Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: US-based Christian leaders have urged India to withdraw the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, warning it could allow seizure of assets belonging to religious and charitable organizations, Indian media reported.&nbsp;According to The Wire, the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (NHCLC), one of the largest Latino-Christian organizations in the United States, raised concerns over the proposed legislation in a letter addressed to the Indian government.&nbsp;&nbsp;The letter, signed by NHCLC President Rev. Samuel Rodriguez and evangelical leader Rev. Johnnie Moore, called on New Delhi not just to defer but to withdraw the bill, which was introduced on March 25.&nbsp;The bill, <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/india-could-seize-catholic-church-assets-under-sweeping-new-law" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">tabled in the Lok Sabha</a>, India&#39;s lower house of parliament, seeks to amend the existing law governing how Indian organisations receive and use funding from abroad.&nbsp;According to the report, the leaders said the legislation would empower authorities to seize assets built by charities if their foreign funding registration lapses or is cancelled, even due to procedural delays.&nbsp;They argued that Christian organizations in India have long contributed to social welfare, including building schools, hospitals and orphanages, particularly for underprivileged communities.&nbsp;The letter warned that donors from countries including the United States could pursue legal action if their contributions were subjected to seizure, stressing that funds were meant to support the poor, &ldquo;not to subsidise the Indian state.&rdquo;&nbsp;The leaders also urged India to ensure fair and reciprocal treatment for faith-based organizations, noting that Indian groups operate freely in the United States.&nbsp;They called for dialogue with Christian communities before any further steps on the legislation. Last week,&nbsp;<span style='box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px solid; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; scroll-behavior: auto !important; font-family: Roboto, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);'>the Catholic Bishops&#39; Conference of India (the apex body representing the country&#39;s Roman Catholic clergy) termed the Foreign Contribution Regulation Amendment Bill as posing a direct threat to constitutionally <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/indian-gujarats-uniform-civil-code-sparks-minority-rights-concerns" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style='box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px solid; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(0, 115, 230); text-decoration: inherit; scroll-behavior: auto !important; font-family: Roboto, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;'>protected minority</a> <span style='box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px solid; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; scroll-behavior: auto !important; font-family: Roboto, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);'>freedoms.<br style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px solid; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; scroll-behavior: auto !important; font-family: Roboto, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, &quot;Segoe UI&quot;, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, sans-serif;">As per the CBCI, the amendment would allow the federal government, acting as the licensing authority under the law, to deny or cancel an organization&#39;s registration and subsequently transfer control of its institutions, funds, properties, and assets to a newly proposed government authority.

Christian devotees attend mass at St. Joseph Catholic Church near Campbell Bay on Great Nicobar Island on March 27, 2026. (Photo: AFP/File)

India

They say the legislation would empower authorities to seize assets built by charities if their foreign funding registration lapses or is cancelled, even due to procedural delays.

US Christian leaders urge India to withdraw FCRA amendment bill: Report

SYDNEY: Australia has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/indian-fraud-networks-target-australian-immigration-through-fake-marriages-forged-degrees" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">canceled</a>&nbsp;the visa of an Israeli influencer who campaigns against Islam, saying it will not accept visitors who come to spread hatred. Sammy Yahood, who has commented on social media against the religion, said Monday his visa was canceled three hours before his flight departed from Israel. Yahood flew to Abu Dhabi anyway, but was blocked from getting his connecting flight. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said in a statement sent to AFP on Tuesday that people who want to visit&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/arts-festival-faces-exodus-after-dropping-palestinian-australian-author" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Australia</a>&nbsp;should apply for the right visa and come for the right reasons. &quot;Spreading hatred is not a good reason to come,&quot; he said. Australia tightened its hate crime laws this month in response to a Dec. 14 mass shooting on a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach that killed 15 people. Yahood&#39;s visa was reportedly canceled under the same legislation that has been used in the past to reject people&#39;s visas on hatred grounds. The conservative Australian Jewish Association, which had invited Yahood to speak, said it condemned the government&#39;s visa decision. It criticized visa cancellations for other Jewish visitors, including far-right Israeli politician Simcha Rothman, who was blocked last year.

Australasia

Sammy Yahood says his visa was canceled three hours before his flight departed from Israel; Home Affairs Minister Burke says people who want to visit Australia should apply for the right visa and come for the right reasons.

Australia cancels visa of Israeli influencer

ISLAMABAD: A new report by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has warned that India&rsquo;s political environment is fostering intolerance and discrimination against religious minorities, citing what it describes as &ldquo;systematic, ongoing, egregious&rdquo; violations of religious freedom.&nbsp;The report, Issue Update: Systematic Religious Persecution in India, outlines the rise in attacks, hate speech and legal actions targeting minority communities. &nbsp;USCIRF, a bipartisan US government body that monitors religious freedom worldwide, said the year saw renewed concerns over the safety and rights of Muslims, Christians, Sikhs and other groups.&nbsp;According to the findings, the period ahead of India&rsquo;s June 2024 national elections witnessed senior BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, making remarks that USCIRF says contributed to heightened hostility against Muslims and other minorities. The rhetoric was followed by a series of violent incidents, including attacks in at least six states after the consecration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya in January.&nbsp;The report notes that several authorities, including the Delhi Development Authority, oversaw the demolition of Muslim-owned homes and places of worship, sometimes replacing razed mosques with newly constructed Hindu temples. USCIRF highlighted repeated instances where local administrations bulldozed Muslim-owned structures, including religious sites, despite legal protections under Section 295 of the Indian Penal Code.&nbsp;It also documents multiple cases in which state-level laws were used to target minority communities. In Uttar Pradesh, police detained 20 Christians, including four pastors, under accusations of unlawful religious conversions. The same state&rsquo;s High Court sentenced Muslim cleric Kalim Siddiqui and 11 others to life imprisonment under its expanded anti-conversion legislation.&nbsp;USCIRF further pointed to concerns surrounding citizenship laws. It said the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in March, combined with the National Register of Citizens (NRC), contributed to fear among Muslim communities.&nbsp;The report cited incidents in Assam, where 28 Muslims were declared &ldquo;non-citizens&rdquo; by Foreigners&rsquo; Tribunals and sent to detention or deportation centers. It also noted that several activists from the earlier anti-CAA protests, including Umar Khalid, Meeran Haider and Sharjeel Imam, remain in detention under antiterror provisions.&nbsp;The report additionally refers to cases involving Sikh activists abroad, including allegations that Indian officials sought to pressure or intimidate members of the diaspora. It cites international intelligence reports linking Indian intelligence personnel to a 2023 assassination attempt on an American Sikh activist in New York.&nbsp;In its 2025 Annual Report, USCIRF again recommended that the US State Department designate India as a &ldquo;Country of Particular Concern&rdquo; for what it described as ongoing violations of religious freedom.

USCIRF says India’s governing and social structures have increasingly created space for hostility toward non-Hindu groups, including Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, and Dalits.

Articles tagged with "religious intolerance"

US Christian leaders urge India to withdraw FCRA amendment bill: Report

Australia cancels visa of Israeli influencer

US report says India’s political system fostering intolerance toward religious minorities