India: Religious freedom report biased

India: Religious freedom report biased

In The News:

• India rejected the criticisms in a US State Department report about religious freedom. It said it was unfortunate that "vote banking politics" is being used in international relations.

What's today's article?

• International Religious Freedom Report (Purpose and Origin)
• Latest Report (India section, India's Response)

International Freedom Report:

• In accordance with the International Religious Freedom Act of 1988, the Department of State submits an annually updated Report to Congress on International Religious Freedom.
• This report, also known as the International Religious Freedom Report , describes the state of religious freedom and government policies that violate religious belief. It also includes the practices of individuals .
• It also highlights U.S. policies that promote religious freedom in almost every country and territory around the globe.
• It also recommends, develops, and implements policies and programmes to address these concerns.
• also helps NGOs worldwide to promote religious freedom.

Origin:

• Bill Clinton, then-President of the United States, signed the 1998 International Religious Freedom Act ( IRFA, 1998).
• Both the Senate and House of Representatives approved it unanimously.
• The Act resulted in the creation of the Office of International Religious Freedom, headed by an Ambassador-at Large within the State Department of U.S. government.

The Latest Report:

• The 2021 International Religious Freedom Report was released by the Department of State recently.
• This report provides a comprehensive, fact-based assessment of the situation of religious freedom in almost 200 countries and territories all over the globe.
• The report uses media and government accounts to document attacks on religious minorities.

W.r.t. India:

• According to the report's "India section", the Union government failed to release data about communal violence in 2021.
• FCRA Act :
  • The report also addressed criticisms that were reportedly made by Indian NGOs against the 2020 amendments to the Foreign Contributions Regulation Act.
  • According to the US State Department report NGOs in India continue criticizing the FCRA 2020 amendments as "constricting civil society".
  • The 2020 amendment reduced foreign funding that NGOs (including faith-based organizations) could use for administrative purposes.
  • According to the report, FCRA licenses for 5,789 NGOs (including many faith-based organizations) were revoked by the government after it stated that they had not applied for renewal.
• Cow Vigilantism :
  • The report also mentioned "25 states" that apply partial to complete restrictions on bovine slaughter. It made particular note of Madhya Pradesh’s laws regarding cow vigilantism.
  • This report focuses on cow vigilantism against non Hindus, based upon allegations of cow slaughter and beef trade.
• Law on Religious Conversion :
  • According to the report, 10 states of India (Arunachal Pradesh and Chhattisgarh as well as Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha), have laws that restrict religious conversion.
• Attacks on minorities :
  • According to the report, attacks on minority members, including murders, assaults and intimidation took place in India from 2021.
  • It also mentioned that terrorists in Jammu & Kashmir targeted Hindu and Sikh minorities last year.
• Arrests by the Police
  • Non-Hindus were arrested by police for posting comments on the media or social media that were offensive to Hinduism or Hinduism.

India's Response:

• According to the Ministry of External Affairs, it is regrettable that vote bank politics are being used in international relations. We urge against biased and motivated assessments.
• According to the Ministry, India is a naturally pluralistic country and values human rights as well as religious freedom.

Thank You