The annual ‘Report on International Religious Freedom’ for 2022, released by the US State Department this week, is critical of India for suppression of religious freedom. The report makes a survey of religious freedom around the world and claims to provide a “fact-based, comprehensive view of the state of religious freedom” in nearly 200 countries.
It has said that many governments, including those of India, Russia, China and Saudi Arabia, continue to target members of certain faiths and communities. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has said that the report includes “the rise of very troubling trends.” He said that it aims to highlight areas where freedom of religion or belief is being repressed, in order to promote accountability for it and to ultimately drive progress toward a world where freedom of religion or belief is a reality for everyone.
Blinken did not name India specifically in his remarks but the release of the report and his remarks make clear the US government’s view of the situation in India.
The report has highlighted how religious conversion is banned by legislation in many states and how religious minorities are attacked on a regular basis in the country. It has also said that there is systemic discrimination against Muslims and has mentioned cow vigilantism and the hijab controversy in Karnataka as examples. A US official also said that the report outlined “continued, targeted attacks against religious communities” that promoted “dehumanising rhetoric” and “hate-fuelled violence.”
Calls for genocide of Muslims and the bulldozing of their houses in some states were also mentioned. The report has come a month before Prime Minister Narendra Modi is to make his first State visit to the US. He has visited the US on earlier occasions, but they were “working visits.” Governments usually avoid making statements or taking actions that may be considered provocative on the eve of State visits of leaders. The report is therefore a pointed message to the Modi government.
India has rejected the report and said that such reports continue to be based on “misinformation and flawed understanding”. It also said that “motivated and biased commentary” by some US officials continued to undermine the credibility of such reports, and that it would continue to have “frank conversations” on “issues of concern” with the US government. But rather than dismissing such criticism as biased and prejudiced, the government should introspect and examine why such criticism continues to be made. There is such criticism within the country also and there are any number of incidents that justify it. Intolerance of criticism and whataboutery will not help. Wrong policies and mistakes need to be corrected.