Concern for religious freedom

India not being included on the CPC list this year is a cause for consternation

The US State Department released a press statement this past week listing 10 ‘countries of particular concern’ (CPC) for “systematic, ongoing, egregious violations of religious freedom”. Pakistan again finds itself on this list alongside not only American foes such as China, Iran, or North Korea, but also its steadfast allies like Saudi Arabia. Why some countries are placed on the CPC list, and others are excluded, therefore, is not a straightforward matter of American political biases. Yet, the fact that a country like India was not included on the CPC list this year is a cause for consternation, which will undermine its credibility abroad.

The State Department’s CPC determination is based on assessments provided by the Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), which is an independent, bipartisan federal government entity established by the Congress to monitor, analyse and report on threats to religious freedom abroad. In its 2020 report, USCIRF had listed nine countries that the State Department had designated as CPC in the previous year (which also included Pakistan), as well as five additional countries, including India, which USCIRF also wanted the State Department to include on the CPC list.

In a recent press release, the Secre¬t¬a¬ry of State has only partially heeded the USCIRF’s advice. Nigeria has been included on the State Department’s CPC list as per USCIRF’s suggestion, but Russia is placed instead on a ‘special watch list’ instead of the CPC. The State Department has included other countries like Cuba and Nicaragua on this special list too, which is not what the USCIRF had recommended. Another important omission which will no doubt be noticed by Pakistan is that India is not included on either the CPC or on the State Department’s ‘special watch list’, despite USCIRF’s determination.

The “rationale” for Pakistan being placed on the CPC by USCIRF include enforcement of anti-Ahmadia laws, the failure to address forced conversions of religious minorities, and the state’s handling of blasphemy accusations (despite the high-profile acquittal of Asia Bibi).

The USCIRF had elevated concern for India’s deteriorating religious freedom infringements due to the BJP’s introduction of problematic legislation like the Citizen’s Amendment Act, and the state’s toleration of hate speech and incitement to violence. However, the State Department decided not to declare India a ‘country of particular concern’.

The State Department’s decision to not follow the USCIRF’s advice may be indicative of tensions between different institutions at the tail end of the Trump presidency. The State Department’s decision to include the Taliban as an ‘Entity of Particular Concern’, alongside militant groups like Al Shabaab, Al Qaeda, Boko Haram, and Islamic State is also causing concern given that the US government had itself signed a peace deal with them.

There are ample problems with assessing international religious freedom by powerful Western countries. A Pakistani anthropologist, the late Saba Mahmood, had pointed to hegemonic neo-liberal discourses and a paternalistic legacy of Orientalism coopting ethical norms like the right of religious freedom. It is indeed ironic how Euro-American interventions on behalf of religious liberty turn a blind eye to their own dismal record of protecting minorities (including the Welsh and Irish in Britain, the Bretons and Basques in France, and the Native Americans and blacks in the US). We thus continue seeing the instrumentalisation of the otherwise noble principle of respecting religious freedoms to serve realpolitik goals.

The act of Western governments and think-tanks declaring other countries religiously intolerant is criticised for being one-sided, partial, or motivated by political considerations. Yet, it is still difficult to refute the fact that there are genuine problems with how countries designated in the CPC ranking treat their religious minorities.

Pakistanis may rightly feel upset by the failure of the US State Department to include India on its CPC ranking. Under a Biden government, we may see the State Department taking India to task during the next year too. However, instead of dismissing the CPC list for being partial, or trying to convince the incoming administration to put India on it too, Pakistan should be primarily concerned about taking measures to get itself off this list.