September 21, 2023
At a recent hearing focused on India, Commissioners representing the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) voiced their apprehensions regarding religious persecution on Christians, Muslims and minorities by the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Over the last four years, USCIRF has consistently suggested that India should be classified as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) due to its significant human rights abuses and violations of religious freedoms. However, the US Department of State has not yet acted on this recommendation.
The following comments and observations are provided by USCIRF commissioners, UN special envoy, and experts.
Abraham Cooper, “USCIRF Chair Rabbi stated, ‘Religious freedom conditions in India have significantly deteriorated in recent years. Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Dalits, and Adivasis are facing a rising number of attacks and acts of intimidation. These trends and their implications for US foreign policy should not be overlooked.'”
Frederick A. Davie, “The Vice Chair of USCIRF Commission emphasized that policymakers must consider the foreign policy and trade implications of worsening religious conditions in India. USCIRF’s reports highlight legal restrictions in various Indian states on religious conversion, religious attire, educational content, interfaith marriages, and cow slaughter, all of which adversely affect Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Dalits, Indigenous, and tribal communities.”
Dr. Fernand de Varennes, UN Special Envoy, said that “India risks becoming one of the world’s main generators of instability, atrocities and violence, because of the massive scale and gravity of the violations and abuses targeting mainly religious and other minorities such as Muslims, Christians, Sikhs and others. It is not just individual or local, it is systematic and a reflection of religious nationalism.”
He emphasized the importance of the United States being candid about serious areas of concern to promote peace. As a cautionary note, the absence of action from the US could result in a significant and perilous situation in India, with potential consequences for the United States.”
Tariq Ahmed, Foreign Law Specialist at the Law Library of Congress, explained that India’s freedom of religion acts, commonly referred to as anti-conversion laws, are statutes enacted at the state level to regulate religious conversions. Currently, these laws are in effect in at least 12 out of 28 states, with similarities in their content and structure. However, many of the terms defined in these laws, such as preventing conversion through misrepresentation, force, fraud, undue influence, allurement, coercion, or marriage, are vaguely defined and lack clarity and precision. This ambiguity makes the laws susceptible to misuse or abuse.
Irfan Nooruddin, who holds the Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani Professorship in Indian Politics at Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, addressed the issue of escalating mob violence in India.
Irfan Nooruddin mentioned that vigilante groups in India, reminiscent of dark periods in American history, engage in harassment, physical violence, and murder of Muslim men based on rumors, such as alleged beef smuggling, dating Hindu girls, or insulting deities. These acts occur without the need for any evidence.
Sarah Yager, The Washington Director of Human Rights Watch criticized the Biden administration’s overt endorsement of Modi as a strategy to counterbalance China.
“Prime Minister Modi received a warm welcome in Washington, as we vividly recall, from both the White House and Congress,” she remarked. “Given this unwavering show of support from US officials, we must question whether he has any incentive to change his approach. While acknowledging China’s ascent, it should not serve as a justification for US officials to disregard, dismiss, or downplay the human rights violations committed by their allies.”
Sunita Viswanath, co-founder of Hindus for Human Rights, read a statement on behalf of a coalition that included the Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC), Dalit Solidarity Forum, Federation of Indian American Christian Organizations, Hindus for Human Rights, India Civil Watch International, and the New York State Council of Churches. All of these organizations co-authored the statement.
“”We express our disappointment that individuals from the Muslim, Christian, Sikh, and Dalit communities, who bear the greatest burden of religious freedom and human rights violations during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s tenure in India, have not been included as panel speakers,” Viswanath remarked.