St George’s Syro-Malabar Forane Church, Kerala, India. (Photo: Getty/iStock)
Christmas can be a dangerous time for Christians across the globe. In Turkey over 100 suspected ISIS members were arrested on for allegedly plotting Christmas attacks, while in Nigeria a Catholic bishop warned earlier this year that massacres during Christian festivals is becoming “customary” in parts of the country.
The “world’s largest democracy” is also not immune, with International Christian Concern (ICC) reporting more than 80 incidents in India, some of them violent.
ICC said that the majority of incidents involved Hindu extremists associated with groups like Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Bajrang Dal, a militant wing of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP).
Disruption of Christian events, intimidation, attacks and anti-Christmas speeches have taken place all over the country.
In a shopping centre in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, Christmas decorations were vandalised by a group of almost 90 men.
In the same state an umbrella body of tribal and social organizations demanded action against what it called “illegal conversions”.
Many Indian states have “anti-conversion” laws. Theoretically such laws are to protect people from being converted by force, coercion or bribery. In practice such laws are used to target Christians and other minorities and to prevent people leaving Hinduism. No one has ever been punished or sanctioned for converting someone towards Hinduism.
In Kerala, a state generally considered more Christian friendly, an alleged RSS supporter attacked a group of children taking part in a Christmas carol procession, destroying their musical instruments.
Th attack, which was reported by The News Minute, was brushed aside by Kerala’s BJP state leader C. Krishnakumar, who accused the children of being a “drunken criminal gang”.
The BJP is the party of India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi and is closely associated with the RSS. Modi has been criticised for his failure to prevent anti-Christian persecution and has been blamed for his actions as chief minister of Gujarat in 2002 when deadly communal violence led to over 1,000 deaths.
TV journalist, Rajdeep Sardesai has spoken out against the attacks on Christians all over the country.
“Christmas is a festival of joy celebrated across the world and in India with good cheer. To then target a minority in this country with such impunity exposes the mindset that to me is bigoted and anti-constitutional,” he said.
He added, “Rather than acting sternly against them, their political patrons in power today simply look the other way or worse still seem to endorse this wild behaviour. Make no mistake, these goons are a national and global shame and embarrassment to the idea of this great country as a plural, inclusive society.”
The spokesperson of the Bombay Catholic Sabha, Dolphy D’Souza, said, according to ICC, “Attacks (on Christians) are not isolated law-and-order issues. They strike at the heart of our Constitution — at the freedom of conscience, the right to profess and practice religion, and the right to worship without fear.”
