Condemning human rights violations and violations of international religious freedom in India, including those targeting Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Dalits, Adivasis, and other religious and cultural minorities.

Bill: 118-hres-542
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Omar, Ilhan [D-MN-5]
Introduced: 2023-06-22
Policy area: International Affairs
Latest action: action_date: 2023-06-22
text: Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Summaries:
action_date: 2023-06-22
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p>This resolution expresses grave concern about the worsening treatment of religious minorities in India. It condemns human rights violations and violations of international religious freedom in India, including those targeting Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Dalits, and Adivasis.</p>

tv_txt: IV 118th CONGRESS 1st Session H. RES. 542 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES June 22, 2023 Ms. Omar (for herself, Mr. Trone , Ms. Pressley , Ms. Tlaib , and Ms. Jacobs ) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs RESOLUTION Condemning human rights violations and violations of international religious freedom in India, including those targeting Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Dalits, Adivasis, and other religious and cultural minorities.

Whereas the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has called for designating India as a Country of Particular Concern for 4 consecutive years; Whereas USCIRF’s 2023 annual report states that in 2022, the Indian Government at the national, State, and local levels promoted and enforced religiously discriminatory policies, including laws targeting religious conversion, interfaith relationships, the wearing of hijabs, and cow slaughter, which negatively impact Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Dalits, and Adivasis ; Whereas the USCIRF report further states that, The national government also continued to suppress critical voices—particularly religious minorities and those advocating on their behalf—including through surveillance, harassment, demolition of property, and detention ; Whereas the USCIRF report describes the use of laws such as the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and the Sedition law to target freedom of religion and expression, creating an increasing climate of intimidation and fear ; Whereas the USCIRF report enumerates increasing criminalization of religious conversion, particularly targeting Christians and Muslims, including bans on interfaith marriages; Whereas, according to USCIRF, The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party committed to enforcing harsher penalties for interfaith marriages in its 2022 election manifesto for Uttar Pradesh ; Whereas the USCIRF report highlights the severe risks of the Citizenship Amendment Act and National Registry of Citizens for Indian Muslims, including the possibility of rendering hundreds of thousands stateless or subject to indefinite detention; Whereas the USCIRF report outlines a trend of attacks on religious minorities in their homes and places of worship, including the physical destruction of mosques and homes in Muslim neighborhoods, and mob violence against Muslims and Christians; Whereas the USCIRF describes rampant sexual violence and harassment against women belonging to religious minority and Dalit communities; Whereas, as of June 2023, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom lists 55 Indian nationals on its Freedom of Religion or Belief Victims list, 53 of whom are listed as detained with one under house arrest and one disappeared; Whereas, as of June 2022, 41 of the 53 remain detained, with one, the Catholic priest and human rights activist Father Stan Swamy, having died in custody; and Whereas, in February 2022, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention released an opinion, declaring Swamy's detention arbitrary and his death utterly preventable : Now, therefore, be it

That the House of Representatives— (1) condemns human rights violations and violations of international religious freedom in India, including those targeting Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Dalits, Adivasis, and other religious and cultural minorities; (2) expresses grave concern about the worsening treatment of religious minorities in India; and (3) calls on the Secretary of State to designate India as a Country of Particular Concern in the next annual report submitted pursuant to section 102 of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1988 and section 302 the Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act of 2016.