- Congressional resolution introduced day of far-right, anti-Muslim Indian Prime Minister Modi’s address to joint meeting of Congress, urges State Department to designate India as ‘Country of Particular Concern’
- CAIR commends Congresswoman Ilhan Omar for reintroducing her House resolution condemning human rights violations and violations of international religious freedom in India
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 6/22/23) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, is calling on all Americans to take part in its easy-to-use click-and-send action alert requesting their representative in Congress to co-sponsor and support Congresswoman Ilhan Omar’s (D-MN) reintroduction of the House Resolution “Condemning human rights violations and violations of international religious freedom in India, including those targeting Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Dalits, Adivasis, and other religious and cultural minorities.”
Representative Omar’s introduction of the resolution coincides with India’s far-right, anti-Muslim Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing a Joint Meeting of Congress honoring him.
Take Action: Urge Congress to Support House Res. Condemning India’s Human Rights, Religious Freedom Violations
Relatedly, Representatives Omar, Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), and Kweisi Mfume (D-MD) have announced their plans to boycott Modi’s Thursday address to Congress. CAIR anticipates more members making the same ethical choice. Also Tuesday, Reuters reported that a “total of 75 Democratic senators and members of the House of Representatives” sent a letter to President Biden asking him to raise religious freedom issues with Prime Minister Modi.
The resolution condemns the “human rights violations and violations of international religious freedom in India, including those targeting Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Dalits, Adivasis, and other religious and cultural minorities” and calls on Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to designate “India as a Country of Particular Concern” in the State Department’s next Report on International Religious Freedom.
A Country of Particular Concern (CPC) are countries designated by the U.S. government where those listed governments engage in or tolerates “particularly severe” violations of religious freedom.
CLICK HERE: READ THE HOUSE RESOLUTION
Championed by Congresswoman Omar, the resolution’s original co-sponsors include Representatives Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), David Trone (D-MD), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), and Sara Jacobs (D-CA).
In a statement, CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said:
“CAIR commends Congresswoman Ilhan Omar for reintroducing the House Resolution condemning human rights violations and violations of international religious freedom in India, including those targeting Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Dalits, Adivasis, and other religious and cultural minorities.
“This resolution holds immense significance, particularly as it coincides with India’s far-right, anti-Muslim Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing a Joint Meeting of Congress.
“We urge all Americans to support this resolution and call on their elected representatives to co-sponsor it. It is crucial that we continue to raise awareness and address the alarming human rights situation in India.
“CAIR stands in solidarity with all religious minorities in India who are seeking to defend their civil and human rights, as well as religious freedom.”
COPIED BELOW IS THE FULL TEXT OF THE RESOLUTION:
RESOLUTION
Condemning human rights violations and violations of international religious freedom in India, including those targeting Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Dalits, Adivasis, and other religious and cultural minorities.
Whereas the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has called for designating India as a Country of Particular Concern for 4 consecutive years;
Whereas USCIRF’s 2023 annual report states that in 2022, ‘‘the Indian government at the national, state, and local levels promoted and enforced religiously discriminatory policies, including laws targeting religious conversion, interfaith relationships, the wearing of hijabs, and cow slaughter, which negatively impact Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Dalits, and Adivasis’’;
Whereas the USCIRF report further states that, ‘‘The national government also continued to suppress critical voices—particularly religious minorities and those advocating on their behalf—including through surveillance, harassment, demolition of property, and detention’’;
Whereas the USCIRF report describes the use of laws such as the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and the Sedition law ‘‘to target freedom of religion and expression, creating an increasing climate of intimidation and fear’’;
Whereas the USCIRF report enumerates increasing criminalization of religious conversion, particularly targeting Christians and Muslims, including bans on interfaith marriages;
Whereas according to USCIRF, ‘‘The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party committed to enforcing harsher penalties for interfaith marriages in its 2022 election manifesto for Uttar Pradesh’’;
Whereas the USCIRF report highlights the severe risks of the Citizenship Amendment Act and National Registry of Citizens for Indian Muslims, including the possibility of rendering hundreds of thousands stateless or subject to indefinite detention;
Whereas the USCIRF report outlines a trend of attacks on religious minorities in their homes and places of worship, including the physical destruction of mosques and homes in Muslim neighborhoods, and mob violence against Muslims and Christians;
Whereas the USCIRF describes rampant sexual violence and harassment against women belonging to religious minority and Dalit communities;
Whereas, as of June 2023, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom lists 55 Indian nationals on its Freedom of Religion or Belief Victims list, 53 of whom are listed as detained with one under house arrest and one disappeared;
Whereas, as of June 2022, 41 of the 53 remain detained, with one, the Catholic priest and human rights activist Father Stan Swamy, having died in custody; and
Whereas, in February 2022, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention released an opinion, declaring Swamy’s detention arbitrary and his death ‘‘utterly preventable’’:
Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives—
(1) condemns human rights violations and violations of international religious freedom in India, including those targeting Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Dalits, Adivasis, and other religious and cultural minorities;
(2) expresses grave concern about the worsening treatment of religious minorities in India; and
(3) calls on the Secretary of State to designate India as a Country of Particular Concern in the next annual report submitted pursuant to section 102 of 12 the International Religious Freedom Act of 1988 and section 302 the Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act of 2016.
For additional subject matter experts and information on events rejecting Modi’s abuse of Indian religious minorities contact the following:
Hindus for Human Rights (website features an excellent collection of events in DC, NY, and online journalists can cover)
Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC)
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
Become a Fan of CAIR on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/CAIRNational
Subscribe to CAIR’s Email List
https://action.cair.com/a/newsletters
Subscribe to CAIR’s Twitter Feed
http://twitter.com/cairnational
Subscribe to CAIR’s YouTube Channel
Follow CAIR on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/cair_national/
Donate to CAIR
https://action.cair.com/a/donate
Do you like reading CAIR press releases and taking part in our action alerts? You can help contribute to CAIR’s work of defending civil rights and empowering American Muslims across the country by making a one-time contribution or becoming a monthly donor. Supporters like you make CAIR’s advocacy work possible and defeating Islamophobia an achievable goal. Click here to donate to CAIR.
If you would like to join CAIR’s media list, please sign up here:
https://action.cair.com/a/newsletters — For more information, email: [email protected], CC [email protected]
END
CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, [email protected]; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, [email protected]; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, [email protected]; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, [email protected]