New Delhi [India], India has categorically rejected the US State Department's 2023 report on international religious freedom as "deeply biased" and lacking in understanding of India's social dynamics.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) condemned the report, accusing it of being driven by "vote bank considerations" and maintaining a prescriptive perspective.
"We have taken note of the release by the US State Department of its report on international religious freedom for 2023. As in the past, the report is deeply biased, lacks understanding of India's social fabric and is visibly driven by vote bank considerations and a prescriptive norm. Therefore, we reject it," MEA official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a weekly press briefing on Friday.
Jaiswal further criticized the report for its "selective use of facts" and reliance on biased sources. "The excise tax itself is a mixture of imputations, misrepresentations, selective use of facts, reliance on biased sources and a one-sided projection of the problems," he added.
He noted that the report questions the validity of Indian laws and regulations, including those aimed at monitoring financial flows and ensuring compliance, which India considers essential to national security.
"This extends even to the description of our constitutional provisions and duly enacted laws of India. It has selectively cherry-picked incidents to also promote a preconceived narrative. In some cases, the report questions the very validity of the laws and regulations, just as the right of legislatures to enact them. The report also appears to question the integrity of certain legal rulings passed by Indian courts," Jaiswal added.
"The report has also focused on regulations monitoring the misuse of financial flows to India, suggesting that the compliance burden is unreasonable. It seeks to question the need for such measures," he said.
India also stressed that human rights and diversity remain topics of legitimate discussion between the two nations. However, Jaiswal stressed that such dialogue should not be misinterpreted as a pretext for foreign interference in internal affairs.
"In 2023, India has officially taken up numerous cases in the US of hate crimes, racial attacks against Indian citizens and other minorities, vandalism and attacks on places of worship, violence and mistreatment by security authorities. law enforcement as well as political space to advocates of extremism and terrorism abroad," Jaiswal said.
The US annual report on global religious freedom has expressed concern over India's anti-conversion laws, incidents of hate speech and alleged demolitions of residences and religious sites belonging to minority communities.
Releasing the 2023 Report on International Religious Freedom earlier this week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said: "Today, governments around the world continue to target people, close places of worship , forcibly displacing communities and imprisoning people because of their religious beliefs."
Speaking of India, he added: "In India we see a worrying rise in anti-conversion laws, hate speech and demolitions of homes and places of worship for members of minority religious communities."
He noted that in the United States there has been a significant increase in reports of hate crimes and other incidents specifically targeting Muslims and Jews.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) condemned the report, accusing it of being driven by "vote bank considerations" and maintaining a prescriptive perspective.
"We have taken note of the release by the US State Department of its report on international religious freedom for 2023. As in the past, the report is deeply biased, lacks understanding of India's social fabric and is visibly driven by vote bank considerations and a prescriptive norm. Therefore, we reject it," MEA official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a weekly press briefing on Friday.
Jaiswal further criticized the report for its "selective use of facts" and reliance on biased sources. "The excise tax itself is a mixture of imputations, misrepresentations, selective use of facts, reliance on biased sources and a one-sided projection of the problems," he added.
He noted that the report questions the validity of Indian laws and regulations, including those aimed at monitoring financial flows and ensuring compliance, which India considers essential to national security.
"This extends even to the description of our constitutional provisions and duly enacted laws of India. It has selectively cherry-picked incidents to also promote a preconceived narrative. In some cases, the report questions the very validity of the laws and regulations, just as the right of legislatures to enact them. The report also appears to question the integrity of certain legal rulings passed by Indian courts," Jaiswal added.
"The report has also focused on regulations monitoring the misuse of financial flows to India, suggesting that the compliance burden is unreasonable. It seeks to question the need for such measures," he said.
India also stressed that human rights and diversity remain topics of legitimate discussion between the two nations. However, Jaiswal stressed that such dialogue should not be misinterpreted as a pretext for foreign interference in internal affairs.
"In 2023, India has officially taken up numerous cases in the US of hate crimes, racial attacks against Indian citizens and other minorities, vandalism and attacks on places of worship, violence and mistreatment by security authorities. law enforcement as well as political space to advocates of extremism and terrorism abroad," Jaiswal said.
The US annual report on global religious freedom has expressed concern over India's anti-conversion laws, incidents of hate speech and alleged demolitions of residences and religious sites belonging to minority communities.
Releasing the 2023 Report on International Religious Freedom earlier this week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said: "Today, governments around the world continue to target people, close places of worship , forcibly displacing communities and imprisoning people because of their religious beliefs."
Speaking of India, he added: "In India we see a worrying rise in anti-conversion laws, hate speech and demolitions of homes and places of worship for members of minority religious communities."
He noted that in the United States there has been a significant increase in reports of hate crimes and other incidents specifically targeting Muslims and Jews.
