jayapal’s remarks during IAMC’s celebration of India’s Independence Day.
Mr. Harsh Mander, a noted Indian human rights activist, delivered a passionate speech on the ideals of Gandhi and the principles of non-violence that marked India’s freedom struggle. Mr. Mander urged that the “idea of India that was promised in the leadership of Gandhi belongs equally to people of every faith and emphasized that India was envisioned as a country where no one would be discriminated against, regardless of their caste, religion, gender, wealth or language.”
In response to mob lynchings around the country, Mr. Mander headed an initiative called “Karwan-e-Mohabbat” or “Caravan of Love,” that included visits to families of those who were lynched. “I said we would go to every home where anyone has been lynched in this country, like we would go to our loved ones and say, ‘we want you to know you are not alone. There are many people who care and stand with you in this moment of your pain. We seek forgiveness for what we have become as a country. We will stand with you in your battle of your justice and tell your stories.’” Mr. Mander said.
Ms. Sujatha Ramni, coordinator of the Coalition of Seattle Indian-Americans, emphasized that “American and Indian societies are each other’s analogues. While democracies are set in constitutions, we are very much a work in progress. Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity are goals we still have to achieve.It is a promise that we must dedicate and commit ourselves to do every day.”
Mr. Anil Wagde, representing Ambedkar International Center, spoke of struggles of Dalits and minorities, and remarked, “the government has indeed left things “Ram Bharose” (in the hands of Ram). We need a government that is responsive to people’s needs and aspirations and not one that manages the headlines. We need a government that is interested in hospitals and not temples.”
Two dynamic women activists who became iconic faces of the CAA/NRC protests, Ms. Ladeeda Farzana and Ms. Aysha Renna, also spoke passionately at this event.
Ms. Ladeeda Farzana said, “As a student, I believe that, as much as we celebrate independence, the idea of freedom must always be appraised critically. If we can’t critique an idea that we celebrate then we can’t evolve into a better democracy. If we cannot critique, we will find ourselves shrinking into existence, there is no growth there. That is the problem we face today; we don’t have the right to dissent anymore. Any semblance of dissent or critique instantly makes one an anti-national or a traitor.”
Ms. Aysha Renna said, “August 15 is a special day for all of us. As Indians, we have loved it ever since as a child, flag hoisting, rallies, sweets. Growing up, I realized how fearlessly our forefathers fought for the freedom that we are enjoying.” Ms. Renna however bemoaned the fact that the “country today is not what the freedom fighters had fought for,” and that Indian Muslims are told “to prove their patriotism, prove their love towards their country.” “The irony is that the people who are questioning the patriotism of Indian Muslims are those who had little to no role in the actual freedom struggle itself!” Ms. Renna said in her speech.
Mr. Raju Rajagopal from Hindus for Human Rights, made an earnest plea to the attendees to make themselves part of “India’s Second Struggle for Independence.” “Do your bit to achieve ‘Independence’ from communal hatred; ‘Independence’ from ultra-nationalism that views some Indians as more equal than others; ‘Independence’ from the corruption that is eating away our souls; and ‘Independence’ from caste discrimination that continue to haunt us decades after the most egalitarian constitution was adopted,” Mr. Rajagopal said.
Ahsan Khan, President of IAMC reminded the audience to “not forget that India is battling a rising tide of casteism, communalism, discrimination against minorities and women, and economic and social inequalities – these are threats just as potent as the virus and threaten to annihilate all the progress we have made in the years since Independence.” Mr. Khan also exhorted all Indians “to come together in our shared struggle against casteism and discrimination that divides us to build a more inclusive, pluralistic and tolerant India, and be guided by the wisdom of Mahatma Gandhi, who said, ‘for me, the different religions and races are beautiful flowers from the same garden, or they are branches from the same majestic tree.’”
This year’s Independence Day celebrations continue in a tradition IAMC has established over the last 18 years of celebrating India’s founding principles and the Indian constitution’s fundamental emphasis on pluralism and equality before the law for people of all faiths.
The “Coalition to Stop Genocide in India”, a broad coalition of Indian Americans and US based civil rights organizations and activists today organized a massive rally at Times Square, in order to protest the celebration of the destruction of the Babri Mosque in India. The celebrations were organized by an entity that calls itself the American Indian Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a front for several Hindu nationalist (a.k.a. Hindutva supremacist) organizations in the US.
Protesters in large numbers held placards and chanted slogans to highlight massive human rights abuses in India, by India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. For some who had gathered to celebrate the construction of the Ram Temple in India on the ruins of the Babri Mosque, the protests were a reminder that normalizing hate and bigotry would not go unchallenged in the US. The Babri Mosque was demolished by Hindutva supremacist forces in India in 1992, based on a campaign of hate, bigotry against the country’s Muslim minority and misinformation about the mosque’s origins. This is part of a larger and sustained campaign of historical revisionism that Hindutva relies on, in order to advance its virulent worldview.
The Babri Mosque was demolished by Hindu nationalist militias as part of a political campaign by the BJP party, where the leader of the party Advani led a rally to demolish the mosque. The campaign was accompanied by the killing of hundreds of Muslims across India, both before and after the demolition of the mosque. The site is now in control of Hindutva supremacist litigants, following a Supreme Court judgment that said the destruction of the historic structure was illegal but still handed over the site to those who carried out the criminal demolition.
“There is no doubt that Ram is a revered figure in Hinduism, and respect for all religions is part of our commitment to pluralism,” said Mr. Jawad Mohammed, General Secretary of the Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC). “However, people’s reverence for Ram has been manipulated in order to serve a vile and hateful agenda whose evil fruits are evident not only across India but now increasingly in the US as well,” added Mr. Mohammed.
“We learn in the Ramayana that Lord Rama’s birthplace is Ayodhya. However, our scripture does not specify where in Ayodhya Lord Rama was born. The reality is that the Ram Temple issue was leveraged by Hindutva forces to polarize Indian society in a destructive campaign that has resulted in untold human suffering and that continues to this day.” said Ms. Sunita Vishwanath, President of Hindus for Human Right.
It is alarming that an ideology that shows complete disregard for the value of human life, and the sanctity of all places of worship, is boasting of its evil deeds in India in the heart of New York City, which is so representative of our diversity and inclusiveness as Americans.
“Sadly, far-right extremists in both India and the United States have especially taken to demonizing and denigrating Muslims. I condemn any attack on an individual or group because of their faith and stand with my Muslim siblings here in my district and in India as they fight for dignity and human rights,” said New York City Councilmember Daniel Dromm. “I also thank all the Hindus and others who have taken a stand against dog-whistle propaganda cloaked as cultural celebrations,” added Mr. Dromm.
“Islamophobia has escalated to the level of ethnic cleansing in numerous countries, including India. From lynchings to pogroms, to the cultural genocide exemplified by the establishment of a temple on the site of a demolished mosque, anti-Muslim bigotry is government policy in India,” said Mr. Nihad Awad National Executive Director of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR). “The Muslim world and the international community must unite in opposition to the far-right Modi government before its fascist, Nazi-inspired ideology causes further damage to religious minorities,” Mr. Awad added.
Mr. Brad Lander, another New York City councilmember said, “We all have a responsibility for speaking out against Islamophobia, whether it comes from our country, or even our own community.” Mr. Lander further added, “As a New Yorker, and as a progressive Jew, I stand with our Muslim neighbors, here in NYC and those in Kashmir and throughout India who are facing nationalist and Islamophobic hatred and violence.”
“Political Hinduism is NOT a religious issue, it’s a class issue and final victory is possible by uniting the workers, peasants, and the socially oppressed sections. Today’s protest in New York has brought various sections together to challenge the Hindutva project” said S. Karthikeyan of Ambedkar King Study Circle (AKSC).
“The celebration of Ram temple by the Hindutva brigade and its Indian-American followers is a celebration of power: the power to hate and hurt with impunity, to aggressively gloat over Indian Muslims and others who cherish our pluralistic society,” said Ms. Ania of Coalition against Fascism in India (CAFI). “Choosing August 5 to celebrate is a new act of aggression against the Kashmiris. We reject this cynical use of religion to entrench hate and kill India democracy” added Ms. Ania.
The Islamic Society of North America, the largest Muslim organization in North America in a statement said, “It applauds and supports Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) efforts toward preserving India’s democracy and pluralistic society.”
The Coalition to Stop Genocide in India includes dozens of organizations, including Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC), The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), India Civil Watch, Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), Coalition Against Fascism in India, Hindus for Human Rights (HfHR), Boston Coalition, Organization for Minorities in India (OFMI), South Asia Solidarity Initiative, Ambedkar Association of North America (AANA), Ambedkar King Study Circle (AKSC), Council for Minority Rights in India (CMRI), North American Indian Muslim Association (NAIMA), Ambedkar International Mission, Coalition of Seattle Indian Americans, Guru Ravidas Sabha, Periyar International USA, Ambedkar International Mission Society, Canada, Students Against Hindutva Ideology (SAHI) and International Society for Peace and Justice.
The “Coalition to Stop Genocide in India” is committed to ensuring that American institutions and discourse are safeguarded from the virulent Hindutva ideology. To that end, the coalition will continue to expose Hindutva front organizations in the US and their role in normalizing the human rights abuses and religious freedom violations in India.
Washington, D.C.: The U.S. must oppose the Citizenship (Amendment) Act that aims to deny citizenship to Muslims and render them stateless, subject to detention and deportation, an official with the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has said.
The U.S. Government must also consider the “use of targeted sanctions against Indian officials primarily responsible for religious freedom violations,” Harrison Akins, Policy Analyst (South Asia) with USCIRF, said at U.S. Congress on Monday.
In conjunction with a potential nationwide National Register of Citizens and National Population Register, this law, the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, “could become a weapon to target millions of Indian Muslims, potentially leading to their disenfranchisement. This represents a significant downward turn in religious freedom that no government, including the United States government, can ignore,” Akins said.
“In India today, the freedom of religion or belief is being decimated as individuals are targeted simply due to their religious identity, in violation of India’s own constitution,” Akins said at a Briefing titled “Implications of India’s Citizenship Law (CAA)”.
“It is imperative that in U.S. government officials’ interaction with their Indian counterparts, these issues are elevated as a U.S. foreign policy priority, communicating the need to protect shared democratic values.”
Akins said in its dealing with India U.S. should deploy “a vast array of tools [it] has in its arsenal to promote religious freedom abroad, both through positive engagement and punitive action.” Such tools include “the integration of religious freedom in U.S. development programs or law enforcement training” and “sanctions”.
USCIRF is an autonomous federal commission of the U.S. Government founded by the International Religious Freedom Act passed by U.S. Congress in 1998.
Last month after India’s Parliament passed CAA, USCIRF had called for the U.S. Government to sanction India’s Home Minister Amit Shah.
Monday’s briefing was attended by staffs from the House Committee on Judiciary and from the offices of 20 Members of Congress, including seven U.S. senators. Officials from Department of State, which implements US-India policy, also attended it.
The Briefing was organized by Indian American Muslim Council, the largest Indian American advocacy group in the US working for minority rights in India; Hindus for Human Rights; Council on American-Islamic Relations; and Emgage Action.
In its Annual Report, special reports and public statements, USCIRF has “long expressed its concern that this law is part of an effort by [Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party] BJP government to create a religious test for Indian citizenship in line with their vision of a Hindu state,” Akins said.
“As is abundantly evident from the statements of BJP leadership, the CAA with its legal protections for non-Muslims is intended to ensure that those excluded from the NRC process, and therefore bearing the label of illegal migrant, are Muslims alone.”
The NRC held in Assam last year showed the “process is rife for abuse by government officials for excluding individuals simply perceived to be foreign regardless of their citizenship status,” Akins said. “It is Muslims who will carry the threat of punitive action from the NRC, including prolonged detention, deportation, or statelessness.”
Akins called out the ideology of Hindutva, professed by Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Shah, that perceives Islam and Christianity as “foreign religions”.
“Conditions for religious minorities have deteriorated precipitously in India. BJP politicians have used the symbols of Hinduism and policies aimed at their protection as weapons against minority communities in their quest to shape a Hindu nation.
“From instituting more aggressive bans and stricter punishments for cow slaughter and religious conversion activities, minorities are increasingly marginalized and discriminated against.
“Combined with the BJP’s inflammatory rhetoric, these coordinated actions strengthen the perception that minorities are outsiders with no legitimate place in Indian history or society and, by their mere presence, a potential threat from within to the project of making India a Hindu nation.
“This creates a culture of impunity for violence against minorities by both government authorities and non-state actors as a near daily reality for minority communities.”
The Alliance for Justice and Accountability (AJA), a broad coalition of Indian American organizations across the United States, has called out an Indian diplomat’s statement that India must follow the “Israel model” in Kashmir as a brazen affirmation of RSS’s fascist agenda having taken over official government policy in India. The AJA comprises of Hindu, Muslim, Dalit, Sikh and Christian groups, among others.
A video uploaded by filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri on Facebook shows the Indian Consul General in New York, Mr. Sandeep Chakravorty, addressing a private gathering with remarks that can only be classified as deeply bigoted, inflammatory and dangerous.
“To suggest Israel’s illegal occupation and annexation of Palestinian territories which the world community, including India, has opposed for decades, as a model for Kashmir exposes the Islamophobia inherent in the RSS’s Hindutva fascist ideology,” Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) President Ahsan Khan said.
The video shows Chakravorty continuing his rant with remarks such as “Kashmiri culture is Indian culture is Hindu culture,” perpetuating Hindutva propaganda of projecting India as belonging exclusively to Hindus, to the detriment of other religious communities who are equally Indian. Chakravorty bemoaned what he perceives as an insufficiently aggressive stance by Hindus, saying “we have never used our strength as [the] majority community” and “now that we are using it, people are having problems.” For an Indian diplomat to goad the majority community in this manner is reflective of the harm the RSS and its affiliates have caused to India’s secular polity.
Chakravorty also rejected international criticism of the situation in Kashmir following the revocation of Article 370 of the Indian Constitution that had given a special status to Jammu and Kashmir. “They don’t like that we are asserting ourselves,” he added. On Kashmir, he further said he believed “in my lifetime we will have our land back”.
“That such a suggestion has been blithely made by India’s second-highest diplomat in the U.S., the Consul General, only reinforces genocidal goals of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government against Kashmiri Muslims,” said Theresa Mathews of South Asia Solidarity Initiative (SASI).
Mr. Modi’s rightwing administration has a vile agenda to subjugate Dalits and India’s religious minorities in fulfilment of the long-held vision of Hindu supremacists to convert Indian into a Hindu nation. “The consul general’s casual remarks represent a chilling endorsement of state-sanctioned violence and impunity that has been unfolding for decades in Palestine and that we now see in Kashmir by the BJP led government in India,” noted Preeti Gamzeh, from AJA. “Settler colonialism is what is happening in the name of development,” said Gamzeh.
Karthikeyan Shanmugam, Ambedkar King Study Circle bemoaned the consul general’s remarks as “unfortunate and dangerous.” “A responsible diplomat should not act as a part of the propaganda machinery of a ruling party. Such talk may create a permanent rift among diaspora Indians on caste and religious lines. Moreover, such remarks reinforce the notion that India is spiralling away from its ideals as a secular and pluralist nation,” said Mr. Shanmugam. “Comparing Israel with Kashmir is an attempt to reduce the Muslims of Kashmir as mere medieval subjects without political rights,” added Mr. Shanmugam.
The Alliance for Justice and Accountability has pledged to work with people of all faiths to defend India from the onslaught of hate and divisiveness.
