US Christian Leaders Call on State Department to Address India’s Religious Persecution

More than 300 Christian leaders in the United States, including notable denominational figures, are urging the U.S. State Department to classify India as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) in light of escalating violations of religious freedoms, particularly targeting Christians.

A letter, sent earlier this month, was written in response to the growing violence and systematic persecution occurring under the Hindu nationalist government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The letter’s signatories represent a broad spectrum of church leaders from various denominations, including 18 bishops, three archbishops, and numerous clergy members from theological schools and Christian organizations.

The leaders express deep concern over the worsening persecution of religious minorities in India since Modi’s administration came to power in 2014. This letter marks the first major effort by U.S. Christian leaders to address the issue of religious persecution in India directly.

“This surge in violence is propelled by a Hindu ethno-nationalist or Hindutva supremacist political ideology, which conflates a militant Hindu ideology with Indian citizen identities,” the letter states. It goes on to say, “As a result, both the Hindu religion and India’s Constitutional secular democracy have been severely distorted, leading to alarming levels of state-sanctioned violence against Christians, lower-caste Dalits, and other religious minorities both on the streets and within state structures.”

The letter, organized by the Federation of Indian-American Christian Organizations in North America, references a petition from January 2024 signed by more than 3,000 ecumenical Christian leaders in India. This petition condemned the Indian government’s alleged state-sanctioned human rights abuses against religious minorities.

A report from the United Christian Forum is cited in the letter, highlighting a dramatic increase in attacks on Christians, from 127 incidents in 2014 to 720 in 2023. The persecution has led to the displacement of over 65,000 people in Manipur, and more than 400 churches have been destroyed or damaged as of May 2023. Another report from Chhattisgarh noted that over 2,500 Christians were forcibly displaced between December 2022 and February 2023 due to their refusal to convert to Hinduism.

The letter also draws attention to international rankings, such as those from the U.S.-based persecution watchdog International Christian Concern, which ranks India as the third-worst persecutor of Christians globally. The letter’s signatories are calling on the State Department to take specific actions, including designating India as a CPC under the International Religious Freedom Act. Countries that receive this designation face potential negative consequences, including the possibility of crippling sanctions.

In addition to calling for India’s designation as a CPC, the Christian leaders are urging the State Department to hold Indian government officials accountable for violations of religious freedoms. They are also advocating for targeted sanctions and support for independent religious and human rights organizations, both in India and the U.S.

The letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasizes that the U.S.’s silence on these issues starkly contrasts with its geopolitical alliance with India. The leaders urge the State Department not to overlook these severe violations of religious freedom.

“The Indian government has cut off funding to hundreds of Christian schools and hospitals which have educated and cared for all people regardless of caste or religion,” the letter notes. It continues, “International support is severed by draconian application of India’s Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, impacting thousands of internationally respected organizations such as Amnesty International, Compassion International, World Vision, and Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity. This leaves Indian Christians isolated, fearful, and precarious.”

International human rights organizations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have criticized the Indian government for advocating violence against minorities with impunity. The letter also references the “anti-conversion” laws enforced in at least 10 Indian states that criminalize religious conversion, leading to the arrest of thousands of Christians.

In January, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), a bipartisan commission that advises the federal government and Congress on international religious freedom matters, criticized the State Department for its refusal to include India and Nigeria on the CPC list. “We met with the State Department on many occasions to sound the alarm about these countries, but not all of our recommendations have been followed,” said then-USCIRF Chair Abraham Cooper and Vice Chair Frederick A. Davie in a January statement.

The State Department’s annual international religious freedom report addresses concerns about religious freedom in India. During a press conference in June to launch this year’s report, Blinken discussed the “concerning increase in anti-conversion laws, hate speech, and demolitions of homes and places of worship for members of minority faith communities” in India. The report noted that at least 10 of India’s 28 states have enacted policies that restrict “religious conversions for all faiths.”

U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Rashad Hussain also spoke at the press conference, stating, “Christian communities reported that local police aided mobs that disrupted worship services over accusations of conversion activities or stood by while mobs attacked them and then arrested the victims on conversion charges.”