Just imagine how concerning the state of affairs of minorities are in Narendra Modi’s India. Religious hatred has become a norm in India, with the rulers and a major part of the population not shying away from expressing it. Every other day, we hear about incidents of Muslim lynching and religious places being desecrated. Many international bodies have noted it, but how many have raised their concerns is anybody’s guess. However, one American organisation has taken notice and has raised its voice, not once but four times. This organisation is the US Commission on International Religious Freedom.
The commission is an independent body and comprises members who are appointed by the American president as well as congressional party leaders. It gives recommendations but does not set official policies. The US Commission on International Religious Freedom is appalled by the treatment being meted out to minorities during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s tenure. So much so, the commission has even called for blacklisting India for its curbs on religious freedom. New Delhi, on the other hand, calls the commission biased. However, what is most unfortunate is that despite the panel’s making recommendations about India for the fourth consecutive year, the State Department has not paid any heed to it.
The reason: India is a strategic partner of the US, and it is highly unlikely that the State Department would follow the commission’s recommendation. But, one would ask why the State Department? Every year, the State Department lists countries, that it believes, restrict religious freedom. And, if these countries fail to mend their ways, they are slapped with sanctions.
Whenever the State Department included countries on the list, the commission supported it. We have examples of China, Pakistan, Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Myanmar. But when it comes to India, there is complete silence.
In its report, the commission noted the violence and destruction of property owned by Muslims and Christians and also spoke about the hardline Bharatiya Janata Party members who targeted minorities on social media. According to the report, “the continued enforcement of discriminatory laws facilitated a culture of impunity for widespread campaigns of threats and violence by mobs and vigilante groups.”
Evidence of religious hatred at the state level in India is an open book. One does not need to hold an inquiry or send a commission to investigate it. Take a look at Indian-occupied Kashmir. What would one call the treatment of innocent Kashmiris at the hands of the brutal Indian army? There are also many examples of politicians speaking out against Muslims in other parts of India. One such example is of an Indian politician from the Hindu nationalist party Sri Ram Sena, Pramod Muthalik, who called on Hindu men to lure “10 Muslim girls if we lose one Hindu girl” through what he called “love jihad” and in return, he promised to provide them security and employment.
A recent incident in Vadodara, a city in the Indian state of Gujarat, just shows how much hatred has seeped into society. Participants of a Ram Navami procession, organized by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, attacked a mosque and dargah for no apparent reason. Innumerable incidents can be counted. Therefore, the international community should at least listen to its think tanks, commissions and legislators, when they point out the atrocities being committed on minorities in India. Life for them is a living hell.
