WASHINGTON, D.C., March 6, 2003: The Bush administration has rejected the recommendation of a US commission to brand India a violator of religious freedom. Following the Gujarat riots, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom had recommended India’s inclusion in a list of “countries of particular concern.” Acting on the commission’s omnibus report, Secretary of State Colin Powell on Wednesday designated six nations — China, Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Myanmar and Sudan — as “countries of particular concern” — North Korea being the only new addition to last year’s list. He, however, declined to include India and five other countries in the classification. Hindus were astounded by the Commission’s recommendations, which put India, a nation with a long history of religious tolerance, in the same camp as oppressive regimes such as North Korea, or even the other five rejected for listing, which included Saudi Arabia, where freedom of religion is almost non-existent. The Commission report included the complaint that the State Department routinely ignored its recommendations, which carry no weight unless adopted by the Secretary of State. The Commission appears in its reports to be primarily concerned with the rights of Christians and Christian missionaries in foreign countries.
A daily summary of world news for Hindus and non-Hindus alike