MEA Rejects US Report On Religious Freedom As 'Deeply Biased', Says It's 'Driven By Vote Bank Considerations'

The MEA has dismissed the US State Department's 2023 Religious Freedom report as biased and lacking understanding of India's social fabric, criticising its reliance on preconceived narratives.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday criticised the US State Department's 2023 report on International Religious Freedom, labelling it as "deeply biased" and lacking an understanding of India's social fabric. MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal addressed the report, stating, "We have noted 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 outlook. We, therefore, reject it."

Jaiswal further elaborated, "The exercise itself is a mix of imputations, misrepresentations, selective usage of facts, reliance on biased sources and a one-sided projection of issues. This extends even to the depiction of our Constitutional provisions and duly enacted laws of India. It has selectively picked incidents to advance a pre-conceived narrative as well."

The US report, released on Wednesday, highlighted violent attacks on minority groups, especially Muslims and Christians, citing killings, assaults, and vandalism of houses of worship. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken remarked, "In India, we see a concerning increase in anti-conversion laws, hate speech, demolitions of homes and places of worship for members of minority faith communities." More On It: US Secretary Of State Antony Blinken Calls Out India For Rising 'Hate Speech', Religious Discrimination

The MEA spokesperson countered these claims, noting that the report questioned the validity of Indian laws and the integrity of certain legal judgements. Jaiswal pointed out, "In some cases, the very validity of laws and regulations are questioned by the report, as are the right of legislatures to enact them. The report also appears to challenge the integrity of certain legal judgements given by Indian courts."

The MEA also criticised the report for targeting regulations that monitor the misuse of financial flows into India. Jaiswal highlighted the inconsistency, stating, "On its own part, the United States has even more stringent laws and regulations and would surely not prescribe such solutions for itself."

Dialogues Should Not Become A Licence For Foreign Interference: MEA

The MEA noted that the Indian government has emphasised human rights and respect for diversity remain a legitimate subject of discussion between India and the United States. In 2023, India officially raised numerous cases in the US concerning hate crimes, racial attacks on Indian nationals, vandalisation of places of worship, and violence by law enforcement authorities. However, Jaiswal warned, "Such dialogues should not become a licence for foreign interference in other polities."

The US report listed several incidents, including a fatal shooting of a security official and three Muslims on a train near Mumbai by a suspect who was a railway security official. The case is under investigation, and the suspect is currently in jail, as reported by the Indian Express newspaper.

The report also cited attacks against Muslims over allegations of cow slaughter or beef trading, raising further concerns about religious freedom in India.