From the higher floors of the building in which I live I get a clear sight of Wembley stadium about a mile away. This Friday it will be playing host to a vast celebration of all things Indian coinciding with the Diwali celebrations and the arrival in the UK of the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The celebration sounds like it will be a fantastic affair playing host to some 60,000 British Indians with a concert and a huge fireworks display. There’s something fascinatingly appropriate too about it happening at Wembley – the national stadium is a symbol of Britishness (or at least Englishness), the place where other allegiances are set aside in support of national sporting heroes, yet also sat in the midst of an area famed for its diversity and Indian population. It is only a short walk to the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, the largest Hindu temple outside of India and a staggering piece of architecture on an otherwise ordinary street. 

A fitting statement then about the diversity of Britain and the contribution of Indian culture to modern Britain – worthy even perhaps of the motto of the Republic of India “Unity in Diversity”. It is just a shame that India itself and not least the Prime Minister fall someway short of that ideal.

To some extent that is inevitable – mottos of that sort are meant to be aspirations rather than designations of the reality on the ground. It is no less aspirational that the French lay claim to Liberté, Equalité, Fraternité or that America calls itself the “Land of the Free” despite various civil liberties shortcomings in both countries (both historic and present). India is not the only country to lay claim to the motto – which is shared by Indonesia, the USA, South Africa and the EU (the latter three with slightly different wording, but the same thrust), and arguably does no worse a job at embodying it than any other.

Even so Modi seems a poor advert indeed for a tolerant, modern, pluralist democracy. The UK government clearly used to feel the same way – for ten years he was boycotted on account of his failing (and some would say contribution towards) anti-Muslim riots that left up to a thousand dead. His policies and his party are part of a climate that has led a desperate climate of hostility towards religious minorities including not only Muslims but also India’s 24 million strong Christian population. According to the Pew Research Centre India has the highest level of social hostilities (i.e. not official government policy, but social restrictions on freedom of religion, perpetuated by private individuals) towards religion of any country worldwide. The problem seems to be getting worse, between May 2014 and March 2015 one report has claimed that there were 600 separate violent attacks on Christians and Muslims, more than 40 deaths, and the raping of a 70 year old nun. 

Of course from the point of view of the British government this is an inevitability of diplomacy. As a country we do business with plenty of nasty dictatorships and authoritarian regimes. At least, it might be argued, Modi is actually democratically elected (as well as governing one of the world’s largest economies).

That may be the case, and yet there seems something particularly duplicitous in this case. To actually reverse a boycott, roll out the red carpet and put a man at least partially responsible for Christian persecution in a room with the Defender of the Faith seems an extraordinary volte face. It’s made all the more galling by constantly putting forward the excuse that Modi is democratically elected. Certainly he is, but it is a poor form of democracy that allows its minority ethnic and religious groups to become the targets of systematic abuse and persecution. At least when the Chinese visit there is no pretence that this is anything other than a deal with a sinister regime. The weak verbal criticisms of China’s human rights record may fall on deaf ears, but at least they are a public concession that the UK is not wholly content with its partner.

If nothing else it is illustrative of the true extent to which the government prioritises freedom of religion that no criticism seems to be being made at all of Modi. If that isn’t a surprise, it might at least be worrying. The longevity and success of any economic relationship would be seriously undermined if India’s economic performance were to be threatened by civil insurrection, terrorism or a further deterioration of relationships with neighbouring Pakistan, all of which are increasing possibilities. A commitment to pressuring India to take greater care with its minorities might ultimately have been in Britain’s long term interests.

Ben Ryan is a Researcher at Theos. @BenedictWRyan

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