ST. PAUL, Minn. (Diya TV) — It’s just a symbolic resolution, but it caused so much controversy, the St. Paul, Minnesota city council postponed their vote for two weeks. But in a 5-0 decision, with two abstentions, the council declared they oppose India’s Citizenship Amendment Act, a potential National Registry of Citizens, while stating India’s ruling party, the BJP, is “Islamophobic.” The resolution was advocated for by the Council on Islamic Relations Minnesota, whose leadership celebrated the condemnation of “Islamophobic ideology and standing in solidarity with all the minorities of India!” Meanwhile, Hindu American Foundation leaders, who coordinated 12,000 letters opposing the resolution, said “St. Paul’s resources are better spent on building community, not dividing it,” adding the “hypocrisy is breathtaking.”
And to celebrate the legacy of the late Vincent Chin, a Chinese American man slain in a hate crime, the non-profit Act To Change, co-founded by actor Maulik Pancholy, held the second annual AAPI Day Against Bullying + Hate, featuring a score of stars committed to ending bullying.
Ravi Kapur contributed to this report.