Christmas Season Brings Increased Persecution for Christians in India
ICC Note:
As the Christmas season comes into full swing around the world, Christians in India find themselves under increasing persecution. Since BJP and Modi took control of the government in May, attacks on Christians and other minorities in India have dramatically increased. Will 2015 see improvement or will India continue to become more anti-Christian?
12/24/2014 India (Crossmap) - Christmas-related anti-Christian violence and harassment have begun as Hindu extremists undertake an aggressive effort to "reconvert" tribal people to Hinduism, sources said.
Police arrested and Hindu extremists attacked Christians in three Christmas-related incident in three states the past two weeks.
"Christians in India are apprehensive of having a peaceful Christmas amid this wave of attacks as the right-wing groups are also becoming more aggressive in their mass conversion program that is taking place in different parts of India," the Rev. Bhupendra Kohra, a church leader in central India, told Morning Star News. "We are fearful but we are praying."
Police on Wednesday (Dec. 17) arrested 16 Christians, including four women, as they celebrated Christmas in Navipur, Pipraich, Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, Liris Thomas of Alliance Defending Freedom-India (ADF-India) told Morning Star News.
"They were taken to the police station at about 10 a.m., and they were detained till 3:30 a.m. the next morning," Thomas said.
All the Christians except Pastor Amit Kumar were released without charges, with the pastor being held for "disturbing the peace" and his belongs confiscated, Thomas said(Keep Reading).
Hope that my Indian Brethren in Christ have a very merry Christmas even in the midst of their persecution.
As the Christmas season comes into full swing around the world, Christians in India find themselves under increasing persecution. Since BJP and Modi took control of the government in May, attacks on Christians and other minorities in India have dramatically increased. Will 2015 see improvement or will India continue to become more anti-Christian?
12/24/2014 India (Crossmap) - Christmas-related anti-Christian violence and harassment have begun as Hindu extremists undertake an aggressive effort to "reconvert" tribal people to Hinduism, sources said.
Police arrested and Hindu extremists attacked Christians in three Christmas-related incident in three states the past two weeks.
"Christians in India are apprehensive of having a peaceful Christmas amid this wave of attacks as the right-wing groups are also becoming more aggressive in their mass conversion program that is taking place in different parts of India," the Rev. Bhupendra Kohra, a church leader in central India, told Morning Star News. "We are fearful but we are praying."
Police on Wednesday (Dec. 17) arrested 16 Christians, including four women, as they celebrated Christmas in Navipur, Pipraich, Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, Liris Thomas of Alliance Defending Freedom-India (ADF-India) told Morning Star News.
"They were taken to the police station at about 10 a.m., and they were detained till 3:30 a.m. the next morning," Thomas said.
All the Christians except Pastor Amit Kumar were released without charges, with the pastor being held for "disturbing the peace" and his belongs confiscated, Thomas said(Keep Reading).
Hope that my Indian Brethren in Christ have a very merry Christmas even in the midst of their persecution.
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