A US report has claimed that a religious group affiliated with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has continuously provided funds to influential leaders of Nepal to speak up in favor of the Hindu nation.
Releasing a report on 'International Religious Freedom Report' the US concluded that Indian incitement has increased in Nepali society. However, the government of Nepal has not responded to it officially.
"The BJP-affiliated religious group, which civil society leaders call right-wing, has consistently provided funds to influential leaders of all political parties (of Nepal) advocate in support of the Hindu nation," said a report released by US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken. In the 13-page report, the religious situation in Nepal is discussed.
The report also mentions that other Hindu groups in India, including the BJP, are constantly pressuring Nepali politicians, especially the RPP, to restore a Hindu state.
According to a law passed by the US in 1998, the US Department of State prepares a report on international religious freedom. It includes details of events from January 1 to December 31, 2022.
The American Embassy in Kathmandu has said that a preliminary draft of the report has been prepared from government officials, religious groups, human rights workers, academics, media and other sources.
The analysis of religious freedom in Nepal released by an informal group of British parliamentarians last February, including the issue of cow slaughter, is mentioned in the report. The US states that religious minorities are oppressed, citing the excessive use or misuse of laws against people of different religions or religious beliefs in Nepal. "Even though the Constitution declares a secular and inclusive state, criminal laws are being used excessively against people on the ground of their religion or belief," the report said. "Those who are trying to capitalize on people's sentiments against conversion for political gain have been saying that this issue has been manipulated," the report said.
Major political parties, during their election campaign in the November 20 elections, did not debate about restoring Hinduism as the official religion of the country, except for the RPP that, in its manifesto, demanded religious freedom for a Hindu state based on Sanatan Dharma.
"Some of its politicians have emphasized on using anti-Christian sentiments to garner public support," the report said.
The report states that the Pashupati Area Development Trust continues to prohibit the burial of Christian bodies in communal graves behind the Pashupatinath temple, while burials of people of tribal faith (such as Kirants) are allowed. The report also mentions that Protestant churches are having difficulty in getting access to land they bought in the Kathmandu Valley many years ago in the name of individual church members.
"According to the churches, the local community continued to protest the funeral by a group they perceived as outsiders. But they were more open to funerals conducted by a Christian member of their own community,” the report said.
The report has also included the issue of MP Bhim Rawal's public criticism of the use of the depiction of Jesus as a symbol of God in preschool textbooks during a meeting of the House of Representatives on June 9.
Although the government provides equal funding for registered religious and public schools, it continues to prohibit private Christian schools. "Even though religious education is not part of the curriculum in community schools, some public schools displayed idols of Saraswati, the goddess of Hindu lore, on their grounds," the report said.
According to the Education and Human Resource Development Center under the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, the number of registered monasteries (Buddhist education centers) has decreased from 114 to 61 in 2021. According to the center, 1 thousand 14 madrassas are registered. It was 911 in June 2021. According to some Muslim leaders, there are 2,500 to 3,000 unregistered madrassas.
The report states that during the visit, the representative of the US government raised concerns with political leaders and senior government officials about the restrictions imposed on the Tibetan community in the Buddhist-majority country. It is said that the embassy continues to use social media for issues related to religious freedom.
For example, in May, the embassy posted a celebratory message on the occasion of Gautama Buddha's birth anniversary, a religiously significant day for Buddhists, and Ubhauli, a religious festival of the Kirant minority. The post reached more than 186,200 people and received more than 9,400 responses,” the report said. It is also mentioned that the embassy is providing financial support for the protection and restoration of religious places including Buddhist stupas, monasteries and Hindu temples.
In the report, it is also mentioned that religious minorities are being abused by the government agencies in India. However, the Indian government has expressed dissatisfaction with the American report. Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi called the report on religious freedom biased. "Such a report misleading and baseless," he said.
The Nepal government has said that it will respond only after going through the report. "The government will respond only after studying it," said a source at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
