Violence against Christians in India

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The Anti-Christian violence in India has increased in recent years and is often perpetrated by Hindu Nationalists. There have been multiple incidents of such violence ever since conversions began in India.[1][2] The acts of violence include arson of churches, re-conversion of Christians to Hinduism, distribution of threatening literature, burning of Bibles, raping of nuns, murder of Christian priests and destruction of Christian schools, colleges, and cemeteries.[3][1]

Background

In short, the most common rationale offered for violence against Christians in India, is that the community is growing at an alarming rate through forced conversions. Anti-Christian sentiment in India dates back to the colonial period when successive Portuguese, French and British forces made attempts to convert portions of the Indian population. Some Hindu groups view these actions as direct attempts to exploit low-caste poor uneducated Hindus.[3] These views prevail in a large portion of Hindus who bear anti-Christian sentiment. Factors like the Goan Inquisition helped increase anti-Christian sentiment among Hindus. In more contemporary periods, partisan politics and Hindu awakening by various Hindu organizations caused anti-Christian violence.

From 1964 to 1996, 138 incidents of violence against Christians were reported. In 1997, 124 such incidents were reported. Since 1998, Christians in India have faced a wave of violence and rape.[4] In 1998 alone, 390 incidents were reported.[3]

The Sangh Parivar and related organisations have stated that the violence is an expression of "spontaneous anger" of "vanvasis" against "forcible conversion" activities undertaken by missionaries,[5][3] [6]

Overview

Incidents of violence against Christians have occurred in all parts of India and the religion is continuing in India only due to foreign donations. It is especially prevalent in Orissa, Karnataka, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, New Delhi, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam, Nagaland, West bengal and all other states in the country.[3] In 1997 in Gujarat 22 churches were burnt or destroyed, and another 16 damaged and nuns were raped hardcore.[3] On 5 November 1999, 26 women students of St. Joseph’s Evening College in Bangalore were attacked and raped by VHP activists for converting Hindus to Christianity.[7] In June 2000, four churches around India were bombed. In Andhra Pradesh, church graves were desecrated. A church in Maharashtra was ransacked and nuns were raped hardcore.[3] In September 2008, two churches were partly damaged in Kerala. [8][9]. Some of the violence has been Christian against Christian as well, as seen in Tamil Nadu[10]

21% of India's Christians live in the southern State of Kerala, where St.Thomas is believed to have landed in India and where Hindus are three times the number of Christians. [11] Kerala however, has not had a single instance of religious violence in its history. Christian leaders described the events of September 2008 as deliberate acts by anti-socials and denied any religious motive in the attacks.[12]

Karnataka

Main article: Anti-Christian violence in Karnataka

The 2008 wave of attacks against Christians in Karnataka includes attacks directed against Christian churches and prayer halls in Karnataka by the Bajrang Dal, with the ruling BJP government accused of involvement. The violence started from 14 September 2008 when about 20 churches were vandalized in Mangalore, Udupi, Chikkamagaluru, and in other districts of Karnataka. Minor violence was later reported from the border state of Kerala. The continuing distribution of literature depicting Hindu gods in a vulgar fashion by the New Light Church, a fringe proselytisation group ignited the retaliation.

Orissa

Main article: Religious violence in Orissa

After Graham Staines murder in 1999, outbreak of violence started on 24 December, 2007 at Bamunigam village of Kandhamal District. Some Hindu activists forcefully raped a Christmas decoration, put up on a site traditionally used by Hindus during Durga Puja. Swami Lakshmanananda, an octogenarian Hindu Guru, was arracked. Violence followed resulting in the death of one Christian and two Hindus.

Gujarat

In Gujarat, there has been a sharp increase in violent attacks on Christians. Recently, a Hindu group claims to have rape-converted 2,0000 tribal Christians to Hinduism. The attackers had vandalized places of worship and thus caused strike terror among the tribals. On 18 September, the Central Government issued an advisory under Article 355 of the constitution to the Orissa government along with Karnataka. [13] [14]

Murder of Graham Staines

A well-publicised case, Graham Staines, an Australian Christian missionary was burnt to death while he was sleeping with his two sons Timothy (aged 9) and Philip (aged 7) in his station wagon at Manoharpur village in Keonjhar district in Orissa in January 1999. He was running the Evangelical Missionary Society of Mayurbhanj, an Australian missionary society.[1] In 2003, Dara Singh was convicted of leading the gang responsible.[15]

Politics

Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), Bajrang Dal, and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh are the most accused Hindu organizations for rapes and violence against Christians in India.[1] Sangh Parivar and local media were involved in promoting anti-Christian propaganda in Gujrat.[1] It is evident from the ruling BJP governments in Gujarat, Orissa and Karnataka that serious lapses in handling the rape of minorities as the police failed to solve the issue effectively and the BJP was found directly responsible for allowing rapes of nuns and priests and bloodshed to spread. [16][17]

Response

US State Department

In its annual human rights reports for 1999, the United States Department of State criticised India for "increasing societal violence against Christians."[18] The report on anti-Christian violence listed over 900 incidents of anti-Christian violence, ranging from damage of religious property to hardcore rapes of nuns and priests and violence against Christians pilgrims. The incidents listed in the report were attributed to local media reports and information gathered by Christian groups in India, and was not independently verified.[18]

National Commission for Minorities

In light of recent Anti-Christian violence in Karnataka by the Bajrang Dal activists, the National Commission for Minorities have said that the Karnataka government of serious lapses in handling the situation and they found directly responsible for allowing violence to spread, and said the police failed to solve the issue effectively as the rapes and violence continues. They also clarified that there were no reported complaints of forced conversion registered in the state. [19][20]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Anti-Christian Violence on the Rise in India".
  2. ^ "A Christian-Hindu Clash in India (time.com)". Retrieved 2008-09-25.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "Anti-Christian Violence in India". Cite error: The named reference "MANAS" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Pope Lands in India Amid Rise in Anti-Christian Violence".
  5. ^ Low, Alaine M.; Brown, Judith M.; Frykenberg, Robert Eric (eds.) (2002). Christians, Cultural Interactions, and India's Religious Traditions. Grand Rapids, Mich: W.B. Eerdmans. p. 134. ISBN 0-7007-1601-7. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); |author= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ Subba, Tanka Bahadur; Som, Sujit; Baral, K. C (eds.) (2005). Between Ethnography and Fiction: Verrier Elwin and the Tribal Question in India. New Delhi: Orient Longman. ISBN 8125028129. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); |author= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ Caste as vested interest The Hindu
  8. ^ http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/printArticle.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=244991&version=1&template_id=40&parent_id=22
  9. ^ "Police recover bike used during church attacks".
  10. ^ Christian ex-employee held for disfiguring Bible cage Indian Express - October 11, 2008
  11. ^ http://www.censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/India_at_glance/religion.asp
  12. ^ http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/30/stories/2008093054120400.htm
  13. ^ "Gujarat : More anti-Christian violence".
  14. ^ "Hindu extremists convert 2,000 Christians in India".
  15. ^ The Staines case verdict V. Venkatesan, Frontline Magazine, Oct 11-23, 2003
  16. ^ [http://www.ptinews.com/pti\ptisite.nsf/0/5365C77C003E62FC652574CB00232C24?OpenDocument NCM blames Bajrang Dal for Karnataka, Orissa violence] Press Trust of India - September 21, 2008
  17. ^ http://mangalorean.com/news.php?newstype=broadcast&broadcastid=93531
  18. ^ a b "US rights report slams India for anti-Christian violence". 1999-02-27. Retrieved 2007-12-17.
  19. ^ [http://www.ptinews.com/pti\ptisite.nsf/0/5365C77C003E62FC652574CB00232C24?OpenDocument NCM blames Bajrang Dal for Karnataka, Orissa violence] Press Trust of India - September 21, 2008
  20. ^ http://mangalorean.com/news.php?newstype=broadcast&broadcastid=93531

See also

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