US State Dept releases International Religious Freedom Report

US State Department has launched annual International Religious Freedom (IRF) Report 2019. It describes the status of religious freedom in every country. The report describes change in the J&K status, CAA and NRC in India. It also makes detail description of mob lynching’s, cow vigilantism and laws depicting lawmakers failure to combat the situation. The report outlines the U.S. engagement and restrictions on India to be imposed by Trump administration.

American Commission on International Religious Freedom ’(USCIRF):

• USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan US Federal Commission established under the ‘International Religious Freedom Act-IRFA’ – 1998.
• The USCIRF monitors violations of religious freedom globally based on international standards and recommends the US President, Secretary of State, and the US Parliament to make necessary policies.
• It recommends that the Secretary of the US State Department recommend the reductions to countries of Particular Concern-CPC and Special Watch List- SWL based on violations of religious freedom.

The Country Report for India:

• It highlighted the developments that took place in 2019 i.e. the status of Jammu and Kashmir, the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
• It discussed in detail about mob lynchings, anti-conversion laws, cow vigilantism and related issues.
• Taking note of the alleged attacks and discrimination against religious and ethnic minorities in India, the report emphasised the need to ensure full protection to minorities in the country as guaranteed under the Constitution.
• It also outlines the U.S. engagement with India on these issues.

Religious Freedom in the US:

• The US government has signed an executive order which included a move to formally prioritise religious freedom in the U.S. foreign policy.
• The order also directed the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to allocate $50 million in its yearly budget towards programmes that sought to promote religious freedom.
• Recently, the US faced domestic protests in response to the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man at the hands of a white police officer.

Difference between USCIRF and State Department proceedings:

• The USCIRF and the US State Department both issue annual reports on international religious freedom, but each have different objectives.
• The State Department report documents the violation of religious freedom in each country of the world, while USCIRF’s annual report recommends by law to designate various countries as ‘countries of special concern’ on which the relevant executive branch views Does.

UPSC