Narendra Modi

Narendra Modi has now been denied a U.S. visa for his alleged involvement in suppressing religious freedom.

We are no friends of Mr. Modi and have condemned the Indian-American groups that had invited him in the first place. Nevertheless, we are concerned about this development.

Mr. Modi -- regardless of our contempt for him -- is a duly elected Chief Minister of a key Indian state. As best as we can tell, he has also not been convicted of any criminal activity. We cannot support U.S.' decision to deny an entry visa to a democratically elected Indian official.

We'd have much preferred him having the visa -- coupled with an Indian-American boycott. The shameful reality is that many in this community are willing to honor this man. Denying him a visa does not erase this embarrassing reality -- it only brushes it under the carpet. This hardly constitutes a victory.