Washington, D.C. (March 28, 2016) - Leaders of the
Hindu American Foundation (HAF) joined the global chorus deploring yesterday’s
bomb attack that targeted Pakistan’s Christian minority on Easter Sunday in
Lahore. Over 70 people were declared dead, including 29 children, and over 300
remain seriously injured, with the death toll rising. Taliban-affiliate
Jamaat-ur-Ahrar, which has also pledged loyalty to ISIS,
claimed responsibility.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families,†said Samir
Kalra, Esq., HAF Senior Director and Human Rights Fellow. “Pakistan’s
duplicitous game of placating violent religious extremists and failing to crack
down on terrorism is having tragic internal consequences. Religious minorities
are often the primary victims, but all citizens of Pakistan are paying the price as
Islamists attempt to further their goal of enforcing Shariah law.â€
The status of Pakistan’s
religious minorities, including Hindus, Christians, as well as Shia and Ahmadi
Muslims, remains precarious as Islamist fundamentalist groups who often operate
with patronage of the state, have attacked minorities with impunity. According
to HAF’s annual human rights report, for instance, over 1,000 Pakistani Hindus
and Christian women per year are targeted with rape, kidnapping, and forced
conversions.
Last week, HAF submitted testimony to the House Appropriations Committee
requesting curtailment of funding Pakistan’s large scale weaponry,
such as F-16 fighter jets. HAF urged the US government to increase support
for deradicalization efforts in civil society along with increased trainings to
better equip regional and local law enforcement agencies to combat such
attacks. Earlier this month, HAF also led an interfaith coalition effort to
strongly urge Congress to stop the Obama Administration’s sale of additional
fighter jets to Pakistan.
“We fear that these large scale attacks targeting religious minorities in Pakistan will
become the norm,†said Jay Kansara, HAF Director of Government Relations. “The United States must stop placating Pakistan’s requests for military equipment,
which will only advance their territorial aggression towards Afghanistan and India rather than combat actual
terrorist threats within its own borders. Rather, we urge our government to
support operational training for local and regional security forces to ensure
that all Pakistani civilians have adequate protection against such heinous
attacks.â€
American Muslims condemn attack targeting Christians by the
Taliban on the auspicious day of Easter in Lahore, Pakistan.
Washington,
DC, March 28, 2016 – Reuters News
reports that at least 65 people were killed and 300 were wounded in a suicide
bombing attack that targeted Christians on the auspicious day of Easter in the
City of Lahore, Pakistan. Taliban groups that once had ties with Daesh
claimed responsibility.
While we applaud the efforts of the Government of Pakistan
to hunt down terrorists, we appeal to the
Pakistanis religious leaders to reach out and counsel misguided individuals and
groups. We have an obligation to restore peace on earth in the name of
the prophet, who is a mercy to fellow humans.
We condemn all acts of terrorism unconditionally, and our
hearts go out to the families of the victims and their loved ones. We
pray with our hearts, souls and minds, asking God to guide us all to restore
peace and a sense of security, especially to minorities among us.
We people of different faiths, races, and ethnicities must come together and
remain united against terrorists who seek to tear us apart.
American Muslim Institution is the proactive voice for Muslims in America and we
are committed to contributing towards building pluralistic societies.