12/05/2020 India (International Christian Concern) – According to Asia News, Christian leaders in India have expressed concern over a reported “reconversion” of 23 Christians to Hinduism in Karnataka state. During the ceremony, anti-Christian rhetoric was used and threats were issued by members of India’s ruling political party.
On November 29, 23 Christians were “reconverted” to Hinduism in a ceremony held in Haliyal Taluk. The ceremony was attended and led by a representatives of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) named Anant Kumar Hegde and Suneel Hegde.
Speaking at the ceremony, Hedge said, “The conversion of Dalits and tribals to Christianity will be opposed tooth and nail. More such people will be brought back to the Hindu fold. I request those who are converting Hindus to desist, or else they will face the repercussions.”
“Such political manipulation of religion must be strongly condemned,” Sajan K. George, President of the Global Council of Indian Christians, told Asia News. “The outcry against missionaries is just propaganda designed to mobilize people for the Hindutva cause.”
Hindu nationalist leaders frequently use the false claim of fraudulent mass conversions to Christianity to justify actions taken against India’s Christian minority. According to these nationalists, Christians are accused of converting poor Hindus to Christianity in mass by fraudulent means.
Due to growing religious intolerance and the normalization of religiously motivated violence, many radical Hindu nationalists view all religious conversions to non-Hindu faiths as fraudulent. In an increasing number of cases, radical Hindu nationalists equate all non-Hindu religious activity with forced or fraudulent conversions.
