Regarding improve in anti-conversion legal guidelines, hate speech in India: Blinken

NEW DELHI: US secretary of state Antony Blinken on Thursday expressed concern over the alleged rise in anti-conversion legal guidelines, hate speech in India.
Blinken made these remarks throughout the launch of the state division’s annual report on worldwide spiritual freedom, whereas additionally acknowledging the efforts of individuals worldwide to safeguard spiritual freedom.
“Today, the state department is releasing its annual report on the status of international religious freedom. The department’s report tracks these kinds of threats to religious freedom in almost 200 countries. For example, blasphemy laws in Pakistan help foster a climate of intolerance and hatred that can lead to vigilantes and mob violence,” Blinken mentioned.
“In India, we see a concerning increase in anti-conversion laws, hate speech, demolitions of homes and places of worship for members of minority faith communities…Today religious freedom is still not respected for millions of people around the world. Some countries place restrictions on wearing certain types of religious dress; others enforce it. Here in the United States, reports of hate crimes and other incidents targeting both Muslims and Jews have gone up dramatically,” he added.
The report highlighted that in 2023, senior US officers continued to boost issues about spiritual freedom points with their Indian counterparts. It famous that ten out of 28 states in India have legal guidelines limiting spiritual conversions for all faiths, with some states imposing particular penalties in opposition to compelled spiritual conversions for the aim of marriage.
The report additionally talked about that some members of spiritual minority teams questioned the federal government’s skill and willingness to guard them from violence, examine crimes in opposition to them, and safeguard their freedom of faith or perception.
The US state division‘s report additional famous that Christians and Muslims had been arrested underneath legal guidelines banning compelled spiritual conversions, which spiritual teams claimed had been utilized in some instances to harass and imprison members of spiritual minority teams on false and fabricated expenses or for lawful spiritual practices.
The report additionally mentioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi‘s requires a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) on the nationwide stage, which was met with opposition from Muslim, Sikh, Christian, and tribal leaders, in addition to some state authorities officers, who seen it as a part of a mission to show the nation right into a “Hindu Rashtra (a Hindu Nation)”.
The Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) welcomed the report, stating that it echoes the findings introduced within the annual report launched by the US Fee on Worldwide Spiritual Freedom, which calls on the State Division to designate India as a “Country of Particular Concern (CPC)” for ongoing and extreme violations of spiritual freedoms for minorities.
IAMC government director Rasheed Ahmed urged Secretary Blinken to behave on these info and designate India as a CPC.

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