The White House has condemned the harassment faced by Wall Street Journal reporter Sabrina Siddiqui following her question to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his joint press conference on June 22 with US President Joe Biden. During a press briefing on Monday, June 26, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby addressed the issue of the "intense online" harassment targeting the reporter, who had raised concerns about religious rights and free speech in India.
“We’re aware of the reports of that harassment. It’s unacceptable. And we absolutely condemn any harassment of journalists anywhere under any circumstances. That’s just — that’s completely unacceptable. And it’s antithetical to the very principles of democracy that were on display last week during the state visit,” Kirby said.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, "We're certainly here, at the White House, under this administration, committed to the freedom of the press, which is why we had the press conference last week."
"We certainly condemn any efforts of intimidation or harassment of a journalist or any journalist that is just trying to do their job. And so, I just want to be very clear about that," she added.
Jean-Pierre said the US was committed to the freedom of the press, which is why the joint press conference was held. “We thought it was important for you all to hear from both, not just from the President, but also from the Prime Minister, and for journalists to be able to ask a question,” she said.
Meanwhile, the South Asian Journalists Association (SAJA) expressed support for Sabrina in the wake of the online abuse against her. "We want to express our continued support of our colleague @SabrinaSiddiqui who, like many South Asian and female journalists, is experiencing harassment for simply doing her job. Press freedom is the hallmark of any democracy and PM Modi leads the world's largest democracy," SAJA said in a tweet.
We want to express our continued support of our colleague @SabrinaSiddiqui who, like many South Asian and female journalists, is experiencing harassment for simply doing her job. Press freedom is the hallmark of any democracy and PM Modi leads the world's largest democracy. https://t.co/rbvKpk7vUo
— SAJA (@sajahq) June 24, 2023
SAJA’s president Mythili Sampathkumar said Sabrina’s question was one that Modi’s and anyone keeping track of news should have expected. “How Indian journalists haven’t had the (opportunity) to ask him this in 9 years is what we should talk about more,” she wrote.
As President of SAJA, I want to add that @SabrinaSiddiqui asked a fair question, one PM Modi's team and anyone keeping track of news should have expected. His response and how Indian journalists haven't had the opp to ask him this in 9 years is what we should talk about more. https://t.co/SwTkfq95Sg
— Mythili Sampathkumar (@MythiliSk) June 26, 2023
During the joint press conference at the White House, Sabrina Siddiqui posed a question to Modi regarding criticism about the treatment of religious minorities and the "crackdown on dissent" in India. She pointed out to Modi that while India has long prided itself as the world’s largest democracy, there are many human rights groups who say that his government has discriminated against religious minorities and sought to silence its critics. “What steps are you and your government willing to take to improve the rights of Muslims and other minorities in your country and to uphold free speech?” she asked.
In response, Modi highlighted India's Constitution as a testament to its commitment to democracy and claimed that there was no discrimination in India. “As President Biden also mentioned, India and America both have democracy in our DNA. Democracy is in our spirit and we live it and it’s written in our Constitution,” he said, adding that he was “surprised” by Sabrina’s question.
The journalist soon began to face widespread online criticism and harassment, including abusive comments targeting her Muslim identity. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s IT cell chief Amit Malviya took to Twitter to call the question “motivated”, further claiming that Modi’s answer and “Biden’s cold response” was a “blow to the toolkit gang.”
In response to the harassment, Sabrina shared a photo of herself wearing an Indian cricket team jersey, along with another photo of her and her father watching a match and cheering for the team. Sabrina accompanied the post with a message asserting that identities can be more complex than they may seem. “Since some have chosen to make a point of my personal background, it feels only right to provide a fuller picture,” she wrote in her tweet.
Since some have chosen to make a point of my personal background, it feels only right to provide a fuller picture. Sometimes identities are more complex than they seem. pic.twitter.com/Huxbmm57q8
— Sabrina Siddiqui (@SabrinaSiddiqui) June 24, 2023