The Institute on Religion and Public Policy, a Washington-based group for religious freedom, is petitioning the State Department to deny Gujarat’s Chief Minister Narendra Modiâs entry to the US to speak at the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) Convention. Garavi Gujarat reports:
The proposed Modi visit comes on the back of an invitation extended to him by the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA). The decision has also divided the organization, with some members arguing that it was a bad move to invite such a controversial figure in the first place. AAHOA, which is dominated by Gujaratis, represents around 60 per cent of the budget and mid-sized hotels in the US.
According to M P Rama, AAHOA`s vice-chairman, the organization had invited Modi from a business perspective, given his interest in inviting foreign investment and interest among AAHOA members in investing in Gujarat.
âWhen we invite a speaker we don`t go by political or religious affiliation. We look at how our members might benefit. Most of our members, perhaps up to 95 per cent are Gujaratis and they would like to hear first hand from the chief minister whether the state will offer us red tape or red carpet,” Rama said.
However, some AAHOA members, who did not want to go on record, expressed reservations about the invitation to Modi. One member pointed out that AAHOA was born out of a sense of discrimination Asian hoteliers faced in the United States. The organization should not do anything to dilute its mission statement, he said.
I love Rama’s honesty. “We look at how our members might benefit.” Still, it’s in instances such as this where I wish that higher ideals would win out. For those unfamiliar, the chief minister has been blasted by many groups for his role in Hindu/Muslim violence in the state of Gujarat.
In terms of petitioning the State Department, The Hindustan Times and several others detail the following:
In a letter addressed to US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, the IRPP argues that Modi should be denied a visa in accordance with the US’s International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. It charges him with “repeated engagement in particularly severe violations of religious freedom”.
“Secretary Rice, we ask that you do not allow this egregious violator the privilege of entering the United States,” says the letter written by IRPP’s director of programmes Benjamin Thomas. It says in case Modi already holds a US visa, his entry into the country should be “barred”.
The letter speaks of Modi’s “campaign of extremism targeting religious minorities in Gujarat”, particularly the “orchestrated attacksâ of 2002.
As for me, I plan to forward this on to all my Patel friends and have them pressure the AAHOA to rescind the invite. Incidentally, other speakers include Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, MSNBCs Hardball host Chris Mathews and conservative commentator Dinesh DSouza.
