Unveiling his new role as a social reformer at a townhall and media event in Delhi, former United States President Barack Obama highlighted issues of religious tolerance, LGBT community rights, and the importance of Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs).
Speaking on Friday at a townhall event of 300 youth leaders, activists and social entrepreneurs organised by the Obama Foundation, Mr. Obama spoke about the importance of “finding a voice” for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) community. To a specific question from Akkai Padmashali, a transgender activist on Article 377 of Indian law, which criminalises homosexuality, Mr. Obama said that people from the community should “take hope” from the experience of the US and other countries, where same-sex marriages have now been legalised.
Earlier in the day Mr. Obama said that he had brought up concerns about the treatment of religious minorities with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his last visit as U.S. President in January 2015.
“A country shouldn't be divided on sectarian lines and that is something I have told Prime Minister Modi in person as well as to people in America...People see the differences between each other much too vividly and miss the commonalities,” he told an audience at a conference organised by the Hindustan Times group. While praising Mr. Modi for his work on Climate Change and the Paris accords, Mr. Obama credited former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for modernising the Indian economy, saying they had also been “also great friends”.
‘Counter-narrative’ to tolerance in US
Referring to a “counter-narrative” to tolerance in the US, Europe and India, Mr. Obama also said, "For a country like India where there is a Muslim population that is successful, integrated and considers itself as Indian — which is not the case in some other countries, this should be nourished and cultivated."
Mr. Obama’s words are significant as they repeat concerns he expressed at a public lecture during his 2015 visit, that criticised cow-vigilantism and attacks on churches in India at the time.
Importance of NGOs
In an exclusive interview to The Hindu , Mr. Obama’s Chief International Advisor, Ben Rhodes said that the former president believed these are “universal values”.
“In any country round the world, he is going to support progressive values, tolerance, inclusion, and rights for LGBT people. These are universal values he holds, not for any one country. When he was here in India last he said in a speech that he has deep respect for how important traditions are, and how important identity is, but that is not inconsistent with respecting others and being tolerant of them,” Mr. Rhodes, who travelled to Delhi with Mr. Obama, said.
According to Mr. Rhodes, the Obama Foundation also wanted to highlight the importance of NGOs. “Here in India the point we would make is that NGOs are necessary to help solve problems. NGO’s should be seen not as a threat, but a partner, and play a role in the solution,” he said in response to a question on funding-restrictions placed on American NGOs Ford Foundation and Compassion International, both cases that had been raised by the U.S. government with the Modi government in 2015-2016.
Mr. Modi, who hosted a lunch for Mr. Obama on Friday, later tweeted: “It was a pleasure to meet, once again, former President Barack Obama, and learn about the new initiatives being taken forward under his leadership at the Obama Foundation…and his perspectives on further strengthening India-US strategic partnership.”
