India
Virus lockdown changes how Hindus celebrate holy period
By Biswajeet Banerjee and Gary Fields — April 2, 2020
LUCKNOW, India (AP) — Hindus around the world are in the midst of a nine-day period called Chaitra Navaratri that began with what for many is considered the Hindu New Year.
India’s executions won’t end a pandemic of violence against women
By Satpal Singh — March 25, 2020
(RNS) — A gruesome chapter in Indian life closed with the executions of four of the six perpetrators of a horrifying gang-rape of a woman in 2012, but it may only help obscure the real dimensions of violence against women.
Can someone be a Hindu by culture and a Christian by faith at the same time?
By Joseph D'Souza — March 20, 2020
(RNS) — Christian Hindus do not live in contradiction between two different identities. Rather, they embrace the truth that is found in the person of Jesus Christ while holding on to their vibrant Hindu culture.
Biden faces backlash over pro-Modi staffer’s close Hindu nationalist ties
By Aysha Khan — March 10, 2020
(RNS) — Former Vice President Joe Biden’s campaign is facing growing pressure from civil rights advocates over the campaign’s choice of Muslim outreach coordinator.
‘We are reclaiming Holi’: College students protest Hindu nationalism with a blackout Holi
By Aysha Khan — March 6, 2020
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (RNS) — At 21 university campuses across the country, Hindu students have organized a nationwide campaign called Holi Against Hindutva, held in solidarity with anti-government protesters in India.
Citizenship laws threaten India’s Muslims, hurt minorities elsewhere, panel says
By Adelle M. Banks — March 5, 2020
WASHINGTON (RNS) — ‘The fear of losing citizenship is genuine,’ said Aman Wadud, who defends accused illegal migrants and detainees in the northeastern state of Assam.
Albany becomes third city to condemn India’s citizenship laws
By Aysha Khan — March 4, 2020
(RNS) — As anti-Muslim violence continues unabated in India, the capital of New York state has passed the United States' third resolution denouncing the far-right Indian government’s changes to citizenship laws that have drawn international condemnations alleging anti-Muslim bias.
Trump poses a challenge for the US religious freedom commission
By Mark Silk — February 28, 2020
(RNS) — Trump supporters on the panel can't seem to muster criticism for the president's strongman allies.
Death toll rises to 22 from Delhi riots during Trump trip
By Sheikh Saaliq and Emily Schmall — February 26, 2020
NEW DELHI (AP) — At least 22 people were killed and 189 injured in three days of clashes in New Delhi that coincided with U.S. President Donald Trump's first state visit to India, with the death toll expected to rise as hospitals continue to take in the wounded, authorities said Wednesday.
What Trump should have told India’s Modi this week
By Ellis Heasley — February 25, 2020
(RNS) — President Trump has made freedom of religion a focus of his administration. In his India visit, he may find that India’s religious minorities have their own stories to tell about an increasingly hostile environment, if he will only listen.
New violence erupts in Indian capital over citizenship law
By Ashok Sharma and Sheikh Saaliq — February 25, 2020
NEW DELHI (AP) — Black smoke rose into the sky after protesters set fruit and vegetable shops and a Muslim shrine on fire in the Bhajanpur area in New Delhi's northeast, witnesses said.
Cambridge passes resolution against India’s citizenship laws
By Aysha Khan — February 12, 2020
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (RNS) — The Cambridge City Council has adopted a resolution urging India to halt changes to the country's citizenship laws that have prompted massive international backlash and allegations of anti-Muslim bias.
South Asian Americans protest Modi’s crackdown from afar
By Sonia Paul — January 17, 2020
(RNS) — A 'National Day of Action' aims to call out the slice of the Indian American community that is sympathetic to India’s right-wing politics.
Tech company CEO faces backlash over participation in Hindu nationalist event
By Aysha Khan — January 8, 2020
(RNS) — Facing online backlash, the California-based CEO of enterprise software company Zoho has doubled down on plans to attend an event hosted by India's RSS paramilitary group.
Muslims in fear as police crack down in India’s heartland
By Sheikh Saaliq — January 7, 2020
MEERUT, India (AP) — A crackdown on protests against a new citizenship law has been the harshest in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, where Muslims comprise 20% of the population.