OIC expresses concern over 'continued attacks on Muslims in India'

The Jeddah-based Organization of Islamic Cooperation expressed concern over safety, security & wellbeing of the Muslim community in India.

New Delhi:The Jeddah-based Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has expressed deep concerns over what it called "continued attacks on Muslims in India" and called upon the international community to take necessary measures.

In a statement issued on Monday, the OIC said: "The General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation expresses deep concern over recent public calls for genocide of Muslims by the 'Hindutva' proponents in Haridwar in the state of Uttarakhand and reported incidents of harassment of Muslim women on social media sites as well as banning of Muslim girl students from wearing hijab in the state of Karnataka.

"The continued attacks targeting Muslims and their places of worship, the recent trend of anti-Muslim legislations in different states and rising incidents of violence against Muslims on flimsy pretexts by 'Hindutva' groups with impunity, are indicative of the growing trend of Islamophobia."

Besides calling upon the international community to take action, the OIC further urged "India to ensure the safety, security and well-being of the Muslim community... and to bring the instigators and perpetrators of acts of violence and hate crimes against them to justice". This is not the first time that the OIC has commented on India's internal matters.

The OIC had asked India to reverse its decision of scrapping Article 370, which gave special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, during the sidelines of 76th UN General Assembly. In response, India conveyed its message to the OIC to refrain from making such comments on matters which are internal to the country.

(IANS)