An anti-hate in India rally occurred on Sunday, January 26, 2020, in at the Indian Consulate in New York City, one of 30 such rallies held around the nation that drew thousands of people to protest against India’s new citizenship law which many see to be anti-Muslim.
Mercer students and other locals attended the event, especially those concerned with the rights of Muslims who are facing severe discrimination in India under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Protesters such as Sumaya Sultana, traveled to Manhattan to protest the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) designed by the Hindu nationalist government.
She says, “They are trying to revoke citizenship rights of all Muslims in India.”
As an American Muslim, Sultana says she recognizes the importance of coming together as a community to oppose lawmakers, even if they are from different parts of the world.
Attendees marched the streets of Manhattan, chanting phrases such as “No Justice, No peace!” and “Shame on Modi” reflecting their support for those who are being affected by the divisions being encouraged by the split in views over CAA and Muslim rights in India in general.
In a Forbes news article, Salvatore Babones writes, “Modi stands accused of…endangering the nearly 40% of India’s population that belongs to religious, ethnic or regional minorities…”
The protests took place on India’s Republic Day and were organized by the Coalition Against Genocide (CAG) as well as many American Muslim, Sikh, Christian, and Jewish organizations.
Speakers at the rally in New York also included Dr. Shaikh Ubaid, a founding member of CAG, who, according to PressTV, denounced the citizenship law as “unconstitutional” and called for its immediate withdrawal. The news source said, “Ubaid emphasized that the protests were not only happening across India but around the world, representing a global consensus against the ‘draconian’ policies of Modi’s government.”
According to a Mercer employee who is Indian and asked to remain anonymous to avoid negative consequences based on immigration status, “The politicians rile up the public. They don’t have to face the consequences, the public does.”
India was not discriminatory about citizenship rights of Muslims in the past, however, India’s parliament introducing the Act in 2019 has resulted in this harsh xenophobic backlash.
“The India I grew up in, we learned about different religions. Today, they don’t.” the source said.
Maryam Mansoor, a Biology and Psychology major attending both The College of New Jersey and Mercer says that when the Citizenship Amendment Act became effective in January, it made her fear for India’s future.
“The bill opposes the Muslims…With the Modi government, called the BJP, they are in danger of being second class citizens,” Mansoor said.
