Stop massacre of Muslims, Iran's Khamenei tells India

Condemning the recent communal violence in Delhi, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday urged India to “stop the massacre of Muslims”, Anadolu Agency reports.

Riots in northeast Delhi after clashes between protesters for and against a controversial citizenship law turned violent, killing at least 47 people. The violence mainly centered around Muslim-majority neighborhoods with hundreds of shops and homes being burnt.

“The hearts of Muslims all over the world are grieving over the massacre of Muslims in India,” Khamenei said on Twitter.

He called upon New Delhi to “confront extremist Hindus & their parties & stop the massacre of Muslims in order to prevent India’s isolation from the world of Islam.”

Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani also expressed concern about the plight of Muslims in the South Asian nation, and urged the Indian government to prevent sectarian violence in the country.

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Larijani said that the new law was a contravention of Muslim rights.

Earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif urged India to “ensure the well-being of all Indians and not let senseless thuggery prevail.”

The Citizenship Amendment Act, or CAA, passed by the Indian parliament in December last year has sparked protests and riots across the country. It grants citizenship to non-Muslim migrants from three neighboring countries.

The legislation has been criticized by international bodies, and the UNHCR has filed an unprecedented plea with India’s Supreme Court, asking to be made a party in the case against the act.

Despite the demonstrations and mounting criticism, the Hindu nationalist government of premier Narendra Modi has rejected calls to repeal it.

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