By Abdul Bari Masoud
Washington, DC : As world observed International Day to Combat Islamophobia, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) on Saturday sounded alarm at the proliferation of incidents and expressions of anti-Muslim hatred around the world. The commission called on the United States to take aggressive action against foreign governments that fail to protect their Muslim populations from hate crimes against Muslims wherever they may occur.
It also expressed concern on the implementation of India’s controversial Citizenship Amendment Act by the Modi regime that explicitly excludes Muslim refugees fleeing persecution in neighboring countries, including from Pakistan and Afghanistan.
In a statement, USCIRF Chair, Abraham Cooper said “Today marks five years since the terrorist attack on the Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand. This devastating attack initiated the creation of the International Day to Combat Islamophobia. Given that the perpetrator broadcast these murders live over social media, USCIRF calls for better mechanisms to prevent widespread disinformation, hate speech, and incitement of violence toward religious minorities on all social media platforms.”
“USCIRF also strongly urges the United States to call out foreign governments who fail to protect their Muslim communities from acts of anti-Muslim hatred wherever they occur. The scourge of anti-Muslim hatred must come to an end,” said Cooper.
Muslims experience bias, discrimination, and violence in many parts of the world. In Burma, the junta resists international efforts toward accountability for its genocidal campaign against the predominantly Muslim Rohingya community in Rakhine State, while also attempting to actively draft Rohingya into the military.
“In China, Muslim communities are treated as an existential threat, culminating in the government’s perpetration of genocide against Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims in Xinjiang. In India, the government maintains discriminatory policies that disproportionately target Muslims. These policies fuel hate speech, the demolition of mosques and houses in predominantly Muslim neighborhoods, and vigilante violence including rape. The implementation of India’s Citizenship Amendment Act will explicitly exclude Muslim refugees fleeing persecution in neighboring countries, including Shi’a and Ahmadiyya from Pakistan and Afghanistan,” the statement said .
Religious freedom conditions in India are taking a drastic turn downward, with national and various state governments tolerating widespread harassment and violence against religious minorities. The BJP-led government enacted the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), which provides a fast track to Indian citizenship only for non-Muslim migrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan already residing in India.
It also made note of the fact that a number of EU nations, including Austria and France, still have laws in place that make it illegal for Muslim women and girls to dress modestly in public. Anti-Muslim prejudice also appears in the form of violent attacks, internet abuse, prejudice in the immigration process, and discrimination in public institutions throughout Europe. Furthermore, laws pertaining to circumcision and ritual slaughter that are central to the religious traditions of Judaism and Islam have been passed in some European countries or are being considered in others.
USCIRF Commissioner Mohamed Magid said “This week is the start of Ramadan, the most holy month in the Islamic calendar. Given all that is happening in today’s world, Ramadan provides an especially important inflection point this year. USCIRF is particularly disturbed that Muslims and non-Muslims alike continue to have their right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion violated by governments, religious extremists, and non-state actors.”
“All Muslims have the right to live in accordance with the dictates of their conscience, free from discrimination and acts of violence. USCIRF applauds the U.S. government for strongly condemning all forms of intolerance against Muslims, and supports its efforts to combat hatred and discrimination against members of Muslim communities, ” he added.
In its 2023 Annual Report, USCIRF identifies incidents and expressions of anti-Muslim hatred around the world. USCIRF also documents selected cases of Muslim religious prisoners of conscience in its Frank R. Wolf Freedom of Religion or Belief Victims List.
USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan federal government entity established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze, and report on religious freedom abroad which makes foreign policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion and belief. Since 2020, USCIRF has recommended that the U.S. The Department of State designates India as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) for its systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom. In June last year, USCIRF urged President Joseph R. Biden to address issues of religious freedom and other related human rights in India during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit.