Washington, Apr 29: A US government panel on Tuesday called for India to be put on a religious freedom blacklist over a "drastic" downturn under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, triggering a sharp rebuttal from New Delhi.
The US Commission on International Religious Freedom recommends but does not set policy, and there is virtually no chance the State Department will follow its lead on India, an increasingly close US ally.
In an annual report, the bipartisan panel narrowly agreed that India should join the ranks of "countries of particular concern" that would be subject to sanctions if they do not improve their records.
"In 2019, religious freedom conditions in India experienced a drastic turn downward, with religious minorities under increasing assault," the report said.
It called on the United States to impose punitive measures, including visa bans, on Indian officials believed responsible and grant funding to civil society groups that monitor hate speech.
The commission said that Modi's Hindu nationalist government, which won a convincing election victory last year, "allowed violence against minorities and their houses of worship to continue with impunity, and also engaged in and tolerated hate speech and incitement to violence."
It pointed to comments by Home Minister Amit Shah, who notoriously referred to mostly Muslim migrants as "termites," and to a citizenship law that has triggered nationwide protests.
It also highlighted the revocation of the autonomy of Kashmir, which was India's only Muslim-majority state, and allegations that Delhi police turned a blind eye to mobs who attacked Muslim neighborhoods in February this year.
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The Indian government, long irritated by the commission's comments, quickly rejected the report.
"Its biased and tendentious comments against India are not new. But on this occasion, its misrepresentation has reached new levels," foreign ministry spokesman Anurag Srivastava said.
"We regard it as an organization of particular concern and will treat it accordingly," he said in a statement.
The State Department designates nine "countries of particular concern" on religious freedom -- China, Eritrea, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.
The commission asked that all nine countries remain on the list. In addition to India, it sought the inclusion of four more -- Nigeria, Russia, Syria and Vietnam.
Pakistan, India's historic rival, was added by the State Department in 2018 after years of appeals by the commission.
In its latest report, the commission said that Pakistan "continued to trend negatively," voicing alarm at forced conversions of Hindus and other minorities, abuse of blasphemy prosecutions and a ban on the Ahmadi sect calling itself Muslim.
India's citizenship law fast-tracks naturalization for minorities from neighbouring countries -- but not if they are Muslim.
Modi's government says it is not targeting Muslims but rather providing refuge to persecuted people and should be commended.
But critics consider it a watershed move by Modi to define the world's largest democracy as a Hindu nation and chip away at independent India's founding principle of secularism.
Tony Perkins, the commission's chair, called the law a "tipping point" and voiced concern about a registry in the northeastern state of Assam, under which 1.9 million people failed to produce documentation to prove that they were Indian citizens before 1971 when mostly Muslim migrants flowed in during Bangladesh's bloody war of independence.
"The intentions of the national leaders are to bring this about throughout the entire country," Perkins told an online news conference.
"You could potentially have 100 million people, mostly Muslims, left stateless because of their religion. That would be, obviously, an international issue," said Perkins, a Christian activist known for his opposition to gay rights who is close to President Donald Trump's administration.
Three of the nine commissioners dissented -- including another prominent Christian conservative, Gary Bauer, who voiced alarm about India's direction but said the ally could not be likened to non-democracies such as China.
"I am deeply concerned that this public denunciation risks exactly the opposite outcome than the one we all desire," Bauer said.
Trump, who called for a ban on Muslim immigration to the US when he ran for president, hailed Modi on a February visit to New Delhi.
Comments
All these because of lacking of knowledge of fundamentals of Islam.
Islam is perfectly taught with boundaries for what to be done and what not to be done.
What to be done are : Farz, or obligatory deeds
What may be done : N compulsion, but doing can lead for extra reward
Not to be done Prohibitions : These should not be done. Like Associating someone with the True God who created us who only deserves to be worshipped. This is a biggest crime in Islamic point of view. Other prohibitions are eating pork, liquors, adultery, gambling,
Now the things what happening mostly in Dargah are worshipping the graves, which is the biggest crime. This is forbidden to both men and women. People can visit the dargah and pray for the dead people in that grave. But begging the dead there is prohibited.
Really those dead bodies can not help us, in contrary those bodies need prayers, wishes of living people.
We can visit the dargah in the intention to pray for the dead in the grave and to say Salam. Doing like this properly is not sin.
Wrongly Visiting Dargah can mislead to sin,
And not visiting Dargah does not amount to sin.
Therefore people lack basic teaching of Islam.
A MUSLIMAH ( True Muslim Women) will never ask with any other creation EXCEPT ALLAH... Those who depend on other than ALLAH will get what they want but in the end they will fall for the trap of deceivers who are attracting the people who are WEAK in IMAN to their way of worshiping the graves or asking with the graves.
THOSE who have faith in ALLAH will never ask or depend on, other than ALLAH. They are Satisfied with what ALLAH gave and Say ALHAMDULLILLAH in whatever situation comes their way... Congrats to such MUSLIMS and MUSlIMAH who trust ALLAH and follow the teaching of Prophet Muhammad pbuh... who never showed us Such CULTURE of DARGAH ViSIT..
Prophet MUHAMMED pbuh said... Visit GRAVES to Pray for the one who is in the GRAVE & REMEMBER that one day our fate will be same. So dont live in this life in ARROGANT or do injustice to Others.
Dear Sahil, if they knows the meaning of Namaz or Salah they never visit Dargah. Here may be RSS behind such kind of demands.
These so called muslim women don't know Islam. so they are asking entry to Dargah/Grave yard. Who stop them to go there go and enjoy.CD Editor please remove Muslim woman tag because muslim women never ask such kind of demands.Better tag Ahle biddah women ask entry to darga.
They dont bother about namaz..but worried about entry to do shirq
Haha..funny..they dont bother about performing namaz..
But worried about entry to dargah to do shirq..
Dear CD team. Please be careful when you posting one sided opinion about practice of Islam. You have reader from all sections.
REALLY SURPRISED TO SEEE THESE MUSLIM LADIES IN ROAD PROTESTING FOR ENTERING THE DARGAH ,
FIRST THEY HAVE TO OFFER NAMAZ PERFECTLY I DONT KNOW WHAT THEY WILL GET IN DARGAH ....
THEY JUST VISIT TO ASK TO THEM.. THATS NOT GOOD WE HAVE TO ASK WITH ALLAH HE IS OUR ALL MIGHTY ..
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