Indian minorities have come out in support of former vice president Hamid Ansari, who is being criticized for his brief statement expressing concern over the rising trend of Hindu nationalism in the country.
Ansari was speaking at a virtual panel discussion on Jan. 27 organized by the US-based Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) and is reported to have said how in recent years India had seen a rise in trends and practices that “dispute the well-established principle of civic nationalism and imaginary practice of cultural nationalism.”
He also expressed concern about how citizens were being distinguished “on the basis of their faith” amid “rising intolerance, disquiet and insecurity.”
The former vice president and Muslim scholar-statesman came in for sharp criticism for his comments.
India’s Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi disagreed with Ansari and told media that the “madness for prime minister bashing is turning into a conspiracy for India bashing.”
The Indian media too criticized Ansari for expressing concern over the nation’s internal matters on an international forum.
I don’t think a person of his caliber will hurt Indian secularism. Ansari is a responsible citizen and can have his own views. Nobody can stop him
However, Joseph Dias, founder of the Mumbai-based Catholic-Christian Secular Forum (CSF), said his organization agreed with the former vice president’s concerns over the deterioration of human rights, rise in hate crimes, persecution of minorities and severe restrictions on religious liberty in India.
“The evidence is there for the world to see. There are media reports of attacks on minorities, canceling the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) registrations of international NGOs like Compassion International, Amnesty International etc., hate speech by elected legislators and violence by fringe rightist groups,” he told UCA News.
He said the credibility of the federal government was at its “lowest ebb” and proving quite an embarrassment for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is showcasing India abroad as a modern nation, Dias added.
Muhammad Arif, chairman of the Centre for Harmony and Peace, told UCA News that “expressing one’s view is not going against the country. India is a secular country that respects all castes, creeds and religions where we have constitutional right to express ourselves.”
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“I don’t think a person of his caliber will hurt Indian secularism. Ansari is a responsible citizen and can have his own views. Nobody can stop him,” he said.
The online event “Protecting India’s Pluralist Constitution” was held in commemoration of the 72nd year of the Indian republic and featured 11 speakers including US Commission on International Religious Freedom chair Nadine Maenza, Amnesty’s Carolyn Nash and Archbishop Peter Machado of Bangalore.
It was co-sponsored by 17 organizations including Hindus for Human Rights, Amnesty International USA, Genocide Watch, International Christian Concern, Dalit Solidarity Forum, New York State Council of Churches, Federation of Indian American Christian Organizations of North America, India Civil Watch International and Students Against Hindutva Ideology.
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