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As I see it | Why Australia allowing India to gloss over anti-Muslim tirade is unwise
- Canberra has largely remained silent on declining democratic freedoms and rising Islamophobia under the Modi administration
- There may be diplomatic reasons Australia has not openly called out its ally’s human rights abuse, but not doing so is starting to make it look hypocritical
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Su-Lin Tanin Singapore
When Australian foreign minister Penny Wong was asked about her government’s silence on India’s alleged human rights abuse of its Muslim minorities in March, I called multiple Indian academics for their opinion.
Several responses surprised me.
“No, there is no human rights abuse in India. You’re mistaken,” one said.
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The academic also peddled the greatness of India and called whatever I had heard about Hindu nationalism and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s alleged role in the Gujarat riots that killed many Muslims – a figment of my imagination – in a non-stop speech that lasted 10 minutes.
The conversation happened at the same time India blocked the airing of a BBC documentary on the anti-Muslim violence and raided the broadcaster’s offices in Mumbai and New Delhi.
Similar things have, of course, happened in other countries such as China and Myanmar where authorities, academics and powerful people have denied and ignored allegations of human rights abuse.
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