[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 160 Introduced in House (IH)]






109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 160

Condemning the conduct of Chief Minister Narendra Modi for his actions 
to incite religious persecution and urging the United States to condemn 
             all violations of religious freedom in India.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 16, 2005

    Mr. Conyers (for himself and Mr. Pitts) submitted the following 
   resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International 
                               Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Condemning the conduct of Chief Minister Narendra Modi for his actions 
to incite religious persecution and urging the United States to condemn 
             all violations of religious freedom in India.

Whereas India is the largest democracy in the world, with a Constitution that 
        protects religious freedom and the fundamental rights of all citizens;
Whereas the United States appreciates the commitment of India's present 
        government to preserving pluralism and religious diversity in India;
Whereas Narendra Modi is the Chief Minister of Gujarat, a Western Indian state, 
        and a member of a Hindu religious party known as the ``Baratiya Janata 
        Party'' (BJP), who is responsible for the law and order and all 
        administrative work within the Gujarat state;
Whereas the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) 
        has confirmed in its May 2004 report that since the political party of 
        Chief Minister Modi took office in 1998, there have been ``hundreds of 
        attacks on Christian leaders, worshipers, and churches throughout 
        India,'' including killings, torture, rape and harassment of church 
        staff, destruction of church property, and disruption of church events;
Whereas the USCIRF has confirmed in its May 2004 report that the state 
        government in Gujarat led by Chief Minister Modi has been widely accused 
        of being reluctant to bring the perpetrators of the killings of Muslims 
        and non-Hindus to justice;
Whereas the Supreme Court of India has reported that those arrested in 
        connection with the bombings and retaliatory attacks on Hindus in India 
        have claimed that they carried out their actions ``in revenge for the 
        state-assisted killings of Muslims in Gujarat'';
Whereas the Supreme Court of India has admonished Chief Minister Modi and other 
        government authorities in the State of Gujarat for their complacency and 
        actions in connection with the attacks on non-Hindu groups;
Whereas India's National Human Rights Commission, an official body, found 
        evidence of premeditation in the killings of non-Hindu groups, 
        complicity by Gujarat state government officials, and police inaction in 
        the midst of attacks on Muslims and Christians in India;
Whereas the United States Department of State has discussed in one of its 
        reports the role of Chief Minister Modi and his government in promoting 
        attitudes of racial supremacy, racial hatred, and the legacy of Nazism 
        through his government's support of school textbooks in which Nazism is 
        glorified;
Whereas the United States Department of State has found that Chief Minister Modi 
        revised the text of high school social studies textbooks in Gujarat 
        schools to describe the ``charismatic personality'' of ``Hitler the 
        Supremo'', and the ``achievements'' of Nazism at great length, while 
        failing to acknowledge the Nazi extermination policies, the 
        concentration camps, and the religious persecution that occurred under 
        the Nazi regime;
Whereas in section 2(2) of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 
        U.S.C. 6401(2)), Congress made the following finding: ``Freedom of 
        religious belief and practice is a universal human right and fundamental 
        freedom articulated in numerous international instruments, including the 
        Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on 
        Civil and Political Rights, the Helsinki Accords, the Declaration on the 
        Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and Discrimination Based on 
        Religion or Belief, the United Nations Charter, and the European 
        Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental 
        Freedoms''; and
Whereas such conduct by such a high ranking foreign official undermines 
        internationally recognized fundamental human rights and the directives 
        of Congress under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998: Now 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) condemns the conduct of Chief Minister Narendra Modi 
        for condoning or inciting bigotry and intolerance against any 
        religious group in India, including people of the Christian and 
        Islamic faiths; and
            (2) urges the United States--
                    (A) to condemn violations of religious freedom; and
                    (B) to promote and assist other governments in the 
                promotion of the fundamental right to freedom of 
                religion.
                                 <all>