News Analysis India

Tag: religious freedom

  • Centre rejects US report criticising India on religious freedom

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: India on Tuesday trashed as “motivated” and “biased” a report by the US State Department on religious freedom that criticised the country for alleged attacks on minorities.

    External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said such reports continue to be based on “misinformation and flawed understanding.”

    The annual report listed alleged attacks on religious minorities in India and expressed concerns over such incidents.

    “We are aware of the release of the US State Department 2022 Report on International Religious Freedom. Regrettably, such reports continue to be based on misinformation and flawed understanding,” Bagchi said.

    “Motivated and biased commentary by some US officials only serves to undermine further the credibility of these reports,” he said.

    Bagchi was responding to media queries on the report.

    “We value our partnership with the US and will continue to have frank exchanges on issues of concern to us,” he said.

    The report that documents the status of religious freedom in countries across the world was released on Monday.

    A senior US official said far too many governments, including Russia, India, China and Saudi Arabia, continue to freely target faith community members.

    “Far too many governments continue to freely target faith community members within their borders,” Rashad Hussain, Ambassador at Large, Office of International Religious Freedom, told reporters at a news conference in Washington soon after the report was released by Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.

    The report provides a fact-based, comprehensive view of the state of religious freedom in nearly 200 countries and territories around the world, Blinken said.

    NEW DELHI: India on Tuesday trashed as “motivated” and “biased” a report by the US State Department on religious freedom that criticised the country for alleged attacks on minorities.

    External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said such reports continue to be based on “misinformation and flawed understanding.”

    The annual report listed alleged attacks on religious minorities in India and expressed concerns over such incidents.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    “We are aware of the release of the US State Department 2022 Report on International Religious Freedom. Regrettably, such reports continue to be based on misinformation and flawed understanding,” Bagchi said.

    “Motivated and biased commentary by some US officials only serves to undermine further the credibility of these reports,” he said.

    Bagchi was responding to media queries on the report.

    “We value our partnership with the US and will continue to have frank exchanges on issues of concern to us,” he said.

    The report that documents the status of religious freedom in countries across the world was released on Monday.

    A senior US official said far too many governments, including Russia, India, China and Saudi Arabia, continue to freely target faith community members.

    “Far too many governments continue to freely target faith community members within their borders,” Rashad Hussain, Ambassador at Large, Office of International Religious Freedom, told reporters at a news conference in Washington soon after the report was released by Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.

    The report provides a fact-based, comprehensive view of the state of religious freedom in nearly 200 countries and territories around the world, Blinken said.

  • Religious freedom and related human rights in India are under threat: USCIRF alleges 

    By PTI

    WASHINGTON: Religious freedom and related human rights in India are under ongoing threat, the US Commission for International Religious Freedom alleged on Tuesday in an unusual year-end update of the status of its assessment of religious freedom in the country.

    India has previously rejected the USCIRF’s observations, terming them as “biased and inaccurate”.

    The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is a Congressional-appointed body. Its recommendations are, however, not mandatory to be implemented by the US State Department.

    In its 2022 Annual Report early this year USCIRF recommended that the US Department of State-designate India as a ‘country of particular concern’ for engaging in or tolerating systematic, ongoing, and egregious religious freedom violations, as set forth by the International Religious Freedom Act.

    The US State Department has refused to incorporate the commission’s recommendations so far.

    Reiterating its recommendations of early this year, USCIRF argued that such a designation would reinforce the United States’ concern regarding the conditions discussed in this country update and would encourage the Indian government to diverge from policies that violate religious freedom and promote communal divides.

    In its six-page country update report on India, USCIRF has published its map three times.

    Two of the maps are distorted and do not reflect a true geographical map of India.

    The report said in 2022, religious freedom conditions in India remained poor.

    During the year, the Indian government at the national, state, and local levels continued to promote and enforce policies, including laws targeting religious conversion, interfaith relationships, and cow slaughter, that negatively affect Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Dalits and Adivasis.

    The national government also continued to suppress critical voices, particularly religious minorities and those advocating on their behalf, including through surveillance, harassment, demolition of property, arbitrary travel bans, and detention under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and by targeting nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) under the Financial Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA), the report said.

    The pilot implementation of the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the state of Assam continued to exacerbate fears of losing citizenship among Muslims, who lack protection under the 2019 Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), it said.

    In July this year, the Ministry of External Affairs, responding to the USCIRF’s report said, “We have seen the biased and inaccurate comments on India by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).”

    “These comments reflect a severe lack of understanding of India and its constitutional framework, its plurality and its democratic ethos. Regrettably, USCIRF continues to misrepresent facts time and again in its statements and reports in pursuance of its motivated agenda. Such actions only serve to strengthen concerns about the credibility and objectivity of the organisation,” the spokesperson of MEA said in New Delhi.

    WASHINGTON: Religious freedom and related human rights in India are under ongoing threat, the US Commission for International Religious Freedom alleged on Tuesday in an unusual year-end update of the status of its assessment of religious freedom in the country.

    India has previously rejected the USCIRF’s observations, terming them as “biased and inaccurate”.

    The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is a Congressional-appointed body. Its recommendations are, however, not mandatory to be implemented by the US State Department.

    In its 2022 Annual Report early this year USCIRF recommended that the US Department of State-designate India as a ‘country of particular concern’ for engaging in or tolerating systematic, ongoing, and egregious religious freedom violations, as set forth by the International Religious Freedom Act.

    The US State Department has refused to incorporate the commission’s recommendations so far.

    Reiterating its recommendations of early this year, USCIRF argued that such a designation would reinforce the United States’ concern regarding the conditions discussed in this country update and would encourage the Indian government to diverge from policies that violate religious freedom and promote communal divides.

    In its six-page country update report on India, USCIRF has published its map three times.

    Two of the maps are distorted and do not reflect a true geographical map of India.

    The report said in 2022, religious freedom conditions in India remained poor.

    During the year, the Indian government at the national, state, and local levels continued to promote and enforce policies, including laws targeting religious conversion, interfaith relationships, and cow slaughter, that negatively affect Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Dalits and Adivasis.

    The national government also continued to suppress critical voices, particularly religious minorities and those advocating on their behalf, including through surveillance, harassment, demolition of property, arbitrary travel bans, and detention under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and by targeting nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) under the Financial Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA), the report said.

    The pilot implementation of the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the state of Assam continued to exacerbate fears of losing citizenship among Muslims, who lack protection under the 2019 Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), it said.

    In July this year, the Ministry of External Affairs, responding to the USCIRF’s report said, “We have seen the biased and inaccurate comments on India by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).”

    “These comments reflect a severe lack of understanding of India and its constitutional framework, its plurality and its democratic ethos. Regrettably, USCIRF continues to misrepresent facts time and again in its statements and reports in pursuance of its motivated agenda. Such actions only serve to strengthen concerns about the credibility and objectivity of the organisation,” the spokesperson of MEA said in New Delhi.

  • Trump approves Tibet policy, China rejects Dalai Lama’s selection policy

    Strongly opposing the intervention of the Chinese government in the process of choosing the Dalai Lama in Tibet, the US has passed a new law in support of religious freedom. China has rejected this new US law on Tibet. The Chinese Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Monday, saying that it has strictly rejected the new US law on Tibet. The law was signed by President Donald Trump over the weekend. Chao Lijang, deputy director of the information department of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, in a regular media briefing on Monday refused to accept it, expressing strong displeasure over the new US law on Tibet, and said that issues related to Tibet were China’s domestic affairs.

    US President Donald Trump signed the Tibetan Policy and Support Act of 2020 and finalized this America’s Tibet related policies. Under this, America’s commitment to support Tibetans in exile and the Tibetan government has been reiterated. By this law, America will prohibit China from choosing its own Dalai Lama. Tibet has thanked the President of America for making this law.

    In February this year, the House of Representatives Tests unanimously passed the bill to strengthen Tibet-related policies. The representatives of the Himalayan Buddhist region have considered it a step towards encouraging and empowering Tibet.

  • Pakistan and China are crushing religious freedom, America put on special watch list of 10 countries

    The US has taken action on a total of 10 countries, including China and Pakistan, after cases of violation of religious freedom have come to the fore. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo informed on Tuesday that China and Pakistan have now been put on a special watch list by the US.

    The US has put about ten such countries on the special watch list, where religious freedom is being suppressed. America says that all these countries have failed to stop religious persecution in their countries. These countries include Myanmar, China, Iran, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Eritrea and North Korea. He is being given and in a way has been closed in the camp where forced labor is done. Many countries of the world including America have warned China on this issue earlier.

    Not only some countries, but the name of some organizations have also been released by the US, which have done the work of suppressing religious freedom in the world.

    According to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, these include the names of organizations like Al-Shabaab, Al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, ISIS, ISIS-Greater Sahara, ISIS-West Africa, Taliban. America has given these organizations Frank R. Wolf International has been included in the special list under the Religious Freedom Act, 2016.

  • Editorial: – CIA Report: VHP Hindu Terror: This is Jihad of Congress and Vatican

     

    The head of the news published today was CIA’s report in which VHP is linked to terrorism. In the CIA’s Factbook, the National Self Service Association (RSS) is referred to as the Guardian Organization of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and a nationalist organization. We should also review the two incident sequences of June 15 and June 11 related to this. The Congress and its current leadership should also bear in mind that the news was published by the CIA report, according to which Richard Nixon had told Indira Gandhi to the bitch.

    According to the documents, after India’s campaign to build Bangladesh, the US thought that the then Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi could order an attack on West Pakistan to occupy Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (POK). A report of the UN in the June 15 newspapers was published in connection with Kashmir, which was clear that the report was with Global Zihai and there was confusion about India’s sovereignty, freedom of the press and religious freedom.

    Earlier on 11 June, a news was published prominently in that regard, we had urged that UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi should apologize even after Priyanka Chopra to broadcast the word of Hindu terrorism. In this context, I think it is necessary to remind the editorial written on June 11. According to which Indian Nationalist in the episode of the Hollywood TV show Quantico A. was described as a terrorist. Since then, Priyanka Chopra had to face criticism on social media as Priyanka only participated in that show.

    None of the appeasement of India’s Hindutva organization, BHP and the cultural non-political organization Hindutva, and the nationalist and nationalist nationalism of 125 crore people who think that the development of India’s development is not one of them, it is a well-thought-out strategy against the BJP Under the direction of Vatican, during the Gujarat assembly elections and during the Karnataka assembly elections, against nationalism Su was Ugla.

    The same is the Fact Fading Report of today’s CIA affected.

    It is necessary to remind you that it is possible for Rahul Gandhi to adopt a Hindu polynomial form, on the side of the anti-nationalist and anti-India world powers. In view of the distribution of Hindus, Lingayat was attempted during the reign of different religion Karnatak Congress. Similarly, during the UPA regime, the Jain society was also inclined to declare it different from Hinduism.

    It is also important to remember that the Congress’s hand in the above-mentioned conspiracy is because UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi have been born in Italy and Sonia Gandhi is declared as Catholic Christian. So they will be related to the Vatican.

    On June 15, a report of the UN was also published which it seemed that the report was influenced by Islamic Global Jihad. The Western European country, especially the United States, considers itself as a protector of religious freedom, press freedom and democracy, but in reality, this protector is not a monstrous person.

  • Editorial: – UN report  with global jihad sums up the sovereignty of our country and freedom of the press 

     

    The Western European country, especially the United States, considers itself as the protector of religious freedom, the freedom of the parrors and the protector of democracy, but in reality it is not the guard who is the eater

    The patronage of these countries has always been patronized by Pakistan’s birthplace and birthplace of Global Jihad.

    All Western countries often want to bring the world under Christianity. It is now coming to the fore that the Vatican sympathies have also become towards the Islamic fundamentalist and this nefarious alliance is just peaceful and against Hindu religion and Buddhist nations, especially India.

    Right now we saw in the time of the Gujarat assembly elections and during the Karnataka assembly elections, the Christian Archbishops issued fatwa in the same way in terms of jihad against religious freedom of India. A similar fatwa was issued to Deoband during the UP by-election.

    Now, by explaining the results of the results of Jai town of Karnataka and Jaya Khet of Karnataka and Uttarakhand’s Kokan and Bihar’s Jokihat, we come to the conclusion that the split of the Hindus and the unity of the Muslims are not only the only Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi Is to remove

    If the truth is asked, this jihad is not against PM Modi but because of which India can not progress and lead the world.

    UN report violates India’s independence, sovereignty.

    The report of the UN came at a time when the Ramzan Siegefire has been announced by India. The Foreign Ministry spokesman has described this report as “a violation of the fatal, indifferent Indian sovereignty, a compilation of unverified information on a large scale, highly motivated by bias and lies”.

    This report prepared by Al Hussein will be one of his final reports. Hussein is completing his tenure this year and after this, the UN General Assembly will appoint a new chief. Neither India nor Pakistan allowed the OHCHR office to reach Kashmir, so Hussein said that this report is a result of “remote monitoring”. India has an active presence in Geneva-based United Nations Office, but the Ambassador of India has failed to obtain the information of the country’s bad report. However, the External Affairs Ministry spokesman told that he has given information about his opposition to the OHCHR.

    Former Vice President of the UN Human Rights Council Dilip Sinha said, “This report is a lie because it has been prepared with a bias regarding OIC (Organization of Islamic Corporation) Kashmir. It is to criticize the country which gives its people rights, while allowing NGOs and media to work, while in Pakistan it is not so.

    Today, encouraged by UN report, today’s terror attack in Srinagar has killed two people, including the editor of the newspaper.

    In the press colony of Srinagar city in Jammu and Kashmir, local newspaper editor Shujaat Bukhari was killed in a devastating attack on Thursday evening. Shujaat Bukhari and his PSO were killed in the attack and two people were seriously injured.

    A deadly attack on senior journalist has stirred a stir in the area. According to the media report, the Special Police Officer of Srinagar is also seriously injured in this attack. On one hand, while the Government of India has decided not to take action against the terrorists in the month of Ramzan, terrorism has increased in the state this time.

    This is a sudden attack on Shujaat Bukhari, a senior journalist from the local newspaper Rising Kashmir from Press Colony. On receiving information about the incident, Srinagar Police responded against the terrorists after reaching the spot and the police officers were also injured.

    Rajnath Singh also mourns

    In addition to Mehbooba Mufti, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has also condemned the attack on the killing of Shujaat Bukhari. Rajnath Singh has written in his tweet, “The killing of Shukat Bukhari, editor of the Rising Kashmir newspaper, is a cowardly incident. He was a fearless journalist and I am sorry for his demise. I express my condolences to his family. ”

    Mehbooba Mufti condemned the attack

    After the murder of Shujaat Bukhari, the state’s chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, mourning the incident, described the attack of terrorists as unfortunate. In his message on Twitter after the murder of Shujaat Bukhari, Mehbooba wrote, “I am sad because of the murder of Shujaat Bukhari. I condemn this violence and pray that the soul of the deceased is at peace.