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US Censure

By LIFS September 9, 2009 at 12:02 PM

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The US Commission on International Religious Freedom’s 2009 report has placed India, along with Afghanistan, Cuba, Somalia, Venezuela and Turkey, among 12 countries on its watch list, “which require close monitoring due to the nature and extent of violations of religious freedom engaged in or tolerated by the governments.”

Although India “is home to a multitude of religious communities that have historically coexisted peacefully,” the commission said: “Several incidents of communal violence have occurred in various parts of the country, resulting in many death and mass displacements, particularly of members of the Christian and Muslim minorities, including major incidents against Christian communities within the 2008-2009 reporting period. Because the government’s response at the state and local levels has been found to be largely inadequate and the national government has failed to take effective measures to ensure the rights of religious minorities in several states, the Commission decided to place India on its Watch List for 2009.”

The commission lists 13 state, including Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia as countries of particular concern for ongoing, “egregious violations of religious freedom.”

India has denounced the censure, noting: “India, a country of 1.1 billion people, is a multi-ethnic and multi-religious society. Aberrations, if any, are dealt with promptly within our legal framework, under the watchful eye of an independent judiciary and a vigilant media.”

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