Babri Mosque in Ayodhya, India & Kishtwar Mosque in Kashmir must be Rebuilt !

ICLI's WEEKLY "LETTER WRITING CAMPAIGN"

The following letter was signed by 383 members of the congregation at the
Islamic Center of Long Island in Westbury, New York on Friday, January 12,
2001.
Alhamdulillah!.

Please take a few minutes to write your personal letter on this important
issue or just sign below. Your letter/signature can make a difference.
Allah, SWT has promised many rewards for those who speak out for justice and
fairness.
Your letter does not have to be long or in perfect English. What counts is
that you express your opinion.
Jazaakum Allah Khairan - May Allah reward you!

An Open Letter to: Shawwal 17, 1421/January12, 2001

President Elect George W. Bush/Secretary of State Elect Colin Powell:
Bush-Cheney Presidential Transition Foundation, Inc., 616 Anderson Road,
McLean, VA 22102
Senator Charles Schumer: 757 3rd Avenue, Suite 17-02, New York, NY 10017
Senator Hillary R. Clinton: 405 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10174
US Department of State, India Desk: 2201 C Street, NW, Washington, DC 20520
Congressman Peter T. King: 1003 Park Blvd., Massapequa, NY 11762
Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy:
One Fulton Ave., Suite 12, Hempstead, NY 11550
Elliot Abrams, Chairman, U.S. Com. on Int'l Religious Rights:
800 N. Capitol St., NW, Suite 790, Washington, DC 20002
U.N. Commission on Human Rights: The UN Headquarters, New York, NY 10017
Amnesty International USA, T. Kumar, Advocacy Dir. Asia & Pacific:
304 Pennsylvania Ave., SE, Washington, DC 20003
Human Rights Watch - Asia: Mickey Spiegel:
350 5th Avenue, 34th floor, New York, NY 10110
Secretary General of The League of Arab States:
747 3rd Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Conference:
30 East 40th Street, New York, NY 10017

Babri Mosque in Ayodhya, India & Kishtwar Mosque in Kashmir
Must be Rebuilt

Dear President Elect, Secretary of State Elect, Senators, Congresspersons,
Ladies, Gentlemen of conscience:

We, the undersigned, request you to take steps to protect religious freedom
for the Muslim minority in India, which is threatened by an increasing tempo
of anti-minority rhetoric and violence in that country.

Mosques in particular, seem to be a target of the anti-Muslim sentiment
propagated by extremist elements, including those in the BJP, the ruling
Hindu nationalist party. Two mosques that have been targeted recently are
being used to whip up anti-Muslim sentiment in the country. Unless steps are
urgently taken to protect the rights of the Muslim minority with respect to
these mosques, there is likely to be additional violence and loss of life.

The main mosque in the town of Kishtwar, which is in the district of Doda in
Kashmir, was burned down on January 1, 2001. The explanation given by the
Indian government officials is that the fire was due to an electrical short
circuit. But the consensus view among the population is that the mosque
had been sabotaged. Eyewitness accounts say that the police personnel who
were present at the time of the fire made no effort to save the mosque from
burning. There were massive protests by the population and an indefinite
curfew has been imposed in Kishtwar.

There is increasing tension also due to recent announcements by the extremist
Hindu organization Shiv Sena of plans to build a Hindu temple on the site of
the Babri Mosque in the town of Ayodhya which was destroyed by a Hindu mob on
December 6, 1992. Amazingly enough, the Prime Minister of India Mr. Vajpayee
expressed support for such plans in the parliament. It is not difficult to
predict that if the scheme to build a temple on the site of the mosque is to
be carried out it is going to greatly inflame the Hindu-Muslim tension in
India, and may result in a repeat of the events of December 1992 when more
than 2000 people were killed in anti-Muslim violence.

On behalf of more than 6 million Muslim-Americans we call on you to use every
political and economic means to support the rights of Muslims of India and
urge you to:

Call for an international inquiry into the circumstances of the burning of
the Kishtwar Mosque.
Call upon the Prime Minister of India Mr. Vajpayee to restore the Babri
Mosque site to the Muslim community so that the mosque can be rebuilt.

Anxiously awaiting your reply.


Sincerely,