‘Genocide of India’s Muslims’
In January 2021, after briefing the US Congress on the signs of genocide in India, Gregory Stanton (President of Genocide Watch) asked them to pass a resolution, warning Narenda Modi (Prime minister of India) that if a genocide should occur, the US will re-assess all relations with India.
“If 100 of us become soldiers and are prepared to kill 2 million (Muslims), then we will win…. protect India, and make it a Hindu nation,” said Pooja Pandey, a member of the extreme right-wing Hindu Mahasabha political party. This extremist political party’s vision is to declare India the ‘National Home of Hindus’ and, according to CNN, will not hesitate to ‘force the migration of India’s Muslims to neighbour Pakistan, to reform the country’ with their version of Hinduism.
Modi has publicly honoured the Mahasabha’s leader for his ‘bravery’ and ‘emphasis on social reform.’ Many believe it is because of his open support of the party that, since Modi came to power in 2014, hate crimes against Muslims have increased by 300%. This was also contributed by India’s Parliament bill passed in 2019, that would give immigrants from three neighbouring countries a pathway to citizenship — except for Muslims. Along with the Anti-Conversion Law passed in 2020, used as an excuse to harass and jail Muslim men in interfaith relations with Hindu women, with the hope of curbing ‘love jihad.’ In the wake of Covid-19, Modi’s ministers accused Muslim men, of ‘corona jihad’ after celebrating a religious festival. Then followed ‘roti jihad’ which included wild allegations that Muslim cooks were spitting on roti to spread the virus to Hindus.
The BBC reports that ‘unprovoked attacks on Muslims by Hindu mobs have become routine in India.’ Some of the most recent hate crimes in 2022 were, a Muslim vendor beaten up for trying to sell fruit in a Hindu locality. A girl clinging to her father as a Hindu extremist mob assaulted him and was paraded through the streets of Kanpur — three of the assaulters were arrested for the attack and were freed on bail a day later. And a Muslim bangle-seller was attacked by a Hindu extremist mob, telling him to stay away from Hindu areas in the future.
Without the sanctioning from key nations, such as US, India’s rise in hate crimes will continue to occur as it is evident that Modi has failed to condemn extremist actions yet has openly encouraged it.
https://www.change.org/p/united-nations-stop-genocide-in-dehli , https://www.justiceforall.org/saveindia/ — to donate/sign petitions
