Q&A: ‘Religious freedom conditions in India greatly concerning’ | Religion News

Boston, USA – In April of this year, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), an independent, bipartisan commission of the federal government, recommended blacklisting India for the second consecutive year.

In its Annual Report 2021 (PDF), the commission that makes recommendations on religious freedom and foreign policy to the US President, the US Congress and the State Department called India, the world’s largest democracy, a “Country of Special Concern” (CPC) “Outrageous Violations of Religious Freedom”.

India shares the CPC list with 14 other countries, including Saudi Arabia, China, Iran, Myanmar, Eritrea, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Syria, Russia, Vietnam and Turkmenistan.

The report also recommended that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken impose targeted sanctions on Indian government agencies and officials responsible for “serious violations of religious freedom” by freezing their assets, including banning entry into the US.

Since coming to power in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government has been accused of persecuting minorities, particularly its 200 million Muslims.

Current USCIRF Chair Nadine Maenza, who previously served as Commissioner and Vice-Chair of the Commission and has spoken out loudly against the deteriorating situation of religious freedom in India, spoke to Al Jazeera about the attacks on minorities, the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act ( CAA), the National Register of Citizens (NRC), the detention of activists and protesters, and steps President Joe Biden should take to address those concerns.

Al Jazeera: How do you assess the current state of religious freedom in India?

Nadine Maenza: The conditions of religious freedom in India are very worrying. The Indian government, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), promotes Hindu nationalist policies that lead to systematic, persistent and egregious violations of religious freedom that negatively affect non-Hindu religious communities, including Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Dalits (formerly known) as “untouchables”) and adivasis (indigenous people).

Al Jazeera: How do you see the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC)? What are you most concerned with?

Maenza: The CAA, combined with the proposed statewide NRC, risks disenfranchising Muslims across the country as it provides a route to citizenship for non-Muslims from neighboring Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan but has no remedies for Muslims involved in NRC trials are involved. Those who cannot prove their citizenship with documents face statelessness, deportation and even imprisonment.

Due to socio-economic factors, many people are unable to prove their citizenship through documents. As a result, around 1.9 million people were removed from the Assam NRC list in 2019, the majority of whom were Muslim. However, Hindus excluded from the NRC list are likely to be protected by the CAA 2019.

Al Jazeera: What are your observations on the arrest of anti-CAA protesters, activists and student leaders?

Maenza: USCIRF is extremely concerned about the government of India’s crackdown on civil society. The abuse of policies such as the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and the Financial Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) enables the Government of India to silence or prevent individuals and NGOs from reporting and admitting religious persecution fight.

Al Jazeera: USCIRF has recommended that the US designate India as a CPC. What is preventing the Biden government from implementing the recommendation of its own bipartisan federal commission?

Maenza: USCIRF typically recommends that more countries be named as CPCs than the State Department suggests. Part of the discrepancy is that USCIRF can focus solely on the terms of religious freedom without weighing other bilateral issues.

Al Jazeera: In recent years, the Indian government has rejected the USCIRF reports and their recommendations to blacklist India from religious freedom. Does this concern you?

Maenza: Our mandate requires us to monitor the conditions of religious freedom and make policy recommendations to the US government. USCIRF will continue to be an independent voice, unaffected by the Indian government’s response or other issues in US-India bilateral relations.

Al Jazeera: Religious persecution of minorities in India is often attributed to “non-state actors” and less to the ruling BJP? How valid is this argument?

Maenza: India’s BJP government promotes Hindu nationalist policies that negatively impact India’s non-Hindu communities, including Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Dalits and Adivasis. Both Indian government officials and non-state actors continue to use social media and other forms of communication to intimidate and spread hatred and disinformation against minorities.

Al Jazeera: India’s continued refusal to issue visas to USCIRF officials reflects its claim to be an open democracy. How does this compare to other countries where USCIRF is not welcome?

Maenza: USCIRF wants the US-India relationship to be as productive and meaningful as possible – and we believe that religious freedom should be an important part of that relationship. We want to have a constructive discussion and dialogue with the Indian government. That is why we have wanted to travel to India for a long time and are still interested in going there. As a pluralistic, non-sectarian and democratic state and close partner of the US, India should have the confidence to allow our visit, which would give it the opportunity to convey its views directly to USCIRF in a constructive dialogue.

Al Jazeera: Will USCIRF recommend the inclusion of human rights and religious freedom in a future US-India dialogue?

Maenza: The USCIRF has repeatedly recommended that the US government make religious freedom an important part of bilateral relations between the US and India and promote the human rights of all religious communities in India and promote religious freedom and dignity and interreligious dialogue through bilateral and multilateral forums and to promote agreements such as Ministerial of the Quadrangle.

Al Jazeera: What action would you recommend to the Biden government to take immediate action to address the human rights and religious freedom situation in India?

Maenza: USCIRF, in its 2021 annual report, recommends that the White House and State Department continue to raise concerns about religious freedom in bilateral relations between the US and India, and the US Congress should highlight concerns through hearings, briefings, letters and congressional delegations.