Voice of the Martyrs (VOM), a ministry that provides support and advocacy for members of the persecuted Church around the world, is reporting that cases of attacks by militant Hindus against Christians are on the rise in India. Recently a group of Hindu fundamentalists attacked a Christian missionary compound, severely injuring several people.
In the latest attack, Hindu militants stormed the facility of the Gospel Echoing Missionary Society, the largest indigenous Christian missionary agency in eastern India. Before that attack, a mob of about 800 Hindu fundamentalists held the compound under siege for several days.
VOM's Todd Nettleton says such incidents of violence against Christians are happening all over India. "And it's a very concerning thing for us," he adds, "as we watch a country that five years ago we did not list as a restricted nation or a hostile area, and today we're seeing more and more persecution there."
Nettleton says several factors contribute to the violence. "There is definitely a more radical form of Hinduism," he points out. "The government that was replaced earlier this year was a radical Hindu government, a Hindu nationalist party, and so there has been more radical Hinduism within the society."
What that means, the VOM spokesman explains, is that "there's a lot more political clout by radical Hindus. So we're seeing these attacks, and really not seeing a lot of consequences for those who are attacking Christians."
Nettleton notes that the World Hindu Council recently called for a comprehensive law banning religious conversions in India. Meanwhile, reports of Christian church leaders being threatened and village churches being destroyed by local Hindus continue to be a daily reality in India.
Voice of the Martyrs (www.persecution.com)
© 2005, Agape Press, Used with permission, all rights reserved.
