India: Christian Children Threatened, Abused in Series of Attacks

Religion Today | Published: Apr 20, 2012

India: Christian Children Threatened, Abused in Series of Attacks

April 23, 2012

Christian children were chased by knife-wielding Muslims, and a pastor had chili powder thrown in his eyes by Hindu extremists who gagged and bound his son -- these are just two of a number of violent attacks on Christians in India in the past three weeks, Barnabas Fund reports. On March 30, around 100 Muslims forced their way into a prayer meeting in a Christian couple's home, beating up many of the men and women and chasing them all -- including their children -- with a knife for about a half-hour, blocking their attempts to escape while a crowd of about 500 Muslims watched. On Easter Sunday, Hindu extremists attacked a pastor and his family in their home, gagging and binding the pastor's son while others threw chili powder in his eyes. On April 2, Hindu extremists went to a government school and announced a reward for children who had Christian literature in their homes. They harassed the children who said they did and summoned their parents, threatening to expel them from the village if they continued to go to church. The next day, the Hindus raided the Christian houses and tore up the texts they found, then locked 12 Christian families out of their homes for three days. The Indian police are often complicit in anti-Christian persecution, sometimes harassing Christians themselves, and according to Sajan George of the Global Council of Indian Christians, the country's Christian minority is living in "a climate of terror."

India: Christian Children Threatened, Abused in Series of Attacks