Religious Minorities

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Minorities safest in India: Union minister Rijiju hits out at Rahul Gandhi

Union minister Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday hit out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his remarks on minorities and said they are the safest in India. Responding to a question on Gandhi's remarks in the US that RSS considers some religions, languages and communities inferior to others, Rijiju said, "No matter the amount of effort made, India cannot be defamed because India's Constitution and culture do not differentiate between people." He said people who want to defame India with the help of anti-India forces will not succeed. The Minister for Minority Affairs who also holds the Parliamentary Affairs portfolio pointed out that minorities in India's neighbourhood come here if something wrong happens to them there. "Minorities are the safest in India," he asserted. Addressing on Monday a gathering of several hundred Indian Americans in Herndon, a Virginia suburb of Washington DC, the leader of opposition accused the RSS of considering some religions, languages and communities of be

Attack on train passenger over beef suspicion: GRP to re-arrest accused

With a court cancelling the bail granted to three men arrested for allegedly assaulting an elderly man in an express train on the suspicion of carrying beef in Maharashtra's Nashik, the Government Railway Police (GRP) has launched an operation to trace the trio to re-arrest them in the case, officials said. The court cancelled their bail on Monday after the police added the charges of dacoity and hurting religious feelings against them. The 72-year-old victim, Ashraf Ali Sayyed Hussain, from Jalgaon district in north Maharashtra, was assaulted by a group on board the Dhule-Mumbai CSMT Express on August 28 on the suspicion of carrying beef. A video of the incident went viral on social media and the police arrested three men from Dhule - Akash Awhad (30), Nitesh Ahire (30) and Jayesh Mohite (21) - on August 31. They were presented in a court the next day, which granted bail to them. As the GRP could not keep them in its custody after they were granted bail, the accused were allowed t

India leads as top origin country and destination for Hindu migrants: Pew

At 47%, Christians make up the largest share of migrant population across the world, according to Pew Research Centre's analysis of global migrant religious composition

B'desh's interim govt vows swift action against people attacking minorities

Bangladesh's newly-appointed Home Affairs Ministry adviser has vowed to take swift legal action against those who attack or abuse minorities, stressing that there is no place for violence, conflict, or hatred in the country. Brigadier General (retd) M Sakhawat Hussain's assurance came during a meeting with a delegation from the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) Bangladesh at his office in the Secretariat on Thursday, the Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported. Bangladesh saw a spike in violence against members of Hindu communities following the fall of the government led by Sheikh Hasina, who resigned and fled to India on August 5 following massive protests against her government over a controversial quota system in jobs. Hussain emphasised that Bangladesh is a country of communal harmony, where people of all religions have grown up together without any divisions. He said that no one would be spared if they attacked or abused minorities, and swift legal action woul

We welcome B'desh govt's focus on minorities, in touch with India too: US

Even as it welcomed the new Bangladesh government's focus on the protection of minority communities, the US has said it is in touch with India and other countries in the region on the situation in the country while seeking an end to the violence there. Amid continued reports on targeted attacks on minorities in Bangladesh, especially the Hindus along with the destruction of temples and their properties after August 5 when Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled to India, several influential US Congressmen have requested the Biden administration to look into these attacks. Chief Advisor to the interim government Yunus Muhammad, who took charge on August 8, met the distressed community at the famous Dhakeshwari temple in Dhaka on Tuesday and assured them that his government would punish the perpetrators. During his daily news conference on Wednesday, US State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel welcomed Yunus' statement calling for calm and an end to the recent violence. We welcome t

Stop attacks against minorities or I'll resign: Bangladesh's Muhammad Yunus

The newly sworn-in chief adviser Muhammad Yunus cautioned the student leaders flanking him and the nation that if the violence against minorities doesn't stop, he will resign

Minorities comprise 15% of PMAY beneficiaries in urban areas: Govt

According to the minister, 173,350 houses have been sanctioned to Christians, followed by Sikh - 49,670 houses, Buddhist - 19,707, Jainism - 10,457, and Zoroastrianism - 1,127

'Majority will become minority one day': HC on religious conversions

The Allahabad High Court also called for an immediate prohibition on religious gatherings where conversions occur

Rise in anti-conversion laws, hate speech in India concerning: Blinken

There has been a "concerning increase" in anti-conversion laws, hate speech, and demolitions of homes and places of worship for members of minority faith communities in India, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said. In his remarks at the release of the annual State Department report on international religious freedom, Blinken said on Wednesday that at the same time, people around the world are also working hard to protect religious freedom. The report stated that senior US officials continued to raise concerns about religious freedom issues with their Indian counterparts in 2023. "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. At the same time, people around the world are also working hard to protect religious freedom," the secretary of state said. Ten of 28 states have laws restricting religious conversions for all faiths. Some of these states also impose ...

Congress wanted to allocate 15% of budget to minorities, says PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday alleged the Congress during its previous rule wanted to allocate 15 per cent of the government budget for minorities and vowed not to allow splitting of budget or reservation in jobs and education on the basis of religion. Addressing an election rally at Pimpalgaon Baswant in north Maharashtra's Nashik district in support of Mahayuti candidates -- Union minister Bharati Pawar (BJP) and Hemant Godse (Shiv Sena) -- the PM said splitting budget on religious lines was dangerous. The BJP's star campaigner maintained Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, the chief architect of the Constitution, was firmly against religion-based reservation in jobs and education. Modi claimed the Congress, when in power at the Centre, had drawn up plans to allocate 15 per cent of the total budget to minorities. "When I was the chief minister (of Gujarat), the Congress had brought up this proposal. The BJP opposed this move strongly and hence it could not be implemented. But ..

CSDS survey: Ram temple boosts Hindu identity, strong backing for pluralism

While 77 per cent of Hindus expressed faith in religious pluralism, an even higher percentage of Muslims (87 per cent) and other minority groups (81 per cent) shared this view

India-US ties on 'upward trajectory, warmer than before': PM Modi

No 'feeling of discrimination' against any religious minority in India, he tells Financial Times

Pak police form special unit for security of minorities, religious places

Amid increasing attacks on religious minorities in Pakistan, the Islamabad Police on Thursday constituted a 70-member special unit for the "protection of minority places of worship and communities" in the national capital. "Seventy jawans (policemen) have been posted in the Minority Protection Unit'," the Islamabad Police said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. It said all district police officers will be responsible for the protection of minority places of worship and communities in their areas. The unit, established as per the recommendations of the National Minorities Commission, will perform its duties under the supervision of SSP operations. "Liaison with minority committees will be strengthened at each divisional level, the police added. It further stated that the unit policemen have also been selected from the recent recruitment for the Minority Protection Unit. The move comes a day after an enraged mob ransacked and torched 21 churches and several houses of Christ

Russia, India, China, among others target faith community members: US

A senior US official on Monday said far too many governments, including Russia, India, China and Saudi Arabia, continue to freely target faith community members, as the state department released its Congressional-mandatory annual report on international religious freedom that documents the status of religious freedom in countries across the world. "Far too many governments continue to freely target faith community members within their borders," Rashad Hussain, Ambassador at Large, Office of International Religious Freedom, told reporters at a news conference here soon after the annual 2022 "Report on International Religious Freedom" was released by Secretary of State Tony Blinken. The report provides a fact-based, comprehensive view of the state of religious freedom in nearly 200 countries and territories around the world, Blinken said, noting that it aims to highlight areas where freedom of religion or belief is being repressed to promote accountability and ultimately, drive progres

5% rise in minority population shows protection level for them: NCM chief

India has witnessed a five per cent increase in minority population since independence which shows the level of protection, the country has provided to such communities, National Commission for Minorities Iqbal Singh Lalpura said on Wednesday. He made the remarks at the annual conference of the state minorities commissions at the Ambedkar International Centre here. Addressing the gathering, Minister of State for Minority Affairs John Barla said, "In order to fulfil the mandate of our Constitution of welfare of minorities, we have institutions like the Ministry of Minority Affairs and National Commission for Minorities, working day and night." "We have a crucial role in fulfilling the government's vision of 'Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Prayas.' As minorities, our role is to put in efforts for nation's development, that is 'Prayas'," he said. The conference was inaugurated by Barla in the presence of Lalpura, Vice Chairman of NCM KK Deboo and members Dhanyakumar Jinappa Gunde, ...

UN experts concerned over rise in abductions, conversions of girls in Pak

A group of top UN human rights experts has expressed alarm at the reported rise in abductions, forced marriages and conversions of underage girls and young women from religious minorities in Pak

Minorities Commission to meet on Jan 17 to resolve Jain shrine issue

The National Commission for Minorities has summoned the Union environment secretary and Jharkhand chief secretary after taking cognisance of representations made by Jain community

US not to put India on list of nations violating religious freedom: Report

The United States has made it clear that India will not be placed on its list of 'Countries of Particular Concern' or 'Special Watch list' this year for violations of religious freedom

SC asks Centre to check practice of forceful religious conversion

A very serious issue that threatens the freedom and security of the country and its citizens, says top court