The international community must swiftly condemn the latest bout of state-endorsed, state-led, state-enabled violence in various Indian states, said IAMC Executive Director Rasheed Ahmed.
Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) has strongly condemned Hindu extremist violence against Muslims and Christians in the wake of Ram Temple ceremonies.
It noted that extremist groups have weaponised the temple celebrations, convening massive processions to attack Muslims and destroy Muslim-owned businesses, homes, and mosques.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the IAMC claimed that state officials were complicit in enabling the violent processions, with Maharashtra BJP lawmaker Nitesh Rane threatening to “find and kill” those who had put up defensive barricades to protect a Muslim neighbourhood in Mumbai.
Rane later ordered state bulldozers to advance into the neighbourhood, destroying structures belonging to 55 Muslim traders, the statement said adding that Amnesty International has also condemned the latest instance of BJP-led violence as a “major blow to the rule of law.”
“We have seen this horrific crime time and time again,” said Rasheed Ahmed, IAMC Executive Director. “Hindu nationalist groups weaponise religious processions in order to terrorise, intimidate, and destroy Muslim lives while the state stands idly by, refusing to stop or charge perpetrators, and even collaborates with extremists in launching violent attacks. The international community must swiftly condemn this latest bout of state-endorsed, state-led, state-enabled violence in various Indian states,” he said.
Attacks and religious desecration took place throughout India, with Hindu nationalists planting saffron flag atop a mosque in Uttar Pradesh, installing a Ram symbol atop a Christian church in Madhya Pradesh, burning down a Muslim fruit-seller shop in Telangana, and ordering police to bulldoze numerous Muslim businesses in Mumbai, the statement said.
“Videos circulated on social media show saffron flag wielding mobs stoning shops that sell meat, attacking clothing stores with apparently Muslim business names, and in some areas, attempting to destroy all shops that do not bear a saffron flag,” the statement said.
Near Mumbai, Muslim student Tariq Chaudhary was attacked by a 200-strong mob wielding planks and wooden rods. Chanting religious slogans, the mob dragged Chaudhary and his co-worker out of a truck, severely beat them up, and destroyed their vehicle. Chaudhary’s coworker required stitches to the head and Chaudhary also sustained serious injuries.
Mobs also attacked three Muslim men on Mumbai’s Mira Road, destroying their truck, beating them with flag sticks, and threatening to set them on fire. The statement said the police watched on and refused to intervene, effectively enabling an attack that left three men with severe injuries requiring hospital care. As in years past, the thousands of violent assailants who have participated in attacks have not been booked or charged with crimes.
Hindu groups assaulted students attempting to screen the Anand Patwardhaan documentary “Ram ke Naam,” or “In the Name of God,” a film that explains how extremist groups destroyed the Babri Masjid and killed thousands of predominantly Muslim victims in the post-destruction violence. Police detained the student screeners and then filed a complaint against six of the organisers of the screening for “outraging religious feelings” and acting against “national integration.”
In Chhattisgarh, Hindu groups beat Christians with sticks and dragged female church members out into the street. Christians in the state have reported that at least five pastors were beaten as part of the recent processions, with mobs abusing one, planting saffron flags in his home, and threatening dire consequences should he not convert to Hinduism.
“The horrific rioting and destruction we have seen in recent days show the same blend of blatant disregard for life, police complicity, BJP participation, and horrific violence seen in 1992 when Hindu mobs tore down the Babri Masjid and killed thousands,” said IAMC President Mohammad Jawad.
IAMC urged international human rights organisations & civil society groups to take note of the deteriorating situation in India, which has the potential to turn into a full-blown Muslim and Christian genocide.
IAMC also called on the US State Department to ask the Indian government to stop stoking the anti-Muslim sentiment, punish those involved in anti-Muslim violence, and accept the recommendation of the United States Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) to designate India as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC).
