US Congressional Hearing highlights the plight of Indian Minorities, Gujarat victims
Narendra Modi to remain persona non-grata with no change to
visa status
Indian American Muslim Council (http://www.iamc.com) an
advocacy group dedicated to safeguarding India's pluralist and tolerant ethos
has thanked Dr. Najid Hussain (son-in-law of slain Indian
Parliamentarian Ahsan Jafri) and Dr. Angana Chatterji for their
Congressional testimonies at the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission today. The
Commission held a hearing on Wednesday (March 21, 2012) on the plight of
religious minorities in South Asia, at which
Dr. Najid Hussain represented IAMC, in response to an invitation by Commission
Co-Chair Congressman Frank Wolf.
Congressman Joseph Pitts's pointed questions about Modi's
visa status made it clear that Modi remains a persona non-grata in the US. In
2005, the US State Department had revoked Narendra Modi's US visa under
the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, for egregious violations of
religious freedom.
"The testimonies of both Dr. Hussain and Dr. Chatterji
gave the Commission a starkly different picture of Gujarat than the one painted
by the recent TIME Asia cover story and a Brookings Institution blog
article," said Mr. Shaheen Khateeb, President of IAMC. Both stories were
largely seen as promotional articles aimed at rehabilitating the tainted
Narendra Modi for higher office even as the judicial process is tightening
around him.
Dr. Hussain noted with regret that despite the killing of over 2,000 Muslims
during the carnage, glaringly low number of arrests have been made to date with
even fewer convictions. "An inclusive India
would also be a stronger India,
that could provide power for our mutual progress, economic development, and
growth," Dr. Hussain said in his testimony. "That goal cannot be
realized without ensuring justice to the minorities of Gujarat,"
the testimony added.
Dr. Hussain urged the Commission to deny any recognition to Mr. Modi and to use
the United States' influence
and friendship with India to
ensure freedom, justice and security for the minorities in Gujarat
as well as other Indian states. Dr. Hussain also deplored the continued
suffering of more than 16,000 people still living in squalid refugee camps.
Most people displaced during the pogrom have to date not been allowed to return
to their homes as the state government has turned a blind eye to their boycott
and ghettoization.
Dr. Angana Chatterji testified before the Commission on similar targeting of
Christians by right wing Hindu extremists organizations. Violence against
Christians resulted in the murder, rape and massive displacement of thousands
of people in the state of Orissa.
Dr. Chatterji's testimony covered the vast number of disappearances in the
state of Jammu and Kashmir
and the unearthing of unmarked mass graves based on her report. This highlighted
the impunity enjoyed by the Army despite gross violations of human rights. She
also referred to the denial of independent religious identity to Sikhs.
Dr. Chatterji further called attention to the various Indian diaspora
charitable organizations affiliated with the Hindutva ideology operating in the
West and their efforts at influencing public discourse and policy in the United States in relation to India.
IAMC has also noted with regret the rising discrimination and violence against
religious and disadvantaged minorities. "The harassment of minorities and
the lack of due process in the arrest of Muslim youth after every terror attack
have eroded the people's confidence in the impartiality of the nation's law
enforcement agencies." said Mr. Shaheen Khateeb. Several terror
attacks for which Muslim youth were arrested were later found to be the
handiwork of right wing Hindu extremists, In addition to extrajudicial killings
and the denial of constitutional rights to large sections of the Muslim population,
their increasing marginalization in education, essential services and
employment have reached alarming proportions.
IAMC hopes the awareness created by the testimonies of Dr. Najid Hussain and
Dr. Angana Chatterji will lead to concrete steps by the Government of India to
redress the grievous injustices committed against minorities in Gujarat and
other parts of India.
Indian American Muslim Council is the largest advocacy
organization of Indian Muslims in the United States with 10 chapters across
the nation.
For more information please visit our new website at www.iamc.com.