The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today condemned Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a “hateful and dangerous” campaign speech in which he called Muslims “infiltrators” who would take India’s wealth if allowed to come to power.
CAIR also repeated its call for the Biden administration to declare India a “Country of Particular Concern” due to the rise in systematic discrimination and hate crimes against Indian Muslims and other minorities.
Addressing voters on Sunday, Modi referred to a statement by his predecessor, claiming he “said that Muslims have the first right to the wealth of the nation.” Modi then claimed his political opponents would take his supporters’ gold and give it to Muslims.
He also said that if the opposition led by the Congress party came to power, it would distribute the country’s wealth among “those who have more children,” in an apparent reference to Muslims. “Should your hard-earned money be given to infiltrators?” Modi also claimed Muslims would take away the necklace that a Hindu husband ties around his wife’s neck in weddings.
SEE: Modi Calls Muslims ‘Infiltrators’ Who Would Take India’s Wealth – New York Times
‘Infiltrators’: Modi accused of anti-Muslim hate speech amid India election
“It is unconscionable, but not surprising, that far-right Hindutva leader Narendra Modi would target Indian Muslims with a hateful and dangerous diatribe despite his role as the leader of a nation with such a diverse religious heritage,” said CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad. “We again call on the Biden administration to declare India a ‘Country of Particular Concern’ over its discriminatory and violent policies targeting Muslims and other religious minorities. Global Islamophobia is alive and well in India and must be confronted before it escalates to something even worse.”
Awad noted that in 2005, the State Department denied Modi a visa to visit the U.S due to his persecution of minority faiths in Gujarat. Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat when it was gripped by communal massacres that left more than 1,000 people dead – most of them Muslims.
SEE: CAIR Applauds Denial of Visa to Narendra Modi
Washington, D.C., based CAIR has repeatedly raised concerns flagged by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) and joined in USCIRF’s longstanding call for the Biden administration and the U.S. Department of State to designate India as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC). This designation is crucial in addressing the alarming trajectory of religious freedom violations targeting Muslims and other marginalized communities in India.
Earlier this year, CAIR condemned a ruling by a court in India’s most populous state Uttar Pradesh effectively outlawing madrasas, or Islamic religious schools.
CAIR also condemned India’s discriminatory, anti-Muslim implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
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.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com, CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com