Religious Minorities in India Suffer Escalating Attacks

Washington D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) calls on the U.S. government to urge Indian officials to hold perpetrators of targeted violence accountable for attacks against religious minorities. Over the past couple of months, violent attacks by Hindu nationalist mobs targeting Christians  have escalated. 

“The month of January alone has witnessed a spate of horrible attacks against Christians,” said Chair Vicky Hartzler. “We are particularly concerned by the report of a Hindu mob beating Pastor Bipin Bihari Naik in Odisha as he was conducting Sunday prayers inside a house. The mob accused him of conducting forced conversions, dragged him outside and forced him to eat cow dung. Such attacks further justify USCIRF’s call for the U.S. Department of State to designate India a CPC.”

Recent attacks and harassment against Christian pastors only add to increasing levels of destruction, harassment, and vandalism targeting religious minorities across India. In addition to the January attack against Pastor Naik, a Hindu nationalist mob demolished the homes of four Christian families in Maharashtra after they refused to renounce their faith. The same month, Hindu nationalists attacked a minibus of Evangelical Christians in Andhra Pradesh, setting fire to the vehicle and beating passengers with cricket bats and stones. In February, another Hindu mob in Chhattisgarh set fire to half a dozen Muslim homes after accusing a man of desecrating a Hindu temple.

“Vigilante mobs have repeatedly wielded allegations of forced conversion to justify the arbitrary detention and horrific attacks against religious minorities,” said Vice Chair Asif Mahmood. “Several Indian states have now strengthened anti-conversion laws by lowering the evidence standards needed to accuse an individual of forced religious conversions, as demonstrated by the recent arrest of 12 Muslim men in Uttar Pradesh simply for praying inside a private home. In some states, those falsely accused could face life sentences—an egregious violation of religious freedom.”

In its 2025 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the U.S. Department of State designate India as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) for its systematic, ongoing, and egregious religious freedom violations. In November 2025, USCIRF released an issue update on systematic religious persecution in India. In January, USCIRF held a hearing on violations of freedom of religion or belief faced by Christians.

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The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan legislative branch agency established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze, and report on religious freedom abroad. USCIRF makes foreign policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion and belief. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected].

The Egyptian Government’s Escalation Against Religious Minorities Reinforces USCIRF’s Recommendation for Placement on the Special Watch List 

Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) reiterates its call for the Trump administration to include Egypt on the Special Watch List. Earlier this month, an Egyptian court sentenced a Christian man, Augustin Samaan, to five years’ imprisonment for ‘contempt of religion,’ based on Egypt’s blasphemy law. Furthermore, new reports indicate that 14 members of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light (Ahmadis) detained since March 2025 have been pressured by Sheikhs from the state-backed Al-Azhar religious authority to renounce their faith. 

“The Egyptian government’s efforts to quash Egyptians’ right to religious freedom by detaining religious minorities, like Christian convert Said Abdelrazeq and non-believers Maged Zakaria Abdel Rahman and Sherif Gaber, is a violation of its obligations under international law,” said USCIRF Chair Vicky Hartzler. “USCIRF urges the State Department to include Egypt on the Special Watch List for ongoing and systematic violations of FoRB.” 

Egypt is systematically enforcing laws, policies, and judicial decisions that repress non-Muslim religious life for those who have expressed religious beliefs that deviate from the state’s endorsed interpretation of Islam. In recent months, Egyptian state security has escalated detentions, particularly against Christians and non-believers for purported violation of Egypt’s blasphemy law.

“USCIRF has previously commended the Egyptian government for various efforts, particularly the release of prisoners unjustly detained on religious charges,” said USCIRF Commissioner Mohamed Elsanousi. “Now it is time to go to the root of the problem. The U.S. government should work with Egyptian authorities to repeal its blasphemy provision, Article 98(f), of its Criminal Code.” 

USCIRF’s 2025 Factsheet and 2025 Spotlight episode provide an overview of the Egyptian government’s continued repression of religious minorities. In its 2025 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the U.S. Department of State designate Egypt as a SWL country for engaging in systematic and ongoing violations of religious freedom.
 

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The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan federal government entity established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze, and report on religious freedom abroad. USCIRF makes foreign policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion and belief. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected].