A Christian holds a candle during a vigil to show solidarity with the nun who was
raped during an armed assault on a convent school, in New Delhi March 16, 2015.
raped during an armed assault on a convent school, in New Delhi March 16, 2015.
By Sarah Stone
Christian Today
Samari Kasabi, a 55-year-old Christian, was recently stripped naked, beaten to death and then burnt by her neighbours in her village in the Chhattisgarh region of India. It is feared she was murdered for being a Christian.
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has made speeches underlining that his government gives 'equal respect to all religions', has this week won the Reader's Poll for TIME person of the year – being seen by 18 per cent of voters as the person who has had the largest global impact over the last 12 months (beating all other nominees by more than 10 per cent). Yet, under his government, Christians in India are facing increased violence, attacks and restrictions.
India ranks at number 17 on Christian charity Open Door's World Watch List this year – the highest it has ever been. The Rev Dr Richard Howell of the Evangelical Fellowship of India says that, "Political Hinduism has arrived and majoritarian persecution has begun... Every week there are three to four incidents of mobs attacking Christians."Indian church planters supported by UK charity BMS World Mission have reported being imprisoned, forced to flee their homes and attacked because of their faith and their work sharing the gospel. Some have even had family members murdered. New converts have been subject to acid attacks, violence and exclusion from their communities.
Anti-conversion laws are now in place in five states in India. These laws target only conversion away from Hinduism, becoming a Hindu is seen rather as a 'home-coming'. According to Open Doors, even in some states where there is currently no anti-conversion law, such as Maharashtra and Jharkhand, there are still structures in place to monitor and restrict Christians.
No comments:
Post a Comment