US urged to respond to acts of discrimination against Muslims in India

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, WASHINGTON — US Congressman Ilhan Omar has urged President Joe Biden’s administration to take action against discrimination against Muslims in India.

Omar directly asked Assistant Secretary of State Wendy Sherman how the support was united states of america for India in the promotion of free and open territories.

“How much should (India’s Prime Minister Narendra) Modi’s government have to criminalize this act Muslims in India so we can say something? What does it take for us to openly criticize the actions of the Modi government against the Muslim minority? Anadolu Agency, Thursday (7/4/2022).

Sherman said he was okay with governments standing up for every religion, every ethnicity, every race, every quality of diversity in this world. He said the United States had raised concerns about India’s human rights record directly with officials in New Delhi.

According to several international human rights groups, Indian Muslims face increasing discrimination under Modi’s government and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

In 2021, Human Rights Watch reported that prejudice BJP tapped into independent institutions, such as the police and the courts, allowing nationalist groups to threaten, harass and attack religious minorities with impunity.

Modi and the BJP have passed laws and policies that systematically discriminate against Muslims in India.

The headscarf ban in schools and colleges in Karnataka state has sparked a major row. The ban raises fears of attacks on Muslim symbols and worship practices, part of a far-right Hindu agenda to impose majority values ​​on minorities.

A three-judge panel of the Karnataka High Court is hearing petitions against the ban. Previously, Muslim female students who wore headscarves were barred from entering schools and colleges across the state.

Activists say the hijab ban is part of the BJP’s anti-Muslim agenda and goes against India’s constitution, which guarantees religious rights to every citizen. Since Modi came to power, attacks on minorities, especially Muslims, have increased.

A Muslim student said Algeria that the college’s decision to ban the headscarf was surprising. They argue that the constitution allows Indians to wear any clothing they choose and display religious symbols.

Activists and opposition leaders have also criticized the state of Karnataka for passing an anti-conversion law and an anti-massacre law last year. This law targets Christians and Muslims.