US Senators express concern for religious liberty in Modi’s India

A bipartisan group of US senators on Monday expressed concern for violations of religious liberty in India, terming the “ongoing violations” as disturbing. In a letter addressed to Donald Trump, the senators highlighted that India continued to fare poorly on religious freedom, urging Trump to take up the matter with visiting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“India has consistently remained a Tier 2 country, meaning that USCIRF believes it requires close monitoring based on evidence of violations of religious freedom. These include violence, discrimination, and forced conversions, as well as harassment and intimidation,” the letter read.

While the letter mainly concerned itself with Modi government’s recent crackdown on non-profits and steered clear of recent mob lynchings, it nevertheless reminded Trump of US’ “persistent efforts to support and advocate for religious liberty around the world.”

“Over the past few years, the Indian government has made it difficult – if not impossible - for religious and humanitarian organisations to get funding to their charitable operations in India. Many of these organisations are simply trying to meet the basic needs of the citizens of India, a press release issued by Republican Senator John Kennedy, who led the US group, said.

The letter further stated that India in recent times had used the 2011’s amendments to the Foreign Contributions Regulation Act (FCRA) to target humanitarian and religious organisations.

“The number of organisations that have lost their licenses has exceeded 10,000 since Prime Minister Modi took office,” it noted.

The appeal, also signed by Senators Roy Blunt, Amy Klobuchar, James Lankford and Mike Crapo, said that India’s crackdown on Christian charity Compassion International left nearly 145,000 children it served in a lurch. The Modi government had in February 2016 stifled the flow of foreign funds to Compassion’s Indian-affiliated churches, a move that was described as “religiously-motivated” by the charity.

“Other organizations that have come under scrutiny include the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Ford Foundation, Amnesty International, and Greenpeace,” the letter noted.

It is not clear if the issue of religious liberty came up in discussions between Modi and Trump. The official joint statement, which made strong references to terrorism, trade and security in the Indo-Pacific region, didn’t take note of the matter.

The full text of the letter:

Dear Mr. President:

Thank you for your commitment to protecting and advancing religious liberty around the world. You have made it clear that protecting religious freedom deserves our constant vigilance. We agree that our support for democracy requires persistent efforts to support and advocate for religious liberty around the world.

We are particularly concerned about violations of religious liberty in India. India is the world’s largest democracy and therefore holds a position of importance on the world stage, making the ongoing violations even more disturbing. Despite India’s size and religious diversity, violations of religious liberty have existed for years.

Every year, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) releases a report outlining the state of religious freedom across the world. India has consistently remained a “Tier 2” country, meaning that USCIRF believes it requires close monitoring based on evidence of violations of religious freedom. These include violence, discrimination, and forced conversions, as well as harassment and intimidation.

Of significant concern is India’s recent use of its Foreign Contributions Regulations Act (FCRA) to target humanitarian and religious organizations. Any foreign religious organizations, including missionaries, working in India must comply with this law. In 2011, the Indian Parliament amended FCRA to allow the government to block funds for foreign organizations that conduct any “activities detrimental to the national interest.”

The Indian government has since used this broad provision to target foreign humanitarian and religious organizations that serve the Indian people, such as Compassion International that was forced to leave India and the 145,000 Indian children it served. Other organizations that have come under scrutiny include the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Ford Foundation, Amnesty International, and Greenpeace. Other evangelical Christian organizations, such as the Southern Baptist Convention, have also faced discrimination of various kinds. The number of organizations that have lost their licenses has exceeded 10,000 since Prime Minister Modi took office.

Based on these troubling developments, we ask that you make religious liberty a top priority when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits the United States this month. We request that you use the United States’ strong, longstanding relationship with India to encourage Prime Minister Modi to alleviate the discrimination against these organizations, particularly religious-based aid groups, and to take steps to advance religious liberty for all of India’s citizens.

The United States has served as an example of religious liberty for the entire world ever since its founding. These principles underlie the essence of what it means to be American. Even more importantly, the freedom to practice one’s own religious beliefs underlies the essence of what it means to be human and live in a democracy. We encourage you to bring these violations to Prime Minister Modi’s attention and continue to work to protect religious liberty across the globe.