Support H. Res. 417 for Religious Freedom & Human Rights in India
Please sign to urge your representative to cosponsor House Resolution 417, which recommends religious freedom and human rights issues be made the cornerstone of U.S. dialogues with India.
Honorable Representative:
Please support immediate passage of House Resolution 417: ?Praising India?s rich religious diversity and commitment to tolerance and equality, and reaffirming the need to protect the rights and freedoms of religious minorities.?
House Resolution 417 was introduced on Nov. 18, 2013 by Rep. Joe Pitts (R-PA) and Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN and has solid bi-partisan support. The resolution recommends the U.S. make human rights and religious freedom the cornerstone of conversation with India. It places the U.S. on record as recognizing several acts of ethnic cleansing of minorities since 1992, suggests dialogue with India focus on human rights issues, and recommends India increase training on human rights for its police and judiciary.
This resolution is a response to reports by the U.S. State Department, such as that made in 2011 by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, which found:
"The failure to provide justice to religious minorities is not a new development. In 1984, thousands were killed in anti-Sikh riots that erupted in Delhi? Numerous NGOs, including the Indian American Muslim Council and the All India Christian Council and religious communities believe that the masterminds of violence are often vindicated and set free, or if convicted, released with minor monetary fines, and that police are influenced by religious bias and state politics. The failure to provide swift and adequate justice to religious minorities perpetuates a climate of impunity, which allows the harassment of and violence against religious minorities to continue unabated."
As documented in the resolution, minorities who have been victims of genocide in India and who have not received justice include those in the 1992 Babri Mosque riots, the 2002 Gujarat riots, and the 2008 Odisha riots. The earliest targets of these genocides were Sikhs, who saw first-hand how India has responded with impunity after thousands were massacred in the streets of Delhi in the 1984 Sikh Genocide. Consequently, H. Res. 417 would:
- Make calls for religious freedom and related human rights central to dialogue with India;
- Recognize the suffering of all Indians who are victims of religious violence and recognize appeals from Christian, Muslim, and Sikh communities reporting an increase in religiously-motivated violence;
- Urge India to increase training on human rights and religious freedom standards and practices for police and the judiciary, particularly in states with a history or likelihood of communal violence;
- Urge repeal of anti-conversion laws which violate the rights of non-Hindus, empowerment of the National Commission on Minorities with enforcement powers, and increased training in human rights and religious freedom for police and the judiciary;
- Urge all political parties and religious organizations to publicly oppose the exploitation of religious differences and denounce harassment and violence against religious
Please support immediate passage of House Resolution 417: ?Praising India?s rich religious diversity and commitment to tolerance and equality, and reaffirming the need to protect the rights and freedoms of religious minorities.?
House Resolution 417 was introduced on Nov. 18, 2013 by Rep. Joe Pitts (R-PA) and Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN and has solid bi-partisan support. The resolution recommends the U.S. make human rights and religious freedom the cornerstone of conversation with India. It places the U.S. on record as recognizing several acts of ethnic cleansing of minorities since 1992, suggests dialogue with India focus on human rights issues, and recommends India increase training on human rights for its police and judiciary.
This resolution is a response to reports by the U.S. State Department, such as that made in 2011 by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, which found:
"The failure to provide justice to religious minorities is not a new development. In 1984, thousands were killed in anti-Sikh riots that erupted in Delhi? Numerous NGOs, including the Indian American Muslim Council and the All India Christian Council and religious communities believe that the masterminds of violence are often vindicated and set free, or if convicted, released with minor monetary fines, and that police are influenced by religious bias and state politics. The failure to provide swift and adequate justice to religious minorities perpetuates a climate of impunity, which allows the harassment of and violence against religious minorities to continue unabated."
As documented in the resolution, minorities who have been victims of genocide in India and who have not received justice include those in the 1992 Babri Mosque riots, the 2002 Gujarat riots, and the 2008 Odisha riots. The earliest targets of these genocides were Sikhs, who saw first-hand how India has responded with impunity after thousands were massacred in the streets of Delhi in the 1984 Sikh Genocide. Consequently, H. Res. 417 would:
- Make calls for religious freedom and related human rights central to dialogue with India;
- Recognize the suffering of all Indians who are victims of religious violence and recognize appeals from Christian, Muslim, and Sikh communities reporting an increase in religiously-motivated violence;
- Urge India to increase training on human rights and religious freedom standards and practices for police and the judiciary, particularly in states with a history or likelihood of communal violence;
- Urge repeal of anti-conversion laws which violate the rights of non-Hindus, empowerment of the National Commission on Minorities with enforcement powers, and increased training in human rights and religious freedom for police and the judiciary;
- Urge all political parties and religious organizations to publicly oppose the exploitation of religious differences and denounce harassment and violence against religious
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