New Delhi: When World Religion Day was celebrated across the globe on Sunday, India under fascist Narendra Modi has become a dangerous country for Muslims and Christians.
It is a reminder of the need for harmony and understanding between religions and faith systems. Under BJP’s leadership, India has become one of the most dangerous country for Muslims and Christians in the world. They are being persecuted physically, psychologically and economically.
Laws are being passed to criminalize their religious practices, food habits and even businesses. US State Department has released its international religious freedom report, which paints a dark picture of the situation for religious minorities in India.
Apart from US report, reports by Mumbai-based Centre for Study of Society and Secularism and UK-based Minority Rights Group International both have indicated that minority groups in India are increasingly encountering hate crimes, such as lynching, threats, attacks on places of worship and forced conversion. 2022 was a year of fear, violence and harassment for Muslims and Christians of India.
In the first nine months of 2021, there were at least 300 acts of violence directed against religious minorities across the country. And as the Bulli Bai incident demonstrated, Hindu far right’s attacks on religious minorities will likely continue with force in the new year. Christians across India are also facing similar hate and violence.
Laws banning conversion are being enacted in state after state, and Christians are being blamed for forcibly converting poor Hindus and tribals. Christian Sunday prayers are being disrupted repeatedly, churches are being attacked, priests are being beaten up. Human Rights Watch in its World Report 2023 says that religious minorities continue to be targeted by BJP-led government. The international community also needs to acknowledge and take a stance against routine harassment of and genocidal threats against Muslims and Christians in the country.
Please visit our website London Institute of Peace Research for latest peace news
