The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, has added his voice to calls for an immediate end to the violence being waged against Christians in India’s Orissa state.
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(Photo: AP Images / Saurabh Das)Christians and social activists protest against the recent communal violence in the eastern Indian state of Orissa, in New Delhi, India, Friday, Aug. 29, 2008. The protest by Christian institutions comes days after violence wracked eastern Orissa state where Christians have clashed with Hindu mobs targeting churches, businesses and homes. -
(Photo: AP Images / Biswaranjan Rout)A Christian girl salvages belongings from her burnt home at Minia village, about 320 kilometers (200 miles) from the Bhubaneshwar, the capital of the eastern Indian state of Orissa, Saturday, Aug. 30, 2008. Thousands of Christian-run schools and colleges across India were closed Friday to protest recent Hindu mob attacks on churches and homes in eastern India that have left at least 11 people dead.
“I hope that Christians and people of faith around the world will make known their horror at this violence, their support for the rebuilding of lives and the churches, orphanages and schools destroyed, and for work towards future reconciliation,” Williams said in a letter sent to the Most Rev. Joel Dal, moderator of North India.
Hindu extremists, some wielding machetes, have been on the rampage in the north-eastern state since the murder of Hindu leader Swami Lakshmananda Saraswati and four of his associates last month. Christian homes, orphanages and churches have been burned down, while 16 people have been killed. In one of the worst incidents, a young woman was burned alive when she tried to protect children from an attack on their Christian orphanage.
Christian leaders have appealed to the Indian Government to bring the perpetrators of the violence to justice and protect Christians in Orissa from further attacks. Persecution watchdog Barnabas Fund said the government’s response appeared to be “patchy at best,” with curfews only partially enforced. While additional protection has been provided in the towns, this has not been the case in rural areas, the group said.
Rights groups estimate that around 16,000 Christians have fled the area, with many seeking shelter in makeshift government refugee camps. According to Reuters news agency, one temporary camp in Raikia village has 8,000 people crammed into two floors of a government office, where they are sleeping on the bare floor and surviving on a rice and lentil meal given twice daily.
The government camps are filled mainly with women and children, while their men folk continue to hide out in surrounding forests, according to Reuters.
The All India Christian Council said Christians in New Delhi went on a hunger strike on Tuesday to put pressure on the government to protect Christians in Orissa. Christian leaders and pastors are due to meet in the northern city of Chandigarh on Thursday to devise a “plan of action.”
Orissa has a long history of violence between Hindus and Christians, fueled particularly by the issue of conversions. The latest outbreak of violence follows a wave of Hindu attacks on Christians in Orissa last Christmas. Barnabas Fund said that many of the victims from the last attacks were still living in a refugee camp, awaiting the reconstruction of their homes.
The group has been assisting victims of the Christmas violence with food aid, clothes, replacement bedding, medical expenses, trauma counseling and school materials for children. Barnabas Fund has also helped repair churches.
“Sadly these needs have once again become immediate and urgent,” the group said.
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Dearest Saints, persecution will continue as long as there is no repentance for the division among the people of God. Jesus paid a heavy price in order that He, the Word, would reign. One Word, for one world, one standard for each community, with elders appointed by the Lord, not denominations concerned about donations! the love of money is the root of all evil: check please what James has written; where does persecution, wars and strife come from? It is from the hearts of uncleansed believers, who adopt a form of godliness, but deny the power thereof. It is not just in India, this false christianity has prevailed since James had to write his letter. did anyone learn? No, false chrisitianity has prevailed and now is the time for the people of God to repent of such a crooked twig that is not connected to the Vine. All branches that do not bear good fruit will soon be cut off and thrown into the fire. Now is the time for every believer to examine himself in the Light of the Word, repenting for taking part in the division which has allowed the enemy to act as if the Cross and the Resurrection never occurred. Where is the church of Matt. 16:18? Who will take up the Cross and live in the Light?
I mostly agree with the comments of A.s.Mathew. But the extremist Hindus hate Christians because they remember British rule legacy of Jalianwala Bagh Massacre where hundreds of unarmed Hindus were killed by British police(Christians). Similarly extremist Hindus hate Muslims of India because of Jinnah's legacy of partioning India. Under any circumstance, such excuses cannot legalise their killings of Christians, Muslims and Sikhs in India.
EU and USA must take a political note of such heineous events against minorities in India where peace loving Christians hardly count as 2.50% of the total population.
dear Mike, you are on a wrong thread.
Do you even know where Bhubaneswar or West Bengali city of Kolkata?
Aritonang, thank you for your great response. I grew up
with Hindus (50/50 Hindu-Christian ratio) and we never
had any problem in the southern state. Indeed, Hindus
are the most tolerable and God fearing people, they are
seeking eternally for truth. When missioaries from the
U.S. or other states of India stayed with us, we have
our neighbours who are Hindus will come to our home to
pray for them. I will never dare to criticize a Hindu
but the bad name given to the whole Hindu community is;
by the radical and unscrupulous politicians, and most
of them came from the north and undermined the religious
harmony of the whole nation. These crooked politicians
played a game to attack the Muslims first, but the
retaliation from the Muslim community was far venomous
and ruthless than the politicians had anticipated. So,
they changed the political strategy to use the passive
Christian community as a scapegoat, for their political
gains. Thousands of innocent Hindus are funding millions
of dollars to various radical Hindu organization without
knowing that the contributions were misused for killing
and burning the Christians and their humanitarian services.
It is high time for the world community to speak their
mind, else this show will go on, and more innocent
people will be dying and more destruction to the
whole society.
what about the horrors of the iraq war? why doesn't 'christians' express the horrors of that war. is it bec. they are afraid of being called 'UNPATRIOTIC' leftist, liberal, terrorist sympathizer?
bush started a war based on lies, deception, greed, power, love of money & behaves like a dictator but profess to be a 'christian'.
if christ would say something against the iraq war, he is called unpatriotic, leftist, terrorist sympathizer, & liberal.
the 9th commandment
thou shall not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
Violence against Christians in India is not new, previously it has continued un-reported. Violence against Muslims has been continuing for almost 60 years from independence and even Sikhs are not spared.
What is needed is a political and legal pressure upon Hindu-Radical groups like Bajrang Dal, Vishwa Hindu Parishad and political entities like Bhartiya Janta Party. If they want to control such violence in Orissa, it will stop instantly.
Minority Christians in India are highly educated lot, radicals in India see that a tool of conversion to Christianity from Hinduism. Well, the freedom of religion shall prevail and no one should intimidate against religious choice. India being a democracy could afford such attrocities against its own minorities i.e. Christians, Muslims, Sikhs etc.
I support brothers Matthew and Pat's comment below.
First of all, we are stun by the recent violent persecution of Christians in the Bengali states of Orissa. But the violence just go on and on and on, without a visible control of local or Delhi government.
I have never been there myself, but from previous short times in Delhi, Mumbai and even Ahmadabad in Gujarat, there has never been any animosity from the Hindus towards Christians whatsoever. They even accompanied and waited us while we have our Sunday service on local churches.
This is truly sad.
Its a shame the manner in which India is progressing, economically, finacially, globally in its industrial spheres and with "incredible India" image being portrayed internationally, why individual states do not have in place a disaster control management system to curtail and stop such attacks on innocent citizens of its states. If one wants to convert then it is the sole fundamental right of that individual to do what he/she thinks right, no group, state or government should condone such atrocious activities in the name of religion. Wake up 'Incredible India" and stop persecuting innocent lives we are now in the new modern age and not in the stone age. The truth will prevail as God is truth and love.
If the world Christian community fail to stand with the
persecuted Christian community of Orissa, the same
episode of pre-calculated persecution of Christians will
continue take place in other radical Hindu dominated
States of India. Recent persecution of Christians in
Orissa was far beyond any Christian persecution ever
happened in India.
The atheists are quick to regurgitate the horrors of the Crusaders (who were actually pagans) as if they were Christian, yet ignore to atrocities everyday committed against the followers of Christ. â