The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed a call by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) for the U.S. government to place sanctions on India’s anti-Muslim, fascist, Nazi-inspired RSS militia and designate India a country of particular concern over its oppression of religious minorities.
In its report, the USCIRF recommended the U.S. government “designate India as a ‘country of particular concern,’ or CPC, for engaging in and tolerating systematic, ongoing, and egregious religious freedom violations, as defined by the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA).”
The USCIRF also called on the government to “impose targeted sanctions on individuals and entities, such as India’s Research and Analysis Wing and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), for their responsibility and tolerance of severe violations of religious freedom by freezing those individuals’ or entities’ assets and/or barring their entry into the United States.” The RSS has inspired decades of mob violence on Muslims, including lynchings, the destruction of mosques and other crimes.
“We welcome this report that highlights the severe violations of religious freedom by the Indian government and the Nazi-inspired, fascist and violently anti-Muslim RSS movement,” said CAIR Research and Advocacy Director Corey Saylor. “India should be designated a country of particular concern and all those who have engaged in sectarian violence against Indian Muslims, Christians and other religious minorities should face accountability for their crimes.”
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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