India Dresses Down U.S.' Report On Religious Freedom; Reminds Of Racial Attacks On Its Soil

We have noted the release by the US State Department of its report on international religious freedom for 2023. As in the past, the report is deeply biased, lacks understanding of Indias social fabric and is visibly driven by vote bank considerations and a prescriptive outlook. We therefore reject it. The exercise itself is a mix of imputations, misrepresentations, selective usage of facts, reliance on bias sources and A1 sided projection of issues. This extends even to the depiction of our constitutional provisions and duly enacted laws of India. It has selectively picked incidents to advance a preconceived narrative as well. In some cases, the very validity of laws and regulations are questioned by the report, as are the right of legislators to enact them. The report also appears to to challenge the integrity of certain legal judgments given by Indian courts. The report has also targeted regulations that monitor misuse of financial flows into India, suggesting that the burden of compliance is unreasonable. It seeks to question the need for such measures on its own part. the United States has even more stringent laws and regulations and would surely not prescribe such solutions for itself. Human rights and respect for diversity have been and remain a legitimate subject of discussion between India and the United States. In 2023, India has officially taken up numerous cases in the US of hate crimes, racial attacks on Indian nationals and other minorities, vandalization and targeting of places of worship, violence and mistreatment by law enforcement authorities, as well as the according of political space to advocates of extremism and terrorism abroad. However, such dialogue should not become a license for foreign interference in other polities. Subscribe to our YouTube channel, hit the like button and press the bell icon so you don't miss any of our videos.