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The right to choose your religion is widely considered to be a fundamental part of the notion of religious freedom. But in South Asian countries, the right to freely follow one’s conscience is often jeopardized by restrictive anti-conversion laws and discriminatory policies. 

In India, anti-conversion laws have been used to discriminate against Christians and Dalits and prevent them from freely practicing their faith. In Pakistan, policies that restrict government assistance to Muslims have forced many Hindus to convert to Islam to survive.

Religious minorities in South Asian countries are currently facing a tension between two equally important freedoms; the freedom to change one’s religion and the freedom to avoid coercion. The following breakdown offers an overview of conversion-related issues in South Asian countries.

India 

Proselytization efforts around the world have a long history of being coercive, often with the notion of forcing “uncivilized” Natives to align with Abrahmic traditions. Such was the case in the Americas, Africa, and Asia, when people often changed their religions for the purpose of survival. As a result, many aspects of indigenous cultures and faith traditions were lost or threatened. In the late 19th century, Christian missionaries in India banned Indian classical dance. 

But laws in India supposedly aimed to curb forced religious conversions or the preservation of culture are draconian in practice. Several states have passed “Religious Freedom in India” laws that significantly restrict people’s freedom to change their religion consensually. Hindu nationalists have increasingly accused minority groups--particularly Muslims--of forcibly converting Hindus to Islam, and bigoted rhetoric has caused an increase in violence toward Muslim and Christian communities and baseless accusations against alleged proselytizers. These laws are also disproportionately enforced against non-Hindus.

Pakistan

While Pakistan does not have anti-conversion laws, anti-blasphemy laws are used to criminalize people who convert to non-Muslim faiths. There has also been a long-standing issue of non-Muslims--particularly Hindus and Christians--being forcibly converted to Islam. Thousands of Hindu and Christian young women are kidnapped and forcibly married in Pakistan each year. According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, there are approximately 1,000 cases of Hindu and Christian girls being forcibly converted in Sindh Province alone. Legislation to criminalize forced conversion in Sindh was stalled by Islamist groups.

Non-Muslims have also been pressured to convert to Islam for survival. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, significant amounts of government aid were directed to only serve Muslim communities. As the New York Times reported, many Pakistani Hindus have converted to Islam in order to receive financial support during Pakistan’s severe economic crisis.

Sri Lanka

In the mid-2000s, Sri Lanka’s Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) Party--a Sinhala Buddhist nationalist party-- made repeated attempts to pass anti-conversion laws and a constitutional amendment prohibiting the conversion of Buddhists to other faiths. These laws were successfully challenged by the Supreme Court, but current Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has recently revived the call for anti-conversion laws. 

Nepal

Nepal criminalized proselytization in 2018, although individual conversion is still allowed. Since the passing of this law, Christian groups have reported that Nepali police have arrested and deported several people on proselytization charges. Human rights leaders have also expressed concerns that the vague provision could create legal prosecution of religious minorities simply for publicly exercising their faith.  

Hindus for Human Rights stands in firm support of religious freedom and minority rights and the right for people to consensually change their religion. HfHR also stands in vehement opposition to forced or coerced conversions and believes that individuals should not have to change their faith in order to avoid persecution or survive. Regardless of religious background or nationality, HfHR will actively fight to ensure that everyone has the right to practice the faith of their choice freely.