Open Doors USA commissioned a study by the London School of Economics and Political Science that shows Christians and Muslims in India face imminent threat, more so now than in the past. The attacks against them include mob violence, church burnings, and being stripped of their property rights.
Open Doors spokesman David Curry says police often support the persecution, incidents of which are often posted on social media "as if to intimidate the police and let them know we don't think this is illegal."
"They’re using, in a sense, the religious order within extremist Hindu faith to sort of say these people have blasphemed; they're a problem within the community," Curry continues. "They're bragging about it."
The ministry spokesman says one thing the report notes is how the international banking community and social media corporations can play a role.
"It's going to take outside pressure for the political party there, the [Bharatiya Janata Party], which is the ruling party, to begin to send the messages that this is not acceptable," Curry asserts. "I think you're going to need international pressure to do it."
While Open Doors understands the need for the United States to maintain a healthy relationship with India, Curry submits that if the country has no understanding of basic human rights, then America cannot have a good relationship with it.
