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DAWN, Wednesday, March 06, 2002
VHP be declared terrorist: US forum
By Our Correspondent
SAN FRANCISCO, March 5: American Muslim groups have denounced the
massacre of Muslims in the Indian state of Gujrat and urged the
US administration to declare the Indian extremist organizations
as terrorists.
The Pakistan American Democratic Forum (PADF), a leading
organization of American Muslims, in a statement said the massive
killing of Muslims by Hindu extremists is another example of
terrorist activities launched by Hindu groups.
"The massacre of Muslim civilians in Gujrat gives credence
to the PADF call on the US administration to declare the Hindu
extremists organizations, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Bajrang
Dal, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Shiv Sena as terrorist
groups," the PADF statement concluded.
United Muslims of America, another organization of Americans
Muslims, has supported the PADF's call for banning the VHP.
The UMA said: "Since Sept 11 event, many Muslim humanitarian
organizations in US have been banned on the suspicion that they
were funding some terrorist activities abroad. While Vishwa Hindu
Parishad (VHP), an extremist Hindu organization that has branches
in USA and is responsible for many anti-Muslim and anti-Christian
pogroms in India, including the one going on in state of Gujarat
now, is free to operate and fund its terrorist activities in
India."