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Delhi’s ties with Muslim world will come under strain

Thursday, May 7, 2020

Subject

Anti-Muslim discrimination in India amid COVID-19 crisis.

Significance

In its annual report released last week, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) designated India a ‘country of particular concern’. The USCIRF says anti-Muslim sentiment has grown in India since the April-May 2019 general election, when the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party retained power with a landslide victory. More recently, Hindu nationalists in India and even Indians working abroad have made comments on social media and other platforms associating the spread of COVID-19 with Muslim social practices.

Impacts

  • Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will step up calls for social cohesion in the face of COVID-19, aiming to defuse anti-Muslim sentiment.
  • A worsening reputation for religious tensions could lead to India losing some foreign investors.
  • The USCIRF report will not imperil India-US ties, since Washington will not sanction Indian officials or agencies based on its assessment.

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