OIC slams India over 'practices targeting Muslims', calls upon UN to take measures

The General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation today strongly condemned & denounced the recent denigration of Prophet Muhammad by an official of India's ruling party.

"These cases of defamation are part of a growing spate of hatred & defamation of Islam in India," the OIC today said in a Tweet condemning sacked BJP spokesperson Nupur's Sharma remark on Prophet.

The OIC further targeted India on issues of hijab controversy that had been brewing in India where Muslim girls were barred from wearing hijabs and burqas in educational institutes.

In a released statement, OIC slammed India, saying there is growing violence against the systematic practices against Indian Muslims, particularly in light of a set of decisions to prohibit the use of hijab in educational institutions in some Indian states, including the demolition of Muslims' properties.

The OIC further called on the Indian authorities to decisively address these incidents of defamation and all forms of insult to the noble Prophet and Islam and to bring those who incite and perpetrate violence against Muslims to justice and hold those behind them accountable.

Slamming India on the issue of the Gyanvapi mosque row where Muslims were allegedly forced out of the mosque and were not allowed to pray, the organization called on the Indian authorities to ensure the safety, security and well-being of Muslims in India and protect their rights as well as religious and cultural identity, dignity and places of worship.

The General Secretariat also called on the international community, in particular, the United Nations mechanisms and the Human Rights Council's special measures, to take necessary measures to challenge practices targeting Muslims in India.