VHP lauds Republic for exposing USCIRF's 'anti-India plot'; seeks strong government action

Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) lauded Republic Media Network's investigation revealing the truth about the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), the organisation that has made it a trend to propagate a global anti-India narrative. Additionally, the VHP stressed that the Government of India should take action to stop organisations like SIMI and JeM from carrying out anti-India activities. 

Speaking exclusively with Republic, a VHP member said, "For last many years, USCIRF is doing anti-India activities. They have connections with SIMI, JeM".

Stressing that these organisations are carrying out Anti-India propaganda, the VHP member further stated, "The government of India should take action to stop such organisations from carrying out anti-India activities".

Global anti-India plot

On Sunday, Republic Media Network unravelled the web of connections and brought out how certain organisations and lobbies are conspiring to create a global anti-India plot. Republic reported how in a synchronised manner, the USCIRF,  the Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC), Fidelis Government Relations firm, and other lobbies were working against India.

The Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) was leading the synchronised campaign to spread fake news by circulating misleading videos from Ghaziabad. It has been booked under the UAPA for allegedly sharing fake photos and videos of a mosque burning in Tripura on social media. Interestingly, the IAMC seems to be USCIRF’s go-to destination and platform to deliver talks, the Republic investigation found.

IAMC had co-sponsored an event where the USCIFR Chair, Nadine Maenda, was the speaker. The September 2021 event discussed the implementation of the CAA and NRC in Assam. More recently, she was part of the IAMC event on 26 January 2022 on "Protecting India's Pluralist Constitution"

The USCIRF Senior Policy Analyst Niala Mohammad at an event organised by IAMC said “We have recommended targeted sanctions on Indian government agencies and officials responsible for severe violations of religious freedom by freezing their assets and/ or barring their entry into the United States”.

Anti-India operations of IAMC

The IAMC cannot be played down as an innocuous organisation, because several reports indicate that there is a strong Pakistan backing. The Former Founder of SIMI, Dr Ahmedullah Siddiqui, was present at IAMC’s first convention in Washington DC. IAMC’s early conventions involved a certain Asim Ghafoor, who was the spokesman for the Global Relief Foundation, which is another UNSC designated terrorist group associated with Al-Qaeda. 

Additionally, IAMC’s Sheikh Ubaid is also reportedly associated with the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA). The ICNA is widely deemed as the US front for Jamaat-e-Islami, Pakistan. In fact, Jamaat-e-Islami founder Maududi himself attended ICNA’s first major public event at New York’s Columbia University in 1974.

(Image: PTI/Representative)