ISLAMABAD – Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi urged Indian Muslims to fight for the defence of their fundamental rights in the country on Wednesday.
The minister warned in a statement released today that if the Muslim community remains silent, the persecution campaign against Muslims in the neighbouring countries will continue.
The banning of the hijab in educational institutions in Karnataka, India, was vehemently opposed by FM Qureshi.
“India claims to be a champion of secularism and democracy, but Muslim citizens are subjected to attire restrictions,” the minister stated.
He went on to say that human rights activists should pay attention to and speak up for the rights of Muslim female students who are being denied their fundamental right to study.
Prime Minister Imran Khan has often voiced serious worry about the growing trend of Islamophobia around the world, according to Qureshi.
Pakistan had not only raised its voice against Islamophobia at the 47th meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers in Niamey, but had also tabled a unanimously supported resolution, according to the minister.
He stated that the OIC-upcoming CFM’s 48th meeting, which will be place on March 22-23 in Islamabad, will address the Palestine and Kashmir conflicts, as well as Islamophobia and other difficulties confronting the Muslim world.
According to him, the focus will also be on how to effectively use the OIC platform to protect Muslim rights.
Qureshi’s statement comes a day after a video of a lone Muslim student in India’s southern Karnataka state being heckled by Hindu far-right goons sparked uproar and sparked protests after certain institutions in the area refused to admit female students wearing the hijab.
“We will continue [our protests] because it [wearing a hijab] is a part of being a Muslim girl; They [friends from other communities] even supported us,” Muskan Khan who was heckled by the RSS goons told India’s NDTV.
Anti-Muslim violence – even genocide – is spreading across India, according to a recent report published in The New York Times, while Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his senior leaders remain silent.
“The hate speech is stoking communal tensions in India where small triggers have incited mass-death tragedies,” the report written by a team of Times’ reporters said, pointing out that Hindu monks’ agenda already resonates with increasingly emboldened vigilante groups.
