(WASHINGTON, DC, 6/20/23) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization, has staff available to speak with journalists in advance of and during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the United States this week. Modi, who has an extensive record of abusing religious minorities, is scheduled to speak to a joint session of Congress and attend a state dinner at the White House despite protests by human rights groups.
The evidence of Modi’s escalating repression of India’s religious minorities is extensive. CAIR has already noted that under Modi his political allies have banned young Muslim women from wearing hijabs at school, ignored widespread lynchings of Muslims, and censored a BBC documentary about Modi’s role in an anti-Muslim pogrom.
WHAT: Media availability to discuss Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s U.S. visit
WHEN: Today through Thursday, June 22
WHERE: Available by phone, video and in-person in Washington DC
CONTACT: CAIR Research and Advocacy Director Corey Saylor, 202-384-8857, csaylor@cair.com
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)
BACKGROUND
The U.S. Department of State’s recent Report on International Religious Freedom expressed concern regarding the treatment of Muslims, Christians and other religious minorities in India and highlighted violence by law enforcement and pro-government Hindu nationalists targeting Muslims. A few weeks earlier, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom’s (USCIRF) “2023 Annual Report” again recommended that the State Department designate India as a “Country of Particular Concern.”
This year, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) rated journalism in India as less free than in Afghanistan. RSF reports that “all the mainstream media are now owned by wealthy businessmen close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.” RSF adds, “At the same time, Modi has an army of supporters who track down all online reporting regarded as critical of the government and wage horrific harassment campaigns against the sources.”
SEE: Asia – Pacific Sclerotic one-party regimes and media control by oligarchs
The Hindutva movement is at the core of anti-Muslim, anti-Christian, and anti-minority persecutions in India. They have also stoked hatred between Muslim and Hindu groups in the U.S.
Earlier this year, two Muslim organizations condemned 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.
SEE: CAIR, IAMC Condemn Screening of Anti-Muslim Indian Film in U.S. Theaters
Last year, U.S. groups protested speaking engagements featuring anti-Muslim, anti-Christian Hindu extremist leader Sadhvi Ritambhara. Ritambhara’s hate speeches have been described as “the single most powerful instrument for whipping up anti-Muslim violence” in various Indian states, leading to communal riots and thousands of deaths. Ritambhara is also well known for her anti-Christian hate and bigotry. She has suggested that if Christian missionaries were attempting to convert people in India and that if even a “single Hindu is converted, Christians will be wiped out from the face of India.”
In New Jersey last year, the Indian Business Association (IBA), organized an India Independence Day parade in Edison and Woodbridge which featured a bulldozer, which has become a symbol of anti-Muslim animus in the context of India. Following local condemnations, IBA issued an apology.
In 2005, the State Department denied Modi a visa to visit the U.S due to his persecution of minority faiths in Gujarat, where he served as Chief Minister.
SEE: CAIR Applauds Denial of Visa To Narendra Modi
If you want to learn more about CAIR’s efforts to support Christians, Dalits, Muslims, Sikhs, and other minorities who face unjust discrimination and wanton violence, please read this release.
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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