{"id":31940,"date":"2023-01-11T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-01-11T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/csw-yeo.1wp.site\/magazines\/uncovering-the-truth-in-india-5910\/"},"modified":"2026-09-21T21:21:49","modified_gmt":"2026-09-21T20:21:49","slug":"uncovering-the-truth-in-india-5910","status":"publish","type":"magazines","link":"https:\/\/www.csw.org.uk\/zh\/magazines\/uncovering-the-truth-in-india-5910\/","title":{"rendered":"Uncovering the truth in India"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Madhu* is one of our key contacts in India, whose courageous research and reporting has strengthened our advocacy on this key country. We spoke to Madhu to find out more about what she does, and what she sees as the key challenges for India.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Please could you explain to us what you do in your work for freedom of religion or belief?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I report on violence, hatred and discrimination against minorities in India, mainly Muslims and Christians. I also write articles explaining communal issues \u2013 the beliefs and ideologies that separate various religious, ethnic and social communities, which can sometimes lead to conflict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What successes have you seen?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was a lot of feedback on one of my articles about the interplay between caste [hereditary social class] and religion in India. Several people responded saying they had never really understood the root of the problem until then. I believe that was a small success because people can\u2019t help or address an issue without understanding the background.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve also learnt that CSW gets referenced at the House of Commons in debates on freedom of religion or belief, like the one that took place on 24 February this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are the main challenges you experience?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the main challenges I\u2019ve faced is being able to verify information. Very few complaints are registered with the police, and in some cases, the police are also involved indirectly in the crimes. So it becomes difficult to get official confirmation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was one particular murder of an evangelist recently, where no one in the village was willing to report the crime or speak about it publicly; the witnesses spoke only on condition of anonymity, so there were no reports, no other official records to confirm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do you think freedom of religion or belief in India will change over the next ten years or so?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Freedom of religion or belief in India is at a very crucial stage. We are living in a time where the government is blatantly stripping minorities of their freedom, through new laws such as anti-conversion laws, through cancellation of Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) licences [which allow organisations to receive donations from abroad], or by turning a blind eye to the increasing number of hate crimes against minorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is also a false notion of fear being spread amongst Hindus that their religion is under threat. I believe that this is the main reason for increasing disharmony between Hindus and minorities, mainly Muslims and Christians. It is very evident, even in conversations I\u2019ve had and heard of with Hindu friends and acquaintances, how their mindset is changing. They genuinely feel that Muslims are dangerous and Christians are out to convert, and that their [Hindu] religion will soon vanish if they don\u2019t fight back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most dangerous truth, however, is the fact that these thoughts are pushed even by ministers of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 2024 general elections could set the tone for freedom of religion or belief in India over the next few years. The opposition parties have understood the danger that our democracy is in. There are attempts being made to forge a united front to fight against the divisive politics of the ruling party. I believe, at least to a large extent, the outcome of the elections will determine where the country is headed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another huge challenge is the threat to freedom of the press. Obviously any democracy thrives when the press is allowed to do their job. That has become an extremely dangerous mission in India over the last few years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Several journalists have been arrested with false evidence planted against them; some have been killed; some have been stopped from leaving the country. Every attempt is being made to silence the voices of those trying to speak out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pray<\/b> for Madhu\u2019s continued protection, and that she will be encouraged by seeing her work bear fruit in this challenging environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read some of Madhu\u2019s writing at forbinfull.org\/category\/asia\/india<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

* Name changed for security reasons<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Madhu* is one of our key contacts in India, whose courageous research and reporting has strengthened our advocacy on this key country.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":18508,"template":"","regions":[124,121],"class_list":["post-31940","magazines","type-magazines","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","regions-india","regions-south-asia"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.csw.org.uk\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/magazines\/31940","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.csw.org.uk\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/magazines"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.csw.org.uk\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/magazines"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.csw.org.uk\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.csw.org.uk\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/magazines\/31940\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41713,"href":"https:\/\/www.csw.org.uk\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/magazines\/31940\/revisions\/41713"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.csw.org.uk\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18508"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.csw.org.uk\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31940"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"regions","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.csw.org.uk\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/regions?post=31940"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}