Skip to main content

OIC urged to condemn vilification of Indian Muslims

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Min­ister Shah Mehmood Qur­eshi on Tuesday urged the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and its member countries to cond­emn vilification of Indian Mus­lims for allegedly sprea­ding the coronavirus (Covid-19).

“The extremist state in India has created & executed a campaign of Islamophobia, vilifying Muslims. I have written to Sec Gen @OIC_OCI and all FMs of member states to unite in global condemnation of these inhuman attacks. We cannot stand by and let another Gujarat happen #COVID19,” Mr Qureshi tweeted.

Allegations against India’s Muslim community for spre­ading the lethal infection were promoted by Indian media and some of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s leaders, who coined phrases like ‘Corona terrorism’ and ‘Corona Jihad’ to suggest that Muslims have conspired to propagate the disease.

The anti-Muslim propaganda started after the spr­ead of the disease in India was linked to a Tableeghi Jam­aat gathering in Delhi in March. The narrative built around this episode has stigmatised India’s about 200 mill­ion Muslims, exposing them to increased risk of social exclusion and violence.

This stigmatisation has led to increased incidents of hate crime against Muslims, boycott of their businesses, discrimination at work, and neighbourhoods banning their entry. There have also been sporadic incidents of violence against the Muslim community and, according to some reports, hospitals have refused to treat Muslim patients.

It is feared that the Muslims, who are already suffering from growing Hindu nationalism, could suffer more from the Covid-19 pandemic because of poverty, discrimination and lesser access to healthcare.

“The rising wave of state-sanctioned hate crimes and Islamophobia in India has emerged not only as a threat to Indian Muslims but is also a matter of grave concern for the Muslim world at large,” the Foreign Office said in a statement on Mr Qureshi’s diplomatic outreach.

The OIC had earlier expressed deep concern over rising anti-Muslim sentiments and Islamophobia in India, but generally there has been a silence on the issue in Muslim world.

The FO said Mr Qureshi, in his letters to his counterparts in OIC countries, sensitised them towards this hate-mongering as a continuation of the RSS-BJP dispensation’s anti-Muslim and anti-minority agenda, which was rooted in extremist Hindutva ideology.

“The foreign minister has inter alia apprised about the BJP Government’s systematic campaign to demonise Muslims by holding them responsible for the spread of Coronavirus,” the FO said.

Mr Qureshi in his letters underscored that Indian actions contravened international conventions and undermined global efforts for religious harmony during these challenging times.

Published in Dawn, April 29th, 2020



from The Dawn News - Home https://ift.tt/2W12OzO
via IFTTT
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Trump says he urged team to ‘slow’ COVID-19 testing

US President Donald Trump said Saturday he was encouraging health officials in his administration to slow down coronavirus testing, arguing that increased tests lead to more cases being discovered. The president has claimed falsely on several occasions that surges of COVID-19 in several states can be explained by greater numbers of diagnostic tests. At his first rally since the outbreak forced nationwide shutdowns in March, Trump told the crowd in Tulsa, Oklahoma that testing was a “double-edged sword.” The United States — which has more deaths and cases than any other country — has carried out more than 25 million coronavirus tests, placing it outside the top 20 countries in the world, per capita. “Here is the bad part: When you do testing to that extent, you are going to find more people, you will find more cases,” Trump argued. “So I said to my people ‘slow the testing down.’ They test and they test.” It was not clear from Trump’s tone if he was playing to the crowd, who ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Rouhani calls Imran, discusses resumption of trade

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Iran on Wednesday discussed full resumption of bilateral trade, which was halted last month because of the Covid-19 pandemic. “The two sides stressed the need to reactivate borders and border markets and strengthen trade ties by following health guidelines,” a statement issued by the Iranian presidency on the telephonic conversation between Prime Minister Imran Khan and President Dr Hassan Rouhani said. President Rouhani had called the prime minister for Ramazan greetings. Border trade between the two countries was suspended after a meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC), held on March 13, decided to close all borders because of the pandemic. Islamabad partially relaxed the restrictions on April 21, allowing the import of certain food items and provision of petrol and diesel to the border areas. Cargo traffic from Iran was allowed for three days every week. Cargo movement between the two countries takes place through five border crossings — Taftan...
Post a Comment
Read more

Today’s outlook: Sindh CM discusses reopening markets with PM Khan

Here are some of the stories we are expecting to follow today (Thursday): Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah will take Prime Minister Imran Khan into confidence over reopening shops and markets across the province. The reopened markets will have to follow SOPs. Sindh Transport Minister Awais Qadir Shah will discuss SOPs with transporters for resuming public transport in the coming days. The meeting will be held at the Sindh Assembly building at 1:30pm. The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority has proposed a price cut of Rs20.68 per litre for petrol in its summary. Imam-e-Kaaba Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais has said Masjid Al Haram and Masjid Al Nabawi will be reopened for worshipers soon. He said the Kaaba is being sterilised using latest technologies. Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar will head various meetings during his visit to Bahawalpur. As of Thursday, Pakistan has reported more than 15,500 confirmed coronavirus cases. ICYMI: An amendment to the National Accountability Or...
Post a Comment
Read more