HOME | ABOUT US | Speaker | Americans Together | Videos | www.CenterforPluralism.com | Please note that the blog posts include my own articles plus selected articles critical to India's cohesive functioning. My articles are exclusively published at www.TheGhouseDiary.com You can send an email to: MikeGhouseforIndia@gmail.com


Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Dismantling Terrorism in India

Dismantling Terrorism in India

Indian government must be applauded and appreciated for handling the terrorism wisely. Ramesh Thakur has rightly pointed out the example of Jaswant Singh, India’s foreign minister who escorted the terrorist to get release of the hostages; it must go down in the annals of history as act of wisdom. While India’s approach towards terrorism has contained terrorism, Bush’s mindless aggression has increased terrorism, and it must be condemned for its stupidity. By the way, it is not an American aggression, as the American public is not with the administration and it is the act of the few, just as terrorism was the act of the few. Unfortunately our laws prevent us to take Mr. Bush off the Presidency and save the nation from further ruin, there is no such thing as a no confidence move to get him off, as we do in Israel, India, UK and other democracies.
If some one murders on the street, his ass must be hauled off to Jail and must be tried for his crimes, and not bomb the whole country. We have to isolate the criminals and not lump them with their community. India has done a lot of wise things that we can learn from, including handling of terrorism and containing the evil to the specific act and has not let it spread to the whole nation, nor has it blamed a religion for the acts of the individuals. It is a good example of not making a mess of the situation.

A snap shot of Iraq in 2001 which had nothing to do with terrorism or 9/11; Neither the Sunnis were killing the Shia’s or vice versa. Except the reign of Terror of Saddam, there was no terrorism in the public square. It was progressive secular society and look at today what is happening.

Our aggression has created over half a million widows, who have no one to support but live their livelihood through the flesh trade, as the only supporters their brothers, fathers or husbands are dead. Our aggression has created massive unemployment causing the youth to resort to vandalism and leading to the Shia Sunni rift, a new phenomenon in Iraq because of our aggression. Unless we admit we are the cause of evil in Iraq, we cannot bring a resolution to our collective guilt and liberation and peace to us and the Iraqis. Our presence has caused so much death and destruction. The world has to be repaired from these ventures. Every war, every evil in the world can always be traced to hate filled insecure individuals; religion is just an easy target.

As Ramesh Thakur has pointed out, there is a lot of anger festering in the youth whose parents were burned alive in front of them, or were made homeless for no fault of their own. It was again like an act of Bush, killing the whole township for the evil acts of the few. India has room to set things right and continue to express and act on its traditional wisdom. It needs to bring justice to the people who have suffered in Gujarat, both the victims and victimizers without regard to the religion they wear. Injustice causes the victims to fester and keeps the spark of the anger alive; it can be extinguished only by bringing justice to every Gujarati. Without justice every one remains tense and alert on their toes and live in paranoia. We have an opportunity to live in peace, it is in our interest as Indians, as Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Jews, Tribals and others to put things behind. It can be achieved by repentance, justice and forgiveness. We have to move from cautionary living to unguarded living.

When others are not in peace, we cannot expect peace for us.
Mike Ghouse is a Speaker, Thinker and a Writer. He is president of the Foundation for Pluralism and is a frequent guest on talk radio and local television network discussing interfaith, political and civic issues. He is the founding president of World Muslim Congress with a simple theme: Good for Muslims and good for the world. His comments, news analysis and columns can be found on the Websites and Blogs listed at his personal website www.MikeGhouse.net. Mike is a Dallasite for nearly three decades and Carrollton is his home town. He can be reached at MikeGhouse@gmail.com

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080728.wcomment0729/BNStory/specialComment/home/

RAMESH THAKUR
Special to Globe and Mail Update
July 28, 2008 at 11:27 PM EDT

Seventeen bomb blasts in a 10-kilometre radius in 70 minutes on Saturday in Ahmadabad. Nine blasts in Bangalore, outsourcing capital of the world, on Friday. A country on the edge of panic.

The world shares in Indians' pain, anger and determination to face down the terrorists, to not give them the triumph of being cowed or the satisfaction of fomenting communal hatred and bloodletting. For security from acts and the fear of terrorism is indeed indivisible, and the world is the battlefield.


We have been here before. In 1993, twin attacks on Bombay's financial centre and Air India building were dress rehearsals of a sort for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in New York. Then, the world ignored how India and Southwest Asia had joined the front line of global terrorism. No longer.

The most immediate tasks will be to help the victims, tighten security, plug the fatal intelligence gaps and prevent outbreaks of violence against Muslims.
Chances are high the perpetrators will turn out to have pan-Islamic links with the banned Students Islamic Movement of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh or similar groups. All the more reason to insist that not all Muslims are terrorists and not all terrorists are Muslim.

Before the Iraq war, the leading practitioners of suicide terrorism were Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers: Hindus. The most ruthless terrorism in 1980s India was perpetrated by Sikhs. Europe, including Britain, has had its share of Christian terrorists. If anything, India's 140 million Muslims are a salutary negation of the facile thesis about Islam's incompatibility with democracy.

In a billion-strong country with an 80-per-cent Hindu population, the Prime Minister and army chief are Sikhs, the previous president was a Muslim and the power behind the throne is a Catholic of Italian origin — profound testimony to the pluralism and accommodation of India's complex and adaptable power-sharing arrangements. Democratic politics, political freedoms, civil liberties and religious tolerance must be protected at all costs.

But India earned its reputation as a soft state that can be intimidated into meeting terrorists' demands. Jailed terror suspects are released in exchange for kidnapped kin of political leaders. In December, 1999, in a day that will live in infamy in the annals of international terrorism, foreign minister Jaswant Singh personally escorted three terrorists to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan in order to secure the release of passengers from a hijacked Indian Airlines flight. One of the freed terrorists was later implicated in 9/11. In response to an attack on Parliament in December, 2001, India mobilized its defence forces for a year along the border with Pakistan at great expense, only to send them back to barracks with no actual action — war-mongering without war.

It would be difficult to exaggerate the anger and disdain of the people for the tough rhetoric followed by no action of successive governments of all parties.
To break out of this trap, India must eliminate the corruption and politicization of the police forces and their antiquated training and equipment, as well as criminalization of politics. The number of parliamentarians with pending criminal cases is alarming. Terrorism thrives and prospers in such conditions.

India habitually points the finger of criminality at Pakistan, whose offers to help with the investigations are repeatedly spurned. Some foreign footprint — training, financing, arming — is likely. But for a foreign government to be able to infiltrate groups of Indians and recruit them to the terrorist cause indicates failures of intelligence and interdiction, on the one hand, and disaffection among sections of the population, on the other.

The intelligence agencies function as autonomous fiefs with little oversight and virtually no accountability for failures and lapses. This is matched by the flaws of the criminal justice system, which is rudimentary and lamentable by the standards of mature democracies.

Justice has neither been done nor seen to be done with respect to the large-scale atrocities against Muslims in Gujarat in 2002. They spawned a crop of angry and twisted young men whose rage can be channelled into lethal terrorist violence.
India also needs to be tough on the causes of terrorism. Poverty is not a direct cause, but it is an incubator of terrorism and a root cause of corruption. New Delhi needs to implement reform in order to maintain rapid economic growth. It also needs to solve its long-running territorial conflicts — more than 90 per cent of suicide terrorists aim to compel military forces to withdraw from territory they consider an occupied homeland. India's terrorism problem is specific to Kashmir, not generic to Muslims.

External involvement in Kashmiri militancy is not absent, however. The world must coax or coerce regimes that are tolerant of export-only terrorist cells to confront the menace. One group's terrorist cannot be tolerated as another's freedom fighter.
The blowback phenomenon has returned to haunt the West, which supported jihad against the Soviets in Afghanistan. It also consumed Indira and Rajiv Gandhi. Pakistan remains in danger of tearing itself apart from the inside because of armed elements espousing a variety of foreign extremist causes. These South Asian neighbours must pool resources to root out the tyranny of terrorism throughout the region.

Ramesh Thakur is distinguished fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation and professor of political science at the University of Waterloo.

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Ahmedabad and Bangalore Bomb blasts

http://theghousejournal.blogspot.com/2008/07/ahmedabad-and-bangalore-bomb-blasts.html

Bottom line: Justice must prevail and criminals must be punished.

I am saddened by these blasts and have been thinking about solutions and avoiding knee jerk reactions. Our emotional response would be to blast them terrorists and any one that resembles them, but then we would be hurting the innocents on the way, just like those terrorists. We do not want to give reason to the innocents to get into the battlefield of revenge, as the revenge cycle takes a long time to stop. That should not be our goal, we need to confine this problem to individuals.

Reactions may bring temporary band aid results, we need to go to the root cause of the problem and work on it for the long term security. The network of terrorists is spreading and we have to check them.

One way of handling this is to treat them as criminals and punish them accordingly. Even though the group is claiming an Islamic sounding label, we should not fall for their trap and call them Islamic terrorists, as they are attempting to implicate others who had nothing to do with their criminal act. Instead, we need to isolate them and simply treat them as criminals who violated peace and punish them and not bring the name of religion at all.

These are bad signs for our country and we need to move with caution and find the base for these activities. Any reactionary measure would hurt us. India has come a long way and we need to protect and preserve the growth.


Mike Ghouse
www.MikeGhouse.net

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/26/world/asia/26briefs-7ROADSIDEBOM_BRF.html?_r=1&sq=India&st=cse&oref=slogin&scp=2&pagewanted=print

July 26, 2008
World Briefing Asia
India: 7 Roadside Bomb Blasts in a Southern City Kill 2
By SOMINI SENGUPTA

At least seven roadside bombs exploded in the southern city of
Bangalore shortly after noon, killing two people and wounding at least
seven, according to the police and the Indian government. The police
said that the city's famed technology sector did not seem to be the
target. The explosions, which appeared to be intended to create panic,
were set off in crowded middle-class neighborhoods. Police officials
in Bangalore declined to speculate on who was responsible.

__________________________



Sixteen bombs hit India's Ahmedabad, 29 killed
By Rupam Jain NairSat Jul 26, 2:25 PM ET

At least 16 small bombs exploded in the Indian city of Ahmedabad on Saturday, killing at least 29 people and wounding 88, a day after another set of blasts in the country's IT hub, officials said.



On Friday, eight bombs exploded in quick succession in the southern information technology city of Bangalore, killing at least one person and wounding six others.



Saturday's blasts were in Ahmedabad's crowded old city dominated by its Muslim community. One was in a metal tiffin box, used to carry food, another apparently left on a bicycle.



"The blasts occurred in 90 minutes, one in a hospital, others in the old city of Ahmedabad," Narendra Modi, the state's Hindu-nationalist chief minister told reporters.



There were two separate series of bombings, the first near busy market places. A second quick succession of bombs went off 20 to 25 minutes later around a hospital, where at least six people died, police said.

Several TV channels said they had received an email from a group called the "Indian Mujahideen" at the time of the blasts. The same group claimed responsibility for eight bombs that killed 63 people in the western city of Jaipur in May.



One television channel showed a bus with its side blown up, shattered windows and the roof half-destroyed. Another showed a dead dog lying beside a blown-up bicycle.



"The bus had just started when the blast happened," P. K Pathak, a retired insurance official who was traveling in nearby bus, told Reuters.



"Many people standing on the exit door fell down. There was fire and smoke all over. We got down from our bus and rushed to help them."



Ahmedabad is the main city in the communally sensitive and relatively wealthy western state of Gujarat, scene of deadly riots in 2002 in which 2,500 people are thought to have died, most of them Muslims killed by rampaging Hindu mobs.

ISLAMIST MILITANTS



Both states targeted in the bomb attacks are ruled by the Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party and are among the country's fastest-growing.



Suspicion is falling on Islamist militants intent on destabilizing India by fanning tensions between Hindus and Muslims, and police were deployed in Ahmedabad on Saturday to maintain calm.

India has suffered a wave of bombings in recent years, with targets ranging from mosques and Hindu temples to trains.



It is unusual for any group to claim responsibility, but India says it suspects militant groups from Pakistan and Bangladesh are behind many of the attacks.



"The government had received a threat e-mail and we are probing into it," local state government Home Minister Amit Shah told Reuters.



So far, police say they have few leads into Friday's Bangalore bombings.

On Saturday, another unexploded bomb was found near a shopping mall in Bangalore, but it was unclear whether the bomb was newly planted or meant to have exploded during Friday's attacks, police said.

India's home ministry said on Friday it suspected "a small militant group" was behind the Bangalore attacks, while some police officials suspected the blasts could be the work of the banned Students Islamic Movement of India.



Some IT companies in Bangalore, known as India's Silicon Valley, were increasing security after bombs went off there. Each bomb had a similar explosive force to one or two grenades.

The city is a prominent software development centre and is also home to a major outsourcing industry.

Also nicknamed the "world's back office," Bangalore has more than 1,500 top firms, including Infosys, Wipro and the offices of global firms such as Microsoft Corp and Intel Corp.

"If such incidents continue, investors will fly away from the city," said state opposition politician Mallikharjuna Kharge.

(Writing by Simon Denyer; Editing by Alistair Scrutton)

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Tuesday, July 8, 2008

If Modi had the guts

http://theghousejournal.blogspot.com/2008/07/if-modi-had-guts.html

Pluralistic Societies
GUJARAT CHIEF MINISTER NARENDRA MODI


A few articles - first one from the United States Commission on Religious Freedom and the second from Coalition against genocide.

Moderator's Notes:

It is neither the Gujaratis nor Gujarat that is to be blamed. Please hold the temptations to label the genocide to either, it is not them, it is the individuals who have committed the crimes. Remember both the criminals and victims are Gujaratis, so it is not about the Gujaratis, it is about the criminal element in Gujarat. No Gujarati should be offended with the ongoings, it is not about them, it is about the criminals, all criminals regardless of the religious label they wear. Religion does not permit one to murder others.

Blame the individuals, let each one of them be brought to justice, may be a fair trail outside the state of Gujarat will work, no criminal should be spared.We have to establish our civility that we are a nation of laws that gives the security to every Indian; to a man who lives in the Jhompdi (Plastic Huts) to the man or woman who lives in castles. Every Indians should feel safe, as the law would take care of the wrong doers. We need to muster up the courage to speak up and follow dharma, the right path.

Chief Minister Modi has a responsibility to the well being of every citizen of Gujarat, he lacks the courage to express that and has the ego that prevents him from doing the right thing – to apologize to the citizens of Gujarat and restore their lives and bring justice. It is in the interests of real prosperity as opposed to the limping prosperity, he should consider that, it will give him the Mukti. It will bring peace to every Gujarati and every Indian. It takes a man to do it, and I hope Modi has the guts to do it and turn things around.

Mike Ghouse
# # #

GUJARAT CHIEF MINISTER NARENDRA MODI

USCIRF Urges Denial of U.S. Visa to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra ModiFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJuly 8, 2008Contact: Judith IngramCommunications Director(202) 523-3240, ext. 127WASHINGTON -


The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom urges the U.S. State Department to reaffirm its past decision to deny a tourist visa to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, who has been invited to attend a conference in New Jersey this August celebrating Gujarati culture.

Modi was previously denied entrance to the United States due to his role in riots that overtook the Indian state of Gujarat from February to May 2002 in which reportedly as many as 2,000 Muslims were killed, thousands raped, and over 200,000 displaced. Numerous reports, including reports of official bodies of the Government of India, have documented the role of Modi's state government in the planning and execution of the violence, and the failure to hold perpetrators accountable.

Following Modi's invitation to attend conferences in the U.S. in 2005, the Commission successfully urged the State Department to revoke Modi's U.S. tourist visa. Despite pressure from the Indian government, the State Department revoked his visa under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), which prohibits foreign government officials who are "responsible for or directly carried out, at any time, particularly severe violations of religious freedom" from obtaining U.S. visas. This section was added to the INA by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998.

The Commission once again urges the State Department to announce Modi's ineligibility for a visa under the terms of the INA."We have not seen changes that would warrant a policy reversal," said Commission Chair Felice D. Gaer. "As official bodies of the government of India have found, Narendra Modi is culpable for the egregious and systematic human rights abuses wrought against thousands of India's Muslims. Mr. Modi must demonstrate to the State Department and to the American people why he-as a person found to have aided and abetted gross violations of human rights, including religious freedom-should now be eligible for a tourist visa.Following the riots in 2002, India's National Human Rights Commission issued a report that pointed to the role of Modi's government in the systematic murder of Muslims and the calculated destruction of Muslim homes and businesses.

In 2003, the Indian central government found corruption and anti-Muslim bias to be so pervasive in the Gujarat judiciary that riot cases were shifted for trial to the neighboring state of Maharashtra. Despite this action, the lack of justice for victims remains a serious concern, as there have been very few court convictions in the six years since the religion-based riots. In 2007, a series of articles in the Indian publication Tehelka documented police officers and government officials on audio and videotape confessing that they facilitated the violence, at times at the direct behest of Modi. "The inaction of Gujarat's government and police force in the face of severe violence against religious minorities is an inexcusable abuse of international human rights obligations," Gaer said.

http://www.uscirf.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2219&Itemid=1

###

NRIs to thwart Modi visa attempt
Friday, July 04, 2008
THE ASIAN AGE
http://www.asianage.com/presentation/leftnavigation/news/india/nris-to-thwart-modi-visa-attempt.aspx


Deny US visa to Modi: NRI panel to Rice
Lalit K Jha
Wednesday, July 2, 2008 (New York)
NDTV
http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20080055338


Indian-Americans divided over invitation to Modi
3 Jul 2008, 1239 hrs IST
TIMES OF INDIA
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Indians_Abroad/NRIs_divided_over_invitation_to_Modi/articleshow/3191843.cms


US Indians split over Modi invitation
Thursday, 03 July 2008
MSN India
http://nri.in.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=1537593


Indian Americans divided over invitation to Narendra Modi
Thursday, July 3, 2008 : 0945 Hrs
THE HINDU
http://www.thehindu.com/holnus/001200807030921.htm


NRI bodies oppose US visa to Modi
Thursday, July 03, 2008 at 2248 hrs IST
THE INDIAN EXPRESS
http://www.indianexpress.com/story/330491.html


Indian Americans divided over invitation to Narendra Modi
New York, July 03, 2008
HINDUSTAN TIMES
http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print.aspx?Id=898bd669-e394-4bd0-9fb7-59bac282768b


US urged to deny visa to head of Indian state
By: Vishal Arora.
Friday, 4th July 2008. 11:29am
RELIGIOUS INTELLIGENCE, UK
http://www.religiousintelligence.co.uk/news/?NewsID=2244



NRI bodies oppose US visa to Modi
Thu, Jul 3 02:10 AM
YAHOO! NEWS INDIA
http://in.news.yahoo.com/48/20080703/814/tnl-nri-bodies-oppose-us-visa-to-modi.html


Indian Americans divided over invitation to Narendra Modi
July 03, 2008
ZEE NEWS
http://www.zeenews.com/articles.asp?aid=452822&sid=NAT&sname=


No visa for Modi, activists urge Condoleeza Rice
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
HEADLINE NEWS
http://www.headlinesindia.com/archive_html/02July2008_78390.html


Indian Americans divided over invitation to Narendra Modi
3 Jul, 2008
ECONOMIC TIMES
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/PoliticsNation/Indian_Americans_divided_over_invitation_to_Narendra_Modi_/articleshow/3191432.cms


Continue visa ban on Modi: Indian American orgs to US
Wed, 07/02/2008 - 06:01.
TWOCIRCLES.NET
http://www.indianmuslims.info/news/2008/jul/01/continue_visa_ban_modi_indian_american_orgs_us.html


Indian Americans divided over invitation to Narendra Modi
Dharam Shourie in New York
July 03, 2008
REDIFF.COM
http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/jul/03modi.htm


'No visa for Narendra Modi'
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 19:40 IST
Daily News & Analysis (DNA-India)
http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1175163


Indian Americans divided over invitation to Narendra Modi
New York, Jul 3, 2008
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA
http://www.ptinews.com/pti%5Cptisite.nsf/$All/880C6E3042B96B7A6525747B0016F6A9?OpenDocument


No visa for Modi, activists urge US
Wed, Jul 2 06:31 PM
YAHOO! NEWS
http://in.news.yahoo.com/43/20080702/818/tnl-no-visa-for-modi-activists-urge-us.html


No visa for Modi, activists urge US
Jul 04, 2008
MANGALOREAN
http://mangalorean.com/news.php?newsid=83384&newstype=local


US association against visa to Modi
2008-07-03 16:46:05
GUJARAT GLOBAL News Network
http://www.gujaratglobal.com/nextSub.php?id=4189&cattype=NEWS


Deny US visa to Modi: NRI panel to Rice
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
KERALA NEXT
http://www.keralanext.com/news/?id=134269576


'No visa for Modi'
Updated: 07-03-2008
ANDHRA CAFE
http://andhracafe.com/index.php?m=show&id=34996


No visa for Modi, activists urge US
Submitted on Wed, 07/02/2008
INDIANMUSLIMS.INFO
http://www.indianmuslims.info/news/2008/jul/02/no_visa_modi_activists_urge_us.html


No visa for Modi, activists urge US
Ahmedabad July 02, 2008 7:05:08 PM IST
WEBINDIA
http://news.webindia123.com/news/Articles/World/20080702/989825.html


NRIs to thwart Modi visa attempt
03 July, 2008
HOWRAH
http://howrah.org/india_news/17881.html



No visa for Modi, activists urge US
July 2nd, 2008
THAINDIAN
http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/politics/no-visa-for-modi-activists-urge-us_10067025.html



DETAILED COVERAGE

======================================

NRIs to thwart Modi visa attempt

BY OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

Friday, July 04, 2008

AHMEDABAD

ASIAN AGE

http://www.asianage.com/presentation/leftnavigation/news/india/nris-to-thwart-modi-visa-attempt.aspx

July 3: Over 25 NRI organisations, under the umbrella of the coalition
against genocide, have appealed to US secretary of state Condoleezza
Rice to thwart Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi's attempt to
obtain a US visa.

A Chalo Gujarat Conference is going to be held in August in New Jersey
and is expected to be attended by over 50,000 Gujaratis. The
conference organisers, who are Mr Modi's supporters, want the Gujarat
chief minister to be present. Since last two years, Mr Modi has been
addressing the Diaspora through video conferencing. Mr Modi was denied
a visa in 2005, following representations by various national and
international human rights organisations who pointed out his role in
Gujarat riots and urged the US government to not allow him to enter
the country.

In a fresh appeal on Wednesday, 25 organisations under the aegis of
"Coalition Against Genocide", they drew the attention of Ms Rice that
Mr Modi was once again planning to apply for visa.

The Coalition Against Genocide includes a diverse spectrum of
organisations associated with Indian-Americans that have come together
in response to the Gujarat genocide to demand justice and
accountability. "We urge the state department not to allow Mr Modi to
enter the country (US) under any conditions, as the circumstances
under which he was denied a visa in 2005 remain largely unchanged, and
the minority communities in his state continue to face systematic
human rights violations," they said, adding US should not unwittingly
become the platform for these unrepentant yet ascendant forces in
India to exploit the opportunity to rally the support base among
Indian Diaspora communities and raise international legitimacy and
standing.

"It would be dangerous at this juncture of Indian political process to
give Mr Modi that long denied and much coveted window," they added.

The coalition pointed out that Mr Modi was responsible for the deaths
of over 2,000 Muslims and the displacement of 200,000 more.



======================================

Deny US visa to Modi: NRI panel to Rice

http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20080055338

Lalit K Jha

Wednesday, July 2, 2008 (New York)

Claiming that Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi is planning to
apply for the US visa to attend the World Gujarati Conference in New
Jersey in August, as many as 25 Indian American organisations urged
the US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that he should not be
allowed to enter the country under any circumstances.

Sunil Nayak, head of Association of Indian American in North America,
which is organising the mega event, immediately condemned such an
effort. ''This is an attempt to bring politics into community event. I
do not see any genuine reason why an elected Chief Minister be denied
a US visa,'' Nayak told NDTV.com.

There was no immediate response from the State Department weather
there is any change in the US policy on granting visa to Modi. The
State Department had denied Modi a US visa in 2005.

''We urge the State Department not to allow Modi to enter the country
under any conditions, as the circumstances under which he was denied a
visa in 2005 remain largely unchanged, and the minority communities in
his state continue to face systematic human rights violations,'' urged
Coalition against Genocide in a letter to Secretary Rice.

Coalition against Genocide, a representative body of some 25 Indian
American organisations, had a successful public campaign against
Modi's visa application in 2005 when he was scheduled to attend the
annual convention of Asian American Hotel Owners Association.

Opposing such a campaign against Modi, Nayak told NDTV.com: ''The
invitation was accepted by Modi. However, we are not aware if he has
applied for a US visa. This is for his office to do and at present we
are not aware about it.''

Nayak was in Ahmadabad last month to invite Modi for the World
Gujarati Conference 2008, which is expected to be attended by several
thousand Gujaratis from all over the world.

However, officials of the Coalition Against Genocide told NDTV.Com
that they have reliable information that the Gujarat Chief Minister is
planning to apply for a US visa to attend the convention.

''The United States should not unwittingly be the platform from which
these unrepentant and yet ascendant forces in India exploit the
opportunity to rally the support base among Indian Diaspora
communities and raise international legitimacy and standing,'' the
Coalition wrote.

''It would be dangerous at this juncture of Indian political process
to give Mr. Modi that long denied and therefore much coveted window,''
the letter said.

While the State Department did not had any response to the letter,
only a few months ago, the Assistant Secretary of State for South and
Central Asian Affairs, Richard Boucher, had told reporters that there
was no change in the US policy on the issue.


======================================

Indian-Americans divided over invitation to Modi

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Indians_Abroad/NRIs_divided_over_invitation_to_Modi/articleshow/3191843.cms

3 Jul 2008, 1239 hrs IST,PTI

NEW YORK: The Indian-American groups across the United States are
sharply divided over invitation sent to Gujarat Chief Minister
Narendra Modi to attend the second World Gujarati Conference to be
held in New Jersey.

While some organisations are working behind the scene mounting
pressure on the US government to grant him visa to attend the meet,
the Coalition Against Genocide, an umbrella organisation of some 25
bodies, has written a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
asking her to deny visa to the chief minister.

The invitation was sent by the Association of Indian Americans in
North America (AIANA), organisers of the meet, but its President Sunil
Nayak had said issuance of visa is a matter between American
authorities and Modi. However, he had expressed the hope that Modi
would be able to attend the three-day conference beginning from Aug 29
in which some 50,000 Gujaratis from the world over are expected to
participate.

Modi was denied visa to the Gujarati Conference in 2005 in view of
anti-Muslim riots in the state for which some organisations had blamed
him but he did talk to the delegates and press through a video link.

In its letter to Rice, the Coalition Against Genocide requested her
not to allow Modi to enter the United States "under any conditions"
as, it said, circumstances under which he was denied visa earlier
remain "largely unchanged" and "minority communities in the state
continue face systematic human rights violations."

"Modi has not only expressed no remorse for the 2002 violence; but he
has continued to justify them, as he has a spate of extra judicial
killings by his police. And, the state continues to persecute civil
society groups who have been trying to speak up for the victims under
very difficult circumstances," said the letter.


======================================

US Indians split over Modi invitation

http://nri.in.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=1537593

Thursday, 03 July 2008

While some organisations are mounting pressure on the US government to
grant him visa, the Coalition Against Genocide, an umbrella
organisation of 25 bodies, has written a letter to Secretary of State
Rice asking her to deny visa to Modi
New York: Indian-American groups across the United States are sharply
divided over the invitation sent to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra
Modi to attend the second World Gujarati Conference being held in New
Jersey.

While some organisations are working behind the scenes mounting
pressure on the US government to grant him visa to attend the meet,
the Coalition Against Genocide, an umbrella organisation of some 25
bodies, has written a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
asking her to deny visa to the chief minister.

The invitation was sent by the Association of Indian Americans in
North America (AIANA), organisers of the meet, but its President Sunil
Nayak had said visa issue is a matter between American authorities and
Modi.

However, he expressed the hope that Modi would be able to attend the
three-day conference beginning Aug 29, in which some 50,000 Gujaratis
from the world over are expected to participate.

Modi was denied visa to the Gujarati Conference in 2005 in view of the
anti-Muslim riots in the state for which some organisations had blamed
him, but he did talk to the delegates and the press through a video
link.

In its letter to Rice, the Coalition Against Genocide requested her
not to allow Modi to enter the United States "under any conditions"
as, it said, circumstances under which he was denied a visa earlier
remain "largely unchanged" and "minority communities in the state
continue to face systematic rights violations."

"Modi has not only expressed no remorse for the 2002 violence but he
has continued to justify them, and the extra judicial killings by his
police. And, the state continues to persecute civil groups who have
been trying to speak up for the victims under very difficult
circumstances," said the letter.

(c) Copyright 2008 PTI. All rights reserved.


======================================

Indian Americans divided over invitation to Narendra Modi

http://www.thehindu.com/holnus/001200807030921.htm

Thursday, July 3, 2008 : 0945 Hrs

New York (PTI): The Indian American groups across the United States
are sharply divided over invitation sent to Gujarat Chief Minister
Narendra Modi to attend the second World Gujarati Conference to be
held in New Jersey.

While some organisations are working behind the scene mounting
pressure on the US government to grant him visa to attend the meet,
the Coalition Against Genocide, an umbrella organisation of some 25
bodies, has written a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
asking her to deny visa to the chief minister.

The invitation was sent by the Association of Indian Americans in
North America (AIANA), organisers of the meet, but its President Sunil
Nayak had said issuance of visa is a matter between American
authorities and Modi. However, he had expressed the hope that Modi
would be able to attend the three-day conference begining from Aug 29
in which some 50,000 Gujaratis from the world over are expected to
participate.

Modi was denied visa to the Gujarati Conference in 2005 in view of
anti-Muslim riots in the state for which some organisations had blamed
him but he did talk to the delegates and press through a video link.

In its letter to Rice, the Coalition Against Genocide requested her
not to allow Modi to enter the United States "under any conditions"
as, it said, circumstances under which he was denied visa earlier
remain "largely unchanged" and "minority communities in the state
continue face systematic human rights violations."

"Modi has not only expressed no remorse for the 2002 violence; but he
has continued to justify them, as he has a spate of extra judicial
killings by his police. And, the state continues to persecute civil
society groups who have been trying to speak up for the victims under
very difficult circumstances," said the letter.

The United States should not "unwittingly be the platform from which
these unrepentant and yet ascendant forces in India exploit the
opportunity to rally the support base among Indian Diaspora
communities and raise international legitimacy and standing," it said.

It would be "dangerous" at this juncture of Indian political process
to give Modi that "long denied and therefore much coveted window."

"As recently as April 2008, Modi enacted the anti-conversion law in
Gujarat that effectively bars religious conversions, thereby crippling
the provisions of religious freedom in the state," the letter released
by the coalition said.

Not only Modi, it said, was responsible for the death of over 2,000
Muslims and the displacement of 200,000 more, but "six years after the
Gujarat-state sponsored violence, the Muslim community in Gujarat is
subjected to a devastating economic and social boycott,
institutionalised at every level."

"Most have received little, if no compensation for the deaths of loved
ones and loss of property; thousands are still displaced, without
homes, work, or access to decent schools for their children. At the
level of the courts too, Muslims in Gujarat have received little
justice, barring a few exceptions; and the few that have managed to
push their cases forward have met with threats, physical harm and
harassment," the letter alleged.

"Noting the prejudice extending at every level of the state apparatus,
the Supreme Court ordered cases related to the 2002 massacres to be
moved out of Gujarat," it said.


======================================

NRI bodies oppose US visa to Modi

http://www.indianexpress.com/story/330491.html

Express news service

Posted online: Thursday, July 03, 2008 at 2248 hrs IST

New Delhi, July 2
In a major embarrassment to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, a
group of Indian-American organisations has written to US Secretary of
State Condoleezza Rice urging her not to allow Modi to enter the
United States.

The Gujarat CM has been invited to be the chief guest at the second
World Gujarati Conference, called 'Chaalo Gujarat', a major three-day
event from August 29 to 31, organised by the Association of Indian
Americans of North America (AIANA) to "reconnect the younger
generation with their place of origin". Thirty five thousand people
from India and the Gujarati diaspora are expected to attend, with
prominent invitees including Mukesh and Anil Ambani, technocrat Sam
Pitroda, economist Jagdish Bhagwati, singer Pankaj Udhas and
cricketers Irfan Pathan and Parthiv Patel.

However, the letter, written under the banner of the Coalition Against
Genocide (CAG) and supported by 25 civil society organisations,
alleges that Modi's coming to the US is "to rally the support base
among Indian diaspora communities and raise international legitimacy
and standing," adding that "it would be dangerous at this juncture of
Indian political process to give Mr Modi that long denied and
much-coveted window."

The missive goes on to outline how "minority communities in his state
continue to face systematic human rights violations," and holds Modi
responsible for the deaths of over 2,000 Muslims and the displacement
of 2,00,000 more. Six years after the "state sponsored violence,"
there have been very few convictions and Muslims continue to suffer
economic and social boycott, reminds the letter.

It also mentions the anti-conversion law enacted by Gujarat making it
difficult for any Hindu to convert to any other religion.

Meanwhile, a source from Modi's office told The Indian Express that
the Chief Minister will not apply for a visa until and unless the US
reviews his previous application. Modi was denied a US visa in 2005
after his allegedly biased handling of the communal violence in
Gujarat in 2002. The US State Department had also revoked his tourist
visa then.

Nonetheless, it is understood that the Gujarat CM is planning to
address the function through video conferencing or live telecast.

======================================

Indian Americans divided over invitation to Narendra Modi

http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print.aspx?Id=898bd669-e394-4bd0-9fb7-59bac282768b

Dharam Shourie, Press Trust Of India

New York, July 03, 2008

First Published: 12:25 IST(3/7/2008)
Last Updated: 12:33 IST(3/7/2008)

The Indian American groups across the United States are sharply
divided over invitation sent to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi
to attend the second World Gujarati Conference to be held in New
Jersey.

While some organisations are working behind the scene mounting
pressure on the US government to grant him visa to attend the meet,
the Coalition Against Genocide, an umbrella organisation of some 25
bodies, has written a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
asking her to deny visa to the chief minister.

The Association of Indian Americans in North America (AIANA),
organisers of the meet, sent the invitation but its President Sunil
Nayak had said issuance of visa is a matter between American
authorities and Modi.

However, he had expressed the hope that Modi would be able to attend
the three-day conference begining from August 29 in which some 50,000
Gujaratis from the world over are expected to participate.

Modi was denied visa to the Gujarati Conference in 2005 in view of
anti-Muslim riots in the state for which some organisations had blamed
him but he did talk to the delegates and press through a video link.

In its letter to Rice, the Coalition Against Genocide requested her
not to allow Modi to enter the United States "under any conditions"
as, it said, circumstances under which he was denied visa earlier
remain "largely unchanged" and "minority communities in the state
continue face systematic human rights violations."

"Modi has not only expressed no remorse for the 2002 violence; but he
has continued to justify them, as he has a spate of extra judicial
killings by his police. And, the state continues to persecute civil
society groups who have been trying to speak up for the victims under
very difficult circumstances," said the letter.

The United States should not "unwittingly be the platform from which
these unrepentant and yet ascendant forces in India exploit the
opportunity to rally the support base among Indian Diaspora
communities and raise international legitimacy and standing," it said.

It would be "dangerous" at this juncture of Indian political process
to give Modi that "long denied and therefore much coveted window."

"As recently as April 2008, Modi enacted the anti-conversion law in
Gujarat that effectively bars religious conversions, thereby crippling
the provisions of religious freedom in the state," the letter released
by the coalition said.
Modi, it said, was responsible for the death of over 2,000 Muslims and
the displacement of 200,000 more, but "six years after the
Gujarat-state sponsored violence, the Muslim community in Gujarat is
subjected to a devastating economic and social boycott,
institutionalised at every level."

"Most have received little, if no compensation for the deaths of loved
ones and loss of property; thousands are still displaced, without
homes, work, or access to decent schools for their children.

At the level of the courts too, Muslims in Gujarat have received
little justice, barring a few exceptions; and the few that have
managed to push their cases forward have met with threats, physical
harm and harassment," the letter alleged.

"Noting the prejudice extending at every level of the state apparatus,
the Supreme Court ordered cases related to the 2002 massacres to be
moved out of Gujarat," it said.

======================================

US urged to deny visa to head of Indian state

http://www.religiousintelligence.co.uk/news/?NewsID=2244

Friday, 4th July 2008. 11:29am

By: Vishal Arora.

New Delhi: More than two-dozen organisations associated with Indian
Americans have urged the US Department of State to deny a visa to
Narendra Modi, the chief minister of Gujarat state where religious
minorities face intense persecution, who intends to attend a function
in the US.

Modi is reportedly planning to attend a three-day global conference of
Gujaratis (people from Gujarat) in New Jersey beginning August 29 and
hosted by the Association of Indian Americans of North America
(AIANA).

"We urge the State Department not to allow Mr Modi to enter the
country under any conditions, as the circumstances under which he was
denied a visa in 2005 remain largely unchanged, and the minority
communities in his state continue to face systematic human rights
violations," said the Coalition Against Genocide (CAG) in a letter to
Condoleezza Rice, US State Secretary, on July 1. The CAG is a
federation of Indian American organisations that came together in
response to the anti-Muslim violence in Gujarat in February 2002.

Modi, a leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party, was denied visa to the
US in 2005 after the CAG launched a campaign against him highlighting
his alleged role in the killing of more than 2,000 Muslims in 2002.
Hindu nationalist groups indulged in violence after a few workers of
the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP or World Hindu Council) were killed in
a train fire in Godhra district, which the VHP claimed was an act of
terrorism by Muslims. Most of those responsible for the killing remain
at large.

The CAG warned the US against being the platform from which "these
unrepentant and yet ascendant forces in India exploit the opportunity
to rally the support base among Indian Diaspora communities and raise
international legitimacy and standing".

"Six years after the Gujarat-state sponsored violence, the Muslim
community in Gujarat is subjected to a devastating economic and social
boycott, institutionalised at every level. Most have received little,
if no compensation for the deaths of loved ones and loss of property;
thousands are still displaced, without homes, work, or access to
decent schools for their children. At the level of the courts too,
Muslims in Gujarat have received little justice, barring a few
exceptions; and the few that have managed to push their cases forward
have met with threats, physical harm and harassment," the CAG added.

It also reminded the US of the 'anti-conversion' law enacted by the
Modi government in April 2008. Named 'Gujarat Freedom of Religion
Act', the legislation is believed to target Christian conversions
crippling the provisions of religious freedom in the state. Like
Muslims, the Christian community also feels unsafe in Gujarat.
Numerous incidents of anti-Christian violence have been reported from
the state during the ongoing rule of Modi.

The Indian American organisations also noted that in a recent expose
by an investigative magazine, Tehelka, a Gujarat state prosecutor
appointed by Modi was captured on video confessing to protecting the
perpetrators of the 2002 violence. "Further, one of the accused
involved in the killings, confessed to Mr Modi having transferred
several court judges as to protect him from any convictions." (The
Tehelka expose can be read online at
http://www.tehelka.com/story_main35.asp?filename=Ne031107DEVIL.asp)

======================================

NRI bodies oppose US visa to Modi

http://in.news.yahoo.com/48/20080703/814/tnl-nri-bodies-oppose-us-visa-to-modi.html

Thu, Jul 3 02:10 AM

In a major embarrassment to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, a
group of Indian-American organisations has written to US Secretary of
State Condoleezza Rice urging her not to allow Modi to enter the
United States.

The Gujarat CM has been invited to be the chief guest at the second
World Gujarati Conference, called 'Chaalo Gujarat', a major three-day
event from August 29 to 31, organised by the Association of Indian
Americans of North America (AIANA) to "reconnect the younger
generation with their place of origin". Thirty five thousand people
from India and the Gujarati diaspora are expected to attend, with
prominent invitees including Mukesh and Anil Ambani, technocrat Sam
Pitroda, economist Jagdish Bhagwati, singer Pankaj Udhas and
cricketers Irfan Pathan and Parthiv Patel.

However, the letter, written under the banner of the Coalition Against
Genocide (CAG) and supported by 25 civil society organisations,
alleges that Modi's coming to the US is "to rally the support base
among Indian diaspora communities and raise international legitimacy
and standing," adding that "it would be dangerous at this juncture of
Indian political process to give Mr Modi that long denied and
much-coveted window."

The missive goes on to outline how "minority communities in his state
continue to face systematic human rights violations," and holds Modi
responsible for the deaths of over 2,000 Muslims and the displacement
of 2,00,000 more. Six years after the "state sponsored violence,"
there have been very few convictions and Muslims continue to suffer
economic and social boycott, reminds the letter.

It also mentions the anti-conversion law enacted by Gujarat making it
difficult for any Hindu to convert to any other religion.

Meanwhile, a source from Modi's office told The Indian Express that
the Chief Minister will not apply for a visa until and unless the US
reviews his previous application. Modi was denied a US visa in 2005
after his allegedly biased handling of the communal violence in
Gujarat in 2002. The US State Department had also revoked his tourist
visa then.

Nonetheless, it is understood that the Gujarat CM is planning to
address the function through video conferencing or live telecast.


======================================

Indian Americans divided over invitation to Narendra Modi

http://www.zeenews.com/articles.asp?aid=452822&sid=NAT&sname=

New York, July 03: The Indian American groups across the United States
are sharply divided over invitation sent to Gujarat Chief Minister
Narendra Modi to attend the second world Gujarati conference to be
held in New Jersey.

While some organisations are working behind the scene mounting
pressure on the US government to grant him visa to attend the meet,
the coalition against genocide, an umbrella organisation of some 25
bodies, has written a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
asking her to deny visa to the Chief Minister.

The invitation was sent by the Association of Indian Americans in
North America (AIANA), organisers of the meet, but its President Sunil
Nayak had said issuance of visa is a matter between American
authorities and Modi. However, he had expressed the hope that Modi
would be able to attend the three-day conference beginning from Aug 29
in which some 50,000 Gujaratis from the world over are expected to
participate.

Modi was denied visa to the Gujarati conference in 2005 in view of
anti-Muslim riots in the state for which some organisations had blamed
him but he did talk to the delegates and press through a video link.

In its letter to Rice, the coalition against genocide requested her
not to allow Modi to enter the United States "under any conditions"
as, it said, circumstances under which he was denied visa earlier
remain "largely unchanged" and "minority communities in the state
continue face systematic human rights violations."

"Modi has not only expressed no remorse for the 2002 violence; but he
has continued to justify them, as he has a spate of extra judicial
killings by his police. And, the state continues to persecute civil
society groups who have been trying to speak up for the victims under
very difficult circumstances," said the letter.

The United States should not "unwittingly be the platform from which
these unrepentant and yet ascendant forces in India exploit the
opportunity to rally the support base among Indian diaspora
communities and raise international legitimacy and standing," it said.

It would be "dangerous" at this juncture of Indian political process
to give Modi that "long denied and therefore much coveted window." "As
recently as April 2008, Modi enacted the anti-conversion law in
Gujarat that effectively bars religious conversions, thereby crippling
the provisions of religious freedom in the state," the letter released
by the coalition said.

Not only Modi, it said, was responsible for the death of over 2,000
Muslims and the displacement of 200,000 more, but "six years after the
Gujarat-state sponsored violence, the Muslim community in Gujarat is
subjected to a devastating economic and social boycott,
institutionalised at every level."

"Most have received little, if no compensation for the deaths of loved
ones and loss of property; thousands are still displaced, without
homes, work, or access to decent schools for their children. At the
level of the courts too, Muslims in Gujarat have received little
justice, barring a few exceptions; and the few that have managed to
push their cases forward have met with threats, physical harm and
harassment," the letter alleged.

"Noting the prejudice extending at every level of the state apparatus,
the supreme court ordered cases related to the 2002 massacres to be
moved out of gujarat," it said.

The organisations which signed on the letter include alliance for a
secular and Democratic South Asia (ASDSA), Association of Indian
Muslims of America (AIM), Campaign to Stop Funding Hate (CSFH),
Coalition for a Secular and Democratic India (CSDI), Dalit Freedom
Network (DFN), Dharma Megha inc, Gujarati Muslim Association of
America (GMAA), Hindu Vaishnava Center for Enlightenment, India
Foundation Inc, Indian Buddhist Association, Indian Muslim Council-USA
(IMC-USA), Indian Muslim Educational Foundation of North America
(IMEFNA), and Sikh American Heritage Organisation (SAHO).

The conference would highlight business, culture, education and family
values and would provide an opportunity to companies there to showcase
their products and plans for possible business tie-ups.

Bureau Report


======================================

No visa for Modi, activists urge Condoleeza Rice

http://www.headlinesindia.com/archive_html/02July2008_78390.html

Wednesday, July 02, 2008 (18:57:14)

Ahmedabad: While Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's supporters in
the US have invited him for a world Gujarati conference in August,
activists have urged Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice not to grant
him a visa given the allegations of rights violations against him.

In a petition, 25 organisations of non-resident Indians under an
umbrella group, Coalition Against Genocide, have told Rice, "It has
come to our attention that Narendra Modi is once again planning to
apply for a visa to enter the US. We urge the State Department not to
allow Modi to enter the country under any conditions, as the
circumstances under which he was denied a visa in 2005 remain largely
unchanged, and the minority communities in his state continue to face
systematic human rights violations."

Modi was denied a visa to visit the US after he was accused of turning
a blind eye to the communal violence in Gujarat in which at least
1,169 people, a majority of them Muslims, were killed, according to
the official figures. The letter dated July 1 states: "The US should
not unwittingly be the platform from which these unrepentant and yet
ascendant forces in India exploit the opportunity to rally the support
base among Indian diaspora communities and raise international
legitimacy and standing."

Pointing out that 'not only was Modi responsible for the deaths of
over 2,000 Muslims and the displacement of 200,000 more, but six years
after the Gujarat-state sponsored violence', it says, "The Muslim
community in Gujarat is subjected to a devastating economic and social
boycott, institutionalized at every level."

Modi, along with a number of prominent Gujarati leaders, has been
invited to attend the three-day second world Gujarati conference,
called Chaalo Gujarat, organised by the Association of Indian
Americans of North America (AIANA) and to be held in Edison in late
August. (IANS)


======================================

Indian Americans divided over invitation to Narendra Modi

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/PoliticsNation/Indian_Americans_divided_over_invitation_to_Narendra_Modi_/articleshow/3191432.cms

3 Jul, 2008, 1117 hrs IST, PTI

NEW YORK: The Indian American groups across the United States are
sharply divided over invitation sent to Gujarat Chief Minister
Narendra Modi to attend the second World Gujarati Conference to be
held in New Jersey.

While some organisations are working behind the scene mounting
pressure on the US government to grant him visa to attend the meet,
the Coalition Against Genocide, an umbrella organisation of some 25
bodies, has written a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
asking her to deny visa to the chief minister.

The invitation was sent by the Association of Indian Americans in
North America (AIANA), organisers of the meet, but its President Sunil
Nayak had said issuance of visa is a matter between American
authorities and Modi. However, he had expressed the hope that Modi
would be able to attend the three-day conference begining from Aug 29
in which some 50,000 Gujaratis from the world over are expected to
participate.

Modi was denied visa to the Gujarati Conference in 2005 in view of
anti-Muslim riots in the state for which some organisations had blamed
him but he did talk to the delegates and press through a video link.

In its letter to Rice, the Coalition Against Genocide requested her
not to allow Modi to enter the United States "under any conditions"
as, it said, circumstances under which he was denied visa earlier
remain "largely unchanged" and "minority communities in the state
continue face systematic human rights violations."

"Modi has not only expressed no remorse for the 2002 violence; but he
has continued to justify them, as he has a spate of extra judicial
killings by his police. And, the state continues to persecute civil
society groups who have been trying to speak up for the victims under
very difficult circumstances," said the letter.


======================================

Continue visa ban on Modi: Indian American orgs to US

http://www.indianmuslims.info/news/2008/jul/01/continue_visa_ban_modi_indian_american_orgs_us.html

Submitted on Wed, 07/02/2008 - 06:01.

By TwoCircles.net staff reporter,

Twenty-five Indian American organizations have endorsed a letter
addressed to the US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice urging the
State Department not to allow Modi to enter the United States under
any circumstances.

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi was denied diplomatic visa to the
United States in 2005 for his responsibility in Gujarat riots of 2002.
The US State Department also revoked his tourist visa. It has affected
Mr. Modi's attempts at projecting himself at the national level.

Following recent win in Gujarat assembly elections, he was hoping for
a reversal of US visa decision to improve his national and
international standing. Recently, supporters of Modi have been trying
to secure the US visa for him.

The Coalition Against Genocide (CAG) which was formed in response to
the Gujarat genocide consists of a number of Indian American
organizations. In the letter signed by 25 organizations and addressed
to Condoleezza Rice, the State Department is urged not to revoke their
2005 order of denying visa to Mr. Modi because the circumstances that
lead to the denial remains.

The letter mentions that the 'minority communities in his state
continue to face systematic human rights violations.' His coming to
the US is "to rally the support base among Indian Diaspora communities
and raise international legitimacy and standing," the letter alleges,
adding that "it would be dangerous at this juncture of Indian
political process to give Mr. Modi that long denied and therefore much
coveted window."

Human rights organizations finds Narendra Modi responsible for the
deaths of over 2,000 Muslims and the displacement of 200,000 more. Six
years after the "state sponsored violence," there have been very few
convictions and Muslims continue to suffer economic and social
boycott.

The letter also mentions the anti-conversion law enacted by Gujarat
that makes it difficult for any Hindu to convert to other religion. It
also lists Tehelka expose, Supreme Court ordering cases related to
genocide be tried outside the state, and "fake encounters" as examples
of the grim situation prevailing for minorities in Gujarat.

US embassy in New Delhi said that Modi has not applied for a visa yet.
A decision can be taken only after a formal request is made, adding,
allegations of human rights violations against Narendra Modi will be
reviewed before taking any decision.

The letter sent to the US State Department has been endorsed by the
following constituent organizations of the Coalition Against Genocide:

1. Alliance for a Secular and Democratic South Asia (ASDSA)
2. Association of Indian Muslims of America (AIM)
3. Campaign to Stop Funding Hate (CSFH)
4. Coalition for a Secular and Democratic India (CSDI)
5. Dalit Freedom Network (DFN)
6. Dharma Megha Inc.
7. Friends of South Asia (FOSA)
8. Gujarati Muslim Association of America (GMAA)
9. Hindu Vaishnava Center for Enlightenment
10. India Development Society
11. India Foundation Inc.
12. Indian Buddhist Association
13. Indian Muslim Council-USA (IMC-USA)
14. Indian Muslim Educational Foundation of North America (IMEFNA)
15. Indian Muslim Relief & Charities (IMRC)
16. International Service Society
17. International South Asia Forum-NY (INSAF-NY)
18. Muslim Vohra Association
19. Muslim Youth Awareness Alliance (MYAA)
20. Non-Resident Indians for Secular and Harmonious India (NRI-SAHI)
21. Seva International
22. Sikh American Heritage Organization (SAHO)
23. South Asian Progressive Action Collective (SAPAC)
24. Supporters of Human Rights in India (SHRI)
25. Vedanta Society of East Lansing


======================================

Indian Americans divided over invitation to Narendra Modi

http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/jul/03modi.htm

Dharam Shourie in New York PTI July 03, 2008 10:58 IST

The Indian American community across the United States is sharply
divided over an invitation sent to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra
Modi to attend the second World Gujarati Conference to be held in New
Jersey.

While some organisations are mounting pressure on the US government to
grant him a visa to attend the meet, the Coalition Against Genocide,
an umbrella organisation of some 25 bodies, has written a letter to
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, asking her to deny visa to the
chief minister.

The invitation was sent by the Association of Indian Americans in
North America, organisers of the meet, but its President Sunil Nayak
had said that issuance of visa is a matter between American
authorities and Modi. However, he had expressed the hope that Modi
would be able to attend the three-day conference, beginning from
August 29, in which some 50,000 Gujaratis from across the world are
expected to participate.

Modi was denied visa to the Gujarati Conference in 2005 in view of
anti-Muslim riots in the state but he did talk to the delegates and
press through a video link.

In its letter to Rice, the Coalition Against Genocide requested her
not to allow Modi to enter the United States 'under any conditions'
as, it said, circumstances under which he was denied visa earlier
remain largely unchanged and minority communities in the state
continue to face systematic human rights violations.

"Modi has not only expressed no remorse for the 2002 violence; but he
has continued to justify them, and he has justified a spate of extra
judicial killings by his police. And, the state continues to persecute
civil society groups, who have been trying to speak up for the victims
under very difficult circumstances," said the letter.

The United States should not "unwittingly be the platform from which
these unrepentant and yet ascendant forces in India exploit the
opportunity to rally the support base among Indian Diaspora
communities and raise international legitimacy and standing," it said.

It would be dangerous at this juncture of Indian political process to
give Modi that 'long denied and therefore much coveted window'.

"As recently as April 2008, Modi enacted the anti-conversion law in
Gujarat that effectively bars religious conversions, thereby crippling
the provisions of religious freedom in the state," the letter released
by the coalition said.

Modi, the coalition stated, was responsible for the death of over
2,000 Muslims and the displacement of 200,000 more. "Six years after
the Gujarat-state sponsored violence, the Muslim community in Gujarat
is subjected to a devastating economic and social boycott,
institutionalised at every level," the letter said.

"Most have received little, if no compensation for the deaths of loved
ones and loss of property; thousands are still displaced, without
homes, work, or access to decent schools for their children. At the
level of the courts too, Muslims in Gujarat have received little
justice, barring a few exceptions; and the few that have managed to
push their cases
forward have met with threats, physical harm and harassment," the
letter alleged.

"Noting the prejudice extending at every level of the state apparatus,
the Supreme Court ordered cases related to the 2002 massacres to be
moved out of Gujarat," it said.


======================================

'No visa for Narendra Modi'

http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1175163

IANS

Wednesday, July 02, 2008 19:40 IST

AHMEDABAD: While Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's supporters in
the US have invited him for a world Gujarati conference in August,
activists have urged Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice not to grant
him a visa given the allegations of rights violations against him.

In a petition, 25 organisations of non-resident Indians under an
umbrella group, Coalition Against Genocide, have told Rice: "It has
come to our attention that Narendra Modi is once again planning to
apply for a visa to enter the US."

"We urge the State Department not to allow Modi to enter the country
under any conditions, as the circumstances under which he was denied a
visa in 2005 remain largely unchanged, and the minority communities in
his state continue to face systematic human rights violations."

Modi was denied a visa to visit the US after he was accused of turning
a blind eye to the communal violence in Gujarat in which at least
1,169 people, a majority of them Muslims, were killed, according to
the official figures.

The letter dated July 1 states: "The US should not unwittingly be the
platform from which these unrepentant and yet ascendant forces in
India exploit the opportunity to rally the support base among Indian
diaspora communities and raise international legitimacy and standing."

Pointing out that "not only was Modi responsible for the deaths of
over 2,000 Muslims and the displacement of 200,000 more, but six years
after the Gujarat-state sponsored violence", it says: "The Muslim
community in Gujarat is subjected to a devastating economic and social
boycott, institutionalized at every level."

Modi, along with a number of prominent Gujarati leaders, has been
invited to attend the three-day second world Gujarati conference,
called Chaalo Gujarat, organised by the Association of Indian
Americans of North America (AIANA) and to be held in Edison in late
August.


======================================

Indian Americans divided over invitation to Narendra Modi

http://www.ptinews.com/pti%5Cptisite.nsf/$All/880C6E3042B96B7A6525747B0016F6A9?OpenDocument

Dharam Shourie

New York, Jul 3 (PTI) The Indian American groups across the United
States are sharply divided over invitation sent to Gujarat Chief
Minister Narendra Modi to attend the second World Gujarati Conference
to be held in New Jersey.

While some organisations are working behind the scene mounting
pressure on the US government to grant him visa to attend the meet,
the Coalition Against Genocide, an umbrella organisation of some 25
bodies, has written a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
asking her to deny visa to the chief minister.

The invitation was sent by the Association of Indian Americans in
North America (AIANA), organisers of the meet, but its President Sunil
Nayak had said issuance of visa is a matter between American
authorities and Modi. However, he had expressed the hope that Modi
would be able to attend the three-day conference begining from Aug 29
in which some 50,000 Gujaratis from the world over are expected to
participate.

Modi was denied visa to the Gujarati Conference in 2005 in view of
anti-Muslim riots in the state for which some organisations had blamed
him but he did talk to the delegates and press through a video link.

In its letter to Rice, the Coalition Against Genocide requested her
not to allow Modi to enter the United States "under any conditions"
as, it said, circumstances under which he was denied visa earlier
remain "largely unchanged" and "minority communities in the state
continue face systematic human rights violations." "Modi has not only
expressed no remorse for the 2002 violence; but he has continued to
justify them, as he has a spate of extra judicial killings by his
police. And, the state continues to persecute civil society groups who
have been trying to speak up for the victims under very difficult
circumstances," said the letter. PTI


======================================

No visa for Modi, activists urge US

http://in.news.yahoo.com/43/20080702/818/tnl-no-visa-for-modi-activists-urge-us.html

Wed, Jul 2 06:31 PM

Ahmedabad, July 2 (IANS) While Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's
supporters in the US have invited him for a world Gujarati conference
in August, activists have urged Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
not to grant him a visa given the allegations of rights violations
against him.

In a petition, 25 organisations of non-resident Indians under an
umbrella group, Coalition Against Genocide, have told Rice: 'It has
come to our attention that Narendra Modi is once again planning to
apply for a visa to enter the US.'

'We urge the State Department not to allow Modi to enter the country
under any conditions, as the circumstances under which he was denied a
visa in 2005 remain largely unchanged, and the minority communities in
his state continue to face systematic human rights violations.'

Modi was denied a visa to visit the US after he was accused of turning
a blind eye to the communal violence in Gujarat in which at least
1,169 people, a majority of them Muslims, were killed, according to
the official figures.

The letter dated July 1 states: 'The US should not unwittingly be the
platform from which these unrepentant and yet ascendant forces in
India exploit the opportunity to rally the support base among Indian
diaspora communities and raise international legitimacy and standing.'

Pointing out that 'not only was Modi responsible for the deaths of
over 2,000 Muslims and the displacement of 200,000 more, but six years
after the Gujarat-state sponsored violence', it says: 'The Muslim
community in Gujarat is subjected to a devastating economic and social
boycott, institutionalized at every level.'

Modi, along with a number of prominent Gujarati leaders, has been
invited to attend the three-day second world Gujarati conference,
called Chaalo Gujarat, organised by the Association of Indian
Americans of North America (AIANA) and to be held in Edison in late
August.


======================================

US association against visa to Modi

http://www.gujaratglobal.com/nextSub.php?id=4189&cattype=NEWS

2008-07-03 16:46:05

Gujarat Global News Network, Ahmedabad

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's plan to visit US may once go
awry as some groups in the US are opposing his entry in the states. A
group Coalition Against Genocide has written to US secretary of state
Condoleeza Rice to not to grant visa to Modi.

There are reports that some NRGs have once again started efforts to
call Modi in US for the forthcoming World Gujarati Conference.
Protesting against this the group in a letter dated July 1 has urged
not to issue visa to Modi stating that "the conditions under which he
was denied a visa in 2005 remains largely unchanged and the minority
community in the state continue to face human right violations".

It may be recalled that the Association of Indian Americans of North
America (AIANA) had invited Modi to their first conference in 2005.
Modi was denied visa then. The association has arranged a second
conference to be held in August this year and it has invited Modi.


======================================

Deny US visa to Modi: NRI panel to Rice

http://www.keralanext.com/news/?id=134269576

Wednesday, July 02, 2008

New York: Claiming that Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi is
planning to apply for the US visa to attend the World Gujarati
Conference in New Jersey in August, as many as 25 Indian American
organisations urged the US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that he
should not be allowed to enter the country under any circumstances.


Sunil Nayak, head of Association of Indian American in North America,
which is organising the mega event, immediately condemned such an
effort. ''This is an attempt to bring politics into community event. I
do not see any genuine reason why an elected Chief Minister be denied
a US visa,'' Nayak told NDTV.com.

There was no immediate response from the State Department weather
there is any change in the US policy on granting visa to Modi. The
State Department had denied Modi a US visa in 2005.

''We urge the State Department not to allow Modi to enter the country
under any conditions, as the circumstances under which he was denied a
visa in 2005 remain largely unchanged, and the minority communities in
his state continue to face systematic human rights violations,'' urged
Coalition against Genocide in a letter to Secretary Rice.

Coalition against Genocide, a representative body of some 25 Indian
American organisations, had a successful public campaign against
Modi's visa application in 2005 when he was scheduled to attend the
annual convention of Asian American Hotel Owners Association.

Opposing such a campaign against Modi, Nayak told NDTV.com: ''The
invitation was accepted by Modi. However, we are not aware if he has
applied for a US visa. This is for his office to do and at present we
are not aware about it.''

Nayak was in Ahmadabad last month to invite Modi for the World
Gujarati Conference 2008, which is expected to be attended by several
thousand Gujaratis from all over the world.

However, officials of the Coalition Against Genocide told NDTV.Com
that they have reliable information that the Gujarat Chief Minister is
planning to apply for a US visa to attend the convention.

''The United States should not unwittingly be the platform from which
these unrepentant and yet ascendant forces in India exploit the
opportunity to rally the support base among Indian Diaspora
communities and raise international legitimacy and standing,'' the
Coalition wrote.

''It would be dangerous at this juncture of Indian political process
to give Mr. Modi that long denied and therefore much coveted window,''
the letter said.

While the State Department did not had any response to the letter,
only a few months ago, the Assistant Secretary of State for South and
Central Asian Affairs, Richard Boucher, had told reporters that there
was no change in the US policy on the issue.


======================================

'No visa for Modi'

http://andhracafe.com/index.php?m=show&id=34996

Updated: 07-03-2008

Ahmedabad, July 2 While Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's
supporters in the US have invited him for a world Gujarati conference
in August, activists have urged Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
not to grant him a visa given the allegations of rights violations
against him.

In a petition, 25 organisations of non-resident Indians under an
umbrella group, Coalition Against Genocide, have told Rice: 'It has
come to our attention that Narendra Modi is once again planning to
apply for a visa to enter the US.'

'We urge the State Department not to allow Modi to enter the country
under any conditions, as the circumstances under which he was denied a
visa in 2005 remain largely unchanged, and the minority communities in
his state continue to face systematic human rights violations.'

Modi was denied a visa to visit the US after he was accused of turning
a blind eye to the communal violence in Gujarat in which at least
1,169 people, a majority of them Muslims, were killed, according to
the official figures.

The letter dated July 1 states: 'The US should not unwittingly be the
platform from which these unrepentant and yet ascendant forces in
India exploit the opportunity to rally the support base among Indian
diaspora communities and raise international legitimacy and standing.'

Pointing out that 'not only was Modi responsible for the deaths of
over 2,000 Muslims and the displacement of 200,000 more, but six years
after the Gujarat-state sponsored violence', it says: 'The Muslim
community in Gujarat is subjected to a devastating economic and social
boycott, institutionalized at every level.'

Modi, along with a number of prominent Gujarati leaders, has been
invited to attend the three-day second world Gujarati conference,
called Chaalo Gujarat, organised by the Association of Indian
Americans of North America (AIANA) and to be held in Edison in late
August.


======================================

No visa for Modi, activists urge US

http://www.indianmuslims.info/news/2008/jul/02/no_visa_modi_activists_urge_us.html

Submitted on Wed, 07/02/2008 - 12:49.

By IANS,

Ahmedabad : While Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's supporters in
the US have invited him for a world Gujarati conference in August,
activists have urged Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice not to grant
him a visa given the allegations of rights violations against him.

In a petition, 25 organisations of non-resident Indians under an
umbrella group, Coalition Against Genocide, have told Rice: "It has
come to our attention that Narendra Modi is once again planning to
apply for a visa to enter the US."

"We urge the State Department not to allow Modi to enter the country
under any conditions, as the circumstances under which he was denied a
visa in 2005 remain largely unchanged, and the minority communities in
his state continue to face systematic human rights violations."

Modi was denied a visa to visit the US after he was accused of turning
a blind eye to the communal violence in Gujarat in which at least
1,169 people, a majority of them Muslims, were killed, according to
the official figures.

The letter dated July 1 states: "The US should not unwittingly be the
platform from which these unrepentant and yet ascendant forces in
India exploit the opportunity to rally the support base among Indian
diaspora communities and raise international legitimacy and standing."

Pointing out that "not only was Modi responsible for the deaths of
over 2,000 Muslims and the displacement of 200,000 more, but six years
after the Gujarat-state sponsored violence", it says: "The Muslim
community in Gujarat is subjected to a devastating economic and social
boycott, institutionalized at every level."

Modi, along with a number of prominent Gujarati leaders, has been
invited to attend the three-day second world Gujarati conference,
called Chaalo Gujarat, organised by the Association of Indian
Americans of North America (AIANA) and to be held in Edison in late
August.


======================================

No visa for Modi, activists urge US

http://news.webindia123.com/news/Articles/World/20080702/989825.html

Ahmedabad July 02, 2008 7:05:08 PM IST

While Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's supporters in the US have
invited him for a world Gujarati conference in August, activists have
urged Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice not to grant him a visa
given the allegations of rights violations against him.

In a petition, 25 organisations of non-resident Indians under an
umbrella group, Coalition Against Genocide, have told Rice: "It has
come to our attention that Narendra Modi is once again planning to
apply for a visa to enter the US."

"We urge the State Department not to allow Modi to enter the country
under any conditions, as the circumstances under which he was denied a
visa in 2005 remain largely unchanged, and the minority communities in
his state continue to face systematic human rights violations."

Modi was denied a visa to visit the US after he was accused of turning
a blind eye to the communal violence in Gujarat in which at least
1,169 people, a majority of them Muslims, were killed, according to
the official figures.

The letter dated July 1 states: "The US should not unwittingly be the
platform from which these unrepentant and yet ascendant forces in
India exploit the opportunity to rally the support base among Indian
diaspora communities and raise international legitimacy and standing."

Pointing out that "not only was Modi responsible for the deaths of
over 2,000 Muslims and the displacement of 200,000 more, but six years
after the Gujarat-state sponsored violence", it says: "The Muslim
community in Gujarat is subjected to a devastating economic and social
boycott, institutionalized at every level."

Modi, along with a number of prominent Gujarati leaders, has been
invited to attend the three-day second world Gujarati conference,
called Chaalo Gujarat, organised by the Association of Indian
Americans of North America (AIANA) and to be held in Edison in late
August.


======================================

NRIs to thwart Modi visa attempt

http://howrah.org/india_news/17881.html

03 July, 2008 03:36:03

BY OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

AHMEDABAD

July 3: Over 25 NRI organisations, under the umbrella of the coalition
against genocide, have appealed to US secretary of state Condoleezza
Rice to thwart Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi's attempt to
obtain a US visa.

A Chalo Gujarat Conference is going to be held in August in New Jersey
and is expected to be attended by over 50,000 Gujaratis. The
conference organisers, who are Mr Modi's supporters, want the Gujarat
chief minister to be present. Since last two years, Mr Modi has been
addressing the Diaspora through video conferencing. Mr Modi was denied
a visa in 2005, following representations by various national and
international human rights organisations who pointed out his role in
Gujarat riots and urged the US government to not allow him to enter
the country.

In a fresh appeal on Wednesday, 25 organisations under the aegis of
"Coalition Against Genocide", they drew the attention of Ms Rice that
Mr Modi was once again planning to apply for visa.

The Coalition Against Genocide includes a diverse spectrum of
organisations associated with Indian-Americans that have come together
in response to the Gujarat genocide to demand justice and
accountability. "We urge the state department not to allow Mr Modi to
enter the country (US) under any conditions, as the circumstances
under which he was denied a visa in 2005 remain largely unchanged, and
the minority communities in his state continue to face systematic
human rights violations," they said, adding US should not unwittingly
become the platform for these unrepentant yet ascendant forces in
India to exploit the opportunity to rally the support base among
Indian Diaspora communities and raise international legitimacy and
standing.

"It would be dangerous at this juncture of Indian political process to
give Mr Modi that long denied and much coveted window," they added.

The coalition pointed out that Mr Modi was responsible for the deaths
of over 2,000 Muslims and the displacement of 200,000 more.



======================================

No visa for Modi, activists urge US
July 2nd, 2008
THAINDIAN
http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/politics/no-visa-for-modi-activists-urge-us_10067025.html

Ahmedabad, July 2 (IANS) While Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's
supporters in the US have invited him for a world Gujarati conference
in August, activists have urged Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
not to grant him a visa given the allegations of rights violations
against him. In a petition, 25 organisations of non-resident Indians
under an umbrella group, Coalition Against Genocide, have told Rice:
"It has come to our attention that Narendra Modi is once again
planning to apply for a visa to enter the US."

"We urge the State Department not to allow Modi to enter the country
under any conditions, as the circumstances under which he was denied a
visa in 2005 remain largely unchanged, and the minority communities in
his state continue to face systematic human rights violations."

Modi was denied a visa to visit the US after he was accused of turning
a blind eye to the communal violence in Gujarat in which at least
1,169 people, a majority of them Muslims, were killed, according to
the official figures.

The letter dated July 1 states: "The US should not unwittingly be the
platform from which these unrepentant and yet ascendant forces in
India exploit the opportunity to rally the support base among Indian
diaspora communities and raise international legitimacy and standing."

Pointing out that "not only was Modi responsible for the deaths of
over 2,000 Muslims and the displacement of 200,000 more, but six years
after the Gujarat-state sponsored violence", it says: "The Muslim
community in Gujarat is subjected to a devastating economic and social
boycott, institutionalized at every level."

Modi, along with a number of prominent Gujarati leaders, has been
invited to attend the three-day second world Gujarati conference,
called Chaalo Gujarat, organised by the Association of Indian
Americans of North America (AIANA) and to be held in Edison in late
August.