USCIRF ISSUES STATEMENT – USCIRF Outraged by Omission of Nigeria and India from State Department’s List of Countries of Particular Concern
USCIRF Outraged by Omission of Nigeria and India from State Department’s List of Countries of Particular Concern Washington, DC – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) finds it inexplicable that the U.S. Department of State did not include Nigeria or India in its latest designations of “Countries of Particular Concern” (CPCs) under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA), turning a blind eye to both countries’ particularly severe religious freedom violations. “There is no justification for the State Department’s failure to recognize Nigeria or India as egregious violators of religious freedom, as they each clearly meet the legal standards for designation as CPCs. USCIRF is tremendously disappointed that the Secretary of State did not implement our recommendations and recognize the severity of the religious freedom violations that both USCIRF and the State Department have documented in those countries,” said USCIRF Chair Nury Turkel. “The State Department’s own reporting includes numerous examples of particularly severe religious freedom violations in Nigeria and India.” Pursuant to IRFA, the State Department re-designated 10 countries as CPCs—Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. The State Department also added Cuba and Nicaragua to its CPC list, both of which previously had been on the Department’s SWL. In its 2022 Annual Report in
FIACONA Congratulates the Union of India on Her 75th Independence Day:
August 16, 2022. Washington DC. The Federation of Indian American Christian Organizations of North America (FIACONA) congratulates the people of India on the 75th Anniversary of her independence from British Rule. FIACONA applauds the resilience of the people of India and their commitment to a democratic system of government in the face of organized assault on the institutions of democracy by non-state actors and their affiliated political parties. The unprecedented number of attacks against Christian and other religious minority groups and the rise in hate crimes against them should be a serious concern for all democratic nations around the world. It is important for India to stay true to its founding principles of liberal democratic values. Right-wing politics has the potential to threaten stability in the Indian Ocean corridor. A strong pull toward dictatorial tendencies will weaken the Union of India like it has weakened other countries in that region. Such internal developments will lead to social unrest and political instability internally, as has been in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar. India, the largest democracy in the world, should emerge as a leader and example to other democracies in the world. A strong and vibrant India that respects the freedom of all its people irrespective
Margaret Alva questions PM Modi’s silence on attack against minorities
To Shri Narendra Modi Prime Minister Government of India South Block, Raisina Hill New Delhi-110 011. Dear Prime Minister, I write to you, the Leader of our great Democratic,Secular, Socialist Republic of India, governed by a Constitution which enshrines the fundamental rights and freedoms of Indian citizens, irrespective of caste, colour, race or creed, as a senior concerned citizen who has served my country for 50 years in various capacities. You are a leader respected nationally and internationally. You travel around the world, calling on world leaders, including His Holiness the Pope, in Rome, proclaiming that India is a free democratic secular state. Your speeches and statements have been praised and extensively reported on, by the global media. Unfortunately, the reality on the ground here, presents a stark contrast to the image you project of India to the global community, especially in the context of minority rights and secularism. Mr. Prime Minister, across India, highly organised and militant right wing extremist groups are terrorising, attacking and killing innocent citizens in the name of religion. I am appalled at the recent, widely reported statements, made by some religious leaders calling for genocide of non-Hindus, in order to create a Hindu Rashtra. What is even more shocking, is that there is
FIACONA Welcomes the Confirmation of Rashad Hussain as the Ambassador At Large
STATEMENT: December 20, 2021. Washington DC. The Federation of Indian American Christian Organizations (FIACONA) welcomes the confirmation of Ambassador Rashad Hussain, an Indian-American to become the next Ambassador at Large at the Office of International Religious Freedom. He is the first Muslim-American to hold this office. We trust Ambassador Hussain will successfully bring the U.S. State Department toward a point of effective focus and action to diminish the oppressive danger presented by extremist Hindu nationalist (Hindutva) groups affiliated with the R SS, the fascist paramilitary outfit of which Prime Minister Modi is a lifelong member in India. Mr. Hussain's voice will be critical for protecting the vulnerable Christian and Muslim population in India from the radical Hindu nationalists. He would also be a forceful voice to protect the most vulnerable Christian and other smaller religious groups in many Islamic nations like Pakistan, Nigeria, Egypt, and elsewhere. (updated 11:50 AM)
Statement: FIACONA is cautious for a good reason while welcoming the Prime Minister of India to DC:
September 21, 2021, Washington DC. (Updated Sept 22, 9 PM EST) Federation of Indian American Christian Organizations (FIACONA) welcomes the Prime Minister of India. We understand he will be participating in the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QSD) also known as the Quad with other leaders from Japan and Australia on September 23 and 24. The success and effectiveness of QUAD’s mission depend on how strong and stable are its member states. The United States obviously wants to work with other major democratic nations who share her democratic values - not with those who just hold periodic elections without respect for the basic tenants and values of a democracy. It is common knowledge that the Union of India is going through unprecedented challenges under Prime Minister Modi’s watch. We are concerned that some of those challenges have the potential to cause civil unrest in many parts of the Union where it has seriously undermined the democratic values and institutions in the name of religious majoritarianism. Reports indicate that Modi’s hardline Hindu nationalist policies have seriously threatened the fundamentals of a multi-faith, multi-linguistic, and multi-racial equilibrium among different sections/regions of the Union. These aggressive domestic policies of the government of the Union of India headed by
