Religious Freedom

'Biased organisation with political agenda': India rejects USCIRF report

India on Thursday trashed a report by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) and described it as a "biased" organisation with a "political agenda". In its report, the USCIRF that monitors universal right to freedom of religion criticised India for alleged violations of religious freedom. It also recommended to the US state department to declare India a "Country of Particular Concern" (CPC) in the context of religious freedom. In a strong reaction, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the USCIRF should utilise its time more productively on addressing human rights issues in the United States. "Our views on the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) are well known. It is a biased organisation with a political agenda," external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. "It continues to misrepresent facts and peddles a motivated narrative about India. We reject this malicious report, which only serves to discredit US

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

Hundreds march in Brazil for religious freedom as cases of intolerance rise

Practitioners of different religious traditions marched down Rio de Janeiro's iconic Copacabana Beach on Sunday to support religious freedom in Brazil, where cases of intolerance have doubled over the past six years. Hundreds of men, women and children from more than a dozen faiths participated in the event, known as the March for the Defense of Religious Freedom. Many of the participants were practitioners of Afro-Brazilian religions that have recently faced attacks from members of Christian groups. Brazil's recently appointed Minister for Human Rights Maca Evaristo also joined the march, which was held for the 17th consecutive year. The great challenge today in our country is to reduce inequality," Evaristo told the state-run Agencia Brasil news agency. "So for me it is very important to be present in this march, because the people here are also struggling for many things like decent work and a life free from hunger." In Rio de Janeiro state, which is home to a quarter of the ...

Ukraine's parliament approves ban on Moscow-linked religious groups

Ukraine's parliament has banned the activities of religious groups tied to the Russian Orthodox Church or any other faith group supporting Russia's invasion a measure widely seen as targeting a Ukrainian religious body, despite its claim to independence from Moscow. The bill creates the legal tools for the government to ban the activities of any religious group deemed to be too closely connected to Russia or to support its invasion of Ukraine. The Verkhovna Rada approved the bill on Tuesday with 265 affirmative votes and only 29 opposed. The explicit ban on the Russian Orthodox Church is seen as aimed at the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which historically has been tied to the Russian church. The UOC has proclaimed its loyalty to Ukraine and insists that it has broken from the authority of the Russian Orthodox Church. But the Ukrainian government says it remains canonically tied to the Russian church and its Moscow-based patriarch, who has depicted the Russian invasion of Ukraine as

Bihar govt mandates detailed registration of temples, mutts, and trusts

The Bihar government has directed all DMs to ensure that unregistered temples, mutts, and trusts in their respective areas are registered and details of their immovable assets are submitted to the Bihar State Board of Religious Trusts (BSBRT) for uploading on its website. The BSBRT operates under the state's law department. State Law Minister Nitin Nabin on Thursday told PTI, "All district magistrates (DMs) have been directed to ensure that unregistered temples, mutts, and trusts are registered on a priority basis." He also instructed the DMs to ensure that details of immovable assets of all registered temples and mutts are promptly provided to the BSBRT for uploading on its website. "I recently sent a letter to all DMs in this regard. So far, only 18 districts have submitted data to the BSBRT," he added. The minister added, "According to the Bihar Hindu Religious Trusts Act of 1950, all public temples, mutts, trusts, and dharamshalas must be registered with the BSBRT. The state .

Hijab ban in Mumbai college explained: Supreme Court to hear plea on Aug 9

Chembur Trombay Education Society's N G Acharya and D K Marathe College introduced a new dress code banning religious attire and religious identifiers within the college premises

Anarchy can't be accepted in the name of religious events, says UP CM

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday said no new tradition should be started during festivals that can hurt the sentiments of people from other religions and strict action should be taken against anarchic elements to ensure peace and harmony. Anarchy cannot be accepted in the name of religious events, Adityanath said at a high-level meeting on Monday evening. "Necessary facilities should be made available to the general public during festivals so that every festival is celebrated in peace and harmony. Respect religious faith, but there should not be any incident that hurts the sentiments of people of other religions," he was quoted as saying in an official statement. He directed the officials to "deal strictly with anarchic elements". The meeting reviewed the ongoing efforts to ensure the safety and convenience of the public as well as the protection of crops and livestock during floods, the statement said. The chief minister said that in the last few days, there

Deeply Biased, driven by votebank: India on US' religious freedom report

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the report selectively picked incidents to advance a preconceived narrative against India

Engaged with India, other nations for equal treatment for all faiths: US

The Biden administration is deeply committed to promoting and protecting universal respect for the right to freedom of religion and has engaged many countries, including India, on the importance of equal treatment for members of all religious communities, a senior US official has said. We have engaged many countries, including India, on the importance of equal treatment for members of all religious communities, State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters at his daily news conference on Monday. Miller was responding to a question on a New York Times story titled Strangers in Their Own Land: Being Muslim in Modi's India which alleges that the world's largest Muslim community in India is raising their families and children with fear and uncertainty. Have you engaged with the Indian officials in these issues? Miller was asked. I won't speak to private diplomatic conversations but we are deeply committed to promoting and protecting universal respect for the right to free

India blasts USCIRF, describes it as 'biased' entity with political agenda

India on Thursday came down hard on the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) and said it continues to publish its propaganda on the country "masquerading" as part of an annual report. In an unusually sharp reaction to the USCIRF's latest report that has criticised India for alleged violations of religious freedom, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the organisation is known to be a "biased" entity with a political agenda. "The US Commission on International Religious Freedom is known as a biased organisation with a political agenda. They continue to publish their propaganda on India masquerading as part of an annual report," Jaiswal said. "We really have no expectation that the USCIRF will even seek to understand India's diverse, pluralistic and democratic ethos," he added. "Their efforts to interfere in the largest electoral exercise of the world will never succeed," Jaiswal said at his weekly media briefing. In its latest annual .

CSDS survey: Ram temple boosts Hindu identity, strong backing for pluralism

While 77 per cent of Hindus expressed faith in religious pluralism, an even higher percentage of Muslims (87 per cent) and other minority groups (81 per cent) shared this view

Ram temple effect: Gita Press overwhelmed with 'Ramcharitmanas' demand

100-year-old Gorakhpur-based publisher braces up for next century

Priyanka Gandhi urges citizens to avoid voting on religious lines

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi on Wednesday targeted the ruling BJP saying the issue of religion is raked up during the elections, and urged people to avoid giving their votes on religious lines. She was addressing a public meeting in favour of Congress candidate Deepak Joshi in Khategaon of Dewas district. "People say that Madhya Pradesh is a laboratory of RSSWhenever elections come, the issue of religion is raked up...Everybody's feelings are associated with religion irrespective of one's faiths. Will you not open your eyes when religion is being used and votes are sought?" she asked the attendees. "The biggest political objective is that you (people) should be served, there should be progress, the country should be strong," she said. But people are being made to fight among themselves on religious lines for the sake of politics, Gandhi Vadra alleged. Instead of voting on religious lines, people should seek the account of work from the leaders, she added. "The ...

USCIRF to hold hearing on religious freedom in India on September 20

The US Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has announced that it will hold a hearing on religious freedom in India on September 20. India has previously rejected USCIRF reports that alleged violations of religious freedom in the country. Coming on the heels of two successful bilateral meetings between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Joe Biden -- the Official State Visit of the Indian leader here in June and a bilateral meeting in New Delhi in September -- USCIRF in its announcement of the meeting said the Congressional hearing is on how the US government can work with the Indian government to address violations. Fernand de Varennes, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues, has been invited to testify before the Commission along with Tariq Ahmed, Foreign Law Specialist, Law Library of Congress; Sarah Yager, Washington Director, Human Rights Watch; Sunita Viswanath, executive director, Hindus for Human Rights and Irfan Nooruddin, Hamad bin .

Opposed to UCC as it's against religious freedom: Jamiat to Law Commission

Prominent Muslim body Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind has conveyed to the Law Commission that it is opposed to a uniform civil code as it is "against the religious freedom" guaranteed under the Constitution, and said the government should take leaders of all religions and tribal groups into confidence on the matter. In a statement on Thursday, the Jamiat shared a summary of the objections that were sent by it to the 22nd Law Commission on Wednesday in which the Muslim organisation said that it considers starting of the debate on UCC a part of a "political conspiracy". In a letter to the Law Commission, Jamiat president Maulana Arshad Madani said that this issue is not just related to Muslims but to all Indians. "It has been our position since the beginning that we have been practising our religion freely in this country...we will not compromise on our religious affairs and method of worship in any way, and we will take all possible measures to protect our religious rights within the scope of th

UCC against religious freedom, will oppose it under legal ambit: Jamiat

Prominent Muslim organisation Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind on Monday claimed that the Uniform Civil Code is against the religious freedom guaranteed under the the Constitution but said it will not take to the streets to protest against it and instead would oppose it by taking all possible steps within the ambit of law. The statement by the Muslim organisation comes days after the Law Commission initiated a fresh consultation process on the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) by seeking views from stakeholders, including public and recognised religious organisations, on the politically sensitive issue. In a statement, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind said it opposes the UCC as it is "totally against the religious freedom and fundamental rights guaranteed to the citizens in Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution." "Our Constitution is a secular Constitution, in which every citizen has been given full religious freedom, and every person has been also given the right to choose the religion of his choice, because ..

All states in country should implement Uniform Civil Code: U'khand CM Dhami

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Monday said that all the states in the country should implement Uniform Civil Code (UCC)

Framing UCC for U'khand will strengthen social fabric, says ex-SC judge

The uniform civil code being drafted by a committee of experts for Uttarakhand will strengthen the social fabric, promote gender equality and help fight economic, social and religious inequalities, retired Supreme Court judge Ranjana Prakash Desai, who heads the panel, said on Wednesday. We are trying to make such a draft which is liked by everyone, people of every religion, Desai told reporters at an event organised here to seek suggestions on the proposed UCC from people of the hill state who live in the national capital. Desai heads the committee of experts set up by the Uttarakhand government in March 2022 for drafting the Uniform Civil Code, an election promise made by the BJP in the state. She said the committee will make recommendations for bringing a uniform civil code for a range of issues including marriage, divorce succession, guardianship, custody and inheritance with a primary focus on safeguarding the interests of women, children and the differently-abled. We are ...

Law Commission considering to work on UCC issue: Ex-Justice Ranjana Desai

The Law Commission is considering to work on the issue of Uniform Civil Code (UCC), Justice (retired) Ranjana Prakash Desai said after a meeting with its chairperson and members here on Friday. Desai heads a committee preparing a draft of the code for Uttarakhand. Desai and members of the Uttarakhand panel met the Law Commission chairman, Justice (retired) Ritu Raj Awasthi, and members K T Sankaran, Anand Paliwal and D P Verma. "It was a courtesy call. Because we are working on it (UCC) and they are also perhaps considering it, she told reporters after the meeting at Uttarakhand Sadan. "They were asking what work we have done. So we also gave them some ideas. That's all, she added. When asked if the work done by the Uttarakhand UCC committee can be replicated at the national level, she said, "It is our wish that it will be good if other states also follow.

Government rejects US report criticising India on religious freedom

India on Tuesday trashed as "motivated" and "biased" a report by the US State Department on religious freedom that criticised the country for alleged attacks on minorities. External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said such reports continue to be based on "misinformation and flawed understanding". The annual report listed alleged attacks on religious minorities in India and expressed concerns over such incidents. "We are aware of the release of the US State Department 2022 Report on International Religious Freedom. Regrettably, such reports continue to be based on misinformation and flawed understanding," Bagchi said. "Motivated and biased commentary by some US officials only serves to undermine further the credibility of these reports," he said. Bagchi was responding to media queries on the report. "We value our partnership with the US and will continue to have frank exchanges on issues of concern to us," he said. The report that documents the status of religious f