Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20520
Fax: (202) 261-8577
Phone: (202) 647-4000
Email: secretary@state.gov
Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) strongly condemns the gang rape of two Christian women in Nadia village, Khargone district, Madhya Pradesh, and the attempts to force Christians in the village to surrender their faith.
At 10pm on 28 May, a group of five Hindu men dragged the wives of two Christians out of their homes, and gang-raped them. As the women's husbands tried to intervene, they were brutally beaten. Pastor Kailash Davar of Khargone described the attack as unprovoked.
The attack on the women came after the council of a neighbouring village attempted to force Gokharya Barela, the husband of one of the victims, to renounce his faith, and warned him to leave the village. According to a report by Compass Direct, the head of the Sirvil village council, Pandya Patel, then told villagers that they could rape the Christian women in the village, claiming that nobody would save them.
Nobody is known to have been arrested yet, although police are believed to be investigating the attack.
According to Dr John Dayal, Secretary General of CSW partners the All India Christian Council and a member of the government's National Integration Council, this attack "has to be seen both in terms of the religious intolerance of the Sangh Parivar and in the pattern of violence against women, the most vulnerable section of our society. On both counts, it must be condemned in the strongest of terms".
The attack is the latest example of the widespread and violent persecution of the Christian minority in Madhya Pradesh, which has continued unabated throughout 2006.
CSW's National Director, Stuart Windsor, said: "We strongly condemn this appalling attack against vulnerable Christian women, and our deepest sympathy goes to the victims. The pattern of violent attacks against Christians in Madhya Pradesh is a matter of grave concern. We call on the authorities to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice and that the Christian minority across the state is protected from further assaults."
NOTES TO EDITOR:
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Sixteen Christians were last week acquitted by the courts in Alirajpur, Jhabua district of Madhya Pradesh after facing charges including murder, attempted murder and arson following a week of communal violence against Christians in January 2004. Advocate Salavudeen Sheikh, counsel for the accused, outlined that Judge Shaida Bano Rahman had acquitted all sixteen Christians due to lack of evidence. He added: "It was a very tough case as the administration was hell bent on trapping the innocent victims."
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On April 7, the Government of Rajasthan, India, became the sixth state in India to enact an anti-conversion law.
The law will be implemented as soon as its rules have been framed. Christian, Dalit and civil rights groups are planning to challenge the law in the Supreme Court as soon as this happens.
The Rajasthan Dharma Swatantraya (Freedom of Religion) Act outlaws any attempt to convert a person from one religion to another ‘by use of force or by allurement or by fraudulent means’. The punishments specified by the law are a prison term of ‘not less than two years’ or a fine of up to 50,000 rupees (approximately $1160).
The law is ostensibly intended to ‘maintain harmony amongst persons of various religions’. However, it is feared the opposite will take place.
In other Indian states with anti-conversion legislation, Christians have been the targets of widespread attacks from Hindu extremists. These extremists often accuse Christians of converting people by ‘force’ or ‘fraud’. Laws such as this, which give credence to this rhetoric, make the Christians more vulnerable to accusations and attacks.
Critics fear that the law will seriously threaten the activities of religious minorities. Although none are advocating the right to convert people by unscrupulous or coercive means, they feel that the law contains a number of deep flaws which will damage religious freedom.
The terms used in the bill are extremely vague and could easily be used to restrict a wide range of religious activities. For example, the bill seeks to prevent people from attempting to convert others by ‘allurement’. This could inhibit charitable work, especially among Dalits and the more vulnerable sections of society. Additionally, the fact that even attempting to convert others is outlawed threatens any religious propagation.
Critics also claim the new law is targeted especially at Dalits, restricting their freedom of faith. It defines a person’s religion as that of their forefathers, and therefore obstructs them from adopting a different religion from that of their parents. Because Dalits are born into the rigid caste system, the law limits their freedom to adopt a religion according to choice, and thereby move out of the caste system.
Critics suggest that because this law threatens religious and charitable activities, it has serious implications for the freedom of faith for Dalits, and will contribute to their subjugation.
Alexa Papadouris, Advocacy Director at CSW-UK, said, ‘The introduction of this law is deeply concerning, and an affront to India’s constitutionally protected religious freedom. We call on the international community to fully support those in India who are protesting against this law and other anti-conversion laws in India, to safeguard the full religious freedom of all India’s citizens.’
NOTES TO EDITORS
Christians are estimated to make up no more than 100,000 of Rajasthan’s population of 70 million.
This year has already seen widespread attacks on Christians in Rajasthan at the hands of Hindu extremists.
India’s constitution protects the right ‘to freely profess, practice and propagate religion’.
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On 5 April, the case for equal rights for Dalit Christians will again come before the Indian Supreme Court. However, the Commission appointed by the Government to investigate this issue has stated that it will not release its report until the end of April.
At the upcoming hearing, former law ministers Shanti Bhusan and Ram Jethmalani will argue that because the Indian Constitution prohibits discrimination on the basis of religion, the adoption of the Christian faith by Dalits cannot be used as a basis for withholding the affirmative action benefits enjoyed by Dalits of Hindu, Buddhist or Sikh background.
However, former BJP law minister Arun Jaitley has been appointed by the Hindu extremist group, the RSS, to argue against extending equal rights to Dalit Christians.
The Supreme Court case, brought by the Centre for Public Interest Litigation, had sought to remove decades of discrimination against Dalits who embrace Christianity. The Supreme Court announced it would examine the constitutional validity of current legislation, which deprives Dalits who convert to Christianity or Islam of the rights afforded to Dalits of Hindu, Buddhist and Sikh background.
If the court finds in favor of Dalit Christians, the Government will be compelled to change the current legislation. Following a court hearing in August 2005, the Government announced the appointment of the Mishra Commission to investigate this issue, but the Commission has stated it will not submit its report until late April 2006.
The Supreme Court said it would not link the findings of the Commission with the litigation before the court.
Members of all parties except the Hindu nationalist BJP have openly supported a change in the law.
Tina Lambert, CSW’s Advocacy Director, said, “This court case provides the Indian Government with an ideal opportunity to address a grave injustice suffered by Dalit Christians. It is vital that the international community join CSW and others in calling for a change in the law to allow full freedom of faith to Dalits”.
NOTES TO EDITORS:
About 17 percent of India’s population (around 180 million people) are Dalits (formerly known as untouchables), and around 60 percent of India’s estimated 25 million Christians are Dalits.
Dalits have faced centuries of oppression at the hands of the upper castes. They perform the most menial and hazardous jobs in India, and many Dalit women are sold into prostitution. Many restaurants keep separate drinking vessels for Dalit use, and Dalits often live downstream of the higher castes, as they are considered a polluting influence. This segregation even extended to the relief camps set up in south-east India following the 2004 tsunami.
In 1950, in an effort to address some of the injustices faced by the Dalit community, the Government introduced an order which bestowed Scheduled Caste status on Dalits.
As a result, Dalits have been given some benefits such as quotas of reserved places in government, in employment, education, housing and the distribution of agricultural land. This affirmative action system is known in India as reservation.
However, the 1950 order contained the proviso that if Dalits converted from Hinduism to another religion, they would lose their Scheduled Caste status.
The law has been altered once in 1956 to include Sikhs, and again in 1990 to include Buddhists, but Christian and Muslim Dalits are still denied equal rights even with other Dalits.
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CSW recently met with a pastor in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh state, who was brutally assaulted by Hindu extremists on February 28, resulting in his hospitalization.
The attack on Pastor Lavete Jacob took place during the fourteenth birthday party of a church member. A group of around 15 Hindu extremists entered the family home in which the celebration was taking place, locked the doors and began to beat him with sticks. He sustained a head injury and broken ribs during the assault, which lasted 20 minutes.
Jacob’s wife and daughters, together with the girl celebrating her birthday, were beaten while trying to defend him.
The attackers also tore down Christian posters, took away Bibles and threatened the Christians, saying they should leave the vicinity.
A complaint was lodged with the police, who arrested five men. All were subsequently released on bail.
This attack was not the first which Pastor Jacob had faced. After preaching a sermon during the Hindu festival of Bonalu in 2005, he was accosted by Hindu extremists and warned not to continue preaching. Then, on March 18, 2005, he was returning from a house visit, when he was confronted with a group of around 30 men, 15 of whom beat him with sticks and struck his head with a stone, leaving him unconscious on the road.
Pastor Jacob identified his recent assailants as the same as those who beat him 10 days earlier. He was nevertheless determined to continue working in his church, despite the attack.
Andhra Pradesh saw relatively few attacks against Christians in 2005, despite the murders of pastors K. Daniel and Isaac Raju. However, 2006 has already seen a number of violent atrocities against Christians.
Alexa Papadouris, CSW-UK’s Advocacy Director, said, “We strongly condemn the repeated violence which Pastor Jacob and his family have suffered. We call on the Indian authorities to ensure that all members of this mob, which has carried out a serious of brutal attacks on innocent Christians, be called to justice, in order to restore the faith of the community in their freedom to worship, as guaranteed in the Indian Constitution.”
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Speakers at a mass rally held in the Dangs district of Gujarat State, western India, have called for a nationwide anti-conversion law. Organizers estimated some 300,000 Hindu activists and fundamentalists from outside the district gathered at the Shabri Kumbh for the ‘reawakening’ event. About 185,000 people, mostly tribals, live in the area, and the festival was organized to encourage them to “re-convert” to Hinduism.
While calling for a ban on conversions seems inconsistent with this aim, the Hindu fundamentalists believe that conversion to Hinduism is a ‘homecoming’, rather than conversion per se. Their actions are to some extent motivated by alarm at the number of people embracing Christianity or Islam. Praveen Togadia, General Secretary of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (World Hindu Council) said the conversion of tribal people was part of a plot to abolish the Hindu faith, and that this would no longer be tolerated.
On the last day of the event, February 13th, the organizers passed a resolution which called on the national government to pass a nationwide anti-conversion law. State anti-conversion laws are currently in place in Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh and Chhattisgarh states. A law has been enacted in Gujarat, though it is not yet in force, and similar laws are expected to be proposed in Rajasthan and Jharkhand states.
The former BJP Government had promised to introduce a nationwide law, but lost power at the 2004 General Election. Compass Direct also reports that speakers called on tribal Christians to revert to Hinduism and that speakers from the VHP and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) shouted slogans calling on Hindus to take up arms against Christians. The run-up to the event had been characterized by inflammatory anti-minority propaganda, and organizers used the slogan “Hindu Jago, Christi Bhagao” (“Arise Hindus, throw out the Christians”) to stir up inter-communal tensions.
Groups such as the All Indian Christian Council had been concerned about outbreaks of violence and had met with the Indian Home Office Minister to express their fears. So far no violence has been reported, with a heavy military presence in the area to keep the peace. Riot police had been posted outside churches and temples and many local people stayed well away from the area where the event was held.
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An Indian priest needed 17 stitches after being attacked at the altar of his church on Christmas Eve.
The Reverend Father Saji Abraham was preparing to conduct a service at St. Thomas Orthodox Church, Banswara, Rajasthan. When he went to the sacristy to put aside the holy bread for use during the worship, he was followed by three men.
He asked them to remain outside, but was attacked with metal rods. The priest fell down under the force of the blows, suffering heavy bleeding from his head injuries. When he regained consciousness, he rang church members for help on his mobile phone. He was taken to hospital where he was last reported to be in a critical condition.
On the same day, a Christian driver in Ahmedabad, Gujarat , was reportedly attacked when he asked for a salary advance to celebrate Christmas. Robinson Joseph had petrol poured over him and was set on fire. He suffered about 26 percent burns and was admitted to hospital. The All India Christian Council (AICC) took up his case with the local police, but was told the accused had fled.
There have been a number of other incidents in India over the last few weeks where Christians have been threatened or attacked. Again in Gujarat , anti-Christian pamphlets and books accused Christians of forcibly converting Hindus from poor backgrounds in the south of the state. On December 18, the police arrested a man allegedly working for an organization linked to the militant Hindu Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) after he was found distributing such leaflets.
In Rajasthan, two Christian pastors were attacked on December 10 on their way to a prayer service by a group which accused them of converting others. The police protected the men from the attackers who reportedly belonged to the Hindu extremist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) group.
Also in Rajasthan, a Christian orphanage in Baran reported in early December that it may have to relocate because of anti-Christian threats. Despite police protection, tensions in the region have forced the orphanage to relocate the children.
Dr Joseph D'Souza, President of the All India Christian Council, said: "On behalf of the All India Christian Council, I want to express my deep concern and sorrow for this type of persecution against Christians and other minorities that continues across the nation of India . Despite a new and secular government elected in 2004, we maintain our outcry against the activities of extreme Hindutva followers who insist on inciting violence. The All India Christian Council stands by those who have been attacked and will do everything within our power to bring justice in these situations."
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Indian Christians continue to be attacked in India on an almost daily basis.
On October 5 two Indian missionary pastors serving with Gospel for Asia (GFA) were beaten and kidnapped by a group of militant Hindus in Chattisgarh state, central India .
The two, named Tulsiram and Vijay, were preparing to baptize 32 new believers when they were attacked. After beating the two missionaries, the attackers dragged them out of the village and took them to an unknown location. It is reported that the kidnapping was part of a plan to stop them from continuing ministry in the village.
Vijay managed to escape and ran nearly 25 miles to tell the GFA district leader about the incident. The 32 believers whom they were planning to baptise were the first converts of his ministry in the village, so the attack seems to have been deliberately timed.
After being badly beaten and threatened, Tulsiram was released the next day.
At the end of September, a group of Hindu militants in India 's southern state of Karnataka threatened to kill an Indian pastor in front of his family and to torture church members as part of a widespread campaign against missionaries.
Pastor Kumar had received threats from anti-Christian groups over the past few weeks in the village where he and his family arrived two years ago to preach the gospel and to establish a church. The militants had also threatened that anyone who went to the church - including the 40 new believers over the last two years - would be killed.
On October 1 they threatened Pastor Kumar that if he went to church to lead the service that Sunday (October 3) they would kill him in front of his family. In the end the pastor and the other believers, following police advice, stayed away from the church and met elsewhere in secret.
These attacks follow other disturbing incidents in late September. On September 25 a group of nuns and priests from Mother Teresa's order, the Missionaries of Charity, were attacked by suspected militant Hindus in the state of Kerala, southern India .
They had been visiting a slum area on the outskirts of the city of Kozhikode to bring food for the inhabitants.
They were attacked by a small group suspected of belonging to Hindu militant groups. The group was shouting slogans in support of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has links with Hindu militant groups such as the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
According to reports, the City Police Commissioner confirmed he believed that RSS and BJP activists were behind the attack. Although the culprits escaped at the time, by October 7 the police had made 12 arrests in connection with the attacks.
The RSS issued a statement denying any involvement. It did, however, take advantage of the situation to demand a probe into alleged conversions by Christian groups - even though conversions are allowed by the Indian constitution.
These two incidents follow on from a spate of others around India over the last months. Despite victory for the Congress-led coalition in May's general election, which many believed would be beneficial for non-Hindus, attacks from those believed to be Hindu militants have continued unabated.
Sam Paul of the All India Christian Council said: "The previous BJP-led regime had been indifferent to the attacks on the minorities by groups like the RSS. This encouraged those groups to continue with their attacks. The current United Progressive Alliance government has promised to take action to prevent such attacks, and we are hopeful that it will do so".
NOTES TO EDITORS:
On August 28, also in Kerala, a Roman Catholic priest, Father Job Chittilappilly, was killed. He had been threatened in the period leading up to the attack by phone calls because of his alleged spreading of the Christian message and his pastoral activities among Hindu families. The police ruled out robbery as a motive because nothing was taken. The crime investigators said the murder was likely to have been a deliberate execution. A 25-year-old man later arrested in connection with the murder is reported to have strong links to Hindu militant groups.
On August 22, armed assailants attacked and beat up a Father John Sunderam, in Jharkhand state. The attack left him in a coma. Another priest, Father Albanus Tirkey, was hospitalized.
On August 26, a group of 300 Hindu militants stormed the Church of Our Lady of Charity in the town of Raikia , in Orissa state. The attackers burst into the church and burned Bibles while tearing down the Tabernacle, destroying statues of saints, and damaging musical instruments, doors, windows, and other church property. Police were present but did not intervene.
Four young Christian women from a Bible college were attacked whilst handing out Gospel tracts in Orissa on August 13. Their attacker then tried to kidnap the wife of the pastor in charge of the team. When this failed, he went to the police and filed a false complaint against the Christians, leading the authorities to arrest the pastor and all four women. They were later released.
On September 12 a group of Hindu militants attacked a church in Udupi in Karnataka state. They attacked the Christians who had gathered to worship. Four Christians, including the church leader, Pastor Gopinathan, were injured and had to be taken to hospital. The militants also caused extensive damage inside the church.
On September 29 in Kerala, suspected militants vandalized the Saint Thomas Mar Thoma Church in the state capital Trivandrum .
Other minority communities have also suffered from violence recently. On August 28, six Muslims were hurt in blasts at two mosques in western India as unidentified men on motorcycles hurled bombs in two different locations in Maharashtra .
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Dear Friends,
Several Christians have been murdered and others attacked during the last few weeks. This is despite the hopes many had had for a better future after the defeat of the BJP-led government in May's general election. Would you join us in prayer and action on behalf of India 's Christians?
Father Job Chittilappilly
On 28 August, a Roman Catholic priest, Father Job Chittilappilly, was killed at his parish in the town of Thuruthiparambu in Kerala. He had received threatening phone calls in the period leading up to the attack because of his alleged proselytism and his pastoral activities among Hindu families. This suggests that the murder was premeditated and planned by Hindu militants. Furthermore, crime investigators said that the murder was likely to have been a deliberate execution.
Some days later a worker for the BJP [Bharatiya Janata Party], which has close links with Hindu militants, was arrested for the murder.
However, many local Christians believe that there were others involved in the murder and have called for the "real culprits" to be brought to justice.
Dr Jeremiah Sunder
Meanwhile, several Christians were killed in the town of Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh state, in north India , on 25 August. A mob of people burst into the house of Dr. Jeremiah Sunder, a 47 year old neurosurgeon and an active member of the local Christian community. The attackers killed Dr. Jeremiah along with his wife Hannah and his mother Pankajam.
The assailants also tried to kill Dr Jeremiah's two children who were at school, but were thwarted by the principal of the school who refused to let the mob have access to the children.
It is reported that the assailants had ties to a local politician belonging to the BJP.
The main reason for the attack appears to have been a dispute over land that Dr Sunder was trying to buy. However, since he was buying the land for Christian purposes (the land was to be for a nursing home), the incident may have had religious connotations as well.
Other Incidents
Other Christians have been attacked and at times severely wounded. On 22 August, armed assailants attacked and beat up a parish priest, Father John Sunderam, in Kubbu in Jharkhand state's Lohardaga district. The attack left him in a coma and another priest, Father Albanus Tirkey, hospitalised.
On 26 August, a group of 300 Hindu fundamentalists stormed the Church of Our Lady of Charity in the town of Raikia , in Orissa. The attackers burst into the church and burned Bibles while tearing down the Tabernacle, destroying statues of saints, and damaging musical instruments, doors, windows, and other church property. Police were present but did not intervene.
Other minority communities have also suffered from violence recently. On 28 August, six Muslims were hurt in blasts at two mosques in western India as unidentified men on motorcycles hurled bombs in Jalna town and the Parbhani district in Maharashtra .
There has been some good news. On 9 September three Gospel for Asia native missionaries captured by 'an anti-Christian mob' in the Indian state of Bihar , and threatened with death, were released.
New Law
The new Congress-led government has announced that it is planning a new law to protect religious minorities from communal violence and an initiative to establish a commission to enhance welfare, education and employment for minorities in India .
However, it remains to be seen whether the government, in the midst of its other commitments, and facing inevitable opposition from the BJP on the matter, will carry out its plan. CSW recently spoke with an Indian Congress MP and he was cautious about the chances of success.
Many thanks for your ongoing support and prayers.
Please Pray
Please pray for the safety of Christians in India , especially those who are particul
