Indian American Muslim Council Urges US to Label India as Country of Particular Concern

June 29 :
An advocacy group with chapters all throughout the US, the Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC), has said that India "more than qualifies as a CPC (Country of Particular Concern)". In addition, the group has expressed its approval of the 2023 International Religious Freedom (IRF) report released by the United States Department of State, which details the purported persecution of religious minorities in India, specifically Muslims and Christians.

Rasheed Ahmed, Executive Director of the IAMC, stated on June 26 that India "more than qualifies as a CPC," using the State Department's own documentation as evidence. Secretary Blinken should classify India as a CPC based on these facts and the ones that USCIRF has been presenting for years.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken addressed the "concerning increase" in hate speech, anti-conversion legislation, and the destruction of houses and places of worship belonging to minority groups in India on June 26th, when the IRF report was released.

New Delhi was not pleased by the United States' unusual criticism of its close ally India. India rejected the study on June 28th, describing it as "deeply biased" and failing to comprehend the social fabric of the South Asian nation. The Indian government went on to say that the report questioned the validity of certain court rulings and that certain cases were cherry-picked to fit a certain narrative.

The IAMC claims that the research addresses a wide range of problems that religious minorities have encountered since Prime Minister Narendra Modi took office.

The following was stated by the Indian American Muslim Council: "This includes anti-Muslim and anti-Christian violence, hate speech and disinformation targeting Muslims, cow vigilantism, punitive home and mosque demolitions, discriminatory policies and laws such as the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and anti-conversion laws, mob violence during Hindu festivals, and attacks on minority homes, shops, and places of worship." In addition, the IAMC reported that the research delves into the purported religious and ethnic violence in the state of Manipur.

As a result, the IAMC has demanded that the Indian government act swiftly to resolve these issues and safeguard the religious freedom of all its inhabitants.