Wrong to blame religious minorities over coronavirus origin, says US official

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 3

The US Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback has criticised the targeting of minorities in India and Afghanistan.

“We are tracking the blaming of religious minorities for Covid-19 virus, and unfortunately, it is happening in various places. This is wrong by governments to do this. It is — the governments really should put this down and state very clearly that this is not the source of the coronavirus,’’ said Brownback on being asked about a hashtag trending in India - #CoronaJihad – that hints that somehow Covid has been spread by the Muslim community. 

Considered close to US Vice President Mike Pence, he also criticised the killing of minority Sikhs in Kabul in an attack on a gurdwara and said he will soon be meeting telephonically with their representatives to understand their fears and issues in Afghanistan. His observations come against the backdrop of some Sikh groups demanding the resettlement of their Afghan co-religionists as it is impossible for them to stay there.

Brownback said his office had held some meetings with representatives of the Sikh community about that attack that took place in Kabul last month killing 25 Sikhs and indicated that there will be deliberations with multiple agencies on the issue.

Brownback said he did not have specific knowledge on whether or not Kashmir is getting the type of aid it needs. In genera,l he called upon governments to work with their religious minorities during the pandemic and ensure they are getting the needed resources and aid.

The Ambassador wanted India and countries in a similar position to go out in open messaging and say "no, this is not what happened. We know where this virus originated. We know it’s a pandemic the whole world is being subjected to and it’s not a – it’s not something from religious minorities." He was referring to the scapegoating of the Muslim community after Tablighi Jamaat, an Islamic reformist group, held a large gathering of thousands in NIzamuddin, Delhi, on March 13 with foreign nationals from Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Kyrgyzstan, and Malaysia, among which some Covid positive people passed on the infection to the congregation.

Brownback regretted that a blame game has started in different places around the world, and hoped that it would get "pushed back aggressively by those host governments".

Join Whatsapp Channel of The Tribune for latest updates.