US collecting data on Christians attacks

India could have the dubious distinction of being rapped in the very first report due in March. Inputs for the report comes from the State Department which in turn gets its data from the US embassies in the troubled countries.

Already, the US embassy in New Delhi is believed to be making a laundry list of the incidents. In an interview to an Indian news agency, the US Ambassador in Delhi expressed concern over the incidents and said thereporting of such excesses posed a challenge for any country trying to improve its bilateral relations.

Long considered a haven of religious freedom despite the occasional communal flare-up, the rash of incidents involving churches has already attracted the attention of both the Clinton Administration and other guardians of human rights.

8220;The incidents of churches being attacked have been brought to our attention. We expect the Government of India will continue to ensure that all faiths continue to enjoy the freedom of worship and religious practice without fear or violence or persecution,8221; an Administration official told The Indian Express

.Beneath the terse comment was an unmistakable suggestion that if the attacks continued it could snowball into a major flap that would be beyond the Administration8217;s control. US lawmakers, often spurred on by fringe groups, are known to take up pet causes across the world and force new and stringent laws on the Administration, including in some cases,sanctions.

If the attacks on Christians has not reached the Hill yet, it is only because the US legislature has been in recess. The Congress meets again tomorrow. Although it will initially be seized of the impeachment matter, the incidents may yet be drummed up before long. There are plenty of sensitive Christian groups in the US which have been fed of a spate of stories put out by the wire services in India.

The attacks have already attracted the attention of Christian groups in the US. The Ecumenical Council in Washington has adopted a resolution condemning the incidents, while a fringe group of Christians of Indian Origin has submitted a letter to the Indian embassy asking for action to halt the persecution.

The US media has so far been restrained in reporting the attacks though both The Washington Post and The Los Angeles Times carried at least one prominent story each. The smaller newspapers have been feeding off a steady stream of stories from the wire services.

As it is, the BJPsuffers from the stigma of being a fundamentalist party. Reports of attacks on churches has only served to reinforce that view. The Indian embassy in Washington initially tried some damage control exercise by claiming that there were only 8220;one or two8221; incidents, but they have now been overrun by the reporting out of India by even Indian newspapers.