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Who Is Rahul Gandhi Meeting At His Three-City Tour In The US?

June 2, 2023
The Commune

Close to the heels of former MP Rahul Gandhi making controversial statements about the Muslim League being completely secular at the Press Club in Washington, there is growing debate on who he is meeting with during his trip.
Twitter handle HinduACTion shared a photo of Rahul Gandhi with a well-known liberal based in the US, Sunita Vishwanath, who works for Muslim Jihadi organisations and was the key person behind the Dismantling Global Hindutva “conference”.

Recent revelations have emerged regarding the alleged association of coordinators and organizers linked to radical Islamist fronts with the events scheduled as part of Gandhi’s tour. A tweet thread on this shared by DisinfoLab also became viral and it alleges that certain individuals claiming to be associated with the events are allegedly connected to Pak Jamaat-e-Islami and Muslim Brotherhood-linked fronts.

These organizations have a history of promoting radical ideologies and have been known to engage in activities that are hostile toward India.
One of the coordinators of the event scheduled for June 4 in New York, Tanzeem Ansari, holds a prominent role in the Amir Outreach Committee of the Muslim Community of New Jersey (MCNJ). The MCNJ is led by Pakistan-born Imaam Jawad Ahmed, who also serves as the Project Director of the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA).

The ICNA, known for its radical Islamist leanings, has ties to Pakistan’s Jamaat-e-Islami and has been criticized for its anti-India stance. The organization has been associated with radical and terror groups and has even glorified individuals such as Syed Salahuddin, the chief of Hizbul Mujahideen, who advocates for the separation of Kashmir from India.

Another coordinator, Mohammed Aslam, is a member of the Muslim Center of Greater Princeton (MCGP), which is closely affiliated with ICNA.

It is worth noting that ICNA counts among its members the founder of the banned radical group Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI). Furthermore, ICNA operates under the umbrella of organizations like Justice For All and Helping Hands for Relief and Development (HHRD).
Another self-appointed coordinator, Minhaj Khan, is allegedly linked to the Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC), an anti-India lobbying group. IAMC has been known to target India on issues related to human rights and religious freedom, often sharing fake news to incite communal tensions within the country. IAMC had engaged a US lobby firm to lobby against India in 2013-14, during the tenure of Dr. Manmohan Singh’s government.
The Executive Director of IAMC, Rasheed Ahmed, is also the Executive Director of another Jamaat-affiliated ‘charity’ front known as the Islamic Medical Association of North America (IMANA). Concerns have been raised about the misuse of funds raised by IMANA, as it has been associated with retired Pakistani Army and Naval officials, as well as terrorist groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Hizbul Mujahideen.

Organizations such as IAMC and ICNA exist at the confluence of Jamaat-e-Islami and the Muslim Brotherhood (MB). Members of IMANA have also been involved with MB front organizations like the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA). In 2017, ISNA Canada was implicated by the Canada Revenue Agency for funding the ‘charity’ wing of Hizbul Mujahideen. These organizations continue their anti-India activities regardless of the political party in power, often adapting their narrative to suit the prevailing circumstances.
The emergence of these links raises questions about the associations and ideological alignment of those involved in organizing Rahul Gandhi’s tour events. The revelation has sparked a significant debate and calls for clarification regarding the Congress leader’s stance on radical Islamist groups and his commitment to India’s national interests.

Are these engagements in line with what he spoke at the Press Club, especially with regard to “rights of minorities”?

What is Rahul Gandhi planning? Only time will tell.

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