Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC), a Washington-based Islamist organisation with ties to terror outfits, has yet again resorted to anti-Hindu and anti-India propaganda.
In its latest attempt at demonising Hindus living in the United States, IAMC conducted a ‘survey’ [pdf] with the ulterior motive to brand the religious minority group as ‘racist’, ‘intolerant’ and ‘Islamophobic.’
While Indian-origin Muslim Americans have a population of 2.41 lakhs in the US, the sample size chosen by IAMC was extremely small i.e. 950 or ~0.003 % of the population.
While the Washington-based Islamist outfit is not new to spreading canards about India, it chose to link the supposed ‘rise of Hindu nationalism in India’ to alleged ‘discrimination’ against Muslims by Hindus in the US.
The nefariously designed survey was meant to solicit adverse responses from Indian-origin Muslim Americans about their Hindu counterparts and then attribute the same to the Narendra Modi-led-BJP government in India.
“A significant majority of respondents reported experiencing harassment, discrimination, or prejudice from Hindu friends or social contacts over the past decade. Discrimination was also prominent in professional settings, with a majority of respondents experiencing biased treatment from Hindu colleagues,” IAMC claimed albeit without evidence.
Vague, subjective opinion presented as ‘absolute truth’
OpIndia reviewed the ‘survey’ (which has been titled – ‘The Detrimental Effects of Hindu Nationalism on Indian American Muslims’) conducted by the Islamist outfit and found no specific cases that could remotely establish ‘discrimination’ in any form or manner.
“Respondents reported feelings of isolation, fear, and emotional fatigue, with particular concern for how this hostile environment affects younger generations,” IAMC did not provide details on how behaviour of Hindu Americans impacted their Muslim counterparts.
It relied on vague, subjective and perceived notions of ‘mistrust’ and ‘social isolation’ from its respondents to conclude a ‘noticeable deterioration’ in relationships, which the Islamist outfit shrewdly associated with the rise of BJP in India.
Ironically, it also included trolling on social media as a form of ‘harassment’ faced by Indian-origin Muslim Americans. The said trolls could be based anywhere and could have any religious affiliation. But the Islamist outfit was quick to point fingers at Hindu Americans.
“Digital platforms have become hotspots for discrimination, with 48% of respondents reporting harassment on social media, including Facebook, WhatsApp, and LinkedIn. Respondents described these experiences as emotionally exhausting, contributing to feelings of isolation and hostility,” IAMC alleged.
One interesting point to note is that the ‘survey’ also attempted to rally the support of the Christian community in the hounding of Hindu Americans and present the Muslim community as its ally.
“An overwhelming 94% of respondents strongly agreed that Hindu nationalism poses a threat to religious minorities, particularly Muslims and Christians, in both India and the US,” IAMC claimed based on the response of 950 random, Indian-origin Muslim Americans.
IAMC survey designed as per agenda
In line with its sinister agenda, IAMC dedicated a significant part of its ‘survey report’ to buzz words – Hindu nationalism (64 times), India (35 times), Hindutva (16 times), BJP (8 times), RSS (5 times),
All these keywords were packed in a 24-page report. There were also sweeping false assertions about the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the National Register of Citizens and how it was a ploy to “potentially disenfranchise its Muslim citizens”.
The choice of Muslim respondents, to opine on the effect of ‘Hindu nationalism’ originating from India, was also interesting. 92% of them described Faith (aka Islam) as ‘very important.’
Based on the response of this particular cohort of individuals, IAMC concluded, “A staggering 80% of respondents noted that they feel less comfortable in Indian American cultural spaces since the rise of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in India…Not a single respondent reported feeling more comfortable.”
With its staggering sample size of 950 Indian-origin Muslim Americans, the Islamist outfit thus concluded, “This data speaks to the corrosive effects of Hindu nationalism on social cohesion within the diaspora.“
IAMC survey shows anything can be deemed ‘Islamophobic’
Some of the ridiculous survey questions pertained to social and cultural events in the US. It determined the level of comfort experienced by Muslims in such public gatherings in the North American country, based on the incumbent government in far-flung India.
“Since Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in India in 2014, do you feel more comfortable, less comfortable, or about the same in Indian and Indian American cultural and social events/spaces in the United States?” read one of the questions.
One respondent told IAMC that Hindu nationalism affected him and his family but did not care to elaborate. Another claimed he lost good, and old friends to alleged “Islamophobia and hatred brewed by the BJP government.”
He did not provide any instance that could lend any credence to his unsubstantiated claims. One respondent was quoted as saying, “[Hindu nationalism] has led to isolating ourselves from [the] broader Hindu community.” Yet again, there is no evidence to back the claim.
The pattern is rather evident from the survey. Subjective opinions of individuals in a personal or professional setup can be interpreted as the truth.
The infamous case of ‘caste discrimination in Cisco’, which was based on similar subjective lies, has now fallen apart due to lack of evidence. Given that the IAMC ‘survey’ is not a court case, respondents do not need to provide any shred of evidence to back their claims.
Brazen generalisation passed off as the reality
A worrisome conclusion by IAMC was the generalised determination of perceived ‘harassment, discrimination, or prejudice’ against Indian-origin Muslim Americans by their Hindu counterparts.
“This discrimination was not confined to casual interactions but also extended to professional settings, where 70% reported experiencing similar treatment from Hindu colleagues. The experiences ranged from social exclusion to direct harassment,” the Islamist outfit brazened out.
As proof, the IAMC cited instances where Indian origin Muslim respondents were not offered promotions or laid off from jobs. It alluded to the point that the managers belonged to the Hindu Faith and thus possibly discriminated against their Muslim counterparts.
Interestingly, the possibility of mediocre job performance, availability of better candidates or structural changes within a company leading to layoffs was not taken into consideration before attributing sinister motives to Hindu managers and senior employees.
More fearmongering about Hindu Americans
Given that many Indian-origin Hindu Americans work in respectable positions within the US government, IAMC chose to fearmonger about them and their potential to ‘influence’ US politics.
A radical Muslim respondent claimed, “Hindu extremists are infiltrating the US government, State Government as elected representatives… they are dangerously infiltrating US universities as teaching staff and in admission committees.”
Another anti-Semitic respondent, quoted in the survey report, alleged that American Hindus were trying to eradicate Islam like Zionists ( a term used to demonise Jews advocating for Israel).
Evidently, the Washington-based Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) wants its supporters to develop resentment and hostility towards accomplished Hindu Americans. The notorious ‘survey’ is an extension of this very sinister agenda.
A little about IAMC
According to the Hindu American Foundation (HAF), the Indian Americal Muslim Council has links [pdf] with the banned Islamic terror outfit, Students’ Islamic Movement of India (SIMI).
Besides, the Indian American Muslim Council has ties with Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) through its founder Shaik Ubaid. The IAMC is a Jamat-e-Islami-backed lobbyist organisation claiming to be a rights advocacy group.
Shoot and scoot strategy ?
— Anti Propaganda Front (@APF_Ind) January 18, 2023
Baseless allegation of 'crime against humanity' is hurdled against CM #YogiAdityanath, who won a thumping re-election in India's most populous state.
So, who runs @IAMCouncil ? what is their agenda ?
An Expose 👇#WorldEconomicForum #MahantYogiMocked https://t.co/jwokdVrXau
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).
IAMC had been caught spreading fake news and misinformation to further the Islamist cause in India. It had also been slapped with the UAPA in 2021.
