Mumbai: Indian Muslims condemned the mass killings of Syrian minorities by extremist Islamists. Indian Muslims for Secular Democracy (IMSD) has called for an independent inquiry by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and a reconciliation within the Syrian society to prevent its “ISIS-isation.”
About The Latest Clashes
The latest clashes between loyalists of the toppled Bashar al-Assad and the security forces of the present regime allied with extremist Islamist forces in north-west Syria led to mass killing of civilians. IMSD condemned the pogroms and said that one may have differing opinions on the former government of Bashar al-Assad, but we speak out unequivocally against the targeted pogroms and murder of the minority communities, including the Alawites, Christians and Shiites.
IMSD’s statement has been endorsed by leading civil society organizations and prominent individuals supportive of the rights of minorities. More than 100 individuals from various civil society organisations and individuals activists have supported this call.
The forum of Indian Muslims called for an independent inquiry into the pogroms, by the UNHRC, alleging that the Jolani regime has extremely low credibility among the afflicted communities. It said that the killings by the Islamists are fuelled by an ideology of religious sectarianism and extremism. It also called for dialogues and reconciliation within the Syrian society to prevent the “Al Qaeda-isation” or “ISIS-isation” of Syria.
“Indian Muslims must speak out against the massacres being perpetrated by extremist Muslims in the name of Islam during this holy month of Ramzan. We also appeal to all Indians as well as the global community to speak out against the horrendous killings of religious minorities in Syria,” said a spokesperson of IMSD.
The forum said that while the Alawites, a sub-sect among Shia Muslims, are the main target of the Islamists, Christians and Shias too are being targeted in the Sunni majority country. It must emphasised that Sunnis who are offering protection to their compatriots too are being targeted, read the statement by IMSD.
