During the recent state visit of the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the United States, former US President Barack Obama accused the Indian premier of not protecting the rights of Muslims in India. In his interview with CNN, he said, “Ensuring the safety of the Muslim minority in India, where Hindus comprise the majority would be a topic worth discussing in Modi’s meeting with President Joe Biden.”
These remarks against the Indian leadership remind us of the old Hindi idiom “Ulta Chor Kotwal Ko Dantey”—pot calling the kettle black. From drone attacks to bombing the Muslim nations, from empowering Islamists and Muslim Brotherhood to destabilising the Arab nations—Barack Obama has got a blood-stained shirt under his classy blazer.
Furthermore—it is crucial to fact-check Obama’s remarks regarding the oppression of Muslims in India to determine the accuracy of his allegations.
What was happening when Obama criticised Modi?
PM Modi’s visit to the United States and then to Egypt had taken place amidst a rapidly changing global landscape—where India maintains both its strategic autonomy and geopolitical equilibrium.
In the last three weeks, the United States has actively attempted to attract India. The offer of a $500-million military equipment and technology package, which includes jet engines, critical minerals technology, and technology transfers, is a significant incentive for a developing country like India that is modernising its defence capabilities. In addition—the private family dinner at Biden’s residence and the state dinner at the White House serve as a channel to further honour the Indian leadership.
During his return, PM Modi halted in Egypt, and he was awarded Egypt’s highest honour, the ‘Order of the Nile’ award, by President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi at the presidential palace, as both countries strengthened their partnership. The two leaders also signed a declaration to elevate Egyptian-Indian ties to a strategic partnership—which involves intensifying cooperation and holding regular talks. After his meeting with el-Sissi, Modi toured the renowned Pyramids of Giza and the historic Al-Hakim Mosque in Cairo. His visit to the historic mosque symbolises that India is not an Islamophobic country, where Islam and Islamic symbols are abhorred.
Obama’s Dark Past
Obama’s drone strikes in Muslim countries have always been controversial. The strikes resulted in the deaths of millions of Muslim civilians. Despite the Obama administration’s assertion that the drone strikes were essential in targeting terrorists—in reality—they also killed numerous innocent individuals. These strikes have generated anti-American sentiments in the region, making it increasingly challenging for the US to cultivate ties with Muslim nations.
According to F. Brinley Bruton’s analysis piece in NBC news, during Obama’s tenure, the US dropped an average of 72 bombs every day—the equivalent of three an hour. The New York-based think tank Council of Foreign Relations (CFR) reported that—26,171 bombs were dropped on Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Libya, Yemen, Somalia and Pakistan in 2016. The CFR cautioned that its projections were likely underestimated since accurate data is only accessible for drone strikes carried out in Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, and Libya. Additionally, a single “strike” as per the Pentagon’s definition can involve several bombs or munitions.
In October 2015, an AC-130U gunship from the US Air Force launched an attack on the Kunduz Trauma Centre, which was being run by Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), in the city of Kunduz, Afghanistan. The attack resulted in the deaths of 42 individuals and left over 30 injured. MSF denounced the incident, labelling it as a deliberate violation of international humanitarian law and a war crime. These are a few incidents of gross human rights violations that took place under Obama’s leadership.
Moreover, Obama’s support for the Arab Spring had an adverse effect on the entire region. His administration empowered Islamists and the Muslim Brotherhood with the aim to overthrow the monarchies in the Middle East. In Libya, Gaddafi’s removal gave rise to terrorist organisations, while in Syria, the conflict led to the displacement of millions of people and the emergence of extremist groups such as ISIS.
As a result of Obama’s policies—groups like ISIS emerged, causing turmoil and instability in the region.
John Rossomando’s book, ‘The Arab Spring Ruse’ provides an in-depth analysis of Obama’s Middle East policies and their impact on the region. He contends that these groups, which hold extreme ideologies, have caused chaos and instability in the region and pose a threat to global and regional security. Rossomando wrote, “The Muslim Brotherhood’s objective in Syria aimed to achieve its dream of a new caliphate, and the Obama administration fell for the ruse hook, line, and sinker.”
Emails obtained from a listserv of American Muslim leaders, by the Investigative Project on Terrorism (IPT), reveal that Dar al-Hijrah, a hardcore Islamist organisation, hosted a strategy session to coordinate the goodwill groups’ Syria plans on July 26, 2012. Every major Islamist group in America attended the meeting under Obama’s blessings. Following the strategy meeting at Dar al-Hijrah, Reuters journalist Mark Hosenball reported that Obama had authorised secret aid to the Syrian rebels through a classified order.
There are numerous cases of American-supplied weapons falling into the possession of Al-Qaeda or ISIS terrorists due to these alliances. One such instance was when the US-trained Syrian rebel commander, Anas Obaid, disclosed that he had duped the United States and had joined Jabhat al-Nusra, now known as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, along with his American-supplied weapons.
The repercussions of the Arab Spring and Obama’s failed policies impacted India as well. Extremism escalated and a penchant for the global Caliphate among the Islamist organisations affiliated to Jamaat–e-Islami, Hizbut-Tahrir, and Ikhwanul-Muslimeen, started to pose a great risk to India’s security.
Are Muslims Really Oppressed in India?
Dalia Zaida, Director of the MEEM Center for the Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean Studies, recently made a statement during a Times Now interview—in which she expressed her understanding that PM Modi’s efforts are directed towards combating extremism and not Islam, as some people try to portray. She explained that although Egypt is a predominantly Muslim country, it has been accused of Islamophobia due to its leadership’s firm approach towards combating Islamist extremism.
According to Pew Research, 98 percent of Indian Muslims stated that they have the freedom to practice their religion in India, with only 2 percent responding that they are “not too free” to practice their religion, and almost no one saying that they are “not at all free.” These results challenge the politicised narratives that assert that Muslims in India are experiencing widespread prejudice.
On the contrary, in the US, 80 percent of African-Americans, 46 percent of Hispanic Americans, and 42 percent of Asian Americans reported facing “a lot of discrimination” regarding religious freedom. If there is discrimination against Muslims in India, it appears to be substantially less severe than the discrimination encountered by the primary minority groups in the country. When Indian Muslims were asked if they were “proud to be Indians”, 90 percent of those surveyed expressed that they were extremely proud, and 4 percent indicated that they were moderately proud. These statistics suggest that Muslims in India are not only surviving but thriving.
Moreover, Muslims in India are not a “minority”, they are the second-largest majority. Muslims need to get rid of this idea of being a minority, as it leads to the sense of victimhood, and creates friction.
It’s quite evident that Obama’s criticism of Modi is quite hypocritical and ironic, considering the controversies and miscarriages that occurred during Obama’s presidential term. It is akin to throwing stones from a glass house.
Also, a reasonable suggestion to the Muslims would be—the issues and problems can be resolved inside the house, with proper dialogue and mature discussion—but not by relying upon the foreign sympathizers whose pretentious words are in contrast to their actions. Remember what the Prophet said—“A believer is not stung twice out of the same hole”. One should not be deceived by the flowery language, and instead, should critically analyse the actions and intentions of the speaker.
The author is a Saudi-based Indian national. He is Director of Milli Chronicle Media London. He holds a Master degree in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI-ML) from Liverpool John Moore University. He did a certificate program in Counterterrorism from the University of Leiden, Netherlands. He tweets under @ZahackTanvir. Views expressed are personal.
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