The US Commission for International Religious Freedom<\/a> appointed by the Biden\u2019s administration, an independent, bipartisan US federal government commission on November 5 last year repeated its plea to the Biden Administration to designate India \u2013 along with Russia, Lebanon, and Vietnam \u2013 as a \u201cCountry of Particular Concern\u201d in view of the impact of the policies implemented by the Bharatiya Janata Party\u2019s government in New Delhi on the religious freedom of the minority Muslims, Sikhs, and Christians as well as of the Dalits and the Adivasis. To that, the Modi government, however, defended its track record in protecting democratic principles, human rights, and religious freedom.<\/p>\n Rashad Hussain, the US Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, tweeted. \u201cThe Indian state of Karnataka should not determine permissibility of religious clothing. Hijab bans in schools violate religious freedom and stigmatize and marginalize women and girls.\u201d<\/p>\n Rashad Hussain, an Indian-American attorney, and diplomat was appointed by President Joe Biden\u2019s administration last year as the US Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom and he is the first US Government official to publicly make a comment on the controversy Anirban Bhaumik, DHNS, New Delhi.<\/p>\n The United States on Friday said that the ban on wearing Hijabs in the schools in Karnataka violated religious freedom. \u201cReligious freedom includes the ability to choose one’s religious attire.<\/p>\n This comes a day after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s bilateral meeting with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on the sidelines of a meeting of the Quad Foreign Ministers at Melbourne in Australia. Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Wednesday struck out at the Government of India for depriving Muslim girls of education and called it a \u201cgrave violation of fundamental human rights\u201d. \u201cTo deny anyone this fundamental right & (and) terrorise them for wearing a hijab is absolutely oppressive. The world must realise this is part of Indian state plan of ghettoisation of Muslims,\u201d Qureshi posted on Twitter.<\/p>\n The Biden Administration has been diplomatically conveying to the Modi Government concerns in the US over the perception that India was regressing on human rights and freedom of speech and religion.<\/p>\n Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris gently nudged the Prime Minister to protect democratic principles of India when they had hosted him in Washington DC on September 24, 2021.\u00a0 Hussain\u2019s predecessor Samuel Brownback had in June 2020 expressed concern over violence and discrimination against religious and ethnic minorities in India. T<\/p>\n In India as the topic of hijab gets heated, the Karnataka government extends closure of degree colleges till Feb 16th.<\/p>\n You might want to read https:\/\/www.hamslive.com\/news\/2021\/12\/10\/hindu-muslim-tanazaa-kitna-mazhabi-kitna-siyasi-4\/<\/a><\/p>\n