Washington DC. August 04, 2020.
The Federation of Indian American Christians organizations of North America
(FIACONA), an advocacy group dedicated to the religious freedom of the minority
Indian Christians in India strongly objects to the ill-advised celebration and
gloating by extremist Hindutva supporters during the occasion of the laying of
foundation for a controversial temple in a place called Ayodhya, in Northern
India.
The proposed temple
construction is held on a site where a 500-year-old mosque known as Babri
Masjid was illegally tore down by extremist elements in 1992 causing the
rioting and killing of thousands of people.
The scheduled celebration is to
take place in Times Square on August 5th, 2020,
masquerading as a 'Bhoomi Pooja' for the proposed Ayodhya temple. The Hindutva
supremacists groups in the U.S. who support Prime Minister Modi's policies of
polarization and division have become so bold in their approach and so cavalier
in their attitudes at a point where they are even ready and willing to promote
policies so contradictory to the values and principles of their adopted land.
By scheduling this celebration,
they are conveying to the American public that trampling the rights of the
minority religious populations such as Muslims, Christians, Dalits and others
in India should be an acceptable norm. These activities of neo-fascist groups
pose a grave danger not only to the non-Hindu citizens in India but also to
United States policies rooted in fundamental human rights and individual liberty.
FIACONA accepts the verdict by
the Supreme Court of India on this matter so that this simmering dispute can be
finally put to rest. However, historians would always wonder the veracity of a
judgment that sided with the Hindu majority contradicting its own previous
rulings.
However, it has become an
emotional issue for millions of majority Hindus in India. Therefore, a solution
other than awarding the disputed land to the construction of a Hindu temple
would only have allowed the conflict to fester.
FIACONA believes in the
separation of Religion and State, and the matters relating to religious faiths
should be left with concerned communities to decide.
FIACONA expresses its sincere
appreciation also to the agency that runs the NASDAQ advertisement boards for
their thoughtful action in canceling the digital display of the event on their
Time Square billboards at the urging of hundreds of Americans.
For further comments or press
interviews, please call Mr. Koshy George, President, FIACONA at 202-738-4704.
or President@fiacona.org
website: www.fiacona.org