WASHINGTON: The United States criticized close ally India in a report published on Wednesday on religious freedom, while also expressing concern over rising racism across the world against both Muslims and Jews.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken revealed the annual report and said that the United States was also facing its own increase in both Islamophobia and anti-Semitism in connection to the war in Gaza.
“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,” Blinken said.
The US ambassador-at-large for global religious freedom, Rashad Hussain, criticized efforts by the police in India against minorities.
He added that Christian communities in India reported that local police helped mobs that disrupted worship services over accusations of conversion activities or did not take any action while mobs attacked them and then arrested the victims on the charges of conversion.
The United States for decades has sought closer relations with India, seeing the country as a bulwark against China, with President Joe Biden embracing Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a Hindu nationalist who recently won a third term.
Despite criticism in the report, few expect the State Department to take any action against India when it prepares its yearly blacklist of nations over religious freedom later this year.
The State Department also expressed concerns about the rising acts of violence against religious freedom in India.
Earlier Blinken denounced EU member Hungary, led by Viktor Orban, saying that officials of the country continue to use anti-Semitic tropes and anti-Muslim rhetoric.
He said that nine other European countries effectively ban some forms of religious clothing in public spaces. He did not name the countries, although France has been at the forefront of restricting full-face veils worn by some Muslim women.
