Dear Advocates,

Last week, Emgage Action joined Hindus for Human Rights, the Indian American Muslim Council, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee, and other sponsors in a two-day summit about preventing genocide in India. 

Our delegation of community leaders met with elected officials and senior staffers to urge Secretary of State Antony Blinken to designate India as a Country of Particular Concern, support Representative Ilhan Omar’s resolution condemning India for their human rights abuses, and continue raising awareness of Muslims in India who are facing severe discrimination and abuse at the hands of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government. For two years, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has recommended designating India as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) for its egregious breach of basic religious freedoms.

During the summit, we heard from experts about how the Indian government has increasingly moved to curb basic civil liberties and disenfranchise religious minorities. Our delegation then  met with officials and staff, including:

Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN-5)
Representative Judy Chu (D-CA-27)
Representative Eddie Bernice-Johnson (D-TX-30)
Representative Jamie Raskin (D-MD-8)
Representative John Sarbanes (D-MD-3)
Representative Jim McGovern (D-MA-2)
Representative Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD-2)
Senator Edward Markey (D-MA)
Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD)
Senator Richard Carper (D-DE)

Rep. John Sarbanes with Iman Awad, Emgage Action, and Chris Habiby, American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee

Additionally, the delegation of community leaders met with representatives from the State Department to discuss the alarming decline in religious freedoms in India.

To see what Emgage Action is working on and to take action, click here. 

Emgage Action hosted a very important community briefing with the United States Agency for International Aid (USAID) to discuss the ongoing humanitarian efforts for Pakistan. The conversation was led by Emgage Virginia Board Chair, Dr. Abdul Piracha, who spoke with Fayrouz Saad, Director of Public Engagement; Sarah Charles, Assistant to the Administrator, Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance; and Maria Longi Deputy Assistant Administrator, Bureau for Asia.

Emgage Virginia Chairman, Dr. Abdul Piracha with USAID officials Fayrouz Saad and Sarah Charles

Since July, Pakistan has experienced devastating flooding which has impacted 33 million people, including approximately 16 million children, and resulted in the deaths of more than 1,500 people. Homes, farms, and critical infrastructure including roads, bridges, schools, hospitals, and public health facilities have been destroyed. In response, on September 2, USAID deployed a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) to lead the U.S. government’s humanitarian response.

For the latest information about USAID's humanitarian response to the Pakistan floods, check out the USAID Pakistan Floods page. Additionally, to stay up-to-date on Pakistan's humanitarian response information, click here.

In regards to relief assistance and funding, the Center for International Disaster Information (CIDI) Pakistan Floods Page provides resources recommended by USAID to inform public-giving to the Pakistan flood response. There is also a United Nations-produced guide for companies interested in supporting the Pakistan floods response.

Furthermore, for those interested in donating, please consider the following funds and organizations that are working to distribute assistance on the ground:

Pakistan Floods Relief Fund
Pakistan Humanitarian Fund
Pakistan Red Crescent Society
National Humanitarian Network

We encourage you to stay connected on requested updates from USAID’s Public Engagement team concerning the floods in Pakistan. To receive their emails and access your subscriber preferences, please visit this link. 

In solidarity,

Iman Awad, Deputy Director, Emgage Action

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