Date: Tue, 30 Oct 2001 ................
From: ...............| Block Address | Add to Address Book
Subject: Ike
To: ilatif@yahoo.com
Ike,
Give me one example of persuction of christians in
India!! Rothinder
Please go through the first other 499 will be ready to be
posted...
Religious Atmosphere:
India’s population is 80% Hindu, 12% Muslim, and 2.4% Christian. Both Muslims and Christians have been the object of attack by Hindu extremists who want to make India a Hindu state.
Government: Religious freedom is protected by law. However, enforcement of the law has been poor, especially at state and local levels.
The Bharatiya Janatha Party (BJP) is the Hindu nationalist coalition government. Since the group came to power there has been an increase in persecution and opposition of minorities, especially Christians. The BJP is an offshoot of the extremist RSS (see Extemist Groups below). Prime Minister Vajpayee is a member of the BJP. However, Vajpayee has reportedly called for religious tolerance and spoken out against the persecution of Christians.
In November 1999 Orissa State (where missionary Graham Staines and his two sons were killed) passed an order prohibiting religious conversions without the prior permission of local police and district magistrates. The person wishing to convert must explain his/her reasons to the police who then collect information from neighbors and friends. Police draw up a report, which is passed on to the district magistrates who may grant or withhold permission.
Low caste Hindus who convert to Christianity lose their eligibility for affirmative action while those who become Buddhists, Jains, or Sikhs do not because these faiths are included under the definition of Hindu in the Constitution. Affirmative action is often necessary in order for lower caste members to receive good jobs as discrimination on the basis of caste still exists.
Since the mid-1960s the government has refused to admit new foreign resident missionaries. Missionaries must thus enter the country with a short- term tourist visa. In March 1999 it was reported that the government was refusing to renew these visas.
Missionaries and religious organizations must comply with the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) which restricts funding from abroad and therefore the ability of some organizations to finance their activities.
Extremist Groups: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) – the "National Volunteer Corp." – a nationalist Hindu party which espouses a return to Hindu values and cultural norms. The group was responsible for the murder of Mahatma Ghandi.
Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) – a Hindu religious organization affiliated with the RSS. On September 30, 1998 the Secretary of the VHP warned Christian missionaries to get out of India. In December of the same year the VHP announced that it would launch a campaign to stop missionaries from converting Hindus to Christianity.
Bajrang Dal – a militant Hindu youth organization which boasts about half a million members., many of whom receive military training.
Sangh Parivar – the extreme fanatical group that murdered missionary Graham Staines and his sons. It controls much of Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh states.
Recent Actions: October, 2001 – The government is threatening to confiscate various church estates in the state of Bihar, northern India. Already, the government attempted to take 75 acres of Gaya Mission School land. Christians in the city of Patna said that a “well planned conspiracy by communal forces to eliminate Christianity from Bihar” was heavily in process. (Compass)
September 18, 2001 – Hindu fundamentalists attacked Bharathari village, in the Gujarat state, injuring a Methodist pastor and four others. (Compass)
September 11, 2001 – 113 Christians were forced to denounce Christ and yield to Hinduism by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), in Orissa state. (Compass)
September 11, 2001 – Christian pamphlets were burned by the student wing of the Bharatiya Janatha Party (BJP). (Compass)
August 27, 2001 – A pastor and his congregation were attacked by Hindu activists in the village of Badadra, in Alirajpur Taluka, Madhya Pradesh. (Compass)
August 27, 2001 – A chapel was razed by pro-Hindu tribals in Mehndikheda, in the Jhabua district of Madhya Pradesh. (Compass)
August 25, 2001 – Three Catholic nuns were beaten with sticks and cudgels by Hindu fundamentalists in the Dahou town of Gujarat state. (Compass)
August 21, 2001 – Catholic church leaders met with chiefs of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), the Hindu fundamentalists, in response to a recent rumor of falsely reported “forcible conversions” by Christians, and attacks of Hindu fundamentalists on Christians. RSS denied the attacks, and promised a thorough probe into the matter. (Compass)
August 15, 2001 – India’s Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee told a gathering, “There is a conversion motive behind the welfare activities being carried out by some Christian missionaries in the country’s backward areas and it is not proper, though conversion is permissible under the law.” Vajpayee’s comments seemed to have spurred a rage of violence against Christians, especially in the last 10 days of August. (Compass)
August 13, 2001 – A nun and missionary were attacked by Hindu fundamentalists in Pipalwada village, in south Gujarat. (Compass)
July 2001 – It is reported that members of India’s Dalit (untouchable) class are planning to convert en masse to other religions, including Buddhism and Christianity. Tired of social subjugation, these low caste Hindus are seeking liberation in other religious traditions. This move could lead to violence as the militant Bajrang Dal has been recruiting and training a large number of youths in recent months.
June 2001 – Around 60 families from a certain district of Orissa State were forced to flee their homes after repeated threats against their lives and property from extremist elements.
May 15, 2001 – Members of an insurgent group known as the People’s Liberation Army, shot and killed three priests in Ngarian, Manipur state. Pali Akara Raphael, Andreas Kindo and Shinu Joseph Valliparampil were shot at after they refused to give protection money to the insurgents. The same group has demanded that Catholic schools across the state pay them "taxes" or risk being bombed.
May 8, 2001 – Two bombs exploded inside a Roman Catholic Church in Muzaffarpur, Bihar state. A note found at the scene said "Stop conversion under pretext of social service. India is a Hindu nation. Christians leave India." A Muslim religious school was also burned on the same day.
April 28, 2001 – Ten men were sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of gang raping four nuns in 1998. This decision is significant for Christians because Hindus are seldom punished for crimes against Christians and other religious minorities.
March 26, 2001 -- Two members of the Indian Evangelical Team were beaten by a group of radical Hindus while traveling in Orissa. Pastor Paul Joseph and Pastor Urio Bhatra had been visiting with believers in Chandahandee village. They left the meeting on a motorbike and were then attacked by the Hindus who beat them and badly damaged the motorbike. Both pastors were knocked unconscious. They are now recovering from their injuries.
February 2001 – Christian aid workers in Gujarat reported that Hindus have been hindering their efforts to help victims of the earthquake in Ahmedabad. A Catholic priest, Father Cedric Prakash, said he was chased away by people with sticks and told to "get out." Apparently the RSS is trying to dominate the relief efforts. Gujarat has had the most incidences of persecution against Christians in the country.
January 4, 2001 -- Two priests were beaten in Jaher Village, Gujarat. David Masih and Simon Sakria were attending a prayer meeting when 40 to 50 armed men stormed the meeting, beating the priests and then abducting them. David Masih was later hospitalized. Simon Sakria remains missing.
November 27, 2000 – At Piplipura church a 64-year-old priest was attacked by a mob wielding iron rods and sticks. Father C. Alphonse is currently hospitalized due to injuries sustained in the attack.
Novermber 26, 2000 – 200 gun-toting members of the RSS and VHP forcibly entered the Evangelical Church of India in Chindia, Gujarat. The group destroyed the church’s cross and placed Hindu idols in the sanctuary, apparently in an attempt to take control of the church. The land for the church had been donated by local people about 4 years ago. VHP representatives argue that one of the local people is no longer happy with this decision; therefore the church should be turned into a Hindu temple. The case is scheduled to appear in court.
November 26, 2000 – St. Mary’s convent in the Jwalapur district of Uttar Pradesh was attacked by armed Hindu extremists. In a separate incident Christian evangelists were stoned by Hindus in Kolar, Karnataka.
November 5, 2000 – Seven members of the Friends Missionary Prayer Band were thrashed by villagers at Raigad, Vyara Taluk, in Gujarat.
October 13-15, 2000 – At the 75th Anniversary celebration of the RSS, leaders warned the nearly 75,000 people gathered there about the threat of Christianity, a religion they described as foreign-dominated and funded. Christians and Muslims were criticized for abandoning their Hindu heritage and standing in the way of Hinduvta, the creation of a Hindu state.
September 12, 2000 – A Christian preacher was beheaded in Karimnagar. Unidentified assailants struck Mr.Yesu Dasu in the neck with an axe several times before he died.
September 1, 2000 – A missionary school is Uttar Pradesh was robbed. The robbers also attempted to attack the home of the school’s principal.
August 28, 2000 -- Two missionaries were kidnapped from their home by fanatical RSS members. The husband and wife were taken to an undisclosed location where they were told to denounce Christianity and become propagators of the Hindu faith. When they refused, the husband was beaten unconscious. Even after being offered a substantial amount of money to recant her faith, the wife still refused and was also beaten. The couple’s unconscious bodies were found the next day in a forest and taken to a hospital for medical care.
July 30, 2000 – Three men attempted to kidnap Sister Celine John in New Delhi. The men covered her face with a sheet and forced her into their van. The nun was able to escape when the van stopped briefly to pick up an accomplice.
July 25, 2000 – Catholic priest Father Victor Crasta, and three missionaries were killed when a militant group opened fire on them in Balucherra, north Tripura district.
July 14, 2000 – A Catholic priest was murdered after being robbed.
July 7, 2000 – Bajrang Dal activists attacked a priest and a nun who were distributing bags of wheat to drought affected areas. The Dal accused the Catholics of trying to lure Hindus to Christianity by giving them food. When the missionaries refused to stop the distribution of wheat, they were attacked and 144 bags of wheat were looted.
June 15, 2000 – A priest was beaten for his role in religious conversions. The incident occurred in Vishrampuri in Jagdalpur district where the priest had his head shaved and was paraded through the village by the gang of youths who attacked him.
June 12, 2000 – Construction workers found the body of evangelist Ashish Prabash in his rented house in Punjab State. The body had multiple stab wounds. Mr. Asish worked for Campus Crusade for Christ; his main ministry was showing the JESUS film.
June 10, 2000 – Vijay Ekka, a tribal Christian from Raigarh Distrcit, Madhya Pradesh, died while in police custody. Ekka was an eye witness to the murder of Brother George Kuzhikandum (see June 7, 2000 below) and had been called in for questioning. Two Mathura police have since been arrested and accused of killing Mr. Ekka by beating him and giving him electric shock.
June 8, 2000 – A series of explosions took place in three separate incidents. Two churches in Andhra Pradesh were targeted as well as a Catholic Church is Wadi town, Karnataka, and a church at Vasco in South Goa. Four people were injured as a result of the incidents. The government has implicated Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence for the incidents. However, residents maintain that the Bajrang Dal and the RSS were responsible.
June 8, 2000 – An armed youth attacked Father Dominic Kadatchadas at Christ Church in Negercoil, Tamilnadu.
June 7, 2000 – Brother George Kuzhikandum, a Catholic priest, was murdered on the Brother Polus Memorial School Campus near Mathura, Uttar Pradesh. He was hit with iron rods and lathis until he died.
May 22, 2000 – At least 30 people were injured when an explosion took place at a Christian meeting in Machilpatnam, Andhra Pradesh. Nearly 15,000 Christians were gathered for a four day festival when the bombing occurred. The Sangh Parivar have been implicated in the case.
May 12, 2000 – The Sanskritik Jagran Manch, a local Hindu extremist group, attacked three churches in Indore, Madhya. The group tried to burn one church, broke the windows in another, and damaged the cross and a statue in the third. The attack came only hours before Congress President Sonia Ghandi was due to inaugurate an orphanage run by an NGO. Members of the Manch claimed the NGO was a front for missionaries since it was operated by Christians.
May 11, 2000 – A mob of about 120 Bajrang Dal and VHP activists attacked a hostel run by the Evangelical Alliance Church in Maharashtra State. Members of the mission were watching a video about Jesus with 60 other Christians when they were attacked. The mob damaged a cinema projector and set three motorcycles, a mini-van, and a cinema screen on fire, before ransacking the girls’ hostel premises. Thirty-three people were arrested in the incident.
May 5, 2000 – Six Operation Mobilisation (OM) missionaries were savagely beaten while distributing Christian literature in Gujarat. One man was so seriously injured that he may lose all his limbs.
April-May 2000 – Hate pamphlets were distributed among India’s tribal groups. The pamphlets accuse all Christians of being foreigners and warn people of dire consequences if they get involved with Christians. At the end of 1999 the President of the Hindu Jagran Manch was charged with distributing similar hate pamphlets.
April 22, 2000 – On the outskirts of Agra a Christian group from Hyderabad was attacked by members of the Bajrang Dal who surrounded their van and burned biblical literature.
April 2000 – Mission-run schools in Mathura and Agra districts suffered a string of attacks on priests and nuns. At least 5 convent schools were ransacked, resulting in some injuries and the destruction of property.
January 25, 2000 – Chandrakant Shourie, the nephew of a member of India’s upper house of Parliament, was attacked by Hindu fundamentalists of the VHP. Shourie and his wife and son were beaten.
January 2000 – In Kerala state many Christian publications had their postal subsidy removed on the grounds that the information they were distributing did not cover political or current affairs and therefore did not constitute news.
Prisoners: ICC is not aware of any prisoners being held for practicing their faith.
Suggested Actions you might take: Pray for the Christians of India that they may continue to be protected from harm and that the Christian message may be heard and received by all.
Write a respectful letter to one or more of the government officials listed below. Express your continuing concern for the safety and well being of the Christian community in India. Request information about what steps the government is doing to ensure their protection and freedom to practice their faith laid out in the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights documents.
Contact the elected national officials (Senators, Congressman etc.) for your area as well as the U.S. State Department and express concern for the well being of the Christians in India asking them to make an inquiry into their status.
Please keep us informed of any replies or results you may receive! Contact ICC by email at icc@persecution.org.
Official Contacts:
Embassy of India
2107 Massachusetts Ave. NW
Washington D.C. 20008
Tel: (202) 939-7000
Fax: (202) 265-4351
Permanent Representative of India to the UN
235 East 43rd Street
New York, NY 10017
Tel: (212) 490-9660
Fax: (212) 490-9656
E-mail: india@un.int
The President of India
Dr. K.R. Narayanan
Rashtrapati Bhavan
New Delhi 110004
India
Fax: 011 91 11 3017290
011 91 11 3017824
Prime Minister
Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee
New Delhi
India
Tel: 011 91 11 3018939
Fax: 011 91 11 3016857 |
