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Friends of South Asia

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Friends of South Asia (FOSA) is a leftist organization of some Indians and Pakistanis based in Palo Alto established in 2001. It was an active participant in the Californian Hindu textbook controversy.

The organization, the membership and the sources of funding for the organization are not known. Its website at http://www.friendsofsouthasia.org/ does not give any details. Anu Mandavilli of Univ of Southern California, and Sabahat Ashraf from Pakistan has served as a spokesperson for the organization on a few occasions. Three or four other members of the organization have been mentioned in the press. Ashish Chadha, a Stanford graduate student, is said to be one of its founders, who has fascilitated use of Stanford campus for the use of the group.

It has been associated with a Sikh organization "Qaumantri Punjabi Bhaichara" of Palo Alto. They have been jointly holding vigils in Palo Alto attended by about 15 persons.

It has been reported that in a peace march organized by FOSA one of the banners claimed that "Allah would destroy the terrorist state of India”.

Its invitation to Biju Mathew, author of "Taxi! Cabs and Capitalism in New York City", said to be a supporter of Communist Party of India (Marxist), was criticized by a Stanford publication, causing cancellation of planned speech.

The group opposed Bush's visit to India and Pakistan. In a statement it said "We express our deepest disappointment with the recently concluded visit of George Bush to India and Pakistan, and unequivocally condemn the Indo-US nuke deal... The United States’ imperial designs in its war on Afghanistan and Iraq and the submission of the Indian and Pakistani governments to go along, is not lost on their people who came out in thousands in both countries to protest against Bush and his agenda."

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