The latest economist (15 Jan., 2022) makes makes a claim that seems absurd at many levels - "In an index of societal discrimination against minorities compiled by Bar Ilam University in Israel, India scores worse than Saudi Arabia, and no better than Iran".
Saudi Arabia and Iran are both self-proclaimed theocratic states with a population of 35 million and 84 million respectively, where religious minorities do no have the right to practice their religion openly; where proselytising by non-muslims is punishable by death...and these are the countries is being weighed against India!
This bit is part of a carefully crafted editorial note titled, "India - Stop Inciting Murder", which, in line with the Economist's long tradition of taking a condescending view of everything outside the Anglo-Saxon horizon, picks four recent instances of extremism displayed by one of the many lunatic fringes in India. This list includes news about the Hindu right-wing utterances and actions against muslims - the "religious parliament" of sadhus at Haridwar; "Sulli Deals" auction site 'selling' muslim women, and namaz in public areas of Gurgaon. Each of these incidents has attracted condemnation and discussion on the media.
A closer look also reveals that this is a carefully chosen list of one-sided reports from the English language media. There is, of course, no mention in the report of the legal action and arrests that have taken place in each of these instances. Perhaps presenting a balanced view would blunt the edge of their wordplay that seeks to paint the whole government as being inimical to 200 million muslim citizens of India.
It is true that the top leadership of NDA has been tardy in responding to reports of discrimination against minorities, especially Muslims. It is also true that there is a whole ecosystem of Modi-baiters, especially in the English language media that swings into coordinated action to blame the government for everything wrong under the sun. They only end up discrediting themselves.
What is interesting in this case is the attempt to build a case against India using a study conducted by an Israeli University. Even a cursory look at the actual study would show you that the "Index of societal discrimination" is itself based on a mathematical model that stands on shaky data. The study covered 771 minorities from 183 countries, and uses secondary and tertiary sources - government reports, academic articles, news reports, and reports from NGOs. The only mention of Saudi Arabia and Iran in this report is in a table tucked away in the annex.
Strangely, even the data presented in the annex contradicts the claim being made by the Economist:
According to this 'research', there has no record of "Targeting Minorities" in Iran and Saudi Arabia during the study period (24 years!). How on earth did the Economist editor deduce from these scores that "India scores worse than Saudi Arabia, and no better than Iran" ?
I have always been a fan of the Economist, and will continue to be one. No other international magazine presents a world-view that you would find in its pages. Yet it is good to be reminded that the magazine's world-view is flawed, and that it often loses its own self-proclaimed goal - "...to participate in the severe contest between intelligence, which presses forward, and an unworthy, timid ignorance obstructing our progress".
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REFERENCES & LINKS
The Economist (15 Jan., 2022) - https://www.economist.com/weeklyedition/2022-01-15
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