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ISLAMABAD: A US government panel heard allegations of escalating persecution of Muslims and Christians in India, with activists and experts accusing members of the ruling BJP and affiliated Hindu nationalist groups of enabling hate speech, violence and discrimination, according to Clarion India on Wednesday.&nbsp; The testimony was presented in Washington before the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), an independent, bipartisan body that advises the US government on global religious freedom issues.&nbsp; Among those testifying was journalist and researcher Raqib Hameed Naik, who is the founder and executive director of the Center for the Study of Organized Hate and founder of India Hate Lab, which tracks hate speech and anti-minority violence in India.&nbsp; In his testimony, Naik said that &ldquo;attacks against minorities are no longer isolated incidents but part of a broader climate of impunity&rdquo; adding that, &quot;hate speech targeting Muslims and Christians has become normalized in India&rsquo;s political and public discourse.&quot; According to figures cited in his testimony, 1,318 incidents of hate speech were recorded in 21 Indian states in 2025, marking what he described as a 97% rise compared with 2023. Naik reportedly called for targeted Global Magnitsky sanctions against BJP leaders and Hindu nationalist figures accused of inciting or enabling violence against minorities.&nbsp; Lamenting on the nefarious methods used by Hindutva and racist groups to target minorities, Naik said that, &quot;We have long noticed unmarked cars and suspicious figures at our protests, community gatherings, mosques, and gurdwaras.&quot; He alleged that anti-Muslim and anti-Christian hate campaigns have increasingly become normalized in political rallies, religious gatherings and online spaces.&nbsp; The hearing also focused on allegations that homes, businesses and places of worship belonging to minorities have been demolished or attacked in several Indian states.&nbsp; &ldquo;If this trend continues, India could become one of the countries with the largest internally displaced populations in the world,&rdquo; Naik told the commission. He called on the US to designate India as a &ldquo;Country of Particular Concern&rdquo; under international religious freedom provisions. Hate speech has intensified under ModiCritics at the hearing argued that hate speech against Muslims and Christians has intensified under Prime Minister Narendra Modi&rsquo;s government and the BJP&rsquo;s broader Hindutva political ideology.&nbsp; According to Reuters and rights groups cited during discussions, attacks on minorities, anti-conversion laws and inflammatory rhetoric have drawn repeated international concern in recent years.&nbsp; India Hate Lab data showed a rise in anti-minority hate speech incidents, with most cases allegedly occurring in BJP-governed regions.&nbsp; Witnesses also accused social media platforms of amplifying anti-Muslim and anti-Christian narratives while failing to adequately moderate extremist content.&nbsp; &#39;Transnational repression&#39; The hearing reportedly examined what activists described as &ldquo;transnational repression,&rdquo; including intimidation and harassment faced by critics of the Indian government abroad.&nbsp; The Indian government has repeatedly rejected accusations of discrimination against minorities and has dismissed earlier USCIRF and US religious freedom reports as &ldquo;biased&rdquo; and politically motivated.&nbsp; New Delhi maintains that its policies benefit all communities equally and argues that foreign criticism often misunderstands India&rsquo;s social and constitutional framework.&nbsp; The latest hearing nevertheless adds to growing international scrutiny over religious freedom and minority rights in India, particularly as rights organizations continue documenting attacks, hate speech and communal tensions across the country.

India

Hears allegations of rising persecution, hate speech and violence against Muslims and Christians in India, with activists urging sanctions against alleged BJP-linked offenders.

US panel hears claims of rising persecution of Muslims, Christians in India

ISLAMABAD: A new report by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has warned that India&rsquo;s political environment is fostering intolerance and discrimination against religious minorities, citing what it describes as &ldquo;systematic, ongoing, egregious&rdquo; violations of religious freedom.&nbsp;The report, Issue Update: Systematic Religious Persecution in India, outlines the rise in attacks, hate speech and legal actions targeting minority communities. &nbsp;USCIRF, a bipartisan US government body that monitors religious freedom worldwide, said the year saw renewed concerns over the safety and rights of Muslims, Christians, Sikhs and other groups.&nbsp;According to the findings, the period ahead of India&rsquo;s June 2024 national elections witnessed senior BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, making remarks that USCIRF says contributed to heightened hostility against Muslims and other minorities. The rhetoric was followed by a series of violent incidents, including attacks in at least six states after the consecration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya in January.&nbsp;The report notes that several authorities, including the Delhi Development Authority, oversaw the demolition of Muslim-owned homes and places of worship, sometimes replacing razed mosques with newly constructed Hindu temples. USCIRF highlighted repeated instances where local administrations bulldozed Muslim-owned structures, including religious sites, despite legal protections under Section 295 of the Indian Penal Code.&nbsp;It also documents multiple cases in which state-level laws were used to target minority communities. In Uttar Pradesh, police detained 20 Christians, including four pastors, under accusations of unlawful religious conversions. The same state&rsquo;s High Court sentenced Muslim cleric Kalim Siddiqui and 11 others to life imprisonment under its expanded anti-conversion legislation.&nbsp;USCIRF further pointed to concerns surrounding citizenship laws. It said the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in March, combined with the National Register of Citizens (NRC), contributed to fear among Muslim communities.&nbsp;The report cited incidents in Assam, where 28 Muslims were declared &ldquo;non-citizens&rdquo; by Foreigners&rsquo; Tribunals and sent to detention or deportation centers. It also noted that several activists from the earlier anti-CAA protests, including Umar Khalid, Meeran Haider and Sharjeel Imam, remain in detention under antiterror provisions.&nbsp;The report additionally refers to cases involving Sikh activists abroad, including allegations that Indian officials sought to pressure or intimidate members of the diaspora. It cites international intelligence reports linking Indian intelligence personnel to a 2023 assassination attempt on an American Sikh activist in New York.&nbsp;In its 2025 Annual Report, USCIRF again recommended that the US State Department designate India as a &ldquo;Country of Particular Concern&rdquo; for what it described as ongoing violations of religious freedom.

USCIRF says India’s governing and social structures have increasingly created space for hostility toward non-Hindu groups, including Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, and Dalits.

Articles tagged with "USCIRF"

US panel hears claims of rising persecution of Muslims, Christians in India

US report says India’s political system fostering intolerance toward religious minorities