US concern on religious freedom a work of 'Hinduphobic, Indophobic': Hindu body

Washington: A Hindu body in Washington has condemned the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), USCIRF's report on religious freedom in India, as a work of "Hinduphobic" commission members.

The bipartisan, independent body, in its report, has recommended, for the third year in a row, that India be designated a 'Country of Particular Concern' (CPC), i.e., the category of governments performing most poorly on religious freedom criteria.

HinduPACT, an initiative of the World Hindu Council of America, in a statement alleged that the USCIRF has been taken over by "Indophobic and Hinduphobic members".

HinduPACT in a statement slammed the USCIRF.

"This year's report follows a pattern of reports that have appeared in previous years. Based on publicly available information on topics like the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and Kashmir, the USCIRF report is a copy-and-paste of talking points peddled by an agglomeration of Islamist groups working with radical Islamist group Justice for All on whose platform USCIRF commissioners appear regularly," alleged Utsav Chakrabarti, executive director of HinduPACT.

"It is now obvious that the USCIRF has been taken over by the Indophobic and Hinduphobic members. Many of these members have attended India and Hindu bashing events. It is no surprise that their selective observations are meant to promote a political agenda and further their electoral reach in select communities," said Ajay Shah, president of the World Hindu Council of America (VHPA).

China, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and 11 other nations have also been designated as "countries of particular concern" in the context of religious freedom.

The recommendations are not binding on the US government.

The American Muslim Institution (AMI) and its associate organisations applaud the USCIRF recommendation, saying religious freedom conditions in India "significantly worsened" in 2021.

The Federation of Indian-American Christian Organisations and the Indian-American Muslim Council in separate statements reportedly applauded the USCIRF recommendation.

Several other Muslim and Christian groups hailed the observations made in the report, demanding that the US declare India as a "country of particular concern".

During a special virtual congressional briefing, a day after the release of the report, USCIRF Commissioner Anurima Bhargava alleged that Indian government officials were tolerating and engaging in religious persecution of Muslims and Christians with prolific mob violence.

India has dismissed such allegations. Senior US government officials have told lawmakers that India has a vibrant civil society, an independent judiciary, and a mature functional democracy, which has enough mechanisms to address the internal human rights concerns if any.