(ATLANTA, GA, August 30, 2022) – Later today, August 30, the Georgia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-GA) will join representatives of the Indian-American community and a coalition of leading multifaith and civil society organizations at a protest against the participation of a Hindu extremist leader from India at a religious event in Norcross, Ga.
SEE: Hindu extremist leader Sadhvi Ritambhara has been invited by the Hindu rightwing groups in the US as a speaker.
Protest participants will call on Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS) and Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America (VHPA) to cancel the event with Sadhvi Ritambhara and to formally denounce her hateful, violence-inciting comments against India’s religious minorities and the dangerous ideology of Hindu nationalism (Hindutva).
WHO: Indian-Americans and Civil Rights Groups Opposing the Persecution of Religious Minorities in India
WHAT: Public peaceful protest against Hindu extremist leader Sadhvi Ritambhara and the event organizers
WHEN: Tuesday, August 30, 2022, at 6 PM
WHERE: Global Mall, 5675 Jimmy Carter Blvd, Norcross, GA 30071
CONTACT: CAIR-Georgia Legal and Policy Director Javeria Jamil, 470-571-0389, [email protected]; Zameer Khan, 309-363-5140 [email protected]
Supporting Organizations:
Indian American Muslim Council
India Civil Watch International
Voices of Muslims
Muslims of USA
BACKGROUNDER:
Sadhvi Ritambhara, the leader of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), one of India’s largest Hindu nationalist organizations described as a “militant religious outfit” by the CIA, has been invited by the US-based Hindu rightwing groups as a speaker for a series of religious gatherings.
Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America (VHPA), the US counterpart of VHP India, and Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS), the international wing of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a Hindu supremacist paramilitary organization in India, are hosting the Atlanta event.
In 1992, Ritambhara was one of the eight Hindu extremist leaders responsible for inciting mobs to demolish Babri Masjid, a 16th century mosque. The demolition was followed by months of communal riots that killed 2,000 people, most of whom were Muslim.
She was indicted by the Justice Liberhan Commission, an Indian government-appointed inquiry, for being among the 68 persons responsible for the demolition of the Babri Mosque.
Ritambhara also founded Durga Vahini, the women’s wing of VHP, known for its anti-Muslim and anti-Christian hate and bigotry.
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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