(Photo: Getty/iStock)
India, often dubbed ‘the world’s largest democracy’, continues to be a country of significant concern when it comes to anti-Christian persecution.
Currently ranked the 11th worst persecutor of Christianity worldwide by Open Doors – above Communist China and Islamist Saudi Arabia – the actions of Hindu extremists in the country continue to take their toll on believers.
In two recent incidents, a bus full of missionaries was accosted by Hindus, while elsewhere a Christian community is being reduced to poverty by their neighbours due to their refusal to worship idols.
On 23 October, a group of missionaries were travelling to the village of Juthana, to which they had been invited by local residents.
Screams of distress are audible on footage of the incident circulating online. According to one source the missionaries were attacked for “attempting religious conversions by offering money & insulting hindu gods”, reports Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW).
Police initially did little to intervene, and while no-one was hurt, eight police officers have been suspended for their failure to act properly.
CSW’s Founder President Mervyn Thomas said, “This brutal attack is a sad reminder of the growing intolerance faced by peaceful religious minorities in regions already fraught with tension.
“We call on the authorities in Jammu and Kashmir to ensure that justice is served and to guarantee the safety of all minorities, regardless of their religion or belief.”
In a small fishing village in the south of India, Christians are facing the third month of a social and economic boycott from their Hindu neighbours.
The boycott began when the Christians in the village refused to provide funding for a temple for the village goddess. Christians were denied access to communal fishing areas and not permitted to attend social gatherings or access essential goods and services, says Open Doors.
Even relatives of the Christians have refused to speak to them, as doing so will incur a fine. Around 100 families are victims of the boycott, which has forced them to travel great distances to perform even the most basic economic functions.
A local Christian housewife told Open Doors, “We are not able to talk to people next to our door. If we do so, we will be fined. When we go to the shop, they refused to sell items. Due to this, we struggle a lot to lead our daily lives.
“We feel very sad that we are now treated as aliens in the place where we have been living together for years.”
Typically, non-Hindus are not required to contribute towards the construction of temples or idols, however local Hindu nationalists made the demand. The police have suggested reconciliation talks, but the Hindu nationalists have refused such requests.
