As the Sarsanghchalak of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh Dr Mohan Bhagwat visits the United States as a part of the RSS centenary celebrations, the illicit anti-Hindu hate propaganda and chain of lies has been manufactured by the USCIRF and its Pakistani head Asif Mahmood under the guise of religious freedom and psuedo-secularim. However, disclosing the secular mask reveals a deeper truth and hidden agenda. The aim is to escalate anti-India propaganda, defame Hindu culture and its organisations on the global stage and publicise or legitimise Pakistan’s claims.
US Commission on International Religious Freedom(USCIRF) is a federal body, tasked with monitoring religious freedom worldwide. However, in reality it does not champion true religious freedom or equality; instead, acts as a covert tool to advance American interests, narratives and defame the strong emerging economies such as India and its cultural ethos. A typical western strategy to retain hegemony and fulfill vested interests.
Here comes the ultimate question: If USCIRF and its leaders truly wish for a secular and equal society and if the United States operate on those lines, why are they opposing the visit of Sarsanghchalak and the Universal Oneness Celebration which aims to spread the message of unity, integrity and universality.
What are USCIRF’s fake allegations on India & Hindu culture?
The USCIRF under its Pakistani head has manufactured a chain of lies defaming India. USCIRF and its head Asif Mahmood have called for sanctions on the RSS. The organisation, without any evidence, crows that RSS, BJP and India in general is escalating the persecution of religious minorities, especially Christians and Muslims. It claims that minority rights are curtailed in India and religious freedom is at its low.
In a post on X, USCIRF Commissioner Gene Mills said that RSS leaders should not be accorded high-level meetings or diplomatic courtesies in the US. Instead, the USG (US Government) should focus on imposing sanctions on RSS members found responsible for FoRB (freedom of religious belief) violations.
The Chairperson of USCIRF Asif Mahmood claimed, “India’s PM Modi is a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), an Indian umbrella organisation whose subgroups have perpetrated attacks on religious minorities, including Christians and Muslims. Now the RSS leader, Mohan Bhagwat, plans to visit the US”.
However, there is no evidence for the fake allegations of USCIRF. Infact, religious freedom is at its highest in India, with least targeted attacks in public, freedom of worship in public places and government welfare schemes reaching all beneficiaries equally, purely on merit without any religious denominations. On the other hand, in the US, the minority Hindu community and the Indian Americans are prone to targeted violence and assault including vandalism of temples.
“Engaging in and tolerating systematic, ongoing and egregious religious freedom violations, as defined by the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA)” said USCIRF about India in 2025. USCIRF under Asif Mahmood in March 2026, called for sanctions against India’s R&AW and intelligence authorities for human rights violations and curbing religious freedom.
Who is Asif Mahmood, his anti-India stunt & call for Kashmir separation
Asif Mahmood, who leads USCIRF was born and brought up in Pakistan. Till today, the USCIRF Chief maintains cordial and high-level ties with Pakistan and its politicians and officials. Many Hindu American activists have infact, questioned such close and globally visible relationship of Asif Mahmood with Pakistan, as a man who apparently heads a US body on religious freedom.
He has escalated anti-India hate to such an extent that he has demanded sanctioning of the RSS and its members. The Pakistan-born chairman of USCIRF is also relentlessly pushing the US government to label India as “Country of Particular Concern”(CPC) due to massive violation of religious rights and freedom in the country. This is the deliberate target, well choreographed propaganda against India by a Pakistani.
Asif Mahmood keeps visiting Pakistan and closely photographs with high-profile Pakistanis including PM Shehbaz Sharif. He also played a prominent role in lobbying for the US Congressional Hearing in 2019 to examine human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir following abrogation of Article 370 that year.
The USCIRF Chief has directly targeted Kashmir and called for its separation, thus posing an outright threat to India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. He is indulging in India’s domestic affairs or the conflict with Pakistan, which is purely bilateral in nature. “Kashmiris are not alone, and we will stand with them till each and every one of them get their basic human rights secured”, said Asif Mahmood in one of the occasions. Soon after his statement, Pakistan released another statement, appreciating Asif Mahmood’s stand on Kashmir. This clearly testifies the nexus between Pakistan and Pakistani-origin USCIRF head.
USCIRF, is thus superficially an independent body whose members are appointed fairly by the Republicans and Democrats and is involved in monitoring of religious freedom across the globe. But, its roots speak something else. It’s a covert tool to propagate vested interests to consolidate US hegemony. Especially under Asif Mahmood, the USCIRF and its roots are easily traceable, thus there is no doubt about its anti-India propaganda.
