TEHRAN – Iranian Justice Ministry Department for Human Rights and International Affairs issued a statement on Tuesday condemning the anti-Muslim cruelty in India.

“The Human Rights and International Affairs Department of the Justice Ministry condemns these brutal crimes and urges the Indian government to take action in reforming discriminatory law and stopping violence against the Muslims in India by the extremist Hindus,” the statement said.

The Justice Ministry also urged the international community to take a transparent stance and condemn such crimes which are being taken in line with “Islamophobia and annihilation of the Muslims”.

Anti-Muslim violence started in India amid widespread protests over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government introduced in December, offering a path to Indian citizenship for six religious groups from neighboring countries, specifically excluding Muslims.

Critics insist the law is discriminatory, coming in the wake of other severe government measures against the country’s Muslim population such as withdrawal of autonomy for Muslim-majority Jammu and Kashmir province that has intensified discord across India about the future of its 200 million Muslims.

The Assembly of Experts also issued a statement on Tuesday condemning violence against Muslims and warned against communal conflicts in India.

“...it is necessary that India take prompt and proper measure to end this issue and stop a further flame of division by a number of extremists,” part of the statement said.

In a tweet on March 2, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif condemned violence against Indian Muslims.
“For centuries, Iran has been a friend of India. We urge Indian authorities to ensure the wellbeing of ALL Indians and not let senseless thuggery prevail,” Zarif said.

“Path forward lies in peaceful dialogue and rule of law,” he added.

During a meeting with Indian Foreign Ministry director-general for political affairs, Iranian Ambassador to New Delhi Ali Chegeni said India is famous among Iranians as the land of peaceful co-existence and expressed hope that all Indian citizens would enjoy “peace and friendship” through wise decisions by the Indian government and officials.

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has supported Zarif’s stance on the wave of organized violence against Indian Muslims.

“Fully share the concerns expressed by my brother Javad Zarif on safety and well-being of Indian Muslims facing naked violence from RSS mobs. India is in throes of grave communal violence. Their sinister and systematic killing of Muslims is inhuman and dangerous for whole region,” Qureshi tweeted on March 3.

Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, a member of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, has urged the Indian government to take action in stopping a continuation of cruelty against the Muslims.

In an interview with ISNA published on Sunday, Falahatpisheh said the extremist Hindus’ actions are a violation of the United Nations Charter.

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has warned the Indian government against continued massacre of Muslims, saying that the current pogrom against Muslim people in the South Asian country will lead to isolation of New Delhi in the Islamic world.

The Leader made the remarks in a statement tweeted in Urdu, English, and Persian on Thursday in condemnation of the brutal killing of more than 40 Muslims during a four-day span of violence that began in New Delhi on February 23.

“The hearts of Muslims all over the world are grieving over the massacre of Muslims in India,” Ayatollah Khamenei remarked. “The govt. of India should confront extremist Hindus & their parties & stop the massacre of Muslims in order to prevent India’s isolation from the world of Islam,” the Leader pointed out.

The violence saw the Hindu mobsters setting mosques on fire and burning Muslims alive in their homes or dragging them out into the streets and lynching them.

In a letter to UN Human Rights Council chief Michelle Bachelet, a large of number of citizens, students, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have denounced the anti-Muslim cruelty in India, urging the international body to take urgent action to stop the brutalities.

The letter was signed by 1,140 Iranian citizens, 146 NGOs, and student organizations.

NA/PA