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Indian government urged to tackle anti-Christian violence

Following a year of the most severe anti-Christian violence seen in post-independence India, particularly in Orissa and Karnataka states, a Christian human rights group has published a briefing on the situation, reports Michael Ireland, chief correspondent, ASSIST News Service.

Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) last week released its annual briefing on religiously-motivated violence and discrimination faced by the Christian community in India during 2008.

The briefing outlines the systematic outbreaks of violence against Christians in Orissa and Karnataka, and catalogues religiously-motivated attacks in other states.

It urges the government of India to implement the recommendations of the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief in the report of her 2008 mission to India, and highlights the need to tackle impunity in religiously-motivated violence and to investigate extremist groups involved in the propagation of violence.

It also calls on the Indian government to restore the eligibility of Dalit Christians and Muslims to be listed as 'Scheduled Castes,' which would allow violence against them to be litigated under a law designed to tackle particular forms of violence against Dalits, and for the repeal of state-level 'anti-conversion' laws.

John Dayal, Secretary General of the All India Christian Council (aicc) and a member of the government’s National Integration Council (NIC), said: "The anti-Christian attacks are always presumed to be sporadic and the Indian government refuses to see the pattern.

"However, the existence of anti-conversion laws, the state suspicion towards house churches, and the entire alienating vocabulary of the Hindu nationalist movement centered on 'conversion' and 'missionaries' promotes widespread suspicion towards Christians, which makes violence the easy next step. The ongoing patterns of violence, particularly in the states of Orissa, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh, show this very clearly."

Christian Solidarity Worldwide’s Chief Executive, Mervyn Thomas said: "Rightly, there have been weighty international expressions of concern about anti-Christian violence in India, particularly in Orissa state, including in the FCO’s Human Rights Report 2008 released today.

"We urge a continued international focus on this issue until the perpetrators and inciters of violence are brought to justice and the victims rehabilitated. However, anti-Christian violence in India should be seen in light of the wider concerns about anti-conversion laws, religious discrimination against Dalit Christians and Muslims, and the powerful anti-minority discourse of the Hindu nationalist movement.

"We strongly encourage the Indian government to tackle these concerns with a firm resolve, particularly by implementing the recommendations of the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief."

Ministry Leaders say Prayer Abated Expected Violence

Meanwhile, another Christian group that keeps tabs on the human rights of Christians in India, Friends of Orissa -- An Outreach Ministry of F.I.R.E. (Foundation for International Research and Education) -- says that while the Kandhamal district of Orissa was in danger of falling into violence as the result of the murder of a noted Hindu fundamentalist leader, the expected retribution did not take place.

"We're happy to report that, contrary to most predictions, there has been no violence against Christians as a result of this murder! We are confident that this is a result of the steadfast prayer and actions of Christians throughout the world who are supporting the persecuted church in Orissa," say Ted and Audrey Beckett, ministry Directors.

"One of our workers in Kandhamal has reported that 'since the date of the murder, the situation in Kandhamal district has remained completely normal...No aggravation of this incident has taken shape, except the coloring of the incidence by the political parties for the coming election'."

The Becketts say the situation "looked gravely dangerous in the immediate aftermath of the murder.

"Immediately following the murder, there was a protest by the RSS (a fundamentalist Hindu organization) in Radiguma village, where the murder took place. Following that, the RSS called for a bandh (the kind of strike that allowed for the murderous rioting in August 2008) to protest the murder statewide. This was coupled with anti-Christian speeches. The potential for violence greatly escalated."

But as the news spread throughout the Christian community about the impending crisis, the RSS decided to postpone the bandh indefinitely, the Becketts reported.

"To date, there has been no violence or uprising of any kind against Christians in Kandhamal!

"This calm is a true answer to your prayers. We have little doubt prayer directly helped protect the Christians in Orissa. As we continue to monitor the situation, please continue to pray for the persecuted Christians in Orissa."

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TAGS: India anti-Christian violence Christian human rights group persecution anti-conversion laws

[03/31/2009]

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