AHA Joins Call to Lift Communications Blockade in Kashmir

Today the AHA joined other organizations and individuals in asking President Trump to request India’s Prime Minister to lift the complete blockade of communication of 7 million people in Kashmir. Doing so would help promote and restore India’s democracy and freedoms.

Read the letter below.

TO:

Hon. President of the United States, Donald Trump

Hon. Secretary of the State, Mike Pompeo

Hon. Attorney General William Barr

Hon. Secretary of Defense, Mark Esper

Hon. Ambassador for International Religious Freedom, Sam Brownback

Dear President Trump,

We urge you to ask the Honorable Prime Minister of India, Mr. Narendra Modi, to lift the six-week-long severe restrictions on the ordinary lives of the 7 million citizens of Kashmir, restore their freedom, and ensure the rule of law is in place. Here are a few points to consider;

  1.  Prime Minister Modi’s actions in Kashmir can unleash a genocide of the Christians, Muslims, Dalits, Sikhs and others, and further lead to a significant setback to American economic and security interests in South Asia.
  2. Seven million people have been living in a prison-like environment in Kashmir since August 5, 2019. It has been more than a month now, and there are no signs of easing. The complete blockade of communications and freedom of movement has made life unbearable for the people, as they cannot purchase food, medicine, or even know what is happening to their relatives. This blockade needs to end.
  3. Reports from the United Nations point to more than 50,000 deaths since 1989 in the area. 214,000 children have been orphaned during the years of conflict.  Civilians continue to experience brutal oppression. “Close to 3,000 people have been detained in Kashmir — many of them children — since Aug. 4,”  The most recent study (2011) shows over 20,000 people have been detained without charges. An unaccounted number of rapes are happening.
  4. The Christians, Muslims, Sikhs, Dalits, and others are patiently enduring lynching, abuse, rape, and endless harassment . If there is no solution offered to their suffering, it may lead to chaos and genocide, which may require costly international intervention if the conflict is to be prevented from spreading.
  5. Mr. Modi and his government must further ensure that every Indian, regardless of  religion or ethnicity, will be treated as an equal citizen, protected by legal authorities. and allowed to pursue life, liberty, and happiness.
  6. We urge you to ask the Prime Minister Modi to allow the Commissioners of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) to visit Kashmir and Assam, and enable them to report the facts on the ground.
  7. India is a bulwark for us against Chinese expansionism. It needs peace and stability to remain healthy, not social unrest.
  8. Kashmir is a flashpoint of Indo-Pakistan conflict, and it is a ticking time bomb. Should a nuclear exchange over this land occur, it will result in millions of casualties.

Your message will carry enormous weight with the Government of India, and an additional dispatch from the Department of State as well as Ambassador Brownback to this effect will keep our allies — India and Pakistan — from moving towards disaster.

Your timely statement will do miracles. The world would appreciate you and your administration for stopping a possible genocide of Uyghurs, Kashmiris, and Indians, if you can act in time.

Ambassador Brownback has reiterated that if people are free from fear, they can focus on nation-building, and everyone will prosper. Religious freedom in the United States is a compelling reason for our prosperity; the world can learn from our experience.

Your message will help promote and restore India’s democracy and freedoms.

# # #

Initiated by the Center for Pluralism, Washington, DC –

Mike Ghouse – Cell (214) 325-1916 |  (202) 290-3560

Respond to: [email protected]

NGOs Supporting the Appeal:

  1. International Christian Concern – Matias Perttula
  2. United Sikhs – Pawan Kang
  3. St. Nicholas Freedom Group – John Anderson
  4. Christian Solidarity WorldWide – Anna Lee Stingl
  5. US Women Christian Chamber of Commerce – Ambassador Lydia Gonzalez
  6. International Center for Rights and Justice – Rev. Joseph Grieboski
  7. US India Policy Institute – Dr. Hyder Khan
  8. American Indian Muslims – Kaleem Khawaja
  9. International Human Rights Committee – Nasim Malik
  10. Uyghur Human Rights Project  — Omer Kanat
  11. Redeem USA – Dr. William T. Devlin
  12. Church of Scientology – Sue Taylor
  13. Citizen Power Initiatives – Jianli Yang
  14. Hardwired, Inc – Tina Ramirez
  15. Islamic Society of North America – Dr. Sayyid Sayeed
  16. Indian American Muslim Council – Mohammad Jawad
  17. The Way to Happiness Association of Florida – Kelly Pomeranz
  18. Muslim Philanthropy – Rasheed Ahmed
  19. United Muslims of Interfaith Alliance – Iftekhar Hai
  20. Red Eagle Enterprises – Scott Morgan
  21. Jubilee Campaign USA – Ann Buwalda
  22. Great Truth – Andy Swarna
  23. Happy Science USA Washington Bureau – Satoshi Nishihata
  24. AdvanceUSA – Dr. Carl Herbster
  25. The Association against Religious Persecution – Shirley Fan
  26. Law and Liberty Trust – Lauren Homer
  27. Journal of America – Abdul Sattar Ghazali
  28. UMA Interfaith Alliance – Iftekhar Hai
  29. The way to Happiness Association – Kelly Yaegermann
  30. Liftup Now foundation – Dr. A. Ojutiku
  31. Christian Freedom International – Wendy Wright
  32. St. Nicholas Freedom Group – Fr. John Anderson
  33. American Humanist Association – Roy Speckhardt

Individuals:

  1. Mohammed Siddique
  2. Tufail Ahmed
  3. Uma Shankari Naren
  4. Rabbi Herb Levy
  5. Asrarul Haque
  6. Dr. Rashid Chotani, MD, MPH, FRCPH
  7. Danielle Khan. special Asst to Ambassador Swanee Hunt
  8. Victor Begg, Interfaith Community Leader, Florida

The American Humanist Association

The American Humanist Association (AHA) works to protect the rights of Humanists, atheists, and other nontheistic Americans. The AHA advances the ethical and life-affirming worldview of Humanism, which—without beliefs in gods or other supernatural forces—encourages individuals to live informed and meaningful lives that aspire to the greater good of humanity.

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