On Monday (May 15), the US State Department released a contentious report, decrying the supposed lack of religious freedom in India based on falsified and misleading data sourced from Christian evangelist groups and radical Islamist outfits. The 2022 Report on International Religious Freedom has been published by the Office of International Religious Freedom under the state dept.
According to Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) Twitter handle, Disinfo Lab, the report placed reliance on organisations such as the Federation of Indian Christian Organization in North America (FIACONA), United Christian Forum, Open Doors USA, Evangelical Fellowship of India (EFI), International Christian Concern and Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) to allege atrocities on religious minorities in the country.
The report is based on documentation of ‘atrocities on minorities’ by organizations – such as IAMC (ouch!), Open Doors, ICC, and FIACONA. We won’t waste breath on IAMC, so let’s have a look at the other players, starting with FIACONA.
— DisInfo Lab (@DisinfoLab) May 16, 2023
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FIACONA, one of the organisations at the helm of fabricating data on atrocities on Indian Christians, is based in the United States. Founded by one John Prabhudoss, the annual reports by FIACONA have been cited in several news articles to suggest the increasing marginalisation of the Indian Christian community.
FIACONA has released 2 reports so far(2022 & 23). It claims to have one of the most detailed documentation. How significant its data, can be seen from fact that many Indian & foreign media covered its stories on ‘increasing atrocities on Christians in India’ apart from #IRF
— DisInfo Lab (@DisinfoLab) May 16, 2023
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In a detailed Twitter thread, ‘Disinfo Lab’ pointed out, “Data is full of duplication, fabrications, and in some cases outright imagination. FIACONA has THREE different data on atrocities on Christians in India in a single report! Talk of precision and records.”
It stated how the Christian evangelist outfit used three different figures in the same report, even extrapolating supposed cases of violent atrocities against Indian Christians to a whopping 30 million (3 crores).
In its 2023 report alone the figures change as:
— DisInfo Lab (@DisinfoLab) May 16, 2023
1198 + hundreds (on page 8 of FIACONA report)
1198 + thousands (page 9)
30 Million (page 19)
Lord forgive them, they really don’t know what they are doing!
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In a classic case of data manipulation, FIACONA relied on dubious calculations, alternating references and sources related to other Christian evangelist groups.
“In FIACONA’s 2022 report about 53.6% of cases are based on 2 sources: EFI-RLC’s report (287) & witness-victims reports (120). But EFI in turn has no references. FIACONA also refers to Persecution.Org or International Christian Concern (ICC). But ICC’s reference is EFI!” the OSINT handle stated.
In FIACONA’s 2022 report about 53.6% of cases are based on 2 sources:EFI-RLC’s report (287) & witness-victims reports (120).But EFI in turn has no references. FIACONA also refers to https://t.co/oiJzj24O2O or International Christian Concern (ICC). But ICC’s reference is EFI!
— DisInfo Lab (@DisinfoLab) May 16, 2023
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‘Disinfo Lab’ highlighted how the 4 Christian evangelist outfits, namely, Evangelical Fellowship of India, International Christian Concern, Open Doors USA, and FIACONA kept referencing each other, which was shrewdly picked up by the US State Department for its report on religious freedom.
It found several instances of ‘data duplication’ to create a magnified sense of victimhood. “A cursory look at the data shows majority of ‘documented cases’ are duplicate entries. In Indian States, max duplication is done for UP & Chhattisgarh where single case is repeated 7-8x;~50 duplicate entries on UP alone!” it added.
Who will tell them that data isn’t matter of faith?!
— DisInfo Lab (@DisinfoLab) May 16, 2023
A cursory look at the data shows majority of ‘documented cases’ are duplicate entries. In Indian States, max duplication is done for UP & Chhattisgarh where single case is repeated 7-8x;~50 duplicate entries on UP alone!
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According to the OSINT handle, one incident is counted thrice (based on reports by three different newspapers). Cases of family disputes, crackdown of the State governments on predatory conversion practices and illegal encroachment by evangelist groups were also counted as ‘atrocities.
“A pastor is jailed is an atrocity. But his release from jail has been counted as yet another atrocity by FIACONA! You can’t make this stuff,” Disinfo Lab exposed the modus operation followed by FIACONA to manipulate data on ‘atrocities against Indian Christians.’
That’s not all.
— DisInfo Lab (@DisinfoLab) May 16, 2023
A pastor is jailed is an atrocity. But his release from jail has been counted as yet another atrocity by FIACONA! You can’t make this stuff.
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More than 50 cases are of family disputes, where the family members object to the conversion of a person. However, this is also recorded as targeted atrocity against Christianity. Below is a sample of the ‘nature’ of ‘atrocity’ documented by FIACONA!
— DisInfo Lab (@DisinfoLab) May 16, 2023
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Besides their obsession with ‘Hindu nationalists,’ the Christian evangelist organisations, which fed their data to the US State Department, also misled people by counting cases of child sexual abuse by pastors as atrocities on the community.
FIACONA had also released guidelines, wherein it made clear that any resistance to its right to convert others to Christianity will be considered an atrocity.
In a nutshell: as per FIACONA and International Christian evangelists, following rules should be applied while dealing with Christians if the Indian society has to avoid getting black-listed by USCIRF/ Open Doors, FIACONA et al.
— DisInfo Lab (@DisinfoLab) May 16, 2023
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“In a webinar held in 2020, FIACONA members boasted the success of ‘increasing conversion’ in India. Ironically, in the same webinar, they stated their agenda of getting India blacklisted!” the OSINT handle underlined.
#FunFact
— DisInfo Lab (@DisinfoLab) May 16, 2023
Even FIACONA members don’t believe their own story. In a webinar held in 2020, FIACONA members boasted the success of ‘increasing conversion’ in India. Ironically, in the same webinar they stated their agenda of getting India blacklisted!
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C:https://t.co/99bv8GZcnQ
It further added, “Based on this report, FIOCONA Chair John Prabhudoss infers that the increasing atrocity on Christians is a grave threat to US National Security Interests!(sic) Will the fact of fabrication of atrocity data impact ‘security calculation’ of the US?”
Another organisation, which has been falsifying the data on atrocities is ‘Open Doors.’ It has reportedly placed India on a list of countries known for ‘extreme persecution’ of Christians. It works in close coordination with Islamist outfits such as Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC).
Opindia has reported that IAMC is a Jamat-e-Islami-backed lobbyist organisation claiming to be a rights advocacy group. In the past, it had collaborated with and even paid money to various groups in the USA to get India blacklisted by the USCIRF.
IAMC founder Shaik Ubaid and member Abdul Malik Mujahid have headed the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), the US front for Jamaat-e-Islami, Pakistan. According to DisInfo Lab, ICNA has established links with Pakistan-based terror groups like the Lashkar-e-Taiba.
IRF uses another org’s report, called Open Doors, which is also a Christian evangelical Organization. It releases World Watch List (WWL), ranking countries based on Christian survival difficulty.#WWL enlists India among countries of ‘extreme persecution’ of Christians.
— DisInfo Lab (@DisinfoLab) May 16, 2023
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Its data? Similar to FIACONA.
— DisInfo Lab (@DisinfoLab) May 16, 2023
WWL claims ‘grassroot’ (sic) survey in 150 countries with 100 questionnaire. And then the data it provides is ‘symbolic numbers’! We found many discrepancies,like:
-Wrong fig of Christian population
-Mismatch in ranking & violence rate
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‘Disinfo Lab’ has unearthed that World Watch List (WWL), released each year by ‘Open Doors’, relied on dubious data surrounding the Indian Christian population. Besides, it found a clear mismatch between the violence against Christians in India and ranking of the country on the list.
“…The violence rate per WWL and their corresponding ranking does not tally. Several countries with a lower violence rate are ranked higher, while countries with much higher numbers are given better grading,” it pointed out.
Rev. Vijayesh Lal, Gen Sec of Evangelical Fellowship of India (EFI) initiated the ‘Ministry of ODI’ in India in 1999, serving as its ED till Dec’13. Not surprisingly, Open Doors report on India relies heavily on EFI data for documenting ‘atrocities on Christians in India’.
— DisInfo Lab (@DisinfoLab) May 16, 2023
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Evangelical Fellowship of India is another Christian outfit which helped propagate misleading data about atrocities on Christians in India.
“EFI ‘documents’ atrocities on Christians in India, but report is replete with stories having ZERO references. Most of the EFI inputs come from another organization: United Christian Forum (UCF) which uses a helpline no. to document cases!” noted Disinfo Lab.
It added, “To recap, the basis of IRF Report is Open Door and FIACONA, which in turn rely on host of other documentation, which in a circular evidence refer to each other. The data is almost deliberately fabricated.”
To recap, the basis of IRF Report is Open Door and FIACONA, which in turn rely on host of other documentation, which in a circular evidence refer to each other. The data is almost deliberately fabricated.
— DisInfo Lab (@DisinfoLab) May 16, 2023
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“Worth noting that the Supreme Court quashed a PIL filed by these fronts accusing the ‘increasing atrocities’ on Christians in India. It is surprising why they were not reprimanded/ fined for such a frivolous PIL based on fabricated data,” the OSINT handle highlighted.
Worth noting that the Supreme Court quashed a PIL filed by these fronts accusing the ‘increasing atrocities’ on Christians in India. It is surprising why they were not reprimanded/ fined for such a frivolous PIL based on fabricated data.
— DisInfo Lab (@DisinfoLab) May 16, 2023
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‘Disinfo Lab’ tweeted, “US based Christian orgs and their Indian affiliates create fabricated data, which is lapped by media to build narrative of Christian atrocities – which is then used by US Govt religious watchdog to target India – from a US national security perspective!”
“But all these fabrications and faulty data must not interfere in the narrative building, where the mainstream media is happily following the lead. USCIRF has done its bit, let the pliant media follow. If only ‘journalists’ could read before write,” it concluded.
But all these fabrications and faulty data must not interfere in the narrative building, where the mainstream media is happily following the lead. USCIRF has done its bit, let the pliant media follow.
— DisInfo Lab (@DisinfoLab) May 16, 2023
If only ‘journalists’ could read before write.
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Similarly, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has also been at the helm of anti-India propaganda for several years. It has cast aspersions on the integrity of Indian institutions and peddled hysteria about an impending genocide in India.
USCIRF, which was created in 1998 by the Clinton administration, has been reporting on religious freedom in India for the past two decades. The US federal government commission has been interfering in India’s internal affairs and portraying a falsified image of India to the rest of the world.
