Johnnie Moore, a former commissioner of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), believes that former president Barack Obama should focus more of his time on praising India than on criticising it.
“I think the former president (Obama) should spend his energy complimenting India, more than criticizing India. India is the most diverse country in human history. It’s not a perfect country, just like the United States, it’s not a perfect country, but its diversity is its strength, and we should be complimenting the largest democracy in the world every chance that we can, that we have,” Johnnie Moore, a prominent evangelist, stated in an interview.
Johnnie Moore’s comments follow an interview that former US President Obama gave to CNN recently, in which he was quoted as suggesting that Biden should bring up the subject of religious freedom with India, as he would have done had he still been the US president.
Johnnie Moore’s remarks after former US President Barack Obama raised the issue of religious freedom in India in a CNN interview
Moore’s comments follow an interview that former US President Obama gave to CNN recently, in which he was quoted as suggesting that Biden should bring up the subject of religious freedom with India, as he would have done had he still been the US president.
In addition, Obama told Christiane Amanpour of CNN that if President Joe Biden meets with Prime Minister Modi, “the protection of the Muslim minority in a majority Hindu India is something worth mentioning”.
When asked a question on China and India, Obama said that he had collaborated with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Paris Accords to combat climate change.
“By the way, if I had a conversation with Prime Minister Modi, who I know well, part of my argument would be that if you do not protect the rights of ethnic minorities in India, then there is a strong possibility that India, at some point, starts pulling apart. And we have seen what happens when you start getting those kinds of large internal conflicts. So that would be contrary to the interests not just of Muslim Indians but also Hindu Indians. I think it is important to be able to talk about these things honestly. Things are not going to be as clean as you like, because the world is complicated,” Obama said to CNN.
What is USCIRF?
The International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 established USCIRF, a committee of the US federal government that offers policy recommendations to the US government.
The President, as well as the heads of both major parties in the Senate and the House of Representatives, designate USCIRF commissioners. According to the former USCIRF commissioner Johnnie Moore, PM Modi’s historic visit to the US is a cause for celebration.
The President, as well as the heads of both major parties in the Senate and the House of Representatives, designate the USCIRF commissioners. Johnnie Moore further appreciated PM Modi’s historic visit to the United States, citing it as a reason for celebration.
