Okeil: Violations committed against the Muslim minorities in India violate all international conventions and covenants and we call on the Indian government to protect them from extremists
Mukhtar: Hate speech against minorities is rampant in the Indian society
Maat for Peace, Development and Human Rights issued a new report entitled "A Dangerous Bend… Violations of Human Rights against Muslim Minorities in Indian Society", which discussed the violations against minorities in India in general, and the Muslim minority in particular. The report indicated that Muslims, Christians, and Dalit are exposed to acts of violence, hatred and discrimination on an ongoing basis, especially at the hands of Hindu extremists. Recently, the frequency of acts of violence against Muslims has increased significantly, including physical attacks by Hindu extremists, as well as deliberately vandalizing and burning their properties, homes and shops.
This comes in conjunction with preventing them from performing religious rituals, especially Friday prayers, while restricting them on various religious occasions, especially in the holy month of Ramadan. On the other hand, the report indicated a rise in violence against Christians in India, with over 300 cases of violence against Christians throughout 2021. In October 2021, more than 200 unidentified men and women vandalized a local church in the northern Indian city of Rorke. In the same regard, Christian clergy are often beaten and abused, and this comes in conjunction with the large escalation of hate speech against them.
In the same context, the report revealed the ongoing spread of hate crimes targeting Dalit in the Indian society, especially against women who are particularly exposed to sexual violence and attacks more than any group in society. The report pointed out that the perpetuation of hostility, violence and hatred towards ethnic and religious minorities in India is a phenomenon that leads to severe human rights violations, topped by the violation of freedom of religion or belief, as well as many other human rights.
For his part, Ayman okeil, the international human rights expert and president of Maat, said that despite the legal articles that provide protection for minorities in India, whether at the national level or through adherence to international conventions and treaties, violence against minorities continues to escalate in many parts of India. Hate speech is also rampant, especially against Muslim minorities. Hence, we call on the Indian government to re-activate the various legal articles that protect minorities within its territory. Okeil called on the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief to visit India to find out the human rights situation of religious minorities.
For his part, Muhammad Mukhtar, a researcher at Maat, said that hate speech against minorities in the Indian society is rampant, adding that the escalation of attacks against the Muslim minority in India is an example of the danger facing minorities in India in general, which requires all parties and stakeholders to cooperate to preserve their rights.
 |
 |
English 
العربية