Indian Muslim Council-USA Disagrees with the Shahi Imam

December 16, 2003

Indian Muslim Council-USA, an advocacy group working towards safeguarding India’s pluralist and tolerant ethos, welcomes the capture of Saddam Hussain and hope that he will be tried in an open court under international supervision.

IMC-USA denounces the statement of the Shahi Imam of Jama mosque, Delhi who called Saddam Hussain a defender of Islam. Hussain killed more than a million Muslims, both Iraqi and non-Iraqis and was a brutal dictator who ascribed to the anti-Islamic ideology of Baathism. His party was brought to power by the western spy agencies in the 1960s. One of the first acts of the Baathist regime, on assuming power, was to kill the Muslim scholars both Sunni and Shia.

It is understandable that many Indians, especially the Hindutva ideologues have a soft corner for Saddam Hussain because of his anti-Muslim policies and for his support to India against Pakistan. But to call him a defender of Islam is contrary to facts.

IMC-USA also hopes that the US and the UN will now focus on apprehending other dictators and perpetrators of genocide, such as Radovan Karadzic and Narendra Modi for genocides and mass rapes committed in Bosnia and Gujarat, India respectively.

For information on IMC-USA, please visit http://www.imc-usa.org Or, email: info@imc-usa.org

Contact person:
M.K.Rahman (516-567-0783)

Indian Muslim Council-USA
265 Sunrise Highway, Suite 1-355
Rockville Centre, NY 11570