On Sept 1, 2020, Redmond, WA City Council Resolution 1534 sought to condemn APPWW (ALLIANCE FOR PERSECUTED PEOPLES WORLD WIDE) for taking up the cause of persecuted minorities around the world. We believe that the sponsor of the resolution singled out APPWW because it’s key members were Hindus and they highlighted the plight of Muslim minorities such as Baloch, Ahamadis etc and other minorities such as Yazdis and Hindus in some Muslim majority countries. HinduPACT wrote to the Redmond City Council members urging them to vote against the resolution and seeking a vote on an amended resolution that broadly condemned all hate. Eventually, the resolution criticizing APPWW failed and amended resolution passed.
HinduPACT letter on Redmond City Council Resolution
Today, Redmond City Council is taking up Resolution #1534 “A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF REDMOND, WASHINGTON, CONDEMNING HATE BY APPWW AND AFFIRMING REDMOND VALUES OF INCLUSION”
Hindu Policy Research and Advocacy Collective USA (HinduPACT USA) urges the Redmond City Council members to reject this resolution because APPWW is singularly committed to defend persecuted minorities around the world:
1. APPWW has taken up the cause of persecuted Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, and Christian minorities in the Indian subcontinent, especially Pakistan and Afghanistan, which are Islamic countries
2. APPWW taken up the cause of persecuted Muslim minorities, e.g., Baloch, and Ahmadis in Pakistan
3. APPWW has taken the cause of Native Americans
The resolution against APPWW is especially troubling because:
1. The petitioners seek to shut down the voice of a small organization because it is run by a Hindu religious minority that seeks to speak for persecuted Muslims.
2. It is a politically motivated Indiaphobic resolution disguised as Islamophobic resolution because APPWW chose to speak out against persecution of minorities in Pakistan
3. A letter referenced in the resolution touting support from some organizations (https://condemnappww.wordpress.com/2020/07/28/a-public-letter-exposing-appww/) indicates that one of the members of APPWW opposed Congresswoman Illhan Omar and that makes her Islamophobic. Since when is legitimate opposition to any political candidate on any ground considered hate against any particular faith? In our democracy, we retain rights to oppose candidates we do not agree with on any ground, including issues that arise out of practice of faith such as school prayers or abortion without sprouting hate against individuals or their faith by getting signatures from dozens or organization. What is next? Is anyone running against Councilwoman Khan going to be labelled Islamophobe because they have a viewpoint that is dissimilar to hers?
We urge the City Council members to explicitly oppose Hinduphobia and phobias against people of all faiths, in Redmond and around the world. HinduPACT USA, hopes that members of Redmond City Council and many organizations who have signed the letter against APPWW will join hands in opposing the persecution of Islamic minorities in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Kashmiri Hindus who have been victims of terrorism and are now refugees outside Kashmir.