Intensifying religious persecution in India and the U.S. response
In a joint statement released by the White House on June 22, President Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced several new technology, defense, and research initiatives that are set to bolster the economic ties between the United States and India. The statement came during Modi’s recent visit to Washington, D.C., signaling the Biden administration’s clear intent to further pivot U.S. foreign relations in the Indo-Pacific by privileging the nation which now boasts the largest democracy in the world with a greatly expanded trade partnership. Undoubtedly, this announcement will come as welcome news to many who are excited by the prospect of establishing India as a more reliable supplier of semiconductors to the U.S. and as a more militarily-secure neighbor to the Chinese Communist Party. However, the announcement also raises concerns in light of recent reports that have exposed the increasingly dire state of religious freedom and human rights within Modi’s India. Alarming reports about religious freedom In its 2023 report on religious liberty in India, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) recommended that Secretary of State Anthony Blinken designate India a “country of particular concern,” after finding increased instances of religious persecution against Muslims, Christians, and
Catholic leaders say ‘ethnic cleansing’ of Christians unfolding in Indian state
MUMBAI – Prayers and protest marches by India’s small but socially influential Catholic community were staged across the country July 2 in response to ongoing violence against Christians in the country’s northeastern state of Manipur. Called by the Catholic Bishops Conference of India, the protests highlighted that more than 100 people, largely Christians, have been killed so far in Manipur, with the carnage unfolding just ahead of the August anniversary of an anti-Christian pogrom in 2008 in the state of Orissa. The conflict pits the largely Hindu Meitei ethnic group against the mostly Protestant Christian Kuki people, each of which represents roughly forty percent of the state’s population of four million, but the Meitei enjoy the support of regional and national political forces dominated by the Hindu nationalist BJP party of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Since the violence began on May 3, estimates are that some 50,000 displaced persons are now living in 300 refugee camps, though with larger numbers expelled from their homes and villages who haven’t moved to any formal settlements. Over 5,000 structures, including churches and private Christian homes, have been burned, and some local observers claim that as many as 120 people have died. A June 22 message from
The Biden-Modi Meeting Was a Failure for Democracy
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi received VIP treatment at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue this week, including a state dinner with President Biden and an address to Congress. Modi’s red-carpet treatment was a significant endorsement of his governance, and one few world leaders have received. However, under Modi’s premiership, India has moved away from shared values and democratic norms, embracing Hindu nationalism and scapegoating religious minorities. While President Biden and Congressional leaders spoke about human rights and religious freedom, talk alone will not move Modi to change course. Modi accomplished much during his brief time in Washington, at little cost to his political agenda. The Joint Statement from the United States and India covers a laundry list of Indian priorities. While the document references human rights at the beginning, its 58 paragraphs overwhelmingly focus on technology and trade in ways hugely beneficial to India. Modi also scored a renewed pledge to permanently include India in a reformed United Nations Security Council and joint slap down of archrival Pakistan for terrorism. But did Modi deserve this treatment? The U.S. secured little in hard security commitments from him or other items that could bolster democracy and human rights in the region. For instance, Modi
India’s Rising Importance for the US: Potential and Grim Challenges
India's increasing inclination towards sourcing defence supplies from the US does signify a strengthening strategic partnership. However, it is important to recognise that defence cooperation takes time to mature, and challenges may arise along the way. India’s ascent on the global stage is a subject that has garnered limited attention, yet recent developments point to its growing significance. However, it is also true that India remains relatively unknown among the American public and policy circles. Its visibility in the mainstream media, financial exchanges, global supply chains, and even common stores is minimal. But the lack of widespread recognition need not diminish India’s potential impact or its emerging role in international affairs. While India’s middle class is expanding, concerns are raised about its comparability with developed nations. The overvaluation of gross domestic product (GDP) using ‘purchasing power parity’ (PPP) misrepresents India’s global economic outreach; not even comparable with China let alone the US or the European Union. It is essential to acknowledge that India’s per capita income remains far too low– ranked 139th in nominal and 127th in terms of PPP. The sheer size of the Indian market, with just under 1.5 billion consumers, and a nominal GDP of $3 trillion presents a compelling
How Modi went from being banned to embraced by the United States
(CNN) -- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was once shunned by the United States. Denied a visa for “severe violations of religious freedom,” he was effectively banned from entering the country for nearly a decade. But in the nine years since that ban was lifted, Modi has been progressively embraced by the White House – now more than ever. The leader of the world’s most populous nation will meet with US President Joe Biden during a state visit to Washington this week, in a trip that is expected to further boost defense, trade and technology ties, and celebrate “the warm bonds of family and friendship” that link the two countries together. Modi will also lead celebrations for the International Day of Yoga at the United Nations headquarters in New York on Wednesday, illustrating the influence of India’s soft power. He will then address Congress the following day, an honor reserved for close US allies, and attend a lavish state dinner hosted by Biden in a clear indication of how much of a strategic partner Modi has become But while the ceremonies and diplomatic niceties play out in Washington, analysts say Modi’s visit will also be a test for the Biden administration, that has positioned itself
Uniform Civil Code is Indian PM’s response to electoral rout
It confirms Narendra Modi will again use Hindu majoritarianism to win a third consecutive term in 2024 In a land where the most simple of marriage laws — that the bride must be 18 years of age — is defied by tens of millions every year, the uncommon hurry to enact a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) for 1.30 billion Indians within this year, confirms the fears that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will again use the Brahmastra, or divine weapon, of Hindu majoritarianism to win the 2024 general election, for a third consecutive term. In every election, since he used the formula to come to power in 2014, Modi has notched upsets, carrying the battle to the grassroots, seeing his opponents trying to ape him in several shades of Hindutva (hegemony of Hinduism) and fail. The Congress, even the left and the socialists in between, have discovered that soft Hindutva does not work when the real McCoy can be had for the asking. At its basest, this smoke and mirrors politics works by scaring the majority Hindus — close to 80 percent of the population — that they will be reduced to vassals of Muslims who once ravaged the land of its history and culture,
Manipur violence portends fires in India’s tribal belt
The ruling BJP backs tribe status for the state’s Hindu Meitei but wants to deny it to tribal Christians in other states By all accounts, the violence in India’s northeastern state of Manipur has been a long time coming. If anything, the governments—both in the state and in New Delhi—led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) took no steps to defuse tension or forestall violence. Manipur borders Myanmar and having a previous history of insurgencies has a heavy presence of the Indian army and paramilitary forces. It is also covered under the notorious Armed Forces Special Protection Act (AFSPA) which gives unfettered powers to the military and puts many of its actions, including the deaths of civilians at its hands, beyond the purview of the law. A conflict between two ethnic groups over constitutional status as tribes with reservations in jobs, education and elected bodies was allowed to turn anti-Christian. Christians, including Catholics, of all three or four communities in the region, the Meitei on the one hand and the Kukis, Hmars or Mizos, and Chins, on the other have been victims. The churches destroyed were creeping up towards the 100 mark as relief workers entered the troubled areas. Tens of thousands are homeless,
Justice Govind Mathur: The principles of democracy can’t be scarified at altar of majoritarianism
A protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act, in December 2019. | Reuters Just yesterday, my daughter asked me if “democracy” alone might not have sufficed in the topic of today’s speech. Was it necessary to include “constitutional”? I thought that was a significant question. We need to understand why we must stress on the Constitution, and why our democracy rests on the Constitution. Some days ago, in January this year, the Vice President of India [Jagdeep Dhankar] stated during a meeting attended by presiding officers of state legislatures that the judiciary was intruding into the territory of the legislature. He commented on the verdict of a case that was adjudicated by the Supreme Court 48 years ago, that settled in law that the basic structure of the Constitution could not be changed. He mentioned that if the elected representatives of the people of India in Parliament wished to change the Constitution, then that ruling of 1973, the Kesavananda Bharati case could not be cited to deny them that right. He contended that such opposition to changing the Constitution was against the principle of democracy. The judiciary, in the opinion of the Vice President, was extending its reach by ruling thus. According to the
Christians to vote for change in southern Indian state
Karnataka ruled by the pro-Hindu BJP has seen a rise in attacks on Christians and their institutions Christians in the poll-bound southern Indian state of Karnataka are looking to usher in change as they say they have been left despondent living under ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). “The BJP has alienated Christians with its discriminatory policies and open hatred towards us,” T Vellankanni Paul Raj, a Catholic leader based in the state capital Bengaluru (formerly Bangalore), told UCA News on April 20. Christians form 1.87 percent of Karnataka’s 61 million people and the community has faced increasing harassment for years. But attacks against Christians saw a notable surge since the BJP assumed power by unseating a Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) coalition government in July 2019. A state anti-conversion law that came into effect in May 2022 led to a further uptick in violence against Christians and their institutions like schools and hospitals, he said. “We never indulge in any illegal or violent activity. Rather we work for nation-building. But still, the BJP government targeted us by enacting a stringent anti-conversion law ignoring our pleas against it,” Raj said. Discontent among Christians was aggravated further when Munirathna Naidu, the state minister for horticulture, at a public meeting in
Tribal Christians denied work, wages in central Indian state
Nine families have filed a written complaint with district's top revenue official demanding the ‘right to work’ Tribal Christians in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh are allegedly being denied livelihood opportunities in a district that witnessed violence and social boycotts against them in December last year. Nine Christian families from Garanji village on April 17 filed a complaint with the top revenue officer in Narayanpur district saying they were being denied employment as manual laborers because of their faith. In their written complaint, the families have named Gopal Dugga, head of the village council, for depriving them of work under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) Act 2005, a law that guarantees Indian citizens the right to work. Dugga and other influential villagers were targeting them for being Christians, the families said, and added they will be taking legal action against all those discriminating against them. The MGNREGS Act aims at enhancing the livelihood security of poor people in rural areas by guaranteeing hundred days of wage employment in a financial year. The nine Christian families alleged they were facing the brunt of an undeclared ban because of their faith and thus denied livelihood opportunities in the village. The Narayanpur district had witnessed
