President Trump discusses religious freedom in India with Prime Minister
During a news conference shortly before concluding a two-day state visit to India, President Donald Trump said that he brought up the issues of religious freedom, Christians, and the status of religious minorities in his discussions with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This came in response to questions about the Citizenship Amendment Act, a law passed by Prime Minister Modi’s government that many say discriminates against Muslims.
While President Trump seemed to sidestep questions about the Citizenship Amendment Act, he did say that he had confronted Prime Minister Modi in private about concerns over religious freedom and the treatment of religious minorities.
“We did discuss that, and we discussed that and specifically Muslims,” President Trump told the media. “And we also discussed Christians, and I had a very powerful answer from the Prime Minister. We talked about religious liberty for a long period of time in front of a lot of people. And I had a very, very powerful answer.”
In response to this news, leaders from the Federation of Indian Christian Organizations in North America (FIACONA) welcomed President Trump’s statement.
“Although we lack any substance from their discussions, we are encouraged to see that the President took the opportunity to include the issue of religious freedom as a priority item at these important bi-lateral discussions with Prime Minister Modi,” Koshy George, President of FIACONA, said in a released statement. “We truly hope that the Modi administration would respond positively to the concerns expressed by the President that would be in the best interest of the country.”
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