Concerning increase in anti-conversion laws, hate speech, bulldozer action on minorities in India: Blinken on release of Religious Freedom Report

Washington/New Delhi: There has been a “concerning increase” in anti-conversion laws, hate speech, demolitions of homes and places of worship for members of minority faith communities in India, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said.

In his remarks during the release of the annual 2023 International Religious Freedom Report, Blinken said the report documents cases “where violence is occurring at the societal level, sometimes with impunity, and it also contributes to the repression of religious communities. In India, for example, Christian communities reported that local police aided mobs that disrupted worship services over accusations of conversion activities or stood by while mobs attacked them and then arrested the victims on conversion charges”.

The report says that “Ten of 28 states have laws restricting religious conversions for all faiths. Some of these states also impose penalties specifically against forced religious conversions for the purpose of marriage”.

The report said that in March 2023, a group of 93 former senior civil servants wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing concerns regarding “continued harassment” of Christians in particular by government officials and political party leaders associated with the government.

“Christians and Muslims were arrested under laws banning forced religious conversions, which religious groups said in some cases were used to harass and imprison members of religious minority groups on false and fabricated charges or for lawful religious practices.”

Citing the new criminal laws passed by Parliament last year, it said that “Media commentators said the new laws could be used to punish Muslim men purportedly seeking to marry non-Muslim women to convert them to Islam. Opponents said the new laws were unnecessary and the strict penalties were out of line with lighter penalties given for more serious offenses. Prime Minister Modi reiterated calls to enact a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) at the national level as called for in the constitution instead of a system of separate personal laws for religious communities. Muslim, Sikh, Christian, and tribal leaders and some state government officials opposed the initiative on the grounds it was part of a project to turn the country into a “Hindu Rashtra” (a Hindu Nation).”

It said that in December, Prime Minister Modi hosted 100 Christian representatives from different denominations at his official residence and praised the contributions of the country’s Christians, but more than 3,200 individuals from the Christian community dissociated themselves from the meeting, citing growing anti-minority attacks and anti-minority hate speech by certain government officials.”

It cited the National Crimes Record Bureau to say that “Attacks on members of religious minority groups, including killings, assaults, and intimidation, occurred in various states throughout the year, including cases of “cow vigilantism” based on allegations that Muslim men were participating in cow slaughter or trade in beef. There were also attacks on religious leaders, disruption of Christian and Muslim worship services, vandalism of religious minorities’ houses of worship, and violence between religious groups. Islamic groups in Jammu and Kashmir also reportedly attacked non-Muslims during the year.”

The report said that during the year, senior US officials continued to raise concerns about religious freedom issues with their Indian counterparts.

During his visit in April, the Secretary of State Blinken also discussed developments in religious freedom with women leaders. In July, the Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights met with civil society organizations and underscored the U.S. commitment to freedom of religion or belief and freedom of expression.

“Throughout the year, the Ambassador, embassy, and consulate officials, the Assistant Secretary of State and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, and other official U.S. visitors engaged with government officials and members of religious communities, including representatives of the Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Muslim, and Sikh faiths, to discuss the importance of religious freedom and pluralism, the value of interfaith dialogue, and the operating environment for faith-based organizations.”