USCMO Strongly Condemns Barbaric Murder of Imam in India by Hindu Nationalist Mob

The U.S. Council of Muslim Organizations (USCMO), representing a wide spectrum of national, regional, and local Muslim associations in America, has issued a strong condemnation against the savage mob killing of 19-year-old scholar Maulana Saad and the torching of Anjuman Jama mosque, where he served as an imam, on August 1 in India.

The USCMO's Secretary General, Oussama Jammal, expressed grave concerns, stating that India's ruling extremist Hindu nationalist RJP party, led by President Narendra Modi, has been cynically inciting anti-Muslim pogroms. These attacks are part of a virulently chauvinistic Hindutva identity campaign, strategically scapegoating Muslims and Christians, particularly in contested districts, ahead of the expected April 2024 general elections.

Reports suggest that a rampaging horde of at least 50 mostly young extremists, associated with Modi's ultra-right Hindutva Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP), perpetrated violent acts, including setting mosques on fire, destroying Muslim-owned businesses, and assaulting Muslims in an aggressive demand to outlaw Islam's Friday Congregational prayers.

USCMO leaders highlighted that major humanitarian watchdog agencies have been warning for years about the likelihood of India's ruling party carrying out a genocide, specifically targeting Muslims. The situation has escalated to a point where the international community must take immediate action to prevent a catastrophe of unimaginable proportions.

India is home to approximately 214 million Muslims, comprising just under 15 percent of its population, while Hindus make up nearly 79 percent. This profound disparity has created a dangerous situation, drawing comparisons to the ideology on which Hitler and Nazism were based.

The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum's recent analysis ranked India as the second-highest risk country in the world in terms of early warning for potential mass atrocities. Given the severity of the situation, the USCMO has called for decisive action on several fronts:

1. The U.S. Administration, Department of State, and the international community must demand that India hold all perpetrators of violence against minority communities accountable through the highest political and economic leverage available, similar to actions taken against Russia regarding Ukraine.

2. The international community should initiate judicial action against India's BJP and its officials in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and other appropriate international forums, to hold them responsible for crimes of mass persecution of minorities, including the discriminatory Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the forced revocation of Kashmir's autonomy, and the government's covert endorsement of militias and paramilitary groups.

3. The international community should ensure the restoration of media and judiciary independence in India, safeguarding journalists from prosecution for critical reporting and preventing politicization.

4. The U.S. and EU must create specific agencies to report on India's human rights violations and implement political and economic punishments for violations and failures to prevent and prosecute. The U.S. must prioritize human rights performance in its foreign policy decisions, moving beyond a sole focus on counterbalancing China.

The USCMO fervently appeals for the protection of India's Muslims, Christians, and other persecuted minorities. They pray for the deceased scholar Maulana Saad and seek divine intervention to bring peace, justice, and security to all those affected. The organization urges the nations of the world to act swiftly to prevent the escalating genocide of Muslims in India.