Pew Research Results

From Gita Sikand, Assoc.Clinical Professor, UCI, CA

In response to the article https://indiawest.com/why-i-refuse-to-celebrate-indias-independence-day/

I wish to refute author Shakeel Syed with the key findings of a new Pew Research Center report on “Religion in India: Tolerance and Segregation.” 

Briefly, in 2020, the Pew Research Survey examined religious tolerance in Indian society under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership. A key finding was that 89% of Muslims felt free to practice their religion, as did 91% of Hindus, 89% of Christians, 82% of Sikhs, 93% of Buddhists, 85% of Jains and 91% of the overall Indian population.  Conducted in 17 languages, it covered nearly all of India’s states and union territories with face-to-face interviews of 29,999 adults during 2019 and 2020.  India-West Journal should not give premium space to such hate mongers when data from Pew shows otherwise.