India receives harshest rating (since 2004) from US government watchdog in religious freedom report

[Abdullah719]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">“Perhaps the steepest, and most alarming, deterioration in religious freedom conditions was in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/India?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#India</a>, the largest democracy in the world.” USCIRF Vice Chair <a href="https://twitter.com/nadinemaenza?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nadinemaenza</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/USCIRFAnnualReport2020?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#USCIRFAnnualReport2020</a></p>— USCIRF (@USCIRF) <a href="https://twitter.com/USCIRF/status/1255141169324978177?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 28, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">USCIRF Chair <a href="https://twitter.com/tperkins?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@tperkins</a> discusses <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/India?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#India</a> saying "We are seeing impunity for violence by non-state actors committed against religious minorities.” <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/USCIRFAnnualReport2020?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#USCIRFAnnualReport2020</a></p>— USCIRF (@USCIRF) <a href="https://twitter.com/USCIRF/status/1255145597075484672?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 28, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">This is the first time since 2004 that USCIRF recommends <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/India?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#India</a> as a Country of Particular Concern <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/USCIRFAnnualReport2020?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#USCIRFAnnualReport2020</a></p>— USCIRF (@USCIRF) <a href="https://twitter.com/USCIRF/status/1255169847593521154?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 28, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Abdullah719]

Pakistan is also on the list as previously. But USCIRF noted that the govt. is willing to work toward improving this situation.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">"One of the things that has been important for us with <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Pakistan?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Pakistan</a>, is that the government has been willing to engage in dialogue about how <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ReligiousFreedom?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ReligiousFreedom</a> concerns can be addressed." USCIRF Commissioner <a href="https://twitter.com/CommrBhargava?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CommrBhargava</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/USCIRFAnnualReport2020?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#USCIRFAnnualReport2020</a></p>— USCIRF (@USCIRF) <a href="https://twitter.com/USCIRF/status/1255176690122338307?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 28, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Abdullah719]

Detailed report for India

Spoiler

 

[Abdullah719]

Detailed report for Pakistan

Spoiler

 

[msaaim89]

In both reports, recommendations are made to sanction government agencies and individuals.

To be seen if the US government actually follows through.

 

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The world has taken notice of the Nazi doctrine crimes against Muslims and Christians in India. I recommend the violence <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MuslimHolocaust?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MuslimHolocaust</a> ends now, as clearly there are consequences in the long run. <a href="https://t.co/2q2x5bPSae">pic.twitter.com/2q2x5bPSae</a></p>— Princess Hend Al Qassimi (@LadyVelvet_HFQ) <a href="https://twitter.com/LadyVelvet_HFQ/status/1255173619686297601?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 28, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[JaDed]

In both reports, recommendations are made to sanction government agencies and individuals.

To be seen if the US government actually follows through.

There is China in it.. my assumption is they are there from before.

 

[JaDed]

As an Indian its shameful because we know it’s not been great for past one year and tbf to USA they give a lot of rights to their citizens or residents irrespective of religion but they have been killing other citizens around the world..

 

[Abdullah719]

Misrepresentation has reached new levels: India rejects USCIRF’s ‘biased’ listing

A US commission mandated to monitor religious freedom globally on Tuesday asked the State Department to designate 14 nations, including India, as “countries of particular concern”, alleging that religious minorities are under increasing assault in these nations.

These include nine countries that the State Department designated as CPCs in December 2019 – Myanmar, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan – as well as five others – India, Nigeria, Russia, Syria, and Vietnam, US Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) said in its annual report released on Tuesday.

INDIA RESPONDS TO USCIRF REPORT

MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said: We reject the observations on India in the USCIRF Annual Report. Its biased and tendentious comments against India are not new. But on this occasion, its misrepresentation has reached new levels. It has not been able to carry its own Commissioners in its endeavour. We regard it as an organization of particular concern and will treat it accordingly.

In the 2020 edition of its annual report on International Religious Freedom, the USCIRF alleged that in 2019, religious freedom conditions in India “experienced a drastic turn downward”, with religious minorities under increasing assault.

https://indianexpress.com/article/i...country-of-particular-concern-iscirf-6383630/

 

[cricketjoshila]

USCIRF hadnt been allowed to step into India for more than a decade. Thats their value. And credibility of their report.

 

[cricketjoshila]

In both reports, recommendations are made to sanction government agencies and individuals.

To be seen if the US government actually follows through.

India hasnt allowed USCIRF to come to India for more than a decade.What has US govt done?

 

[IMMY69]

India hasnt allowed USCIRF to come to India for more than a decade.What has US govt done?

Your first step is to discredit the source...
never have I ever seen you discredit your RSS racist extremist government.

 

[Bigboii]

Your first step is to discredit the source...
never have I ever seen you discredit your RSS racist extremist government.

Honestly I kinda smiled when I looked at the post it was so predictable, discredit the source, than what aboutism and than bring pakistan into it and degrede the country, like it's cycle or something that keeps on happening with this dude

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

Your first step is to discredit the source...
never have I ever seen you discredit your RSS racist extremist government.

This is his takiya kalam.

 

[Syed1]

Not unexpected.... Modi's India is a basket case of injustice against religious minorities.

 

[sweep_shot]

India is changing and not in a good way. Worrying signs.

 

[Sirris]

USCIRF hadnt been allowed to step into India for more than a decade. Thats their value. And credibility of their report.

That just means India is hiding something and trying to censor the truth.

Meanwhile

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">"One of the things that has been important for us with <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Pakistan?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Pakistan</a>, is that the government has been willing to engage in dialogue about how <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ReligiousFreedom?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ReligiousFreedom</a> concerns can be addressed." USCIRF Commissioner <a href="https://twitter.com/CommrBhargava?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CommrBhargava</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/USCIRFAnnualReport2020?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#USCIRFAnnualReport2020</a></p>— USCIRF (@USCIRF) <a href="https://twitter.com/USCIRF/status/1255176690122338307?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 28, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Pakistan has many short comings however the intent to improve is there.

 

[IndianHero]

I don't care about these ratings and I will vote for BJP in 2024 ! article 370 removal, ram mandir construction, CAA etc., are the factors which is making BJP popular in India !

Also during modi's term pakistan was shown that they we can do anything in kashmir (like change of demographics) and they can do nothing about it ! hehe

 

[Swashbuckler]

USCIRF isn't a reliable organization, it has some vested interests. But don't need to be an Einstein to see that things have turned for the worse in India, way worse thanks to these Hindutva extremists. And everyone can see that except the bakhts, the normalization of bigotry towards our minorities and downtrodden will have severe repercussions considering our population, illiteracy, state of law/order, inequality and 100 other problems. Once the social fabric is destroyed everything will crumble, does BJP want India to become the next Rwanda? We have wasted the last 6 years when we should have focussed our collective energy towards increasing manufacturing base, setting up SEZs, increasing investment in education and public health, generating employment for the unskilled, instead all we saw was the manifestation of ugliest side of Indians.

 

[CricketCartoons]

USCIRF isn't a reliable organization, it has some vested interests. But don't need to be an Einstein to see that things have turned for the worse in India, way worse thanks to these Hindutva extremists. And everyone can see that except the bakhts, the normalization of bigotry towards our minorities and downtrodden will have severe repercussions considering our population, illiteracy, state of law/order, inequality and 100 other problems. Once the social fabric is destroyed everything will crumble, does BJP want India to become the next Rwanda? We have wasted the last 6 years when we should have focussed our collective energy towards increasing manufacturing base, setting up SEZs, increasing investment in education and public health, generating employment for the unskilled, instead all we saw was the manifestation of ugliest side of Indians.

Another dishonest post from you. When was the social fabric good? Oh I see, you don't consider dalits as part of the social fabric. They are excluded from any consideration. Exclude them from access to roads, temples, society. Boycott marriage with them, social gathering with them, or sharing the same food with them, and hide all this bigotry behind so called secularism. The moment woke indians start treating dalits with respect and don't treat them as outside their pseudo liberal perimeter can they rants about the mythical social fabric can be taken with any seriousness.

 

[cricketjoshila]

Your first step is to discredit the source...
never have I ever seen you discredit your RSS racist extremist government.

Every time you say this rss fascist extremist, i have a hearty laugh. Imran khan keeps tweeting this, who cares?

Secondly what value will India give to a report of an organisation thats not even allowed to come to India and the US doesnt care.

 

[cricketjoshila]

That just means India is hiding something and trying to censor the truth.

Meanwhile

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">"One of the things that has been important for us with <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Pakistan?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Pakistan</a>, is that the government has been willing to engage in dialogue about how <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ReligiousFreedom?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ReligiousFreedom</a> concerns can be addressed." USCIRF Commissioner <a href="https://twitter.com/CommrBhargava?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CommrBhargava</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/USCIRFAnnualReport2020?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#USCIRFAnnualReport2020</a></p>— USCIRF (@USCIRF) <a href="https://twitter.com/USCIRF/status/1255176690122338307?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 28, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Pakistan has many short comings however the intent to improve is there.

This means India doesn't allow others to meddle in its sovereignty.

 

[cricketjoshila]

Honestly I kinda smiled when I looked at the post it was so predictable, discredit the source, than what aboutism and than bring pakistan into it and degrede the country, like it's cycle or something that keeps on happening with this dude

India doesnt allow foreigners to meddle in its sovereign affairs. USCIRF isnt allowed in India. US govt doesn't say anything about it. So why will India give these guys any value?

 

[andy0204]

I don't care about these ratings and I will vote for BJP in 2024 ! article 370 removal, ram mandir construction, CAA etc., are the factors which is making BJP popular in India !

Also during modi's term pakistan was shown that they we can do anything in kashmir (like change of demographics) and they can do nothing about it ! hehe

What guarantee you can give that elections will be there in 2024?
Looking at situations now all over the world.
We can't predict future.

 

[Rajdeep]

Your first step is to discredit the source...
never have I ever seen you discredit your RSS racist extremist government.

Clearly USCIRF dont consider RSS as extremist organization

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">USCIRF recommends 6 Entities of Particular Concern including <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AlShabaab?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AlShabaab</a> , <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BokoHaram?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BokoHaram</a>, the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Houthis?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Houthis</a>, Islamic State in Khorasan Province (<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ISKP?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ISKP</a>), the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Taliban?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Taliban</a>, and Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/USCIRFAnnualReport2020?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#USCIRFAnnualReport2020</a></p>— USCIRF (@USCIRF) <a href="https://twitter.com/USCIRF/status/1255170528618348546?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 28, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[IMMY69]

Indians imploding here as usual.

Who would have thought what Afridi of all people said in 2011 would turn out to be spot on...
Actually I think we all knew it, just that he actually went and said it on a platform

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

Every time you say this rss fascist extremist, i have a hearty laugh. Imran khan keeps tweeting this, who cares?

Secondly what value will India give to a report of an organisation thats not even allowed to come to India and the US doesnt care.

You don't care but still keep getting hurt. How does that work?

 

[Sirris]

Seems like twitter is the new battleground. I always hated this social media drama but now it's also being played by officials:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Weeks after following PM Modi on Twitter, White House hits "unfollow" <a href="https://t.co/LB0XAIs4cb">https://t.co/LB0XAIs4cb</a> <a href="https://t.co/VdWeWglJ1N">pic.twitter.com/VdWeWglJ1N</a></p>— NDTV (@ndtv) <a href="https://twitter.com/ndtv/status/1255434597929754624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 29, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[JaDed]

3 weeks of following lol, just after India refused to test the drug on Mumbai slums the white house unfollowed.

 

[IMMY69]

We have newspapers who spoke about the lockdown in Kashmir and how people were being treated there.
RSS supporters here asked “which papers?”..

We said BBC, Reuters etc etc
RSS Supporters here brushed it aside...

We had American congressmen wanting to visit Kashmir and spoke about article 370.
RSS supporters here said “which congressmen, they are nothing. Hardly any political influence. They are using this to make themselves relevant. They are nothing but attention seekers”...

We had some people in Middle East talk against Hindu atrocities against Muslims..
RSS supporters here said who are these insignificant Middle Eastern people???

Now we have USCIRF and of course we get thecusu replies from the RSS supporters here..

It doesn’t fit their narrative then it’s wrong...
Dangerous times in India

 

[MenInG]

Seems like twitter is the new battleground. I always hated this social media drama but now it's also being played by officials:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Weeks after following PM Modi on Twitter, White House hits "unfollow" <a href="https://t.co/LB0XAIs4cb">https://t.co/LB0XAIs4cb</a> <a href="https://t.co/VdWeWglJ1N">pic.twitter.com/VdWeWglJ1N</a></p>— NDTV (@ndtv) <a href="https://twitter.com/ndtv/status/1255434597929754624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 29, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The official Twitter handle of the President of the United States of America, The White House, and the POTUS himself, Donald Trump, have now unfollowed Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Twitter.

This comes days after the Twitter handle for the White House began following a number of Indian handles, which included that of PM Modi, Indian Embassy in the US, President Ram Kovind and a few others. The number of accounts followed by the White House had risen to 19 and the Internet was quick to point out the extra love for India.

Now, the number has gone back to 13 and the only handles that the White House is following is that of Trump and a few other handles related to the US administration.

The White House had followed PM Modi and the other Indian handles after urging him to lift the ban on export of hydroxychloroquine, a drug which Trump had repeatedly promoted as a miraculous solution to coronavirus. After Trump's request, Modi had lifted the ban on the drug's export. At present, India is one of the largest manufacturers of HCQ.

Following this, Trump had tweeted saying, "Extraordinary times require even closer cooperation between friends..." and that Modi's help during the covid-19 crisis will not be forgotten.

However, it is now not clear as to why the White House unfollowed the Indian Prime Minister on Twitter and if the move can be seen as a reflection of bitter relations between India and America.

https://www.news18.com/news/buzz/th...ouse-unfollow-pm-modi-on-twitter-2597819.html

 

[Sirris]

Someone sent me this. Some hardcore Modi fans where going crazy when initially the white house twitter handle followed Modi on twitter.

Pretty funny )

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">This video with a detailed explanation of <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WhiteHouse</a> following<br>PM Modi was viral on whatsapp last week. *<a href="https://t.co/GiiWX3XgDQ">pic.twitter.com/GiiWX3XgDQ</a></p>— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) <a href="https://twitter.com/zoo_bear/status/1255857430082105345?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 30, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Wonder what they are going through right now.

 

[Technics 1210]

First the lies of the economy, now the lies of secular India exposed.

I reckon US* will reinstate the ban on Modi and declare RSS an international terrorist threat.

 

[MP2011]

Someone sent me this. Some hardcore Modi fans where going crazy when initially the white house twitter handle followed Modi on twitter.

Pretty funny )

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">This video with a detailed explanation of <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WhiteHouse</a> following<br>PM Modi was viral on whatsapp last week. *<a href="https://t.co/GiiWX3XgDQ">pic.twitter.com/GiiWX3XgDQ</a></p>— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) <a href="https://twitter.com/zoo_bear/status/1255857430082105345?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 30, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Wonder what they are going through right now.

Lol, mighty funny.

 

[HIC]

We have newspapers who spoke about the lockdown in Kashmir and how people were being treated there.
RSS supporters here asked “which papers?”..

We said BBC, Reuters etc etc
RSS Supporters here brushed it aside...

We had American congressmen wanting to visit Kashmir and spoke about article 370.
RSS supporters here said “which congressmen, they are nothing. Hardly any political influence. They are using this to make themselves relevant. They are nothing but attention seekers”...

We had some people in Middle East talk against Hindu atrocities against Muslims..
RSS supporters here said who are these insignificant Middle Eastern people???

Now we have USCIRF and of course we get thecusu replies from the RSS supporters here..

It doesn’t fit their narrative then it’s wrong...
Dangerous times in India

Agreed as an Indian i can fee it in India.. Whatsapp specially has spoiled older generation.

 

[Sirris]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">CoronaJihad is Only the Latest Manifestation <a href="https://t.co/1zgZPR13YZ">https://t.co/1zgZPR13YZ</a></p>— Human Rights Watch (@hrw) <a href="https://twitter.com/hrw/status/1256295338090156033?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 1, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

CoronaJihad is Only the Latest Manifestation: Islamophobia in India has Been Years in the Making

“My mother has been asking me about detention centers,” my friend recently told me on the phone. “She has been very worried.”

My first reaction was shame. She is Muslim and I am Hindu. That never meant anything to us when we first met, studied together and hung out in New York. When her mother came to visit, I was always excited because it meant hot and delicious meals that eased the pain of missing home. But for several years now, home has come to mean something different to us. The crescendo in Muslim vilification, the increase in violent mob attacks that have killed and injured so many, the seeming acquiescence of many Indian Hindus, has meant our lived realities in our own country have diverged.

Today, as the world battles coronavirus (COVID-19), which has already claimed thousands of lives, India is also battling another threat to life – Muslim hate. In recent weeks, social media and WhatsApp groups have been flooded by calls for social and economic boycotts of Muslims and there have been numerous physical attacks on Muslims, including volunteers distributing relief material, amid falsehoods accusing them of spreading the virus deliberately.

It all started after the Indian authorities announced that they found a large number of coronavirus positive cases among Muslims who had attended a mass religious congregation in Delhi, organized by the international Islamic missionary movement Tablighi Jamaat. Even as the authorities raced to trace those affected, leaders from the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had already called the Jamaat meeting a “Talibani crime” and “CoronaTerrorism.” Some mainstream media screamed “CoronaJihad” and the hashtag went viral on social media.

The Tablighi Jamaat situation led the World Health Organization to caution: “It is very important that we do not profile the cases on the basis of racial, religious and ethnic lines.” Medical experts worried that such stigmatization of one community would do great harm during an epidemic, making people fearful, “leading to concealment of cases and delays in detection.”

On 19 April 2020, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation criticized the “unrelenting vicious Islamophobiccampaign in India maligning Muslims for spread of COVID-19.” Less than an hour later, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke up for the first time, tweeting: “COVID19 does not see race, religion, colour, caste, creed, language or borders before striking. Our response and conduct thereafter should attach primacy to unity and brotherhood. We are in this together.”

However, coronavirus has simply highlighted what Muslims have been increasingly facing in India since Modi’s BJP government was first elected in 2014. BJP leaders have repeatedly made Hindu nationalist and anti-Muslim remarks in their speeches and interviews. These have, at times, encouraged and even incited violent attacks by party supporters who believe they have political protection and approval. They have beaten Muslim men for dating Hindu women. Mobs affiliated with the BJP have, since 2015, killed and injured scores of members of religious minorities amid rumors that they traded or killed cows for beef.

Government policy has also reflected bias against Muslims. In December 2019, the Modi administration achieved passage of the discriminatory Citizenship (Amendment) Act, which for the first time in India makes religion a basis for granting citizenship. The law specifically fast-tracks asylum claims of non-Muslim irregular immigrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. However, the amended citizenship law, coupled with the government’s push for a nationwide citizenship verification process, aimed at identifying “illegal migrants,” has led to fears that millions of Indian Muslims, including many families who have lived in the country for generations, could be stripped of their citizenship rights, disenfranchised, and detained.

What was reassuring is that hundreds of thousands of Indians protested against these plans. It showed that many did not agree with the discrimination and targeting of minority groups. But it was deeply troubling that the police and other officials repeatedly failed to intervene when government supporters attacked Muslims and others protesting against the government’s proposed citizenship policies. Police, however, were quick to arrest critics of the policy and disperse their peaceful demonstrations, including by using excessive and lethal force.Several BJP officials mocked and threatened protesters, while some even called for the protesters, whom they described as “traitors,” to be shot, fueling further violence against Muslims.

In India’s northeastern state of Assam, such a citizenship verification process has already excluded nearly two million people, both Hindus and Muslims. Non-Muslims who are considered doubtful citizens or illegal immigrants because of inadequate documentation will have an opportunity to get citizenship under the newly amended law, but Muslims with similarly inadequate documentation will be at risk of statelessness and many may end up in detention centers that Assam and other states are already building.

These are the detention centers my friend’s mother was fearing. I know that her fears are not entirely unfounded. I met many families in Assam, living there for decades, but now struggling to get their loved ones released after being declared “foreigners.” I felt shame because if we were both asked to prove our citizenship, I will not be viewed with similar suspicion. And even if we both have inadequate documents, I will not likely end up in a detention center. Because in India these days, Muslims are being treated differently from Hindus.

 

[cricketjoshila]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">CoronaJihad is Only the Latest Manifestation <a href="https://t.co/1zgZPR13YZ">https://t.co/1zgZPR13YZ</a></p>— Human Rights Watch (@hrw) <a href="https://twitter.com/hrw/status/1256295338090156033?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 1, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

CoronaJihad is Only the Latest Manifestation: Islamophobia in India has Been Years in the Making

“My mother has been asking me about detention centers,” my friend recently told me on the phone. “She has been very worried.”

My first reaction was shame. She is Muslim and I am Hindu. That never meant anything to us when we first met, studied together and hung out in New York. When her mother came to visit, I was always excited because it meant hot and delicious meals that eased the pain of missing home. But for several years now, home has come to mean something different to us. The crescendo in Muslim vilification, the increase in violent mob attacks that have killed and injured so many, the seeming acquiescence of many Indian Hindus, has meant our lived realities in our own country have diverged.

Today, as the world battles coronavirus (COVID-19), which has already claimed thousands of lives, India is also battling another threat to life – Muslim hate. In recent weeks, social media and WhatsApp groups have been flooded by calls for social and economic boycotts of Muslims and there have been numerous physical attacks on Muslims, including volunteers distributing relief material, amid falsehoods accusing them of spreading the virus deliberately.

It all started after the Indian authorities announced that they found a large number of coronavirus positive cases among Muslims who had attended a mass religious congregation in Delhi, organized by the international Islamic missionary movement Tablighi Jamaat. Even as the authorities raced to trace those affected, leaders from the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had already called the Jamaat meeting a “Talibani crime” and “CoronaTerrorism.” Some mainstream media screamed “CoronaJihad” and the hashtag went viral on social media.

The Tablighi Jamaat situation led the World Health Organization to caution: “It is very important that we do not profile the cases on the basis of racial, religious and ethnic lines.” Medical experts worried that such stigmatization of one community would do great harm during an epidemic, making people fearful, “leading to concealment of cases and delays in detection.”

On 19 April 2020, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation criticized the “unrelenting vicious Islamophobiccampaign in India maligning Muslims for spread of COVID-19.” Less than an hour later, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke up for the first time, tweeting: “COVID19 does not see race, religion, colour, caste, creed, language or borders before striking. Our response and conduct thereafter should attach primacy to unity and brotherhood. We are in this together.”

However, coronavirus has simply highlighted what Muslims have been increasingly facing in India since Modi’s BJP government was first elected in 2014. BJP leaders have repeatedly made Hindu nationalist and anti-Muslim remarks in their speeches and interviews. These have, at times, encouraged and even incited violent attacks by party supporters who believe they have political protection and approval. They have beaten Muslim men for dating Hindu women. Mobs affiliated with the BJP have, since 2015, killed and injured scores of members of religious minorities amid rumors that they traded or killed cows for beef.

Government policy has also reflected bias against Muslims. In December 2019, the Modi administration achieved passage of the discriminatory Citizenship (Amendment) Act, which for the first time in India makes religion a basis for granting citizenship. The law specifically fast-tracks asylum claims of non-Muslim irregular immigrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. However, the amended citizenship law, coupled with the government’s push for a nationwide citizenship verification process, aimed at identifying “illegal migrants,” has led to fears that millions of Indian Muslims, including many families who have lived in the country for generations, could be stripped of their citizenship rights, disenfranchised, and detained.

What was reassuring is that hundreds of thousands of Indians protested against these plans. It showed that many did not agree with the discrimination and targeting of minority groups. But it was deeply troubling that the police and other officials repeatedly failed to intervene when government supporters attacked Muslims and others protesting against the government’s proposed citizenship policies. Police, however, were quick to arrest critics of the policy and disperse their peaceful demonstrations, including by using excessive and lethal force.Several BJP officials mocked and threatened protesters, while some even called for the protesters, whom they described as “traitors,” to be shot, fueling further violence against Muslims.

In India’s northeastern state of Assam, such a citizenship verification process has already excluded nearly two million people, both Hindus and Muslims. Non-Muslims who are considered doubtful citizens or illegal immigrants because of inadequate documentation will have an opportunity to get citizenship under the newly amended law, but Muslims with similarly inadequate documentation will be at risk of statelessness and many may end up in detention centers that Assam and other states are already building.

These are the detention centers my friend’s mother was fearing. I know that her fears are not entirely unfounded. I met many families in Assam, living there for decades, but now struggling to get their loved ones released after being declared “foreigners.” I felt shame because if we were both asked to prove our citizenship, I will not be viewed with similar suspicion. And even if we both have inadequate documents, I will not likely end up in a detention center. Because in India these days, Muslims are being treated differently from Hindus.

Now from Arabs, you have moved onto NGOs?

 

[Sirris]

Now from Arabs, you have moved onto NGOs?

I was unaware of the nation wide persecution of non-Hindus by misguided violent hindutva extremists. I always thought that the Pakistani anti-modi, anti-BJP stance is due to the political issue of Kashmir.

The Arab activists on Twitter made me aware of the deeper issue of the violent followers of RSS. Seeing how many BJP members on social media, with a large following, can - without any consequences - repeadly spread fake news with an intention to spread communal hatred, I welcome the international coverage given to this drastic rise of communal violence in India.

It doesn't if such coverage is from Arab activists, United States Commission or Human rights watch. I regard such reports to be credible as long as the source is from a third party and not from a Pakistani Zaid Hamid type of guys.

 

[Abdullah719]

Now from Arabs, you have moved onto NGOs?

Who exactly can be trusted? As you have discredited Indian left-wing media as well.

So left-wing media, foreign media, neutral media, NGOs - nobody is acceptable.

What is left besides OpIndia, Republic, TimesNow, etc.?

Genuine question. Is the Indian right-wing media the only source of acceptable news and reports?

 

[IMMY69]

It’s a real struggle for me to avoid posting on these threads.....one day I will go to far and get a ban...

We are witnessing, and this is without any exaggeration, the rebirth of the third reich..
So many Indians have been brain washed and there are foot soldiers even on this site that defend every action of the state... it started off as being funny until what happened in IOK and then the killings of innocents in India itself..

 

[Kriketer]

It’s a real struggle for me to avoid posting on these threads.....one day I will go to far and get a ban...

We are witnessing, and this is without any exaggeration, the rebirth of the third reich..
So many Indians have been brain washed and there are foot soldiers even on this site that defend every action of the state... it started off as being funny until what happened in IOK and then the killings of innocents in India itself..

It's comical how these bhakts just deny anything and everything that doesn't suit their bill. So glad one after another people and organizations around the globe are exposing these extremist goons.

Every Indian Muslim I have spoken to says that it is getting quite bad for Muslims in India, and most are passionate Indians. Country which was mostly on the decent track of communal harmony has gone down sharply in the last few years. These bhakts will defend their fascist government no matter what. India will pay a heavy price eventually if it kept getting worse for minorities in India. 200 million are well capable of causing uproar and eventually snatching their own land if it comes to it. Hopefully it won't go that route as it only causes blood shed, and sane voices in India will suffocate these hate mongering viruses.

Future doesn't seem stable for this country. You can tell by just looking at their slipping economy and social unrest since BJP took over.

 

[Itachi]

It's comical how these bhakts just deny anything and everything that doesn't suit their bill. So glad one after another people and organizations around the globe are exposing these extremist goons.

Every Indian Muslim I have spoken to says that it is getting quite bad for Muslims in India, and most are passionate Indians. Country which was mostly on the decent track of communal harmony has gone down sharply in the last few years. These bhakts will defend their fascist government no matter what. India will pay a heavy price eventually if it kept getting worse for minorities in India. 200 million are well capable of causing uproar and eventually snatching their own land if it comes to it. Hopefully it won't go that route as it only causes blood shed, and sane voices in India will suffocate these hate mongering viruses.

Future doesn't seem stable for this country. You can tell by just looking at their slipping economy and social unrest since BJP took over.

how many?

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

how many?

You don't ask these questions when Joshila bhai speaks for entire India and Indians.

 

[Sirris]

'First Muslims, Now Us': Akal Takht Chief Smells a Plot to Malign Sikhs as Some Nanded Pilgrims Test Positive

With many pilgrims returning from Nanded testing positive for Covid-19, Akal Takht Jathedar Harpreet Singh on Friday claimed there was conspiracy to malign the Sikhs over it just as the Muslims were after the Tablighi Jamaat episode.

At least 115 of the over 3,000 pilgrims who have returned from the Hazur Sahib shrine in Maharashtra in recent days have tested positive for coronavirus, according to state government figures.

The jathedar who heads the supreme temporal seat of the Sikhs has now compared this to the maligning of the Muslim community after people who attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in New Delhi were found carrying the virus on returning to their homes across the country.

He claimed there was a race to malign the entire Muslim community over the Tablighi Jamaat episode and the same kind of propaganda is being carried out now.

It is a very big conspiracy, the religious leader said.

https://www.news18.com/news/india/f...me-nanded-pilgrims-test-positive-2601101.html

Hindu's long lasting friends are starting to feel uneasy now due to the deliberate propoganda and violent acts of some misguided kattar Hindus.

 

[IMMY69]

how many?

I have many family members still living in India...
However the majority of Indians are yet to be converted to extremism.. I have plenty of Indian Hindu business associates in India who are all bowing their heads in shame.

So there is hope but problem is the minority make the most noise and the government the people have elected is taking India down the wrong path.

 

[Mesozoic]

.

Every Indian Muslim I have spoken to says that it is getting quite bad for Muslims in India, and most are passionate Indians. Country which was mostly on the decent track of communal harmony has gone down sharply in the last few years. These bhakts will defend their fascist government no matter what. India will pay a heavy price eventually if it kept getting worse for minorities in India. 200 million are well capable of causing uproar and eventually snatching their own land if it comes to it.Hopefully it won't go that route as it only causes blood shed, and sane voices in India will suffocate these hate mongering viruses.

This is not 1947 anymore and we're not under the jurisdiction of the British parliament. Any "uproar" demanding for a separate land will be quelled with brutal force both by the majority and the state.

 

[Sirris]

India's famous vlogger having a hard time proving his innocence and that he is corona free. They guy hasn't left India since November 2019 and has been in self-isolation for 6 weeks now.

One of the question asked by the doctor @8:05 "Are you one of those Jamatis?" this is how far the media campaign to vilify a community has reached. If a white guy can be seen as a potential "Jamaati guy" then just imagine how a normal Muslim would be looked as.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

This means India doesn't allow others to meddle in its sovereignty.

Others don't need to meddle with India's sovereignty, US and Great Britain can keep pressure on India without firing a shot by highlighting India's unequal society, and ultimately it will help India's downtrodden who have no voice, and that is the purpose.

Beyond that, we can use soft power of language, and superior western culture to woo Indian younger generation, and it is evident that already it is a battle we are winning. RSS and their offshoots are in defensive mode, ultimately they cannot offer a brighter future for Indians in the modern world.

 

[Sirris]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">1. Clear as daylight now that BJP has only one agenda, inflaming communal passions. Fruits and vegetables in Jharkhand are either Hindu or Muslim. Denigrating the Muslim community in Bengal for petty politics is par for course. The same thing is true for</p>— Yashwant Sinha (@YashwantSinha) <a href="https://twitter.com/YashwantSinha/status/1255735330939957248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 30, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">2. Maharashtra and elsewhere. People at the top in Govt and RSS pretend to be statesman. People below have the liberty to do what they like. See how the BJP MLAs are behaving in UP. Is it the same party that Vajpayee led? Shame.</p>— Yashwant Sinha (@YashwantSinha) <a href="https://twitter.com/YashwantSinha/status/1255736312801292288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 30, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">For the managers of public broadcaster Doordarshan, India is already a Hindu Rashtra. Govt of India is taking advantage of the lockdown to push its agenda by stealth. Beware.</p>— Yashwant Sinha (@YashwantSinha) <a href="https://twitter.com/YashwantSinha/status/1256110674121388037?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 1, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Interesting insights by an Indian in India.

 

[MP2011]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">1. Clear as daylight now that BJP has only one agenda, inflaming communal passions. Fruits and vegetables in Jharkhand are either Hindu or Muslim. Denigrating the Muslim community in Bengal for petty politics is par for course. The same thing is true for</p>— Yashwant Sinha (@YashwantSinha) <a href="https://twitter.com/YashwantSinha/status/1255735330939957248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 30, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">2. Maharashtra and elsewhere. People at the top in Govt and RSS pretend to be statesman. People below have the liberty to do what they like. See how the BJP MLAs are behaving in UP. Is it the same party that Vajpayee led? Shame.</p>— Yashwant Sinha (@YashwantSinha) <a href="https://twitter.com/YashwantSinha/status/1255736312801292288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 30, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">For the managers of public broadcaster Doordarshan, India is already a Hindu Rashtra. Govt of India is taking advantage of the lockdown to push its agenda by stealth. Beware.</p>— Yashwant Sinha (@YashwantSinha) <a href="https://twitter.com/YashwantSinha/status/1256110674121388037?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 1, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Interesting insights by an Indian in India.

Now see him being labelled a disgruntled ex BJP guy by devotees whose rants don't matter since he didn't get ministerial birth.

 

[MP2011]

Agree with Sinha regarding telecast of only Hindu serials on DD. There were so many other memorable serials that were telecast on DD like Mulla Nasruddin, Mirza Ghalib etc.

 

[Buffet]

Outside ratings may not be accurate and even biased, but how do the mojority of Indians feel about this? Having loud opposition voices to keep things in check is very important in any society.

 

[Rajdeep]

Outside ratings may not be accurate and even biased, but how do the mojority of Indians feel about this? Having loud opposition voices to keep things in check is very important in any society.

Extremely happy with the current regime and governance. India is currently in a much better shape than it was ever before. Today, we are being led by a stateman whose decisive decisions and hard work is making the shinning India dream coming to reality. Gone are the days of corrupt puppet leaders leading the country.

Dont be fooled by what so called liberals or NDTVs/Wires of the lost world makes you believe. Liberals are burning like charcoal since 23rd May 2019 when their pipedream of bringing Congress back to power got shattered into pieces. So now they are clinging onto anything and everything to keep their ever sinking boat afloat. But good news is, majority of Indians are now much more aware of the reality and dont take views of Arundhati Roy or Barkha Dutts of the world seriously anymore. Infact we laught at them, at their dispair and dismay. They lost and we won. The idea of left liberalism in the name of minority appeasement has been rejected by majority of sane Indians. They lost.

Anyone who lives in India would know that this rising intolerance towards Indian minorities is a lie, a blatant lie. Ofcourse there are some goons/hooligans somewhere attacking minorities in the name of cow...similarly how hindus get attacked too. We are a country of 1.5 billion people afterall. But this govt has always acted fair and actee for all people irrespective of religion, creed or caste. The only difference being, this govt is not ready to do minority appeasement like its predecessors and this is something they are unable to digest.

Removal of autonomy from Kashmir or giving rights to persecuted minorities from neighbouring countries by virtue of CAA act etc. had nothing to do with Indian minorities. But a fake narrative was created that Indian muslims are being targetted by Modi govt due to these acts. Delhi burned for weeks due to this lie. You think the riots that took place on the same day of Donald Trump's visit were co-incidence? They were all deliberate attempts to demean India in front of the world. A notorious liberal named Swara Bhaskar, who was screaming her lungs out how CAA/NRC is anti muslims got exposed live in ABP news stage and turn out that she did not even read the act.

We are dealing with a bunch of agenda driven people who are even willing to even sell their country just to see Modi out. But we wont allow that to happen...we will never let that happen....we cant allow that to happen.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

Extremely happy with the current regime and governance. India is currently in a much better shape than it was ever before. Today, we are being led by a stateman whose decisive decisions and hard work is making the shinning India dream coming to reality. Gone are the days of corrupt puppet leaders leading the country.

Dont be fooled by what so called liberals or NDTVs/Wires of the lost world makes you believe. Liberals are burning like charcoal since 23rd May 2019 when their pipedream of bringing Congress back to power got shattered into pieces. So now they are clinging onto anything and everything to keep their ever sinking boat afloat. But good news is, majority of Indians are now much more aware of the reality and dont take views of Arundhati Roy or Barkha Dutts of the world seriously anymore. Infact we laught at them, at their dispair and dismay. They lost and we won. The idea of left liberalism in the name of minority appeasement has been rejected by majority of sane Indians. They lost.

Anyone who lives in India would know that this rising intolerance towards Indian minorities is a lie, a blatant lie. Ofcourse there are some goons/hooligans somewhere attacking minorities in the name of cow...similarly how hindus get attacked too. We are a country of 1.5 billion people afterall. But this govt has always acted fair and actee for all people irrespective of religion, creed or caste. The only difference being, this govt is not ready to do minority appeasement like its predecessors and this is something they are unable to digest.

Removal of autonomy from Kashmir or giving rights to persecuted minorities from neighbouring countries by virtue of CAA act etc. had nothing to do with Indian minorities. But a fake narrative was created that Indian muslims are being targetted by Modi govt due to these acts. Delhi burned for weeks due to this lie. You think the riots that took place on the same day of Donald Trump's visit were co-incidence? They were all deliberate attempts to demean India in front of the world. A notorious liberal named Swara Bhaskar, who was screaming her lungs out how CAA/NRC is anti muslims got exposed live in ABP news stage and turn out that she did not even read the act.

We are dealing with a bunch of agenda driven people who are even willing to even sell their country just to see Modi out. But we wont allow that to happen...we will never let that happen....we cant allow that to happen.

Yeah why not. Everything is a lie.

 

[MP2011]

Outside ratings may not be accurate and even biased, but how do the mojority of Indians feel about this? Having loud opposition voices to keep things in check is very important in any society.

Needless to say, under the 2 despots India is in an unimaginable stinky hole. All institutions of prominence have been compromised to an extent of them being left totally irrelevant with these 2 bigots calling shots.

Never ever have we been shown in such poor light by foreign regimes and institutions.

Anyone supporting these bigots are bigots themselves. They are happy with these 2 only due to them being outright religious bigots and them trampling upon minority voices and rights.

Our economy has never been in such depths, not even in our so-called socialist era.

To conclude, we are being ruled by a bunch of illiterate and communal fools.

 

[Sirris]

India Muslims targeted in attacks over coronavirus


<iframe src='https://players.brightcove.net/665003303001/4k5gFJHRe_default/index.html?videoId=6153703223001&usrPersonaAds=0' allowfullscreen frameborder=0></iframe>

India has rejected a report by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, which named it "a country of particular concern".

Muslims have been attacked after a religious gathering in the capital allegedly led to a rise in coronavirus cases, with the minority being blamed for the spread of the disease.

Al Jazeera's Elizabeth Puranam reports from New Delhi.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...eted-attacks-coronavirus-200502141834870.html

 

[Abdullah719]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Religious freedom in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/India?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#India</a> during 2019 took a drastic turn downward, a trend that has unfortunately been demonstrated by the scapegoating of Muslims during the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVID19?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#COVID19</a> crisis. As a result, USCIRF recommends India for <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CPC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CPC</a> designation. <br><br>Read more: <a href="https://t.co/95B9IUsHNv">https://t.co/95B9IUsHNv</a></p>— USCIRF (@USCIRF) <a href="https://twitter.com/USCIRF/status/1260317196653338626?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 12, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Extra_Cover]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Religious freedom in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/India?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#India</a> during 2019 took a drastic turn downward, a trend that has unfortunately been demonstrated by the scapegoating of Muslims during the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVID19?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#COVID19</a> crisis. As a result, USCIRF recommends India for <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CPC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CPC</a> designation. <br><br>Read more: <a href="https://t.co/95B9IUsHNv">https://t.co/95B9IUsHNv</a></p>— USCIRF (@USCIRF) <a href="https://twitter.com/USCIRF/status/1260317196653338626?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 12, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Thanks for sharing the link.

Some damning recommendations in there and a neutral objective overview of recent events in India.

 

[gazza619]

Nothing is going to change though. India shall continue to act like the India it has become and the same with Pakistan.

 

[CanadianG00se]

Needless to say, under the 2 despots India is in an unimaginable stinky hole. All institutions of prominence have been compromised to an extent of them being left totally irrelevant with these 2 bigots calling shots.

Never ever have we been shown in such poor light by foreign regimes and institutions.

Anyone supporting these bigots are bigots themselves. They are happy with these 2 only due to them being outright religious bigots and them trampling upon minority voices and rights.

Our economy has never been in such depths, not even in our so-called socialist era.

To conclude, we are being ruled by a bunch of illiterate and communal fools.

Most Indians are happy to call so called ‘illiterate fool’ as their leader. He is far better than an educated leader who’s leadership gave us 2/3G scams, CoalGate.

 

[Abdullah719]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">During <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVID19?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#COVID19</a> crisis, there are reports <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/India?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#India</a> govt is arresting Muslim activists protesting the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CAA?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CAA</a>, including Safoora Zargar who is pregnant. <br><br>At this time, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/India?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#India</a> should be releasing prisoners of conscience, not targeting those practicing their democratic right to protest.</p>— USCIRF (@USCIRF) <a href="https://twitter.com/USCIRF/status/1260926337063292928?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 14, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Rajdeep]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">While there were some positive developments in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Pakistan?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Pakistan</a> in 2019, USCIRF recommends it for <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CPC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CPC</a> designation due to the gov'ts ongoing violations of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ReligiousFreedom?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ReligiousFreedom</a>, especially enforcement of blasphemy and anti-Ahmadiyya laws.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/USCIRFAnnualReport2020?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#USCIRFAnnualReport2020</a <a href="https://t.co/ljhmJq2m3M">https://t.co/ljhmJq2m3M</a></p>— USCIRF (@USCIRF) <a href="https://twitter.com/USCIRF/status/1260300263371558919?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 12, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Abdullah719]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">While there were some positive developments in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Pakistan?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Pakistan</a> in 2019, USCIRF recommends it for <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CPC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CPC</a> designation due to the gov'ts ongoing violations of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ReligiousFreedom?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ReligiousFreedom</a>, especially enforcement of blasphemy and anti-Ahmadiyya laws.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/USCIRFAnnualReport2020?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#USCIRFAnnualReport2020</a <a href="https://t.co/ljhmJq2m3M">https://t.co/ljhmJq2m3M</a></p>— USCIRF (@USCIRF) <a href="https://twitter.com/USCIRF/status/1260300263371558919?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 12, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Good to see "some positive developments," but a long way to go.

 

[MenInG]

And more...from European Parliament's Think Tank

https://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document.html?reference=EPRS_BRI(2020)651915

India has a 70-year history of democracy, tolerance and rule of law, and a successful record of managing its patchwork of cultures and religions.

In recent months, however, following the second consecutive victory of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party in the May 2019 general elections, this situation has been changing under the impact of an ever-increasing Hindu nationalist grip on society and politics.

After Jammu and Kashmir, India's only Muslim-majority state, lost its autonomy, the government adopted the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), allowing foreigners from six religious communities living in three neighbouring countries to apply for Indian citizenship at a faster pace.

This new legislation has prompted protests and divisions across India, as, according to both internal and external observers, citizenship would be determined along religious criteria, which risks undermining the country's traditional secularism.

The government's plan to launch a national register of citizens has further increased the Muslim community's fear of discrimination. Communal tensions flared into violence in late February 2020 in Delhi, claiming 53 lives.

At the same time, India's economy is experiencing a severe downturn: even before the coronavirus outbreak started to have an effect, its growth was slackening and so was job creation, while at the same time unemployment is high, consumer confidence and spending are low, and trust in the banking sector is eroding as credit weakness and non-performing loans hinder its performance. Contrary to expectations, the Union budget for financial year 2021 has not tackled existing structural weaknesses or generated a large fiscal stimulus as an answer to the slowdown.

 

[Firebat]

India denies visas to U.S. panel on religious freedom, says it has no standing

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India has turned down a travel request for members of a U.S. government panel seeking to review its religious freedom, saying such foreign agencies had no standing to assess the constitutional rights of citizens.

Since taking power in 2014, the Indian government has faced criticism for attacks on Muslims and the panel has called for the world’s biggest democracy to be designated a “country of particular concern”, along with China, Iran, Russia and Syria.

The call by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) was made in an April report urging sanctions against officials of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government after it excluded minority Muslims from a new citizenship law.

Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said the government firmly repudiated the surveys of the commission, which had little knowledge of the rights of Indian citizens, describing it as biased and prejudiced.

“We have also denied visas to USCIRF teams that have sought to visit India in connection with issues related to religious freedom,” he told a lawmaker from Modi’s ruling group in a June 1 letter.

The step was taken because the government saw no grounds for a foreign entity such as the USCIRF to pronounce on the state of Indian citizens’ constitutionally protected rights, he added.

Reuters has reviewed a copy of the letter to Nishikant Dubey, an MP who had raised the issue of the panel’s report in parliament.

The U.S. embassy in New Delhi referred all queries to the commission based in Washington D.C., which was not immediately available to respond.

The commission is a bipartisan U.S. government advisory body that monitors religious freedom abroad and makes policy recommendations to the president, the secretary of state, and Congress. However, these are not binding.

India would not accept any foreign interference or judgement on matters related to its sovereignty, Jaishankar added.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...freedom-says-it-has-no-standing-idUSKBN23I0SO

 

[Extra_Cover]

I have a bad feeling regarding how things are going for worse in India.

In developed countries the situation of law and order is very stable. For example in US there is a communal gap between black and whites in some parts of the country. However, the situation of law and order in US is very stable, hence although they don't like each other the lethal crime rates based on communal violence is low.

For developing countries like India the situation of law and order is not that great. Therefore, as communal gap exists between hindus and muslims the worst a government can do is add fuel to fire which current BJP government is doing. There could be lethal consequences of these actions. Already we have seen riots in Delhi this year where close to 50 persons died but still no culprits brought to justice (especially the ones higher in the hierarchy that initiated this violence).

In case of Pakistan, no matter how flawed the country is in terms of corruption. But at least this country has not used communal gaps such as sunni and shia to procure votes and by doing so initiating violence against the sects. For example, if PTI was completely pro-sunni and issued laws in parliament against Shias then common sense suggests that violence would have happened on streets in which lives would have been lost. Such acts are not only require condemnation but also needs to rooted out by public through elections. The irony is that such acts have happened in India against muslims and largely the Indian public and media have openly defended this.

 

[Abdullah719]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">USCIRF is alarmed by recent attacks against churches in India. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ReligiousFreedom?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ReligiousFreedom</a> in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/India?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#India</a> is at serious risk. <a href="https://t.co/QdzAyQv945">https://t.co/QdzAyQv945</a></p>— USCIRF (@USCIRF) <a href="https://twitter.com/USCIRF/status/1276212821999652869?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 25, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[CricketCartoons]

I read it as: India receives highest rating since 2004... Just about right.

 

[Abdullah719]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">USCIRF <a href="https://twitter.com/CommrBhargava?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CommrBhargava</a "Reports that Indian authorities are indefinitely and unlawfully detaining women and men for speaking out in support of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/religiousfreedom?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#religiousfreedom</a> or for their religious beliefs - in the midst of the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVID19?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#COVID19</a> pandemic - are deeply troubling." <a href="https://t.co/jQmd04eElH">https://t.co/jQmd04eElH</a></p>— USCIRF (@USCIRF) <a href="https://twitter.com/USCIRF/status/1285574166666711042?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Abdullah719]

14 US Senators want India listed as worst offenders of religious freedom

September 15, 2020: The “Coalition to Stop Genocide in India”, a broad coalition of Indian American and US-based civil rights organizations and activists, today welcomed a letter written by fourteen US Senators to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stressing that US law requires the US Government to consider a federal commission’s recommendations that some countries be designated as a Countries of Particular Concern (CPC), which is the US Government’s official term for countries that are the world’s worst offenders of religious freedom.

The bipartisan letter was signed by ten Republican senators and four Democratic senators and sent to Secretary Pompeo this month. Should the US government decide not to accept the recommendations made by the United States Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), a federal commission, the letter requires the State Department to inform US Congress of its reasons within 30 days of making that determination.

Last year, the US designated nine countries, including China, North Korea, Burma, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, as CPC on the basis of USCIRF recommendations. In April this year, the USCIRF recommended adding nine more countries, including India, to this list.

CSGI has repeatedly called for the inclusion of India in the list of countries of particular concern, and has urged the State Department to accept USCIRF’s recommendations in this regard, given the escalating levels of persecution against religious minorities in India.

“Our nation was founded on the principle that all people have a right to freely practice the faith of their choice, without fear of persecution by their government or any other actors,” the bipartisan letter to Secretary Pompeo said. “As the leader of the free world, it is vital that the United States model and promote this crucial human right and our values to the rest of the world as a fundamental part of our foreign policy objectives.”

The Senators wrote that to accomplish that goal, “we must first publicly highlight abuse, persecution and discrimination experienced by people and groups of faith around the world.”

“We are encouraged to see the pressure from Congress to designate India a Country of Particular Concern. The US should always lead with its values and hold our friends accountable when they miss the mark on religious freedom,” said Matias Perttula, Advocacy Director, International Christian Concern. “The Modi government must move away from its radical agenda and secure the rights and liberties of all religious minorities in India as is guaranteed in its constitution.”

Added Ahsan Khan, National President, IAMC: “The Senators’ letter to Secretary Pompeo shows that there is a strong bipartisan Congressional support for holding India accountable for its escalating violence against its principal minorities, the Muslims and the Christians. The US Government must designate India as CPC.”

The Senators who have signed the letter are James Lankford (R-Oklahoma), Chris Coons (D-Delaware), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Marco Rubio (R-Florida), Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina), Tim Scott (R-South Carolina), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Jacky Rosen (D-Nevada), Kevin Cramer (R-North Dakota), Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi), Steve Daines (R-Montana), Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland), and Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia).

“Both the State Department and USCIRF play important roles in sustaining the United States’ leadership in religious freedom across the globe, including through their annual reports,” the letter said. “These reports are invaluable for Members of Congress, other governments, and civil society groups, and help hold bad actors accountable.”

Reports by USCIRF and the State Department “enable the international community to identify atrocities, encourage progress and develop solutions,” the letter said.

The letter has also been sent to US Ambassador for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback.

The Coalition to Stop Genocide has urged Secretary Pompeo not only to accept the USCIRF’s recommendation that India be designated as CPC “for engaging in and tolerating systematic, ongoing, and egregious religious freedom violations, as defined by the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA),” but also to move quickly to impose “targeted sanctions” against Indian agencies and officials “responsible for severe violations of religious freedom by freezing those individuals’ assets and/ or barring their entry into the United States.”

The “Coalition to Stop Genocide in India” is committed to safeguard peace, pluralism and social justice in India by ensuring that American institutions and discourse continues to highlight human rights abuses and religious freedom violations in India.

https://www.milligazette.com/news/8...dia-listed-worst-offenders-religious-freedom/