Hindus Lack Representation in USCIRF, Leading to Biased Reports, Says Indian Diaspora Leader
Hindus remain unrepresented in the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, leading to biased reports on India, according to FIIDS chief Khanderao Kand. He calls for greater diversity and transparency in the commission's evaluations.
Hindus, who make up one percent of the American population and represent the world's third largest religion, remain unrepresented in the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). This lack of representation has led to biased, unscientific, and one-sided reports on India and Hindus, according to Khanderao Kand, the chief of Policy and Strategy at the Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies (FIIDS).
The USCIRF announced the appointment of three new members—Maureen Ferguson, Vicky Hartzler, and Asif Mahmood—and the reappointment of Stephen Schneck and Eric Ueland. The terms of previous commissioners Abraham Cooper, David Curry, Frederick Davie, Mohamed Magid, Nury Turkel, and Frank Wolf ended on May 14.
Kand congratulated the new appointees but criticized the missed opportunity to include a representative from Hinduism. He emphasized that one in every six people on earth practices Hinduism, making its absence on the commission a significant oversight. Kand argued that this lack of representation hinders the diversity and balance necessary for accurate reporting on international religious freedom.
Kand specifically called out the annual USCIRF report on international religious freedom as biased against India. He stated that the report is predictably anti-India, omitting crucial facts and failing to provide historical context. "The report fits a certain narrative and becomes a polemic rather than a factual account," Kand said. He found it particularly strange that the USCIRF recommended India, the world’s largest democracy, as a "Country of Particular Concern."
He further charged that the USCIRF report tends to favor certain religions and lacks transparency regarding how experts are selected and evidence gathered. According to Kand, the absence of diverse viewpoints leads to biased reports influenced by the vested interests of some staff members.
Kand urged the authorities to make the USCIRF more representative in terms of religion and to include faiths like Hinduism and Buddhism. He also called for the reports to be data-driven and transparent.
In its latest annual report, released earlier this month, the USCIRF recommended that the State Department designate 17 nations as Countries of Particular Concern (CPCs) due to severe violations of religious freedom. These include Burma, China, Cuba, Eritrea, Iran, Nicaragua, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan, which were already designated as CPCs in December 2023, along with new recommendations for Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, India, Nigeria, and Vietnam.
India has rejected the contents of the USCIRF report, criticizing it for its lack of balance and failure to accurately reflect the country’s religious freedom landscape.
