After Pakistan attempted to milk the Hijab controversy, the United States of America has decided to meddle into India’s internal affairs by putting misleading information regarding the ongoing Hijab controversy in the country.
On Friday, US Ambassador at Large for the controversial organisation – International Religious Freedom (IRF) Rashad Hussain waded into the controversy by claiming that religious freedom included the ability to choose one’s religious attire. Without comprehending the nuances of the issue, the Ambassador went on to say that Karnataka should not determine the permissibility of religious clothing.
He added hijab bans in schools violated religious freedom and stigmatised and marginalised women and girls.
In a tweet, Hussain said, “Religious freedom includes the ability to choose one’s religious attire. The Indian state of Karnataka should not determine the permissibility of religious clothing. Hijab bans in schools violate religious freedom and stigmatise and marginalise women and girls.”
His comments amidst the ongoing controversy in the state of Karnataka, where a section of burqa clad people, backed by radical Islamic organisations such as Popular Front of India (PFI) and Jamaat-e-Islami are orchestrating protests after the government asked them to follow the rules and not to wear hijab inside schools and colleges in Karnataka.
The US body’s attempts to interfere in India’s domestic affairs, however, did not go well with the citizens of the country. Several netizens slammed the United States International Religious Freedom (IRF) for its unnecessary statements on the latest hijab row and asked them to stop peddling false propaganda against the country.
Social media user @moronhumour ridiculed the Americans for trying to teach morality to Indians, and he reminded how the American administration was notoriously racist in the past. He also noted the US had searched Sikh men after mistaking them for terrorists because of the turban and humiliated them in the name of security at airports.
Rich coming from a country notoriously known to racially slur turban clad Sikh men as “Osama”, strip searched the people from the very same religion in the name of security at airports across its country. https://t.co/xMxUUkcIAV
— Yo Yo Funny Singh 🇮🇳 (@moronhumor) February 12, 2022
Ajit Datta, author and journalist, also schooled Ambassador Hussain, saying it was unfair of him to expect Indians to prostrate before the Taliban only because Americans did.
It’s unfair of you to expect us to prostrate before the Taliban only because you did. https://t.co/CBiqvhQrgF
— Ajit Datta (@ajitdatta) February 12, 2022
Some social media users also reminded the Americans about their hypocrisy in dealing with the same issue in different countries based on their political convenience. They said the US neither uttered a single word when the Taliban imposed compulsory hijab on their women nor spoke when France mandated the ban on hijab at schools. However, the US does not waste any opportunity to humiliate Indians, especially Hindus, even when the country abides by secular values.
Journalist Yusuf Unjhawala also pointed to the Ambassador that the US itself has followed similar rules to ban hijab in school when Clark County in the US had introduced mandatory uniform in 2003. He also noted that one Muslim student was suspended after she had worn the garment even after repeated warnings.
Meanwhile, in 2003 Clark County in the US 👇 https://t.co/DjCACTHq7X
— Yusuf Unjhawala 🇮🇳 (@YusufDFI) February 12, 2022
Another social media user said that religious freedom for America meant nothing but its ability to carry out the industrial-scale mass conversion of a country’s population into Christianity through economic coercion. He also said that “freedom” is a misnomer that is used for every kind of imperialism, including religious imperialism exported by the US empire.
“Religious freedom” is nothing but American ability to carry out industrial scale mass conversion of a country’s population into Christianity through economic coercion.
— the exDem and exRepub 🇮🇳 (@joysamcyborg) February 11, 2022
“Freedom” is misnomer used for every kind of imperialism including religious imperialism exported by US empire
Abhinav Prakash, professor and commentator, asked the west is not an ally of India as it promoted all kinds of extremist ideologies against India.
Why west isn’t an ally of India? Western countries actively promote all kinds of extremist ideologies against India. https://t.co/LoDCXggCAN
— Abhinav Prakash (@Abhina_Prakash) February 11, 2022
Strangely, the so-called liberals were also not happy with the statement issued by International Religious Freedom. Tanvi Madan, the senior fellow at Brooking Institute, took a sarcastic dig at the situation and said how the Ministry of External Affairs would issue statement that this is internal matter of India. Which is quite true, because America really has no business to meddle in India’s business.
Cue MEA statement that this is an internal matter of India and suggesting that the US shouldn’t be telling Indian states/schools/courts what to do.
— Tanvi Madan (@tanvi_madan) February 11, 2022
[wonder if USG realizes that sometimes weighing in on an issue is counterproductive to the objective it is hoping to achieve] https://t.co/Fesc2OMA1f
Except, her rouse was that such statements by the US would polarise the situation on the ground, especially in favour of the Hindus, at a time when elections to five statements are ongoing.
It is pertinent to note that the controversial US body has always been at the forefront of the misinformation campaign against the country. Ever since Narendra Modi returned to power in 2019, the USCIRF has been meddling in India’s internal affairs by indulging in one-sided motivated propaganda against the Modi government.
The US congressional body emerged into the scene following the abrogation of Article 370 in the country with its misleading statements and continued to do so even during the implementation of the historic Citizenship Amendment Act. It is notable here that the USCIRF has a history of fanning baseless rumours and leftist propaganda against India. They had also ranted against India’s Citizenship Amendment Act, calling it a ‘dangerous turn in the wrong direction.
Now, they have returned again to peddle false propaganda against India and have conveniently used the hijab controversy to try and push its agenda on Indian soil.
Interestingly, the coordinated attempts by foreign powers, especially Pakistan and America, comes just a year after Rahul Gandhi had asked for American interference in India’s internal matters.
Rahul Gandhi asked for American interference in India, asking former Ambassador Nicholas Burns if they (US establishment) could make any comment on India. He said, “I don’t hear anything from the US establishment about what is happening in India. If you are saying, partnership in democracy is, I mean, what’s your view on what is happening here?” Burns was visibly shocked after hearing this open offer from Rahul Gandhi for asking for America to comment on India’s internal matters.
Rahul Gandhi had also added, “I fundamentally believe that America is a profound idea. The idea of freedom, the way it is encapsulated in your constitution, is a very powerful idea. But you got to defend that idea. And that’s the real question”.
However, Nicholas Burns did not respond to this specifically, only saying that they will discuss these matters when they hold the next session in two weeks with another guest from India.
