ICC Note:
In a recently released report, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) detailed how religious freedom in India has significantly deteriorated. The report noted that although India has constitutional rights that protect religious freedom, the reality for religious minorities is vastly different. India is home to over 24 million Christians. In 2016, ICC documented over 360 individual attacks on Christians and their places of worship in India. Will India’s government do more to curb this trend of religious intolerance? 
02/10/2017 India (The News International) – An influential US commission that advises the president and Congress has strongly criticized persecution of minorities, including Muslims and Christians, in India and recommended to the US government to link trade, aid and diplomatic interaction with India with religious freedom and human rights.
The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), an independent, bipartisan federal government commission, noted that religious tolerance has deteriorated in India since 2014, noting torture of Muslims cattle traders by the Indian Army and armed Hindu groups.
“Current Indian Home Affairs Minister Rajnath Singh has instructed the Border Security Force to stop cow transport as a top priority. As a result, the Indian Army is allegedly involved in various cases of torturing and lynching cattle traders,” the report noted.
Commenting on the report, USCIRF Chair Thomas J Reese, SJ said although the Indian constitution provides legal equality for its citizens irrespective of their religion and prohibits religion-based discrimination, the reality is far different.
“In fact, India’s pluralistic tradition faces serious challenges in a number of its states. During the past few years, religious tolerance has deteriorated and religious freedom violations have increased in some areas of India. To reverse this negative trajectory, the Indian and state governments must align their laws with both the country’s constitutional commitments and international human rights standards.”
The report titled Constitutional and Legal Challenges Faced by Religious Minorities in India, examines India’s constitution and national and state laws that violate religious freedom of both minority communities and Hindu Dalits. The report said cow slaughter in India has remained a perpetual source of tensions between Hindu and Muslim and Dalit communities. The ban on cow slaughter is often termed as “food fascism” by the religious minorities’ activists. Beef is a critical source of nutrition for various minority communities, including Dalits, Christians, and Muslims.
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