Mar
National Council of Canadian Muslims and World Sikh Organization Launch Report on The RSS Network in Canada
Written by National Council of Canadian MuslimsAs salamu alaikum / Peace be Upon You
Many of us remember those early days of the pandemic, locked in our homes and facing a level of uncertainty we hadn’t experienced before.
It was Ramadan and the mosques were closed. Many longed for that connection again, to experience the sacred together.
Cities across Canada then allowed the call to prayer or adhaan to be played a few minutes a day, to foster a sense of community. It was a nice gesture during hard times.
Yet the move triggered an Islamophobic backlash accusing Muslims of getting special treatment. Insults, stereotypes and slurs filled social media.
One such example came from a local school council leader who purported to also represent Canadian Hindu community. His name was found linked to a group called the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, or HSS.
At the time, few in Canada knew the implications of this connection. The HSS is the foreign organ of the RSS, or Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (National Volunteer Organization), a non-government group that wants to remake India into a country run by and for its Hindu majority, thus pushing its large array of minority groups—Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Dalits, Adivasis, etc.—into inferior status.
It is one of the most influential non-government organizations on earth, and it has long been doing its work inside Canada to help fulfil the vision of an exclusivist India. Its global network had long been inside of Canada as well, yet few know the extent of its work.
That’s why, along with the World Sikh Organization (WSO) of Canada, we released a major new report this week—The RSS Network in Canada. A comprehensive look at the RSS money and influence network in Canada.
You can download and read the report here: https://www.nccm.ca/rss-in-canada/
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which rules India today, is an extension of the RSS. It is also helping host the 2023 G20 Summit, which Canadian officials headed to this week for the Foreign Ministers meeting. It is time our officials paid more attention to this issue.
The BJP counts among its ranks too many who fuel anti-Muslim violence in India, including bulldozing the properties of those who disagree with their policies and rhetoric.
You can do two things to hold them accountable:
Donate today so we can continue pushing for change
With your support, we can move the dial on this issue and others.
Wasalam,
The NCCM Team
