Washington: A Hindu organization in Washington has expressed its displeasure over the USCIRF report on religious freedom. Regarding this report, the organization has called it the work of the members of the “Hinduphobic” commission. While Muslim and Christian organizations have appreciated the comments made in the USCIRF report.
The report recommended that President Joe Biden’s administration list India, China, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and 11 other countries as “countries of particular concern” regarding religious freedom status. However, the US government is not bound to accept this recommendation.
The HinduPACT in a statement alleged that the USCIRF has been taken over by “Indophobic and Hinduphobic members”. The American Muslim Institution (AMI) and its affiliates lauded the USCIRF’s recommendation, saying that the state of religious freedom in India has become “significantly worse” in 2021.
Let us tell you that the USCRF has said that the situation of religious freedom in India deteriorated significantly in 2021. During the year, the Indian government increased the promotion and enforcement of policies, including promoting a Hindu-nationalist agenda. Which has negatively affected Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Dalits, and other religious minorities. ,
Khanderao Kand, a member of the Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies (FIIDS), US-based policy research and awareness institute, alleged, “The USCIRF report on India is biased…”. He said that India’s Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) is a law that gives citizenship to refugees who have been religiously persecuted in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh, but instead of believing it, it was shown as taking away the citizenship of the people.
Similarly, Khanderao said the report does not mention that the National Register of Citizens (NRC) is being implemented as per the order of the court in India and it is common in democratic countries.
Jeevan Zutshi, founding member of the ‘Global Kashmiri Pandit Diaspora’ (GKPD), said, “It is disappointing that the report refers only to the Muslims of Kashmir but ignores the Kashmiri Pandit Hindus, who were the victims of their terrorism.” Huh. It did not mention that the situation has returned to normal after the abrogation of Article 370.
