Acknowledgements
This report was produced by the Center for Religious Freedom of Freedom House with the help of Indian human rights advocates and journalists who specialize in religion. This report focuses on the current problems faced by two of Indiaâs largest minority groups, Christians and Muslims, as Indiaâs Hindu nationalist movement gains force and wields government power. It does not deal with the conflicts that have an international or separatist dimension, such as in Kashmir or the northeastern states.
Major work on the report was done by Kamal Chenoy and his researchers at Jawaharlal Nehru University. Professor Chenoy is a noted expert on Indian and comparative politics and also over the last several years has looked closely at religious militancy in India. He co-authored a public report entitled âGujarat Carnage 2002: A Report to the Nation.â Melody Divine of A.S.S.I.S.T., and Teesta Setalvad, a dedicated human rights activist based in Mumbai (Bombay) and the head of Communalism Combat, gave generous assistance. Ms. Setalvad spent about two and a half months in Gujarat immediately following the worst of the violence in 2002. She is co-author of the first major report on the Gujarat massacres, entitled Genocide, which was published in India in April 2002. The Rev. Cedric Prakash of Prashant also contributed generously to the report. Father Prakash is a Jesuit priest based in the Gujarat capital of Ahmedabad, site of most of the killings. He served in Gujarat as state coordinator of the United Christian Forum on Human Rights. Twice beaten -- once almost fatally -- by Hindu extremists in the 1990s, he has received Indiaâs highest civilian prize for the promotion of intercommunal peace and harmony. Significant work was also done by Timothy Shah, Vinay Samuel and the Director of the Policy Institute for Religion and State, John Prabhudoss. This report also draws on Newsroom-Onlineâs report on the rise of the BJP, and we would like to thank them, and the author of that report, Sushil Aaron, for permission to use their material. It is indicative of the increasing tension in India that the Indian journalists who assisted the Center have asked to remain anonymous.
For the report, the Center for Religious Freedom interviewed leaders in the Hindu, Catholic, Protestant, and Muslim communities in India, as well as academics and representatives of the BJP. We would also like to thank John Dayal and Joseph DâSouza of the All India Christian Council, the Dalit Freedom Network, the Indian Social Institute Human Rights Documentation Center, the United Christian Forum for Human Rights, the All India Federation of Organizations for Democratic Rights, the Catholic Bishopsâ Conference of India, and the National Alliance of Women.
The profile of India is reprinted from Freedom in the World: The Annual Survey of Political Rights and Civil Liberties, 2002-2003. The recommendations draw from the May 2003 report of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.
The report was compiled by Paul Marshall, Senior Fellow at Freedom Houseâs Center for Religious Freedom, assisted by Susan Pappy. Nina Shea gave editorial assistance.
This report was produced by the Center for Religious Freedom of Freedom House with the help of Indian human rights advocates and journalists who specialize in religion. This report focuses on the current problems faced by two of Indiaâs largest minority groups, Christians and Muslims, as Indiaâs Hindu nationalist movement gains force and wields government power. It does not deal with the conflicts that have an international or separatist dimension, such as in Kashmir or the northeastern states.
Major work on the report was done by Kamal Chenoy and his researchers at Jawaharlal Nehru University. Professor Chenoy is a noted expert on Indian and comparative politics and also over the last several years has looked closely at religious militancy in India. He co-authored a public report entitled âGujarat Carnage 2002: A Report to the Nation.â Melody Divine of A.S.S.I.S.T., and Teesta Setalvad, a dedicated human rights activist based in Mumbai (Bombay) and the head of Communalism Combat, gave generous assistance. Ms. Setalvad spent about two and a half months in Gujarat immediately following the worst of the violence in 2002. She is co-author of the first major report on the Gujarat massacres, entitled Genocide, which was published in India in April 2002. The Rev. Cedric Prakash of Prashant also contributed generously to the report. Father Prakash is a Jesuit priest based in the Gujarat capital of Ahmedabad, site of most of the killings. He served in Gujarat as state coordinator of the United Christian Forum on Human Rights. Twice beaten -- once almost fatally -- by Hindu extremists in the 1990s, he has received Indiaâs highest civilian prize for the promotion of intercommunal peace and harmony. Significant work was also done by Timothy Shah, Vinay Samuel and the Director of the Policy Institute for Religion and State, John Prabhudoss. This report also draws on Newsroom-Onlineâs report on the rise of the BJP, and we would like to thank them, and the author of that report, Sushil Aaron, for permission to use their material. It is indicative of the increasing tension in India that the Indian journalists who assisted the Center have asked to remain anonymous.
For the report, the Center for Religious Freedom interviewed leaders in the Hindu, Catholic, Protestant, and Muslim communities in India, as well as academics and representatives of the BJP. We would also like to thank John Dayal and Joseph DâSouza of the All India Christian Council, the Dalit Freedom Network, the Indian Social Institute Human Rights Documentation Center, the United Christian Forum for Human Rights, the All India Federation of Organizations for Democratic Rights, the Catholic Bishopsâ Conference of India, and the National Alliance of Women.
The profile of India is reprinted from Freedom in the World: The Annual Survey of Political Rights and Civil Liberties, 2002-2003. The recommendations draw from the May 2003 report of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.
The report was compiled by Paul Marshall, Senior Fellow at Freedom Houseâs Center for Religious Freedom, assisted by Susan Pappy. Nina Shea gave editorial assistance.