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The Alliance for Justice and Accountability (AJA), an umbrella coalition of progressive organizations across the United States and various coalition partners today
held protests in three cities across the US, to express their outrage
over the growing mob rule against minorities in India and the policies
of the government that are emboldening such forces. Protests were held
in Washington, DC, San Diego and San Jose. A fourth protest is scheduled
to be held in New York City on July 23, 2017.
These protests are similar to the "Not
In My Name" protests that have been held across various cities in
India. Besides the AJA coalition, the protests in San Jose were jointly
organized with the "Multifaith Voices for Peace and Justice." The South
Asia Solidarity Initiative (SASI), will be part of the protests in New
York City on July 23rd.
The last few years has seen brutal killings of mostly
Muslims and Dalits in the name of cow protection, over a dozen of them
only since September last year.
These killings have been orchestrated by Hindu supremacist groups
ideologically aligned with the BJP-led federal government and drawing
inspiration from the beef ban imposed by the governments in various
states. The increasing hostility towards minorities displayed by even
central ministers in the form of incendiary rhetoric has only added fuel
to the fire. Since 2010, 97% of beef related violence
has taken place after the BJP-led Hindu nationalist government came to
power. Since 2015, an increasing number of Muslims have been lynched,
hanged or brutalized in the most cruel manner on mere suspicion of
possessing or cooking beef.
Protests in San Jose, CA
Protesters
carried signs, such as "India - Hostage to Hindutva?" and "Beef Ban is
Cultural Fascism." They came from various communities in the diaspora
and were united in their condemnation of the killings and the beef ban.
Protest in downtown San Diego, CA near the USS Midway Museum
"The reign of terror unleashed by Hindu
supremacist cow "vigilantes" is clearly targeted at browbeating the
nation's religious minorities into the status of second class citizens,"
said Mr. Suhail Syed, one of the organizers of the protests in
Washington, DC. "How can the government of India respond so casually to
the mob lynchings of Muslims and Dalits?," asked San Uddin, one of the
organizers of the protests in New York. "That shows the killings are
not spontaneous but executed with a tacit approval of Hindu supremacists
that are an integral part of the ruling party," added Ms. Sana.
In a recent statement, Amnesty International India expressed deep worry
over the "pattern of hate crimes committed against Muslims with seeming
impunity - many of them in states where the Bharatiya Janata Party is
in power."
Protest in Washington, DC
In April 2017, a mob beat a 55-year-old Muslim man, Pehlu Khan, to
death in Rajasthan after accusing him of transporting cows for
slaughter. An exposé by a television news station showed the attackers
belonged to the BJP and its affiliates. In a recent killing that shook
India, 15-tear-old Junaid Khan was stabbed to death on board a train in
northern India as he headed home from Eid shopping. While such killings
have drawn international condemnation, the suffering of millions who
have lost their source of livelihood as a result of the beef ban has not
received adequate attention. In a bizarre and shocking expose of the
Sangh Parivar's hypocrisy, the BJP and RSS joined hands to sell beef in Kerala, the very act for which they are enabling the lynching of Muslims.
The Alliance for Justice and Accountability has pledged to work
with people of all faiths to defend India from the onslaught of hate and
divisiveness.
Contact:
Indian American Muslim Council
Phone/fax: 1-800-839-7270
Twitter: @IAMCouncil
Address: 6321 W Dempster St. Suite 295, Morton Grove, IL 60053.
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