RELIGIOUS OPPRESSION AROUND THE WORLD
Hindu Nationalists Seek to 'Indianize' Christians
In a fresh attack on Christians and Muslims, the Hindu nationalist Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in demanding their Indianization. "We are not demanding conversion of Muslims and Christians into Hindus. For the sake of unity and integrity of the country, we are demanding that they should be indigenized, and be given Indian names," he said.
Last October, RSS chief K. S. Sudershan called on Christians and Muslims to cut their spiritual links with "foreign sources." In a separate development, the VHP's general secretary claimed that about 33,000 people had been converted to Christianity in the northern state of Sikkim in the last 25 years. He added that the figure was compiled by VHP workers touring villages, cautioning people against conversion.
Meanwhile the VHP says it is planning to revamp its image and highlight its "social work" component in the rural areas among the backward castes and tribals. According to VHP's chief of social projects, the aim is to counter the influence of Christian missionaries.
--Used by permission of Religion Today
Indian Authorities Persecute Widow of Slain Minister
March 8, 2001Two years ago, an Australian missionary, Graham Staines, and his two young sons were burned alive in Orissa, India, by some Hindu zealots. Despite the fate of her husband and two children, Gladys Staines decided to stay on in India to accomplish her husband's dream of setting up a hospital for lepers at Mayurbhanj, said the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC).
However, "government authorities are reluctant to co-operate in providing her the necessary land, and are trying their best to repossess the leprosy home. It was gifted 102 years ago by the Maharaja to care for lepers," said the GCIC national convenor, Sajan K. George. The government recently demanded money "for regularizing the property" even though it had been "gifted"by the Maharaja. "This behavior of the state government clearly shows that they are under pressure from the Sangh Parivar to humiliate her," George added.
Staines is now facing a situation where her residential visa will expire in August 2001. George added that well-orchestrated attempts were being made to "traumatize her by unleashing hate literature and a vilification campaign."
--Used by permission of Religion Today
Missionaries Beaten in India
Wednesday, January 10, 2001Beatings and threats did not deter four native missionaries in Orissa, India. The men were praying recently when an anti-Christian mob broke into their apartment and seized them, according to Advance newsletter.
They were tied hand and foot, beaten, and subjected to electric shocks, then dragged naked into the streets and forced to flee the town after their release, the newsletter reported. The gang threatened to kill them if they returned, but the missionaries came back as soon as they had the strength.
"We have been beaten and wounded here," the missionaries said, Advance reported. "We will not leave until we see a church of people committed to following Jesus."--Used by permission of Religion Today
Hindu Radicals Murder Catholic Priest
Thursday, December 21, 2000Hindu radicals in India murdered a Catholic priest and attacked a Christian school in separate incidents this month, according to Zenit, a Catholic news agency. The Indian Episcopal Conference denounced the murder of the priest in the Andaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal, and expressed its "profound concern" over the wave of violence unleashed throughout the country against Christians, the news agency reported.
A group of men raided the residence of Port Blair priest John Peter Dec. 15 and killed him with knives and clubs, and left behind materials denouncing the priest's activities in converting Hindus, Zenit reported. Catholic officials urged the New Delhi government to find those responsible and guarantee the safety of Christians in the islands.
A group of nuns will leave their school in Kurpania Bokaro, in eastern India, after an attack, Zenit reported. The Sisters of St. Anne were assaulted and a cook at the school was raped when a mob invaded the school. Archbishop Vincent Concessao of Delhi denounced the attacks in a letter to Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.--Used by permission of Religion Today
Christians Tone-Down Rhetoric to Avoid Inciting Violence
Friday, November 17, 2000Christians in India are toning down their language. The Evangelical Fellowship of India issued a statement urging Christian leaders not to use "spiritual battle" language, Compass Direct News reported. They hope to prevent Hindu fundamentalist groups from taking advantage of inflammatory words to portray Christians as traitors.
Churches and missions were cautioned against using military metaphors, saying it is "unloving, inappropriate and counter-productive." The statement refers to Christian jargon and "warfare vocabulary" used in letters, reports, songs, prayers and material on the Internet. It also said churches and missions outside India that use inappropriate mission language not only offend people of other faiths, but bring harm to Christians in India.
Persecution of Christians is increasing in Orissa State, according to Compass. Richard Howell of the EFI said that persecution was increasing in the eastern Indian state, and civil servants, magistrates and district commissioners were not protecting Christians. Howell said the government was not responding to their pleas, and that culprits were not being punished.--Used by permission of Religion Today
Christians Unite for Self-Protection
Tuesday, October 24, 2000Besieged Christians in Orissa, India, are banding together to protect themselves from attacks by radical Hindus. An interdenominational group of churches and Christian organizations started the Rastriya Surakshya Vahini to "peacefully confront attacks on the community," the Times of India reported. Its 500 young people also will campaign for law and order and the protection of religious freedoms in the state.
The Orissa government opposes minorities, Christian leaders said. The government has allied itself with radical Hindu groups and "has totally failed to protect the community and give them justice," Catholic Archbishop Raphael Cheenath told the Times. Attacks against Christians have gone unpunished in four of the state's five districts, he said.--Used by permission of Religion Today
Attempt to Nationalize Churches in India
Wednesday, October 10, 2000India's Christian community is rejecting suggestions that its churches be nationalized. A Hindu spiritual leader last week proposed that churches be reorganized and placed under government control, as official churches are in China, Ecumenical News International reported.
The Chinese model "does not go with the secular democracy of our country," a spokesman for the National Council of Churches in India said. The suggestion shows the "true colors" of Hindu radicals, Roman Catholic Archbishop Vincent Concessao of Agra said. If the ruling Hindu political party had a clear majority in the parliament "they would certainly do such things to isolate Indian Christians from the outside world," he said. Lutheran church leader K. Rajaratnam called the suggestion mad and "an insult."--Used by permission of Religion Today
Attempt to Expel Missionaries
Friday, October 6, 2000Missionaries should be expelled from India, says a prominent Hindu leader. K.S. Sudarshan said the government should establish an all-Indian church and tell foreign missionaries "to pack up and go," according to the Guardian, a British tabloid. Sudarshan is a leader of the radical Hindu Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh spiritual organization, which has close ties to the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Hindu ruling political party.
India should establish a state-sanctioned church similar to China's, Sudarshan said in a speech to 21,000 followers. India's Catholic Church should be severed from the Vatican and submit only to government authorities, he said.
Catholics and Protestants have been the targets of a "well orchestrated campaign of hate and calumny" in recent years, Christian leaders told the Guardian. Radical Hindus, with the tacit approval of government officials, have attacked Christians and their churches and homes, they said.--Used by permission of Religion Today
--Used by permission of Religion Today
© 2001 by Eyler Robert Coates, Sr.
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