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What: Virtual summit titled “India on the Brink – Preventing Genocide”
When: February 26 through February 28, 2022
Where: Online (zoom link emailed to registrants)
Co-sponsored by: A global coalition of over 20 organizations
Registration: Visit https://indiaonthebrink.com/
Background:
The rapid escalation of human rights abuses against India’s religious minorities and marginalized communities has reached a breaking point. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s anti-Muslim policies, the daily incidents of violence and hate speech against Muslims and minorities, and government apathy over open calls for genocide of Muslims have created a deeply repressive and dangerous situation for India’s 200 milllion Muslims.
Experts from leading global human rights watchdogs such as Amnesty International USA, Genocide Watch and the US Holocaust Memorial Museum have said the government’s Hindutva driven agenda is pushing India further down the abyss of hate and violence and creating conditions where a genocide of Muslims and Christians has become a real possibility.
In this backdrop, Indian diaspora organizations around the world are partnering with globally acclaimed human rights organizations to host a three-day virtual summit titled “India on the brink – Preventing Genocide.” The Summit, co-sponsored by a global coalition of over 20 organizations, is joined by leading international human rights lawyers, genocide prevention experts, faith leaders, activists, lawmakers and human right defenders from around the world.
The goal of the summit is to bring awareness to the situation in India, to advance the discourse on the international community’s role in safeguarding lives, and to facilitate deeper conversations about a vision for India that builds on its longstanding tradition of pluralism and respect for diversity.
“The international community has a moral obligation to act now to prevent a cataclysmic turn of events in India, where millions of Muslims and other marginalized communities are already living in fear and experiencing the rapidly shrinking space for civil rights and religious freedom,” said Dr. Gregory Stanton, President of Genocide Watch and a co-chair of the Summit.
“The far-right political leadership in India has fueled the ongoing crisis with vitriol and the dehumanized representation of Indian Muslims,” said Dr. Ritumbra Manuvie, Executive Director of Stichting The London Story, a Europe based human rights organization, and a co-chair of the Summit. “The Summit will bring credible and authoritative voices from around the world to shine a light on India’s rapid descent into fascism,” added Dr. Manuvie.
“This Summit is an urgent call to action to safeguard peace, pluralism and justice for all Indians,” said Mr. Rasheed Ahmed, Executive Director of the Indian American Muslim Council, and co-chair of the Summit. “We yearn for a better world where religion and spirituality are wellsprings of love, compassion and a shared ethic of the sanctity of life, and not of hate and mass violence,” added Mr. Ahmed.
We invite all who care about India and the world, to register for this summit and be part of an event that can help push back against bigotry and the potential for mass violence against hapless millions.
US Contacts:
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Sunita Viswanath, Hindus for Human Rights
Email: info@hindusforhumanrights.org
Phone: (917) 518 2441
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Rasheed Ahmed, Indian American Muslim Council
Email: community_relations@iamc.com
Phone: (630) 290 1024
Europe Contacts:
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Dr. Ritumbra Manuvie, Stichting The London Story
Email: info@thelondonstory.org
Phone: +31 6 82865225
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Naeem Badiuzzaman, Strive UK
Email: naeem.badiuzzaman@gmail.com
Phone: +44 7704468770
Australia Contact:
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Dr. Haroon Kasim, The Humanism Project
Email: humanismprojectteam@gmail.com
Phone: +61 488010815
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