The op-ed was originally published by The Hill on December 19, 2025.

By U.S. Representative Glenn Grothman, USCIRF Chair Vicky Hartzler and Vice Chair Asif Mahmood

The two most populous countries in the world have very troubling issues related to freedom of religion or belief.

China’s atrocious record dictating people’s beliefs and practices is well known, but the largest democracy in the world, India, has a less well-known record — and it’s getting worse.

Twelve of India’s 28 states currently enforce anti-conversion laws, intended to restrict religious conversion through certain means, such as deceit or coercion. In practice, authorities use this law to unjustly arrest hundreds of religious leaders for allegedly conducting “forced” conversions to Christianity or Islam, in some cases stoking communal tensions and mob violence.

Recently, the state of Goa, known not only for its beautiful beaches, but also for its religious sites — including the Churches and Convents of Goa, a UNESCO World Heritage Site — announced its intent to follow suit with its own anti-conversion law. Home to over 1.4 million people, it is also home to a sizable Christian community, who make up around 25 percent of its population. Goa’s Chief Minister said that his state needs such laws to prevent “noticed cases of ‘love jihad,” a Hindu Nationalist conspiracy theory that men are entrapping Hindu women in marriages to convert them to Islam.

But the new law in Goa likely will not just impact Muslims. Indeed, in Uttar Pradesh State, an official in India’s ruling Hindu Nationalist party filed a complaint based on anti-conversion laws against pastor Jose Pappachan and his wife, Sheerja, alleging that they had attempted to “forcibly convert” Hindu neighbors to Christianity through their programs to provide food and education. Although the lack of evidence led to their initial release on bail, a stricter law was passed in early 2024, and the couple was convicted and sentenced to five years in prison in January 2025.

The passage and enforcement of these laws across India — in combination with a range of other policies designed to repress religious minority communities across the country — undermine religious freedom and harm innocent citizens. For example, the State of Madhya Pradesh has changed its law to require a minimum six-month imprisonment before bail is even granted, with potential fines increasing ten-fold to $12,000, which is harsher than the treatment murder defendants receive. State officials of Madhya Pradesh have even gone so far as to suggest the death penalty be the punishment for alleged forced conversion.

We strongly urge Secretary of State Marco Rubio to designate India as a Country of Particular Concern under the International Religious Freedom Act. Not only will the designation comply with the law, it will reinforce the importance and need that freedom of religion or belief for all is a universal right and shared value. As a country looking to strengthen its relationship with the U.S., the repeal of anti-conversion laws is a way India can demonstrate its commitment to this timeless and shared value.

Glenn Grothman, a Republican, represents the 6th District of Wisconsin in Congress, Vicky Hartzler is chair of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, and Asif Mahmood is vice chair of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom.