by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) - More than 300 American Christian clergy and lay leaders have publicly called on the United States government to take action in holding the government of India accountable for ongoing, chronic human rights abuses against Indian Christians at the hands of Hindu nationalists.
In a letter to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, 303 mainline Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox, Pentecostal, and independent clergy and lay leaders explain they want to see action taken to stem the dramatic rise in abuses against Christians since the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power under Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014.
India now ranks 11 on the Open Doors World Watch List 2024 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted; prior to the rise of Modi and the BJP, the country had ranked 31 on the WWL.
“Violence against Indian Christians is the result of Hindutva nationalist government policies which use religion and majoritarianism to reinforce a Jim Crow style caste system to exploit millions of people and their labor to generate wealth for a few. As Christians do not practice caste and practice a minority religion, they are considered a national threat,” the letter to Blinken reads.
“As a result, 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. 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,” the letter attests.
In their letter, the Christian leaders then call on the US to:
- “Adopt the repeated recommendation of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) to designate India as a Country of Particular Concern.
- Hold the Indian government accountable for advancing equal human rights for all religious communities.
- Consider targeted sanctions on Indian government agencies and officials responsible for severe violations of religious freedom and human rights
- Support independent religious organizations and human rights groups in India and US who are targeted for their advocacy of religious freedom and human rights.”