Trump praises Modi's record on 'religious freedom' as violence breaks out over citizenship law

(Image credit: PRAKASH SINGH/AFP via Getty Images)

published 25 February 2020

As President Trump capped his visit to India on Tuesday, he praised Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's commitment to religious tolerance in the country.

"We did talk about religious freedom, and I will say that the prime minister was incredible in what he told me," Trump said during a press conference. "He wants people to have religious freedom, and very strongly."

It probably isn't realistic to expect Trump to have said anything else or criticize his host, especially after he was so pleased with how he was received during his visit. But the praise was juxtaposed against violent outbreaks in New Delhi on Tuesday spurred by a Modi-backed law, which excludes Muslims from a list of migrant groups who are granted a path to Indian citizenship if they can prove they're fleeing persecution from neighboring countries.

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The U.S. State Department and Congress have expressed concern over the citizenship law and other actions viewed as part of a crackdown against India's Muslim population conducted by Modi's Hindu nationalist government. But Trump seemingly wasn't willing to cross that line during his trip. He did say he asked Modi about it, but ultimately he wants to "leave that to India." Read more at The Washington Post.

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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.

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