The Government of India rejected the recommendations of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom’s (USCIRF) 2023 report, calling it biased and motivated.
USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan US federal government commission, dedicated to defending the universal right to freedom of religion or belief abroad.
- It is an advisory body to the US Congress.
- It is Headquartered in Washington DC.
- Established by the US government after the inaction of the International Religious Freedom
Act (IRFA), 1998 the recommendations of USCIRF are non-binding on the state department.
IRFA provides that US policy includes condemning violations of religious freedom and assisting
other governments in the promotion of this right.
Traditionally, India does not recognize the view of USCIRF.
Concerns Raised About India :
- Concerns About Certain Laws and Policies:
▪ These include laws related to conversion, interfaith relationships, hijab, and cow
slaughter, as well as the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 and the National Register
of Citizens (NRC) All of these, it alleges, have not impacted minorities in a favorable way.
▪ Measures Affecting Freedom of Expression:
▪ These include surveillance, harassment, property demolition, and detention under
the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), 1967. Some Non-Governmental
organizations (NGOs) have also been subject to scrutiny under the Foreign Contribution
Regulation Act (FCRA), 2010.
India as a CPC:
- It has criticized the US State Department for not having designated India as a Countries of
Particular Concern (CPC) and has called for sanctions on Indian government agencies and
officials. - USCIRF has been recommending India’s designation as a country of particular concern since
2020 but it hasn’t been accepted by the US government so far
Recommendations of the Report :
- USCIRF recommends that the State Department:
- Redesignate as CPCs: Burma, China, Cuba, Eritrea, Iran, Nicaragua, North Korea, Pakistan,
Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan; - Designate as Additional CPCs: Afghanistan, India, Nigeria, Syria, and Vietnam;
- Maintain on the Special Watch List (SWL): Algeria and the Central African Republic (CAR);
- Redesignate as Entities of Particular Concern (EPCs): Al-Shabaab, Boko Haram, Hay’at Tahrir
al-Sham (HTS), the Houthis, Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS), Islamic State in West
Africa Province (ISWAP also referred to as ISIS-West Africa), and Jamaat Nasr al-Islam wal
Muslimin (JNIM).
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