Author: S Rajagopalan
Publication: The Hindustan Times
Date: February 12, 2004
URL: http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_569189,00050001.htm
Amid sharp divisions, the US Commission
on International Religious Freedom has recommended afresh the inclusion
of India in a list of "countries of particular concern" (CPC). Four of
the commission's nine members have strongly dissented.
The recommendation has been justified
on grounds of "continuing violence against Muslims and Christians" and
what the commission regards as the government's failure to adequately address
the Gujarat killings issue.
But the four commissioners - chair
Michael K Young, vice-chair Felice D Gaer, Preeta Bansal and Charles J
Chaput - noted it would be "inappropriate at this time" to include India
in the CPC list.
"India has the legal and democratic
traditions to deal with religious intolerance and should be strongly encouraged
to do so," the four said in their note of dissent, even while sharing the
panel's concerns over continuing attacks on religious minorities.
The commission handed over its renewed
proposal to Secretary of State Colin Powell on Tuesday, mooting the designation
of India and 10 other nations as "countries of particular concern" because
of "egregious violations of religious freedoms".
The communication said that several
Union Ministers, belonging to the BJP, have publicly allied themselves
with extremist Hindu organisations that regularly employ hate speech against
religious minorities and have been implicated in violence against them.
