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2 malicious letters: Analysis of 16 orgs & 24 lawmakers, with links to Jihadis, Khalistanis and more, campaigning against State Dinner for PM Modi in USA

In this article, we have delved into the antecedents of 16 organisations and 24 lawmakers who have undersigned the two letters and the findings are shocking - the organisations and lawmakers have links with Islamic terror organisations, Khalistanis, anti-India and anti-Hindu elements.

Anurag
Narendra Modi
8 years of Digital India initiative, representational image

On June 21, Prime Minister Narendra Modi started his five-day visit to the United States and Egypt. The US visit is PM Modi’s first state visit to the US on an invitation by President Joe Biden. A state dinner is scheduled for India’s PM on June 22 at the White House, where President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will be the hosts. In an official statement, Prime Minister Modi said that this special invitation is a “reflection of the vigour and vitality of the partnership between our democracies.” As expected, 17 organisations and 75 Senators and Members of Congress have written to President Biden asking him either not to host the State Dinner or to raise some specific issues.

On June 7 (local time), Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC), which has links to Islamic terrorist organisations, announced to have written a letter to the President of the United States of America, Joe Biden, to rescind the invitation of State Dinner extended to Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi. Seventeen organisations, including IAMC, signed the letter.

The organisations claimed that India is facing sharp democratic backsliding. The claim was based on April 20, 2023, Financial Times report titled ‘India’s Democratic Backsliding’. In the report, FT claimed the democratic values of India were on backtrack because a Gujarat court denied disqualified Congress MP Rahul Gandhi‘s plea against a 2-year sentence in a defamation case. FT called it bad news not only for India but for the whole world. In the letter, they cited four reports linked to CAA and NRC. They included a fact sheet by United States Commission on International Religious Freedom from February 2020. However, the report clearly mentioned that CAA was only meant for minorities in neighbouring Islamic countries. The report does point out Assam NRC controversies, but assuming NRC, whenever it comes, will have the same regulations and guidelines is far-fetched. OpIndia did a detailed analysis of the baseless claims made by IAMC and other organisations in the letter sent to President Biden that can be checked here.

Each organisation listed in the signatories has a history of anti-India and anti-Hindu activities. We explored the details of these organisations to understand what India is standing against on the international platform. In this article, we have delved into the antecedents of 16 organisations and 24 lawmakers who have undersigned the two letters and the findings are shocking – the organisations and lawmakers have links with Islamic terror organisations, Khalistanis, anti-India and anti-Hindu elements.

Indian American Muslim Council

For the uninitiated, Rasheed Ahmed is the executive director of the Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC), a radical Islamist group that has alleged links with banned terror organisations such as the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) and has a long history of lobbying against India.

The IAMC is a Jamat-e-Islami-backed lobbyist organisation claiming to be a rights advocacy group. In the past, it had reportedly collaborated with and even paid money to various groups in the USA to get India blacklisted by the USCIRF (United States Commission on International Religious Freedom). A detailed report by Disinfo Lab has exposed its links with the terror outfit Jamat-e-Islami.

IAMC founder Shaik Ubaid and member Abdul Malik Mujahid have headed the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), the US front for Jamaat-e-Islami, Pakistan. According to DisInfo Lab, ICNA has established links with Pakistan-based terror groups like the Lashkar-e-Taiba. Rasheed Ahmed, who heads the IAMC currently, was the former executive director of the Islamic Medical Association of North America (IMANA). IMANA’s Director of Operations is Zahid Mahmood, an ex-Pak Navy official.

Similar reports covered by OpIndia on HfHR and Hamas-linked Islamist group CAIR can be read here and here.

Hindus for Human Rights

Rahul Gandhi is on a 10-day USA tour, where he spoke at the National Press Club, Stanford University and also, to ‘think tanks’, allegedly discussing relations between India and USA. The Hudson Institute tweeted images of Rahul Gandhi in deep conversation with these “think tanks”. Sunita Vishwanath was seated alongside Rahul Gandhi at this event at Hudson Institute. Sunita Vishwanath is the co-founder of HrHR, which has also signed this letter against Narendra Modi alongside IAMC. In a June 5 tweet, they said, “Extremely disappointed to see Sen Schumer Speaker McCarthy invite Modi to a Joint Meeting of Congress. The friendship between the US and India has long been bound by shared values of secular democracy and freedom. In India, those values are dissolving before our very eyes.”

Investigating Info-warfare and Psy-war OSINT Disinfo Lab had conducted an investigation revealing that the ‘Hindus for Human Rights (HfHR)’ had been promoting the misleading narrative of ‘Hindu Vs Hindutva’. The same organisation was also seen endorsing the ‘Dismantling Global Hindutva’ event. 

As per Disinfo Lab, HfHR was formed in the year 2019 by two Islamist advocacy groups named Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) and the Organization for Minorities of India (OFMI). Interestingly, the three organisations had formed another outfit called the Alliance for Justice and Accountability (AJA).

As per an article in The Hindu, the Alliance for Justice and Accountability had been at the forefront of leading demonstrations against the visit of PM Modi to Houston on September 22, 2019. 

“The AJA comprises of Hindu, Muslim, Dalit, Sikh and Christian groups, among others. They include the Hindus for Human Rights (HfHR), a progressive Hindu group that opposes Hindutva; the Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC); and the Organization for Minorities of India (OFMI),” the article read.

According to Disinfo Lab, the co-founder of Hindus for Human Rights, Sunita Vishwanath, also runs an organisation named ‘Women for Afghan Women’, which is funded by the Soros Open Society Foundation. Earlier, OpIndia reported in detail how George Soros had been fuelling a dangerous anti-India narrative through media and ‘civil society.’

Interestingly, Sunita Vishwanath, who was pictured alongside Rahul Gandhi, had tried to create hysteria and panic among Indian Muslims about the National Register of Citizens (NRC). “We are especially appalled by the most recent nightmare of the Kashmiri people, and the situation of 1.9 million people in India who are rendered stateless due to the imposition of the travesty called the National Register of Citizens”, she had said. It is pertinent to note that even during this USA trip, Rahul Gandhi endorsed dangerous lies and propaganda against CAA and NRC, which led to anti-Hindu riots in 2020 in India. 

HfHR’s founding member Raju also heads EKTA. It is an associate organization of IAMC. The sole purpose was to have Hindus on the panel to project that the Hindus, in general, were against Hindutva. Interestingly, HfHR ran Facebook ads to promote previous USCIRF reports.

Interestingly, Sunita Vishwanath, the co-founder of HfHR, is also closely connected to George Soros and Islamist-linked IAMC. The in-depth analysis of the web can be read here.

Recently, HfHR released a toolkit against PM Modi’s US visit. OpIndia’s detailed report on it can be seen here.

Dalit Solidarity Forum

It is one of the organisations that claim to be working against caste discrimination in the USA. Dalit Solidarity Forum representatives were present at Gandhi’s event in the US on June 3 (local time). HfHR had shared a tweet about it.

They were one of the supporters of filmmaker Leena Manimekalai who was criticised for derogatory scenes on Maa Kaali in her film “Kaali”. The forum organised paid screening of the film in the US in November 2022. The forum repeatedly said in tweets that they did not find any “issue” if the “actor dressed as Maa Kaali” smokes on camera.

They extensively supported the anti-Hindu bill SB 403 on so-called caste discrimination in the US that will put the Hindus in hiring positions under unrealistic scrutiny. Notably, the case which was the base of the bill fell flat in the US court but the propagandists continued to claim that there was caste discrimination in US companies.

Genocide Watch

Genocide Watch is a propaganda organisation that targets India and Hindus claiming minorities fear genocide in the country. In its April 2023 report, the organisation propagated the same old “CAA and NRC are against Muslims in India” story. While mentioning some particular cases, they claimed in July 2022, a Dalit boy was beaten to death for drinking water from a pot meant for the upper caste. Genocide Watch debunked the reports and decided to use it anyway. They also claimed by disqualifying Rahul Gandhi, the Modi government is turning India into an “electoral autocracy”. They further claimed India is on Stage 8 of committing genocide.

In January 2022, the organisation dubiously issued a “genocide warning” for India. In its report, the organisation claimed that there was the possibility of “genocide of Muslims” in India. In the report, Gregory Stanton, the founder and director of Genocide Watch claimed that there were early “signs and processes” of genocide in the Indian state of Assam and Kashmir. Notably, they mentioned it as “India Administered Kashmir”, declaring Kashmir to be a “disputed region”. He claimed to have noticed a similar scenario in Myanmar where Rohingyas were declared non-citizens and then expelled through violence and genocide. The report, which was published in Al Jazeera, quoted Amnesty India’s former chief Aakar Patel who warned to take the “threat of genocide” seriously. Amnesty India, the Indian chapter of Amnesty International shut its shop in India after it came under the radar for FCRA violations.

Interestingly, there was no mention of Hindus being killed by Muslims and other communities. They did not speak about Kanhaiya Lal, Umesh Kohle and several RSS/BJP activists who were brutally murdered by the Islamists. Why would they? It did not suit their agenda anyway.

Jubilee Campaign

Jubilee Campaign is another US-based organisation that frequently campaigns against India, claiming Christians and other minorities are being persecuted. In the past, they have invited members of IAMC for discussion on so-called minority persecution. In several tweets like here and here, they claimed India was using anti-conversion laws to target Christianity. Anti-conversion laws are meant to stop forced religious conversions. If Christians do not indulge in such activities, they won’t be breaking the law and get booked under the relevant acts.

Asian Children’s Education Fellowship

Asian Children’s Education Fellowship is a US-based missionary organisation that works extensively in Nepal. The Hindu-dominating country is facing a serious threat of rampant conversions and missionaries play a vital role in it. Its founder Bryan Nerran was arrested and detained in India for seven months. He was booked under Foreign Exchange Management Act for travelling with USD 40,000 of undeclared cash. After then-President Donald Trump’s intervention, Nerran was released. Now, his organisation is one of the signatories urging President Biden to not host PM Modi for a State Dinner. Here is an old video of Nerren seeking donations for running conversion rackets in Nepal. In the video, he claimed to have converted 12,000 people in Nepal. “The Nepal Christian Children’s Education fellowship was able to pray for and to help in the conversion process of bringing 12000 Hindu-Buddhist children into the gospel of Jesus Christ,” he said.

Speaking about the State Dinner invite, Narren called PM Modi a “genocidal warlord’. He wrote, “And here we are embracing a genocidal warlord again. We always pick the wrong leaders and make them super successful so they can kill their own people for the love of money.”

Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)

CAIR is a US-based Islamist organisation with ties to the Islamic terrorist organisation Hamas. It identifies itself as a Muslim civil rights organisation in the United States that claims to protect ‘civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims’, The fact, however, is that CAIR is an Islamist group that has spoken against India and Hindus on several occasions. The organization has been vehemently pushing Hinduphobia and anti-Hindu propaganda in India.

In a tweet on June 19, CAIR called PM Modi “one of the most dangerous and extreme anti-Muslim bigots in the world” and urged its followers to write to the elected representatives in the US Congress to boycott him. They also released a form for sending letters to the Congress members that read, “The evidence of Modi’s expanding effort to place a boot firmly on the collective heads of India’s religious minorities is extensive. CAIR has already noted that under Modi his political allies have banned young Muslim women from wearing hijabs at school, ignored widespread lynchings of Muslims, and censored a BBC documentary about Modi’s role in an anti-Muslim pogrom.” All the things mentioned here have been debunked numerous times. So much so, the BBC documentary that has been banned in India claims PM Modi had a role in the Gujarat Riots of 2002 ignoring the fact that the Supreme Court of India has given a clean chit to him.

In 2022, CAIR released a report titled “Still Suspect: The Impact of Structural Islamophobia”, in which it said that there has been a rise in discrimination against Muslims living in the United States.

The CAIR, in its report, claimed that it had received 6,720 complaints nationwide last year involving a range of issues, including immigration, travel discrimination, law enforcement, government overreach, hate and bias incidents, custody rights, school incidents, and free speech incidents.

The CAIR claimed that government discrimination and bias continue to have a disproportionate effect on American Muslims and further demonstrate that our communities continue to be viewed with suspicion. The report also listed the impacts of severe structural and interpersonal Islamophobia in the United States.

Ironically, CAIR, which always complains about alleged Islamophobia in the United States, has been aggressively promoting Hinduphobia and anti-Hindu propaganda in India. We are aware of how CAIR had extended support for the extremely Hinduphobic ‘Dismantling Global Hindutva‘ conference.

It is noteworthy that CAIR has links with the Palestinian Islamic fundamentalist terror organisation Hamas. Hamas has a long history of violating human rights. Hamas is designated as a terrorist organisation by several countries including The European Union, the United States, Canada, Israel, Japan, Australia, the United Kingdom etc. 

Misión Vida para las Naciones, Church in the Republic of Uruguay

This is a Uruguay-based Christian missionary organisation. We could not establish a reason why this organisation became undersigned in the letter to Biden. OpIndia is looking for more information on its links to evangelists operating in India. We will update this report accordingly.

Global Christian Relief

Global Christian Relief is a missionary organisation that collects funds claiming Christians are being persecuted across the globe. It has targeted India on several occasions to collect money. For example, they have used the recent Manipur violence to collect funds claiming “Hindu mobs descended upon the state of Manipur, unleashing a torrent of death and destruction on the local Christian community.”

On its page on Christian Persecution, the organisation wrote, “In India, Hindu nationalists claim that to be Indian is to be Hindu, so non-Hindus—religious minorities like Christians and Muslims—are targeted for abuse. In these places, to be a Christian is to claim an identity other than the one claimed by the dominant culture, and that is often powerfully opposed.”

In reality, Christian missionaries are running rampant conversion rackets across India. In states like Punjab, hundreds of Churches have mushroomed. Several northeast Indian states now have a Christian-dominating population.

As per the website, Tim Kachuriak is the India Chair for relief. Still, we could not find any information on this person on their website, social media platforms or even in a Google search. Till the report was published, Tim remained a mystery who handles “relief” work in India.

Furthermore, there was no information on how they send money to India. There was no info in their 2021 annual report if they had sent any money to India. While asking for money for Christians in Manipur, there was no info on which organisation was helping them in India. Upon little research, we found that the group was linked to the “Global Ministry of Open Doors” earlier but now has separated ways. The group has been targeting India on social media since 2008.

American Sikh Council

American Sikh Council is a pro-Khalistan organisation that regularly spews venom against India. Recently, the organisation supported pro-Khalistan preacher Amritpal Singh and his followers. In an article published on March 31, ASC claimed India wants to portray Sikhs as terrorists. Interestingly, a large cache of weapons was recovered from the Amritpal-linked de-addiction centre. Furthermore, he was raising a private militia and giving weapon training to its members. The organisation urged USCRIF, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and others to take action against India as “similar situations have led to genocide”.

The organisation also denounced a research paper titled ‘Khalistan – A project of Pakistan’ released in 2020 by MacDonald Laurier Institute (MLI) from Toronto, Canada. Calling it disgraceful, they claimed its author Terry Milewksi behaved like a “mouthpiece of the Indian regime”.

Then-ASC President Dr Gurdas Singh said, “This re­port is despicable and uncharacteristic of the MacDonald Laurier Institute unless the Indian powerbrokers have influenced them. In that case, it is a sad day for the great values that all Canadians hold dear to their heart. Canadians do not need a lesson on the patriotism of the Sikh Canadians, as they know better!”

They also demanded the release of Sikh prisoners, often called Bandi Sikhs, including those arrested on terrorism charges.

Human Rights and Grassroots Development Society

Only one organisation found with an internet footprint is from Nigeria. There is no information available if they are the ones who signed the letter or if this is some off-the-grid organisation based in the United States. OpIndia is seeking information on the organisation and will update this report accordingly.

International Commission for Dalit Right

International Commission for Dalit Right is a US-based organisation that claims to work for the rights of the marginalised. Its founder President DB Sagar was one of the attendees of the event organised by the Indian Overseas Congress to host disqualified Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

ICDR extended its support for the dubious and discriminatory SB403 bill that was passed in California, claiming there was caste discrimination in the US. Notably, the leading case on which the whole campaign to table the bill fell apart a few weeks before it was passed, but CA Senator Aishabb Wahab tabled the bill.

American Muslim Institution

American Muslim Institution, or AMI, is a Washington-based Muslim group led by Ambassador Islam A Siddiqui. India-born Siqqiqui has served under several US Presidents, including Obama, Clinton, and others. In 1982, he founded the United Muslims of America or UMA. Though AMI is a signatory in the list of organisations, strangely, it has had zero activities on social media for over a year. Their last post on Twitter was on March 1, 2022, and on Facebook, the last time they posted something was August 9, 2022. Their website has details of old events, and one of the events that were scheduled for June 6, 2021, has been listed as an “upcoming event”. It is unclear if the organisation is still active.

Regarding its anti-India activities, AMI was one of the 30 signatories that wrote to President Biden to impose sanctions on India over one year after the Citizenship Amendment (Act) came to force in July 2021. The Quint covered it, and the image they used as a feature had a half-visible banner with IAMC’s logo.

Islam A Siddiqui has been quoted by IAMC multiple times in statements against India over the years. In July 2022, IAMC mentioned Siddiqui urging Secretary Bliken to “stop talking about India as a] secular democracy” as he claimed it was in the past.

“The Modi government’s actions indicate that they do not uphold those values,” he had said. He also urged the US to designate India as a Country of Particular Concern.

World Without Genocide

World Without Genocide is a US-based organisation that has openly published anti-India reports based on fake or misleading reports. In January 2023, it cited the dubious Reporters Without Borders report that ranked India at 150 out of 180 countries in terms of Press Freedom. The ranking was based on misinformation, misleading reports and fake reports. OpIndia has a detailed report on the ranking that can be read here.

In November 2022, the organisation called PM Modi “a dangerous man”. They claimed that the Indian government under PM Modi dismantled and subverted all major democratic institutions including the press and judiciary. “His ruling BJP party has taken away civil and human rights from hundreds of thousands of Muslims and other non-Hindus in India,” the organisation wrote which is completely false. On several occasions, they cited Genocide Watch’s warning against India.

On July 28, 2022, the organisation claimed since PM Modi came to power, BJP has targeted Muslims with discrimination and violence. “Mosques and #Muslims’ homes have been burned, people have been injured and murdered, and online incitement is widespread. The government does nothing to prevent harm,” it said. However, the notion is fake and misleading. The disinformation being spread by the organisation is appealing as it did not add a single source of the claims. Furthermore, the data available in the public domain makes it clear that India has a lot of government schemes specifically for Muslims and they are a large part of schemes like Awas Yojna, Ujjwala Yojna and more.

International Defenders Council

International Defenders Council is a US-based organisation that was registered in February 2023. Their website shows a “403 – Forbidden” error. The organisation is one of the signatories of Stand With Kashmir’s Boycott G20 In Kashmir campaign along with other anti-India organisations. There is not much information available about the organisation or its founders.

International Society for Peace and Justice

The International Society of Peace and Justice ISPJ is a US-based organisation that specifically targets India and the BJP-ruled Indian government. It is a close associate of organisations like CAIR, HfHR and IAMC. Its current president is one Rehan Khan who actively speaks against India. In February this year, he called on the USCIRF and the US Government to declare Gujarat 2002 as genocide.

The organisation’s website actively talks about CAA/NRC and claims “Minorities in India do not have adequate legal help”. The website lacks information about the organisation and its founders which raises a lot of suspicion on the agenda of the organisation. The social media accounts of the website are also either non-functional or lack updates.

In May 2022, they organised a signature campaign against so-called religious freedom injustices in India. In a statement, Rehan Khan claimed, “We are trying to preempt and prevent the genocide in India”. Notably, the organisations like Genocide Watch and ISPJ have been making baseless claims of genocide in India that literally has no evidence. In fact, these organisations play ostrich when Hindus like Kanhaiya Lal, Umesh Kohle and many others got killed in the hands of Islamists.

Senators & Members of Congress who wrote to President Biden

On June 20, 75 US Senators and Members of Congress wrote a letter to President Biden to take up issues including “shrinking of political space, the rise of religious intolerance, and more.

In the letter, the lawmakers asked Biden to raise “areas of concern” directly with PM Modi in addition to the many areas of shared interests between India and the US. They reminded President Biden of his statement where he said that America Must lead not merely by the example of our power but by the power of our example.”

Apart from a State Department report, they cited unnamed reports claiming to be “independent, credible reports” that reflect “troubling signs in India toward the shrinking of political space, the rise of religious intolerance, the targeting of civil society organizations and journalists, and growing restrictions on press freedoms and internet access.”

They claimed that religious freedom in India is showing worrisome signs as there has been an “increase of religious intolerance toward minorities and religiously motived violence by both private and state actors.”
They also cited the dubious Reporters Without Borders ranking on Press Freedom that OpIndia has categorically debunked.

The letter was used by opposition leaders like Congress leader Supriya Shrinate.

Twitter user Know The Nation wrote an extensive thread exploring the leaders who signed the letter.

Chris Van Hollen

The first name on the letter is Chris Van Hollen, and the next name on the list was born in Pakistan. He tried to visit Kashmir but permission was denied by the Indian government.

In February 2020, he and three other lawmakers wrote to the US Secretary of State requesting an assessment of human rights situation in Kashmir and the rights of religious minorities in India. They wrote, “We write as longtime friends of India regarding some of the troubling actions taken by the current government. More than six months after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government unilaterally revoked the autonomy of Jammu and Kashmir, the government continues to block most internet in the region. India has now imposed the longest-ever internet shut down by a democracy, disrupting access to medical care, business, and education for seven million people. Hundreds of Kashmiris remain in ‘preventive detention,’ including key political figures.”

They also targeted India for CAA and said, “In addition, the Indian government has taken other troubling steps that threaten the rights of certain religious minorities and the secular character of the state. This includes the passage of the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act, which is being challenged in India’s Supreme Court.”

Pramila Jayapal

The next name in the list was Pramila Jayapal who is known for her anti-India and anti-Hindu bias. In December 2019, she brought a Congressional resolution urging India to end restrictions on communications in Jammu and Kashmir. Her stand against Indian Government’s decision to abrogate Article 370 in the state made the Indian-American community feel betrayed, cheated and saddened. Following her resolution, MEA Jaishankar cancelled his meeting with a group of United States lawmakers following their refusal to exclude anti-India Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal from the delegation that was scheduled to meet him. “Don’t think her report has a fair understanding of the situation in Jammu and Kashmir or fair characterisation of what the Government of India is doing. I have no interest in meeting her,” External Affairs Minister revealed after speculations of cancellation of the meeting came forth.

Richard J. Durbin

Another name was Senator Richard Durbin who has mocked Indians for their Green Cards. In September 2019, he mocked and made a joke at a town hall when a man opposing his block on the S386 bill “Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act” gave him a green card index. He joked that if Indians wanted green cards, they should settle for that while others laughed profusely and held up fake green cards.

James P. McGovern

The next signatory on the list James P. McGovern was one of the 14 lawmakers who wrote to PM Modi in September 2019 to restore communications in Kashmir.

Barbara Lee

The next name on the list was Barbara Lee who is a self-styled Modi-hater. She had written a letter against PM Modi’s arrival in the US nine years after next a resolution to deny him a visa.

Tammy Duckworth

The next name in the list was Tammy Duckworth who also advocated a Visa ban for PM Modi.

Jamie Raskin

The next name on the list was Jamie Raskin who failed to report massive stock holding and payout for his wife. In January 2022, he claimed that India continued to struggle for human rights, especially under PM Modi which “affects not just India’s Muslim, Christian, and Sikh minorities, but also Hindus who dissent against the Hindu supremacist movement.” The statement was given at an event hosted by Amnesty International USA, Genocide Watch, IAMC and other organisations.

Jan Schakowsky

The next name in the list was Jan Schakowsky who was co-sponsor of the Islamophobia Bill along with anti-India US leader Ilhan Omar.

Bernard Sanders

The next name in the list that caught the eyes was Bernie Sanders who claimed there was a “human rights crisis unfolding” after the abrogation of Article 370 and called it “unacceptable”. Notably, India had categorically denied any third-party mediation on Kashmir as it is an internal issue.

Juan Vargas

The next name on the list is Juan Vargas who tabled a resolution against India and demanded an independent investigation into the death of pro-Naxal Stan Swamy. “I am appalled by the abuse Father Stan faced while in custody. No one who fights for human rights should face such violence and neglect,” said Vargas.

Benjamin L. Cardin

Just days before PM Modi’s visit to the US, Ben Cardin raised concerns over so-called religious intolerance in India. “There are extra-judicial killings in India, there are religious tolerance issues here, women are particularly vulnerable here…these are national challenges. India must do better. It is particularly troublesome on human trafficking here,” said Cartin, another signatory on the list.

Judy Chu

Another signatory of the letter Judy Chu had urged India to restore mobile communication in Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370 along with the likes of Ilhan Omar.

Sherrod Brown

The next name on the list Sherrod Brown had expressed concerns over so-called human rights violations in Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370. He said, “I am deeply concerned about reported human rights violations in Kashmir and am worried by the Indian government’s heavy-handed tactics and its implications for other disputed territory in the region. Working toward collective peace and stability, is paramount to ending the current situation in Kashmir, while respecting the rights of religious and ethnic minorities who live there.”

Betty McCollum

The next name on the list was Betty McCollum who ran a propaganda to reduce India’s religious freedom rating.

Bonnie Watson Coleman

The next name on the list was Bonnie Watson Coleman who claimed India was the epicentre of the Covid Pandemic.

Suzanne Bonamici

The next name on the list is Suzanne Bonamici who had tried to meddle with India’s internal affairs after Article 370 was abrogated in Jammu and Kashmir.

She wrote, “Several Kashmiri-American constituents I represent were in Kashmir when the human rights crisis began to unfold in early August. I am deeply concerned by their first-hand accounts of this situation. With communications cut off, they cannot reach their families.”

Mark Pocan

The next name in the list is Mark Pocan. In 2020, when PM Modi met then-President Trump, he quoted a Washington Post opinion piece written by none other than Rana Ayyub and questioned Trump for not mentioning “the unspeakable Islamophobic violence happening in India under Modi’s watch.”

Mary Gay Scanlon

Mary Gay Scanlon was one of the seven US lawmakers who had expressed concerns over farmer protests along with Pramila Jayapal. In a sharp reaction, India called their concern “ill-informed” and “unwarranted”.

Mike Levin

Levin was one of the 14 signatories who had written to PM Modi to restore communication in Kashmir along with Pramila Jayapal.

André Carson

The next signatory on the list Andre Carson had tried to meddle with India’s internal affairs claiming CAA was an attempt to make Muslims second-class citizens in India. Without understand the law and its importance, he said, “today, we witness yet another potentially devastating move by the Prime Minister, as lawmakers enacted his draconian Citizenship (Amendment) Bill. However, this action is not unexpected, considering the history of Mr Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party and its connections to strident communalism. This is yet another attempt to effectively reduce Muslims in India to second-class citizens.”

He added, “In other cases, Modi has targeted India’s minority Muslim community, which identifies as uniquely Indian, with citizenship tests in a blatant attempt to deny that community’s constitutional rights and liberty…, as well as its sense of place. These citizenship “exercises” and new laws strike at the heart of India’s founding tradition as a multicultural society.”

He also made a bizarre claim targeting India that the government was making it difficult for the people of Kashmir to fight Covid.

Jake Auchincloss

Another prominent name on the list was Jake Auchincloss who recently expressed his “disappointment” as India continued to buy Russian oil. Lawmakers like him in the US and other Western countries have tried to pressure India to abandon Indian citizens’ interests and join them in the crusade against Russia.

Tony Cárdenas

Tony Cardenas, another signatory in the list also spoke against the abrogation of Article 370 in Kashmir. He called the situation in the valley “concerning”.

Susan Wild

Another signatory Susan Wild also issued a statement on Kashmir in 2019 and said, “I am deeply alarmed by the situation in Kashmir. The Indian government’s unilateral revocation of the territory’s special status early last month has endangered the region and led to mass detentions; a ban on virtually all channels of communication; and reported shortages of food, medical supplies, and other necessities across Kashmir.” For some reason, western leaders have a history and unrealistic itch to meddle with India’s affairs every now and then.

Yvette D. Clarke

The next name in the list was Yvette Clarke who was accused of corruption while holding the office in 2019. After the Abrogation of Article 370, she expressed “deep concerns” and said, “Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi has no right to do what he is doing to the people of Kashmir. And it is up to us to raise our voices for justice, to raise our voices for self-governance and for no discrimination based on religion. Prime Minister Modi should know better. We all must raise our voices.” She was quoted by the Pakistani media house Dawn.

The crusade against India and PM Modi is expected to continue and get more ridiculous as the Lok Sabha elections in 2024 come closer.

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Anurag
Anuraghttps://lekhakanurag.com
B.Sc. Multimedia, a journalist by profession.

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