The Annual Report of USCIRF, May 2011 (Covering April 1, 2010 – March 31, 2011), has for the third consecutive year placed India on its Watch List along with Afghanistan, Belarus, Cuba, Indonesia, Laos, Russia, Somalia, Tajikistan, Turkey, and Venezuela.

FIACONA President Abraham Mammen said, "No doubt India is doing notable work in maintaining its secularism, however, the plight of Christians has not improved, if not worsened with justice being delayed, which is equal to justice being denied."

Detailed statistics as collected by Global Council of Indian Christians ( GCIC) showed there have been 59 recent anti-Christian incidents in India from 2nd January to 12th December 2010 in the state of Karnataka . In a statewise list of attacks, it was noted that a total of 158 attacks had taken place. Investigations have been going on but nobody has been arrested so far.

"These attacks are dastardly acts of cowardice by supposedly Hindu fundamentalist groups like the VHP, RSS, and Bajrang Dal. FIACONA strongly condemns all these acts against poor, helpless and innocent Christians living in India and as a gesture of solidarity towards all Christians; FICONA Board supports the decision of USCRIF to put India on its watch list," added FIACONA President Abraham Mammen.

When questioned about the views of different organizations that did not support the USCRIF decision, FIACONA President Abraham Mammen replied, "Everybody is entitled to his or her views, however, going by facts and statistics, the judiciary system of India is slow in delivering justice for Christian minorities. The main argument was that Hindus are marginalized although being a majority. This is untrue. In every respect, Hindus are given priority. Moreover it is interesting to note that they live in countries where Christians are a majority and constantly argue for separation of church and state yet they promote sectarianism in India and pluralism where they are a minority. Mr. Mammen continued by saying ” They should go back to Gandhian values and values of founding fathers, respect the constitution that guarantees freedom of conscience. They should understand and recognize that belief in another religion would not make minorities less of an Indian."

America has always advocated complete religious freedom and it is to be noted that in a recent press release, Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA) introduced legislation to amend the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA), making international religious freedom a greater priority at the State Department. The legislation specifically:

- Elevates the ambassador at-large to the office of the secretary of State rather than within the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor;
- Provides the ambassador with oversight and management authority of the IRF Office and other religiously oriented positions and programs at the State Department;
- Requires the secretary of State, in coordination with the departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Treasury and the U.S. Agency for International Development to issue a one-time report to Congress on the best uses of foreign assistance to promote religious freedom and religious engagement;
- Requires religious freedom training for every Foreign Service Officer (FSO) and states that USCIRF must be involved in that training;
- Strengthens the “Countries of Particular Concern” (CPC) designation process and effectiveness. CPCs are countries whose governments are found to have engaged in or tolerated particularly severe violations of religious freedom, and
- Reauthorizes the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom until September 30, 2018, which is set to end now this September.

According to a Pew Research Study released in December 2009, one-third of all nations, containing 70 percent of the world’s population, severely restrict religious freedom. “Religious freedom, often referred to as the first freedom, is of central import to the American experiment,” Wolf added. “This legislation is intended to elevate religious freedom in U.S. foreign policy.”

Supporting Wolf's legislation, on behalf of the FIACONA Board Mr. Mammen said that , "Because religious freedom is so important in America that the U.S. foreign policy is bound to be affected. It is because the religions of the minorities like Christians and others is not accepted by militant members of RSS, VHP, Bajrang Dal that Wolf's legislation gains importance. It is due to the actions of these fundamentalists that deny religious freedom to the minorities that USCRIF has once again placed India in its watch list.

FIACONA is a non-political Federation of Christian Organizations in America.