Page 2 - Minorities

Minority report: Unemployment rate among religious minorities up in 2023-24

But was down from the pre-Covid year

USCIRF flags 'increasing abuses' against religious minorities in India

A US federal government commission has flagged the alleged worsening of religious freedom in India and called for it to be designated as a "Country of Particular Concern". Authored by senior policy analyst Sema Hasan, the section on India describes the use of misinformation and disinformation -- including hate speech by government officials -- to incite violent attacks against religious minorities and their places of worship, the US Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) said in a statement. In its annual report, the USCIRF also recommended that the US Department of State designate India as a "Country of Particular Concern" for engaging in systematic, ongoing and egregious violations of religious freedom. The state department has so far refrained from accepting the recommendations. "This report highlights how, throughout 2024, individuals have been killed, beaten, and lynched by vigilante groups, religious leaders have been arbitrarily arrested, and homes and place

Unacceptable: Govt on Iranian supreme leader's comment on Indian minorities

India on Monday strongly deplored comments made by Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on the condition of minorities in India, calling the remarks "misinformed and unacceptable". External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said countries commenting on minorities in India should look at their "own record" before making any observations about others. "We strongly deplore the comments made regarding minorities in India by the Supreme Leader of Iran. These are misinformed and unacceptable," he said. "Countries commenting on minorities are advised to look at their own record before making any observations about others," Jaiswal said. The Iranian leader, addressing a gathering of clerics in Tehran on Monday, talked about what he described as "suffering" of Muslims in Gaza, Myanmar and India. "The enemies of Islam have always tried to make us indifferent with regard to our shared identity as an Islamic Ummah. We cannot consider ourselves to be Muslims if we are obliv

Minorities safest in India: Union minister Rijiju hits out at Rahul Gandhi

Union minister Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday hit out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his remarks on minorities and said they are the safest in India. Responding to a question on Gandhi's remarks in the US that RSS considers some religions, languages and communities inferior to others, Rijiju said, "No matter the amount of effort made, India cannot be defamed because India's Constitution and culture do not differentiate between people." He said people who want to defame India with the help of anti-India forces will not succeed. The Minister for Minority Affairs who also holds the Parliamentary Affairs portfolio pointed out that minorities in India's neighbourhood come here if something wrong happens to them there. "Minorities are the safest in India," he asserted. Addressing on Monday a gathering of several hundred Indian Americans in Herndon, a Virginia suburb of Washington DC, the leader of opposition accused the RSS of considering some religions, languages and communities of be

B'desh's interim govt vows swift action against people attacking minorities

Bangladesh's newly-appointed Home Affairs Ministry adviser has vowed to take swift legal action against those who attack or abuse minorities, stressing that there is no place for violence, conflict, or hatred in the country. Brigadier General (retd) M Sakhawat Hussain's assurance came during a meeting with a delegation from the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) Bangladesh at his office in the Secretariat on Thursday, the Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported. Bangladesh saw a spike in violence against members of Hindu communities following the fall of the government led by Sheikh Hasina, who resigned and fled to India on August 5 following massive protests against her government over a controversial quota system in jobs. Hussain emphasised that Bangladesh is a country of communal harmony, where people of all religions have grown up together without any divisions. He said that no one would be spared if they attacked or abused minorities, and swift legal action woul

Oppn defaming country, refugees know India is safe for minorities: Rijiju

Six recognised minorities, technically and by definition we are minority but by no means, emotionally, socially.... no one in this country is minority, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju added

Protesters rally outside UN over violence against minorities in Bangladesh

HinduACTion, a Washington-based NGO, said that people from all walks of life showed up spontaneously

Stop attacks against Hindus, other minorities or I’ll resign: Bangladesh's Muhammad Yunus

Bangladesh’s newly sworn-in Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus has called for an end to all forms of violence following a massive uprising after former PM Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country.

Thousands rally in solidarity with minorities amid UK anti-immigrant riots

Thousands of anti-racist counter-protesters demonstrated on Wednesday in solidarity with ethnic minorities in England, who were subjected to violent anti-immigrant riots, Al Jazeera reported.The day began with high tension and the possibility of violence, but the situation calmed down in major cities like Liverpool and London as counter-protesters turned out in large numbers.As the anti-racist counter-protesters appeared, the far-right protesters became more subdued, Al Jazeera reported.The Northampton police asked the counter-protesters to disperse as the far-right protesters mellowed."Protest Update- One hour since planned protest was due to start and there has been no disorder tonight. Police are now asking the crowd of counter-protesters to disperse peacefully for the evening. Kettering Road still partially closed for now #Northampton," the Northants Police said in a post on X.Hundreds of protesters in solidarity with immigrants gathered in London against the far-right, chanting ..

Rijiju inaugurates Lok Samvardhan Parv to highlight ministry's achievements

As part of its 100 days programme, the Ministry of Minority Affairs is organising 'Lok Samvardhan Parv' to showcase the schemes of Ministry

Helen Roberts becomes Pak's first woman brigadier from minority community

Dr. Helen Mary Roberts, serving in the Pakistan Army Medical Corps, has made history by becoming the first woman from Christian and minority community to achieve the rank of brigadier in the country's history. Brigadier Helen was among Pakistan Army officers promoted as brigadiers and full colonels by the Selection Board, The News reported on Sunday. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated Helen on her promotion as Brigadier, saying the whole nation was proud of her and thousands of hardworking women like her from minority communities who are serving the country with distinction. "I myself and the nation congratulate Brig Helen Mary Roberts on getting the honour of the first female from minority to be promoted as Brigadier in the Pakistan Army, he said. During a Christmas celebration at Christ Church in Rawalpindi last year, Pakistan Army chief General Asim Munir had commended the role played by the minority community in the country's development. Brigadier Dr. Helen is senior

Never spoken against minorities, will not accept any special citizens: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said he has never uttered a word against minorities, and the BJP has not just today but never acted against them. He, however, made it clear that he is not ready to accept anyone as "special citizens". The comments in an interview to PTI Videos late Sunday is Modi's most unequivocal on minorities amid an outcry from the opposition that his election speeches are communally divisive and polarising. He also said the Congress has constantly violated the secular spirit of the Constitution, and that his campaign speeches are aimed at exposing the opposition parties' bid to appease minorities with vote bank politics. In the interview, he was asked what he has to say about the apprehension among minorities because of his statements. I have not spoken a word against minorities. I am only talking against the vote bank politics of Congress. Congress is working against the Constitution, that's what I have been saying," he replied. Modi said the makers of India'

Congress wanted to allocate 15% of budget to minorities, says PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday alleged the Congress during its previous rule wanted to allocate 15 per cent of the government budget for minorities and vowed not to allow splitting of budget or reservation in jobs and education on the basis of religion. Addressing an election rally at Pimpalgaon Baswant in north Maharashtra's Nashik district in support of Mahayuti candidates -- Union minister Bharati Pawar (BJP) and Hemant Godse (Shiv Sena) -- the PM said splitting budget on religious lines was dangerous. The BJP's star campaigner maintained Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, the chief architect of the Constitution, was firmly against religion-based reservation in jobs and education. Modi claimed the Congress, when in power at the Centre, had drawn up plans to allocate 15 per cent of the total budget to minorities. "When I was the chief minister (of Gujarat), the Congress had brought up this proposal. The BJP opposed this move strongly and hence it could not be implemented. But ..

Share of Hindu population shrunk 7.8%, Muslim share up 43% in India: Study

Barring Parsis and Jains, share of all other religious minorities surged between 1950 and 2015

LS polls: BJP refuses to mention minorities' in its manifesto, says Owaisi

Alleging that the BJP has hatred towards minorities, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said the saffron party even refused to mention the word "minorities" in its manifesto, instead saying it as "marginalised". Owaisis said AIMIM's alliance in Uttar Pradesh with Anupriya Patel's Apna Dal (K) will continue even in the Assembly polls and the party will support Prakash Ambedkar in Akola and Anand Ambedkar in Amaravati in Maharashtra. "I have seen the BJP's advertisement on April 17 in various newspapers. Please see when they talk about giving loans or help to start a business from the government, it says ST and OBC. The BJP is even refusing to mention word minorities forget about Muslims. The word minorities is mentioned in the Constitution of India and the BJP has a great hatred for the word M," Owaisi told PTI videos on Wednesday. "They have not mentioned the word minorities. They say scholarships will be given to marginalised communities," he said. He claimed that there are highest numb

Myanmar military, ethnic groups agreed to immediate cease-fire: China

Myanmar's military has reached a cease-fire agreement with an alliance of ethnic minority guerrilla groups it has been battling in the north, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Friday. The agreement was brokered at talks mediated by China on Wednesday and Thursday in Kunming, a Chinese provincial capital about 400 kilometers (250 miles) from the border with Myanmar, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said. China hopes the relevant parties in Myanmar can conscientiously implement the agreement, exercise maximum restraint toward each other and solve the issues through dialogue and consultations, she said at a daily briefing in Beijing. Myanmar has been wracked by violence that began after the army ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021. An alliance of three armed groups launched an offensive against the military in October and took control of Laukkaing, a key city on the border with China, last week. China is concerned about the rising violence and

CM Patnaik sanctions Rs 45 cr to build community centres for minorities

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday approved Rs 45 crore for constructing 150 multi-purpose community centres for preserving the culture and heritage of the people belonging to minority communities in the state. The construction of multi-purpose cultural-cum-community centres will be taken up in 22 districts, he said. An amount of Rs 45 crore has been sanctioned for setting up these centres, he said. These facilities will serve Christians, Muslims, Buddhists and Sikhs. This initiative will go a long way towards the creation of space for the minority communities to undertake various community-based activities in the multi-purpose centres, the chief minister said. The announcement about the assistance for these community centres comes after 'Nabin Odisha' and '5T' transformational initiative chairman V K Pandian met the members of Cuttack Oriya Baptist Church, Church of Christ (Union Church), Bhubaneswar and BJD Minority Cell on Monday. '5T' refers to teamwork, technolo

Cong fulfilling Jinnah's vision: Himanta on Telangana minority declaration'

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday lashed out at the Congress for its minority declaration' in poll-bound Telangana, claiming that the party is fulfilling the vision of Mohammad Ali Jinnah's Muslim League. In an apparent reference to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi without naming him, the BJP leader alleged that those who have appropriated the Gandhi surname have revived the policies of Jinnah. The Congress' Minority Declaration released on Thursday said that if the party comes to power in Telangana, it would ensure fair reservation for all backward classes including, minorities in jobs, education and government schemes. In a series of posts of X, Sarma wrote: In my long political career I could have never imagined that Cong will stoop so low in their attempt to capture the vote bank of one religion. By coming up with religion specific manifestos, Cong is fulfilling the vision of Mohammed Ali Jinnah's Muslim League. Sharing a screenshot of Telangana Pradesh Congress

Legal system often played key role in perpetuating historical wrongs: CJI

Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud has said that unfortunately the legal system has often played a "pivotal role" in perpetuating "historical wrongs" against marginalised social groups and the harm caused by this can persist for generations. Chandrachud delivered the keynote address at the Sixth International Conference on the Unfinished Legacy of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar' at the Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts, on Sunday. In his address titled Reformation Beyond Representation: The Social Life of the Constitution in Remedying Historical Wrongs', Chandrachud said that throughout history, marginalised social groups have been subjected to horrendous, egregious wrongs, often stemming from prejudice, discrimination and unequal power dynamics. From the brutal transatlantic slave trade that forcibly uprooted millions of Africans, the Native American displacement, caste inequalities in India affecting millions of backward castes to the oppression of indigenous Adivasi communities

BJP to start 'Sadbhavna Yatra' in December to connect with minorities

Through this journey, the Minority Morcha aims to bridge the gap between the Muslim community and the BJP and work towards greater Muslim community participation in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections