(WASHINGTON, D.C., 5/18/2023) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today joined the Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) in condemning the screening of The Kerala Story, an anti-Muslim Indian film, in American theatres.
The film has been widely criticized for its reportedly bigoted depiction of Islam and Muslims and has also reportedly been endorsed by India’s ruling BJP, known for its far-right Hindutva extremism and Islamophobia. The Kerala Story is being screened in theaters in Maryland and Virginia, as well as elsewhere nationwide.
SEE: The Kerala Story released in 200 theaters in America and Canada, Mamta government has banned it in Bengal
The Kerala Story: Why an Indian film on Islamic State is so controversial – BBC News
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-65481927
Bollywood film on Islamic State recruits sparks debate in India
In a statement, CAIR Deputy Executive Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell said:
“This film is yet another example of the hateful anti-Muslim propaganda that has been spread by India’s far-right Hindutva movement and used to justify real-world discrimination and violence against Indian Muslims. Just as mainstream American theaters should not and would not screen a blatantly racist film, they should not screen this blatantly anti-Muslim propaganda.”
He noted that last year, CAIR and its Houston chapter defended an Indian Muslim journalist subjected to threats for his criticism of a similar film, The Kashmir Files.
SEE: CAIR, CAIR-Houston Defend Journalist Threatened for Criticizing Violent Rhetoric Aimed at Kashmiri Muslims
“This is yet another completely fabricated hate-filled story to peddle Islamophobia after ‘The Kashmir Files’ fiction that disrupted social cohesion both in India and in our neighborhoods in the United States,” said Rasheed Ahmed, executive director of the 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.
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END 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