Western media often stirs up interfaith tensions in India, frequently criticizing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government over their treatment of religious minorities.
During the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, The New York Times published an article titled “Strangers in Their Own Land: Being Muslims in Modi’s India”. The article claims that Muslims in India live with insecurity and fear of losing their identity.
The US has discussed the importance of equal treatment for all religious communities with many countries, including India, according to State Department spokesperson Mathew Miller, who spoke to journalists on Monday.
Meanwhile, the US frequently brings up issues related to minorities for a few reasons. According to Sanjay Kumar Pandey, a professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University who spoke to Sputnik, a Russian media outlet, both governmental and non-governmental institutions in the US sometimes address these concerns out of genuine concern and sometimes to push a specific agenda. Additionally, Pandey noted that India has made a deal with Iran.
“There is some genuine concern, but most of the time, political and foreign policy agendas influence how countries are categorized,” said Pandey. “For example, India has made an agreement with Iran and has not aligned with the US or Europe on the Ukraine conflict. However, India will not be affected by these criticisms as it has taken strong stances in the past.”
Meanwhile, the professor highlighted that India has a long history of multiple faiths coexisting.
India has a unique and distinct cultural heritage. Until the 19th century, despite some differences and frictions, there were no large-scale religious wars like the crusades. However, the politics of the 19th and 20th centuries, the British policy of divide and rule, and later electoral politics gave new significance to religion and other identities, the professor explained.
The Crusades were a series of religious wars during the Middle Ages (5th to late 15th Century), primarily between Christians and Muslims, aimed at controlling holy sites in the Middle East, especially Jerusalem.
Pandey also noted that since independence, all political parties have sometimes used religion to gather voter support. However, he mentioned that in recent years, there haven’t been any major religious conflicts. Instead, the welfare schemes and programs of the current government have benefited everyone equally, without religious bias or discrimination.
This isn’t the first time Western media has tried to damage India’s reputation by highlighting alleged discrimination against minorities. Before the Lok Sabha elections, the British weekly newspaper **The Economist** accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of promoting “hubristic Hindu chauvinism.”
“Hubristic Hindu chauvinism” refers to an arrogant and aggressive form of Hindu nationalism that promotes the superiority of Hindu culture and beliefs, often at the expense of other religions and communities.
Pandey dismissed the idea that US efforts to pressure India would influence voters during the Lok Sabha elections. However, he acknowledged that these efforts subtly (or discreetly) aim to impact the government. He expressed confidence that the Indian Foreign Ministry would respond appropriately.
Such claims have been firmly rejected by the country’s authorities. Modi also stated that all attempts at foreign interference would end on June 4, when the Lok Sabha election results are announced.
“Intolerance can take many forms, and religious differences are just one example,” he emphasized. “In the US, we often see non-Whites, including Asians like Indians and Chinese, as well as people from Latin America, Mexico, and Black communities, being targeted.”
The professor pointed out that despite the abolition of slavery in 1861 and the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, racism against Blacks and Asians still exists in the US.
(Views expressed in the article are of author’s own and do not reflect the editorial stance of Business Upturn)
