Renewed religious violence in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad has left six people dead.
Renewed religious violence in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad over the past week has left six people dead. Described as the biggest disturbance in the area since riots began three weeks ago, the clashes between Hindus and Muslims have prompted authorities to impose a curfew after nearly 50 shops were burned by mobs. Since late February more than 700 people, mostly Muslims, have been killed in the region.
In a statement released March 12, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom urged the United States government to “press Indian authorities to exercise their power immediately to halt the atrocities and violence and bring the perpetrators to justice.”
Recommendations from the Commission call for funds to promote education on tolerance and inclusiveness in India; to facilitate private-sector communication and exchanges between American and Indian religious groups and other non-governmental organizations; and, to send a message to the Barathiya Janata Party-led government that “virulent nationalist rhetoric is fueling an atmosphere in which perpetrators believe they can attack religious minorities.”
“Rashtriya Swayamseval Sangh, the parent branch of India’s ruling BJP party, made it clear on March 7 that the religious minorities in India should understand that their real safety lies at the mercy of the majority Hindus,” says P. D. John of the Washington-based Policy Institute for Religion and State. “Such a statement by the RSS is a cause for grave concern not only among the 195 million [members of] religious minorities, but also to many Hindus.” John says the statements also run counter to India’s Constitutional institutions, “which for more than half a century have tried to promote pluralism, democracy, and equal rights. Brute ‘majority-ism’ has never been the standard of India, or the ethos of its people.”
“Seventh-day Adventists have always been committed to tolerance and mutual respect, especially when it comes to religious liberty,” says Jonathan Gallagher, associate director of the public affairs and religious liberty department of the Adventist world church. “We are appalled at the dramatic rise of inter-religious violence and will work to combat religious intolerance, and to aid those impacted by these tragic events.”
