Washington, D.C. May 04, 2003. Indian Muslim Council-USA (IMC-USA), a Washington based advocacy group working toward safeguarding Indian society's pluralist and tolerant ethos, condemns the recent revenge attack that killed Hindus in the village of Marad in the southern Indian state of Kerala. IMC-USA calls for a fair and thorough investigation of the attack and its causes and for the perpetrators to be promptly brought to justice.

IMC-USA requests all communities to maintain peace after defacement of an Illinois Mosque with Hindu symbols and hate-graffiti

For immediate release:

Contact Person: M.K. Rahman
Phone: (516) 567-0783
E-mail: info@imc-usa.org

Washington D.C., May 1, 2003

The Indian Muslim Council - USA, an advocacy group working to promote values of pluralism and tolerance in American society, particular within the Indian Diaspora, called on all communities to maintain peace and understanding after the attack on an Islamic Center in Carbondale, Illinois on April 28th.

IMC-USA president, Dr. Shaik Ubaid, called on all communities to "not succumb to the divisive designs of mischievous culprits".

April 29, 2003

Harsh Mander, one of India's best-known champions of social justice and communal harmony, is set to tour the US in May on a campaign to further educate people on the developmental work being done by the NGOs and on the rise of Hindutva-fascism in India. A top ranking Indian bureaucrat, Mr. Mander left the prestigious Indian Administrative Service in protest after the pogrom of 2002 when thousands of Muslims were killed, raped and displaced in the Indian state of Gujarat.

Mr. Mander is widely acclaimed in India and abroad for his tireless efforts to stem the tide of Hindutva, an ideology that parallels fascism, in India. His first hand knowledge of the spread of Hindutva ideology makes him an excellent source for scholars who study India, as well as for those concerned with the rise of religious extremism.

Mr. Mander is the Director of Action Aid - India and is considered an authority on developmental work in less privileged societies.

April 15, 2003

The Federation of India Christian Organizations of North America, in conjunction with the Indian Muslim Council-USA and several other Washington, DC based advocacy groups, expresses its concern over the attack on a Christian hospital in Western India.

According to the Associated Press article, supporters of the extremist group World Hindu Council smashed windows and damaged the doors of a medical center in a village in Gujarat, preventing the hospital from holdings in opening ceremony.

Washington D.C.-based Operation Mobilization International donated the money to build the health center through its India chapter, which has worked on education and public health projects in India since the mid-1970s.

International groups like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have accused the Indian government of failing to curb violence by Hindu hard-line groups against Muslim and Christian minorities living in the state.

Washington D.C., 03/24/2003. Indian Muslim Council-USA, a Washington based advocacy group working toward safeguarding Indian society's pluralist and tolerant ethos, condemns the massacre of innocent civilians in Kashmir.

According to news reports, on March 24, 2003, 24 Hindus were killed in the southern town of Shopian by gunmen dressed in Indian army uniforms.

"Such senseless acts of violence cannot serve any purpose" said Dr. Shaik Ubaid, President of IMC-USA. "We stand united with the victims of this tragedy and their families."

Dr. Ubaid demanded that an impartial commission be set up to investigate this attack, fearing that India's ruling Hindu ultra-nationalist party, the BJP, would manipulate the investigation for its own political purposes as it has done in the past.

Ref:
24 Pandits killed in Kashmir
http://www.rediff.com/news/2003/mar/24jk.htm
24 Slain in Kashmir Massacre
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/03/23/world/main545642.shtml