Violence Against Religious Minorities in India

Hearing
Date:
Location:
CVC-268 U.S. Capitol Visitor Center (North Meeting Room)

Announcement

Please join Rep. Patrick Meehan, co-chair of the American Sikh Caucus, and Reps. Joseph Pitts and Jim McGovern, co-chairs of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, for an important briefing on violence against Muslims, Christians and other religious minorities in India.

India’s constitution guarantees that “all persons are equally entitled to freedom of conscience and the right freely to profess, practice and propagate religion.” However, attacks against Muslims, Christians, Sikhs and Dalits have increased in recent years. A 2015 report by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom asked the Obama Administration to press the Indian government to publicly rebuke officials and religious leaders who endorse these hateful acts. In February, President Obama described religious targeting and attacks in India in recent years as “acts of intolerance that would have shocked Gandhi, the person who helped to liberate that nation.”

This briefing will outline the important legal, social and cultural issues related to the persecution of minorities in India. The panelists will also make recommendations as to how the United States can play a role to safeguard religious minorities in India and around the world.

The briefing is open to Members, staff and the public. If you have any questions please contact Jim Gray (for Rep. Meehan) at 202-225-2011, Carson Middleton (for Rep. Pitts) at 202-225-2411 or Soo Choi (for Rep. McGovern) at 202-225-3599.

Hosted by:

Joseph R. Pitts
Member of Congress
Co-Chair, TLHRC		 James P. McGovern
Member of Congress
Co-Chair, TLHRC		 Patrick Meehan
Member of Congress
Co-Chair, American Sikh Caucus
Witnesses

Panelists

  • Rev. Dr. Joshva Raja, Research Supervisor, University of Amsterdam
    Written statement
  • Dr. Iqtidar Karamat Cheema, Director, Institute for Leadership and Community Development, UK
    Written statement
  • Professor Gurdarshan Sing Dhillon, Professor of History (retired), Punjab University, India
    Written statement
  • Sahar Chaudhry, Senior Policy Analyst, United States Commission on International Religious Freedom
  • John Sifton, Asia Advocacy Director, Human Rights Watch
Related Items
Thirty Years of Impunity: The November 1984 Anti-Sikh Pogroms in India
The Plight of Religious Minorities in India

Contact The Commission

Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission
House Committee on Foreign Affairs
4150 O'Neill House Office Building
200 C Street SW
Washington, D.C. 20515
United States of America

Phone: +1 (202) 225-3599
TLHRC@mail.house.gov

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