This country might not be safe.
The U.S. State Department has raised concerns about religious freedom in India in its latest report, amid criticism of the Biden administration’s stance on India amidst rising persecution of Christians and religious minorities. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, alongside U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Rashad Hussain, presented the 2023 “International Religious Freedom Report,” which offers a comprehensive analysis of religious freedom in 199 countries and territories.
During the press conference, Blinken highlighted troubling trends in India, including increased anti-conversion laws, hate speech, and the demolition of homes and places of worship for minority faith communities. The report notes that 10 of India’s 28 states have enacted laws restricting religious conversions. Hussain added that Christian communities have reported instances where local police supported mobs disrupting worship services or arrested the victims of such attacks on charges of conversion activities.
The report, referencing statistics from the United Christian Forum, documented 731 attacks on Christians in India last year, up from 599 in 2022. While the Indian government claimed these reports were exaggerated, the United Christian Forum argued that official data understated the severity of the situation. The government’s affidavit to the Indian Supreme Court suggested that many cited incidents of anti-Christian violence were inaccurately portrayed.
Additionally, a counter-affidavit from a Roman Catholic diocese and several religious freedom advocacy groups contended that these attacks were part of a strategic effort by Hindu groups coinciding with the implementation of religious conversion laws in certain states. The State Department report also cited Open Doors’ World Watch List, which found that Christians in India faced increasing threats due to a belief among some Hindu extremists that only Hinduism is acceptable in India. This mindset has led to violent attacks and impunity for the perpetrators, especially in areas governed by Hindu hardliners.
The report also addressed hostility towards other religious minorities, noting communal violence in the Muslim-majority state of Haryana, which resulted in six deaths and numerous injuries. Despite arrests following the violence, the Haryana government demolished over 1,000 structures, predominantly targeting Muslim properties, including in a Rohingya refugee camp, suggesting religious motivations behind the demolitions. Critics argue that these actions were discriminatory and left many Muslims homeless, despite some having legal ownership of their properties and no involvement in the violence.
The Biden administration faced criticism for not listing India among the “Countries of Particular Concern,” reserved for the world’s worst religious freedom violators. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom expressed disappointment, highlighting India’s severe religious freedom violations and increased repression of religious minorities. The Commission pledged to continue advocating for religious freedom as a crucial aspect of U.S. foreign policy, while advocacy groups like International Christian Concern decried India’s exclusion from the list as a significant injustice.