Skip to main content

Link India's 'deteriorating' religious conditions with trade relations: US policymakers told

In a significant move, Commissioners on the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) have raised concerns about the “sophisticated, systematic persecution” of religious minorities by the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a hearing on India in Washington DC.
For the past four years, USCIRF has recommended India to be designated a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) for its severe violations of human rights and religious freedoms. This recommendation has yet to be implemented by the US Department of State.
In commending the testimonies of the experts and activists called to speak at the hearing, USCIRF Commissioner David Curry said, “I’ve become convinced that India has the most sophisticated, systematic persecution of religious minorities by any democratic government. And I don’t say that lightly.”
“Religious freedom conditions in India have notably declined in recent years,” said USCIRF chair Rabbi Abraham Cooper. “Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Dalits, Adivasis are experiencing increased levels of attacks and acts of intimidation… These trends and their implications for US foreign policy should not be ignored.”
“Policymakers cannot ignore the foreign policy and trade implications of deteriorating religious conditions in India,” said vice chair Frederick A Davie, adding that USCIRF’s reporting takes note of several Indian states’ legal restrictions “on religious conversion, religious dress, educational curriculum, interfaith marriage, and cow slaughter,” which “negatively impacts Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Dalits, and Indigenous and scheduled tribal people.”
Other speakers also called on the US government to condemn India’s declining religious freedoms and human rights violations.
“It is for the government of the United States to be very frank here and indicate that there are serious areas of concern [in India]… in order to ensure peace,” said Dr Fernand de Varennes, United Nations Special Rapporteur on minority issues. “Because if we don’t have that, we are heading towards a massive dangerous situation in India, [which] will have repercussions on the United States.”
Sarah Yager, Washington director of the Human Rights Watch, criticized the Biden administration’s open display of support for Modi as a means to counteract China.
“Prime Minister Modi was warmly welcomed in Washington as we remember very recently by the White House and Congress,” she said. “With this unmitigated demonstration of support by US officials, we question what reason [Modi] has to change course… China’s rise cannot be an excuse for US officials to overlook, ignore or play down the human rights abuses of its friends.”
Sunita Viswanath, co-founder of Hindus for Human Rights, read a statement on behalf of 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 which co-authored the statement.
“We are disappointed that Muslims, Christians, Sikhs and Dalits, who face the brunt of religious freedom and human rights violations under Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have not been invited to speak on this panel,” Viswanath said.
“The rejection by the Biden and Trump Administrations of USCIRF’s recommendation to designate India as a CPC for three years in a row is a troubling precedent,” she added. “If the Biden Administration continues its uncritical embrace of the Modi government despite mounting violations of religious freedom and human rights in India, America will carry the burden of being on the wrong side of history.”
Irfan Nooruddin, Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani Professor of Indian Politics in the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, spoke on rising mob violence in India.
“Vigilante groups – in a manner reminiscent of the darkest periods of American history – harass, beat, and murder Muslim men rumored to be smuggling beef, dating a Hindu girl, or insulting a deity. No evidence is required,” he said.
Adding that these attacks are enabled by the Modi regime’s silence, Nooruddin said, “This offers an opening for the US government to call upon its alleged partner to speak more clearly and act more decisively to defend religious minorities.”

Comments

TRENDING

Irrational? Basis for fear among Hindus about being 'swamped' by Muslims

I was amused while reading an article titled "Ham Paanch, Hamare Pachees", shared on Facebook, by well-known policy analyst Mohan Guruswamy, an alumnus of the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, and the Graduate School of Business, Stanford University. Guruswamy, who has also worked as an advisor to the Finance Minister with the rank of Secretary to the Government of India, seeks to probe, as he himself states, "the supposed Muslim attitude to family planning"—a theme that was invoked by Narendra Modi as Gujarat Chief Minister ahead of the December 2002 assembly polls.

Why's Australian crackdown rattling Indian students? Whopping 25% fake visa applications

This is what happened several months ago. A teenager living in the housing society where I reside was sent to Australia to study at a university in Sydney with much fanfare. The parents, whom I often met as part of a group, would tell us how easily the boy got his admission with the help of "some well-meaning friends," adding that they had obtained an education loan to ensure he could study at a graduate school.

Tracking a lost link: Soviet-era legacy of Gujarati translator Atul Sawani

The other day, I received a message from a well-known activist, Raju Dipti, who runs an NGO called Jeevan Teerth in Koba village, near Gujarat’s capital, Gandhinagar. He was seeking the contact information of Atul Sawani, a translator of Russian books—mainly political and economic—into Gujarati for Progress Publishers during the Soviet era. He wanted to collect and hand over scanned soft copies, or if possible, hard copies, of Soviet books translated into Gujarati to Arvind Gupta, who currently lives in Pune and is undertaking the herculean task of collecting and making public soft copies of Soviet books that are no longer available in the market, both in English and Indian languages.

Gujarat slips in India Justice Report 2025: From model state to mid-table performer

Overall ranking in IJR reports The latest India Justice Report (IJR), prepared by legal experts with the backing of several civil society organisations and aimed at ranking the capacity of states to deliver justice, has found Gujarat—considered by India's rulers as a model state for others to follow—slipping to the 11th position from fourth in 2022.

Punishing senior citizens? Flipkart, Shopsy stop Cash on Delivery in Ahmedabad!

The other day, someone close to me attempted to order some goodies on Flipkart and its subsidiary Shopsy. After preparing a long list of items, this person, as usual, opted for the Cash on Delivery (popularly known as COD) option, as this senior citizen isn't very familiar with online prepaid payment methods like UPI, credit or debit cards, or online bank transfers through websites. In fact, she is hesitant to make online payments, fearing, "I may make a mistake," she explained, adding, "I read a lot about online frauds, so I always choose COD as it's safe. I have no knowledge of how to prepay online."

A conman, a demolition man: How 'prominent' scribes are defending Pritish Nandy

How to defend Pritish Nandy? That’s the big question some of his so-called fans seem to ponder, especially amidst sharp criticism of his alleged insensitivity during his journalistic career. One such incident involved the theft and publication of the birth certificate of Masaba Gupta, daughter of actor Neena Gupta, in the Illustrated Weekly of India, which Nandy was editing at the time. He reportedly did this to uncover the identity of Masaba’s father.

Of lingering shadow of Haren Pandya's murder during Modi's Gujarat days

Sunita Williams’ return to Earth has, ironically, reopened an old wound: the mysterious murder of her first cousin, the popular BJP leader Haren Pandya, in 2003. Initially a supporter of Narendra Modi, Haren turned against him, not sparing any opportunity to do things that would embarrass Modi. Social media and some online news portals, including The Wire , are abuzz with how Modi’s recent invitation to Sunita to visit India comes against the backdrop of how he, as Gujarat’s chief minister, didn’t care to offer any official protocol support during her 2007 visit to Gujarat.  

Area set aside in Ahmedabad for PM's affordable housing scheme 'has gone to big builders'

Following my article on affordable housing in Counterview, which quoted a top real estate consultant, I was informed that affordable housing—a scheme introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi—has deviated from its original intent. A former senior bureaucrat, whom I used to meet during my Sachivalaya days, told me that an entire area in Ahmedabad, designated for the scheme, has been used to construct costly houses instead. 

Just 5% Gujarat Dalit households 'recognise' social reformers who inspired Ambedkar

An interesting survey conducted across 22 districts and 32 villages in Gujarat sheds light on the representation of key social reformers in Dalit households. It suggests that while Dr. B.R. Ambedkar's photo was displayed in a majority of homes, images of Lord Buddha and the 19th-century reformist couple, Savitribai Phule and Jyotiba Phule, were not as commonly represented.