The US Commission on International Religious Freedom sent a letter to President Obama in advance of his trip to India and Indonesia later this month, urging a discussion on religious liberty.
Both countries are on USCIRF’s Watch List due to the nature and extent of violations of religious freedom these two governments either engage in or tolerate. Your trip presents an opportunity to highlight the importance of religious freedom in strengthening and sustaining the growing partnerships between our democracies.
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In our visit earlier this year, USCIRF was impressed by the commitments made by officials from different levels of [Indonesian] government to advance religious freedom and related human rights as essential to Indonesia’s democratic future. However, strong political forces, terrorist networks, and extremist groups continue to challenge Indonesia’s democratic trajectory and are a source of ongoing, serious violations of religious freedom and related human rights.
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India is also ripe for a thorough exchange on issues of religious freedom. It is not only the world’s largest democracy and occupies a key and rising geopolitical position, but it has the distinction of having within its borders a multitude of religious communities that have historically coexisted peacefully. A country with a Hindu majority, India has one of the world’s largest Muslim populations, the current Prime Minister is Sikh, the past president is Muslim, and the head of the national governing alliance is Catholic. India’s democracy, religious pluralism, and tradition of religious tolerance are truly noteworthy.
