Page 2 - Religious Freedom

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

India rejects 'biased, motivated' US commission report on religious freedom

"We would urge USCIRF to desist from such efforts and develop a better understanding of India, its plurality, its democratic ethos and its constitutional mechanisms," Bagchi added

Sanctions on Indian agencies over 'violation' of religious freedom sought

A federal US commission has urged the Biden administration to impose targeted sanctions on Indian government agencies and officials responsible for severe violations of religious freedom in the country by freezing their assets. The US Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) also recommended to the Congress to raise the issue of religious freedom during US-India bilateral meetings, and hold hearings on it. In its annual report on religious freedom, the USCIRF asked the US State Department to designate India as a country of particular concern on the status of religious freedom along with several other nations. The USCIRF has been making similar recommendations to the State Department since 2020, which have not been accepted so far. The recommendations of USCIRF are not mandatory for the State Department. In its India section of the report, USCIRF alleged that in 2022, religious freedom conditions in India continued to worsen. Throughout the year, the Indian governmen

BJP promises to implement uniform civil code, NRC in poll-bound Karnataka

The ruling BJP promised to implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Karnataka, in its election manifesto for the May 10 Assembly polls, released on Monday. "We will implement the UCC in Karnataka based on the recommendations given by a high-level committee which is to be constituted for the purpose," according to the manifesto. We will introduce the National Register of Citizens in Karnataka and ensure speedy deportation of all illegal immigrants in the state". "The Constitution (of India) allows us to move in the direction of Uniform Civil Code. 'Justice to all; appeasement to none' is our policy", BJP National Present J P Nadda, who was among those present at the release programme, said. The party also promised to create a special wing in the state called Karnataka State Wing against Religious Fundamentalism and Terror (K-SWIFT). The BJP said it would provide three free cooking gas cylinders to all BPL families -- one each during the

SC to hear pleas, state laws related to religious conversions on March 17

The Supreme Court on Monday said that it will hear on March 17 pleas dealing with two separate issues of alleged fraudulent conversions and challenge to various state laws on religious conversions due to interfaith marriages respectively. A bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud was urged by lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay, who has filed a PIL in his personal capacity, that his plea against fraudulent religious conversions was distinct from the batch of petitions which are challenging the validity of various state laws on religious conversions. I am neither supporting the state laws nor opposing them. My petition deals with separate issue of fraudulent religious conversions, the lawyer told the bench which also comprised Justices PS Narasimha and JB Pardiwala. Upadhyay sought hearing on his PIL separately. All the petitions are before us on March 17, 2023, the CJI said and for the time being, ruled out the possibility of a separate hearing on the PIL. The PIL has sought direction to

US Senator wants 'robust discussion' with India on religious freedom

A Republican US Senator has urged Secretary of State Antony Blinken to hold a robust discussion with India on the issue of religious freedom of minorities. Senator James Lankford sent a letter to Blinken after the State Department in its annual release of Countries of Particular Concern, Special Watch List, and Entities of Particular Concern designations did not follow the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom's recommendations, specific to India, Nigeria, and Afghanistan. In its report early this year, the USCIRF had urged the Department of State to designate India as a country of particular concern on religious freedom issues. The Biden administration did not agree with the recommendations of the USCIRF. Lankford is asking for the State Department's legally required explanation to Congress on its designations, a media release said. India was not formally designated despite overt and repeated severe violations of religious freedom. India is an important secu

US not to put India on list of nations violating religious freedom: Report

The United States has made it clear that India will not be placed on its list of 'Countries of Particular Concern' or 'Special Watch list' this year for violations of religious freedom

US designates N Korea as state violator of religious freedom for 21st year

According to the State Department, North Korea has been designated as a "Country of Particular Concern" (CPC) since 2001 under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998

Right to freedom of religion not fundamental right to convert: Centre to SC

The Centre told the Supreme Court that the right to freedom of religion does not include a fundamental right to convert people to a particular religion.