Indonesia’s second largest Muslim group, Muhammadiyah, is condemning the sectarian violence and attacks against Muslims in India as they were "clearly against human rights principles".
ndonesia’s second largest Muslim group, Muhammadiyah, is voicing its concern over religious violence in India, where deadly clashes between Hindus and Muslims triggered by a newly enacted citizenship law have broken out in the capital New Delhi.
The organization condemned the sectarian violence and attacks against Muslims as they were "clearly against human rights principles", Muhammadiyah secretary-general Abdul Mu’thi said.
Violence broke out this week after Hindu groups objected to Muslims taking to the streets against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which eases the way for religious minorities — except Muslims — from India's neighboring countries to gain Indian citizenship.
Seen as the worst sectarian riots that have hit the Hindu-majority country in decades, the unrest has left 32 people in Delhi dead as of Thursday. Similar protests in December resulted in the deaths of at least 30 people, AFP reported.
“Muhammadiyah urges the Indian government to stop any kind of discrimination and violence against people, especially the Muslims,” Abdul told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.
The deadly turmoil has attracted the world's attention, including of people in Indonesia, with many criticizing the acts of the Hindu community — the major supporter of the citizenship law — against the Indian Muslim community.
On Thursday morning, hashtag #ShameOnYouIndia topped the trending topics on Twitter in Indonesia, with at least 46,000 tweets posted about the incidents, most of which condemned the violence.
The Indonesian government has yet to issue any statement over the turmoil in India so far.
Muhammadiyah further urged Indonesia, in its position as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, to bring up the issue on the international stage, Abdul said, adding that he hoped other member states also condemned the crisis.
“What is happening there could threaten peace in South Asia and the world,” he added.
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