Narendra Modi Religious Tolerance Speech Too Late?


Narendra Modi, prime minister of India, has taken on a stand on religious tolerance, but many are questioning both his reasons and his timing.

When Prime Minister Modi addressed a crowd last week at a ceremony celebrating Indian Catholic saints, he spoke out about the religious intolerance that has been occurring for so long in his country.

According to the Guardian, Modi said, “My government will ensure that there is complete freedom of faith and that everyone has the undeniable right to retain or adopt the religion of his or her choice without coercion or undue influence.”

Modi then added, “My government will not allow any religious group, belonging to the majority or the minority, to incite hatred against others, overtly or covertly.”

It is these statements from Modi that have started a debate within the country that has experienced religious intolerance in the past, with the largely Hindu country experiencing “bloodshed” and “claims of persecution by smaller groups, including Christians.”

Modi had recently been urged by such leaders as President Obama to take a stand on the issue.

President Obama spoke out at the National Prayer Breakfast, saying that what was going on in Modi’s country needed to stop.

Obama admitted that India, while being “an incredible, beautiful country, full of magnificent diversity” had recently been facing dark times in regards to religious intolerance and violence, claiming that the “acts of intolerance that would have shocked Gandhiji, the person who helped to liberate that nation,” according to the Times of India.

Other religious and political leaders have also asked Modi to step in, which many believe is the actual reason for his recent comments. While his supporters have cheered him on in his statements of religious tolerance, Modi’s critics are questioning his motives.

Within the last couple of weeks, minority religious groups in India have been facing “acts of vandalism and thefts at Delhi churches” by some more conservative Hindu groups. Modi’s critics are asking why he didn’t speak up then? Why did he wait so long just to speak up now?

The Muslim leader of the Fatehpuri Mosque in Old Delhi, Mukarram Ahmed, was quoted in the Guardian questioning the timing.

“He kept quiet for so long when Christians and Muslims were being maligned…This statement comes after much defamation in India and abroad. One must think then: is this statement coming out of conviction or helplessness and pressure? For a leader who always speaks in Hindi, he said this in English. Is this then meant for the global audience and not so much for the domestic audience?”

Ahmed isn’t the only one criticizing Modi. Modi’s critics have started the hashtag “#secularmodi” on Twitter to be able to speak out on Modi’s actions.

While many people are criticizing Modi’s timing and reasons, even Mosque leader Ahmed is saying that Narendra Modi’s statement on religious tolerance for all in India is “the right thing.”

[Photo Courtesy of Narendra Modi]

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