04/09/2021 United States (International Christian Concern) – Congressman Raja Khrisnamoorthi (D-IL) issued a strong statement on religious discrimination in his home country of India and the issues that creates for India’s religious minority communities.
Speaking on recent incidents of violence in America, he said, “Democracies around the world are facing similar challenges, including my birth country of India – the world’s largest secular democracy. Just as in the United States, Indian people of all religious and cultural backgrounds: Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, and others, including members of all castes, must be able to flourish and live safely with the freedom to fulfill their full potential.”
The Congressman’s statement is a welcome one as India’s religious minorities continue to face significant persecution and discrimination. Attacks against Christians have skyrocketed since Prime Minister Modi took power in 2014. Hindu fanatics, driven by the radical Hindutva ideology and nationalist organizations like the VHP and the RSS, have been emboldened to discriminate against religious minorities with almost complete impunity.
Unfortunately, Congressman Khrisnamoorthi did join RSS leadership at the World Hindu Congress in Chicago in 2018 where he delivered a speech. The RSS is a paramilitary outfit headed by Mohan Baghwat that reaches across India and terrorizes Christians, Sikhs, Muslims, and other religious minorities through thuggery, discrimination, and various other forms of persecution.
Prime Minister Modi, who has a notorious history as the ‘Butcher of Gujarat,’ is a lifelong member of the RSS and continues to advance its radical Hindutva policies across the nation. Along with state-level allies, he advocates for anti-forced conversion laws that are nothing more than a tool of empowerment for the Hindu extremists to perpetuate a climate of discrimination against religious minority groups.
Although many human rights organizations are applauding the congressman’s comments, some advocates are calling for him to also denounce the RSS and other outfits that perpetuate Hindutva’s radical notions of making India a Hindu-only country.
For interviews, contact Alison Garcia: [email protected].
