HIGH RELIGIOUS RESTRICTIONS IN INDIA
- A Pew Research Center report released recently places India among the 25 countries with the highest levels of religious restrictions.
- This includes both social hostilities related to religion and government restrictions on religious practices.
- India’s Social Hostilities Index (SHI) score of 9.3 out of 10 and its Government Restrictions Index (GRI) score of 6.4 out of 10 rank it among the countries with the most severe restrictions on religious freedoms globally.
SOCIAL HOSTILITY INDEX (SHI)
The SHI measures religion-related hostilities such as harassment, mob violence, terrorism, militant activity, and conflicts over religious symbols, practices, or conversions.
India’s SHI:
- India scored 9.3 out of 10 in 2022 on the SHI, which is the highest score among 198 nations.
- A score above 7.2 is considered “very high”, indicating that India experiences significant levels of religion-related violence, harassment, and hostility.
GLOBAL CONTEXT WRT SHI
- India is not alone; 24 other countries also have high SHI scores in 2022.
- This includes countries like Nigeria, Pakistan, Syria, Egypt, Afghanistan, Israel, and France.
India’s score highlights the challenges related to religious violence, including attacks on religious minorities and conflicts over religious practices, attire, and symbols. These social hostilities often manifest in forms like mob lynching, terrorist attacks, and religious riots.
GOVERNMENT RESTRICTION INDEX (GRI)
The GRI evaluates the level of government-imposed restrictions on religion, including laws, policies, and actions that restrict or regulate religious practices. This can include:
- Banning or restricting certain religious practices.
- Unequal treatment of religious groups by the state.
- Bureaucratic rules that hinder religious groups’ ability to operate freely.
India’s GRI:
- India scored 6.4 out of 10 on the GRI in 2022, categorizing it as having “high” government restrictions on religious freedom.
- A score above 6.6 is considered “very high”, which means India’s GRI score is significant, but not at the absolute highest level.
GLOBAL CONTEXT WRT GRI
- In 2022, only 12% (25 countries) had both high or very high scores on both GRI and SHI.
- This group includes countries like Nigeria, Pakistan, Syria, Egypt, Afghanistan, Israel, and Bangladesh.
- India is part of this group, signifying that the country not only faces significant social hostilities (violence, harassment) but also has government-imposed restrictions on religious freedom.
TYPES OF GOVERNMENT RESTRICTIONS
A. Harassment by Governments:
- Harassment by government was one of the most common types of religious restrictions. This type of harassment was reported in 186 out of 198 countries (94% of nations studied).
- It involves both verbal and physical pressure on religious groups, with governments using legal, social, and political measures to restrict religious freedom.
B. Interference in Worship:
- Government interference in worship was also widespread. In 170 countries (86% of the countries analyzed), governments interfered in religious practices such as:
- Denying permission to worship.
- Closing places of worship.
- Disrupting religious rituals or practices like burial.
CORRELATION BETWEEN GRI & SHI
The report found that government restrictions and social hostilities are often closely linked:
- Countries with higher government restrictions tend to have higher levels of social hostilities, and vice versa.
- Countries with lower scores on these indices generally have fewer conflicts related to religion.
This suggests that addressing government policies that restrict religious freedom could help reduce religion-related social hostilities in many countries.
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