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TechnoratiHe cited reports claiming that 50,000 Indian Christians have been displaced because of the violence, 30,000 of them live in relief camps – some, as reported by news agencies, sleeping without blankets – and over 4,000 Christian homes, churches and businesses have also been destroyed.
Some Christian groups say nearly 100 Christians have been killed in the attacks, although the media reports significantly lower figures – around 40 to 50 deaths.
“Persecution continued for two months unabated, uncontrolled,” Howell said angrily. “Government is a participator to the persecution that is taking place. Police stand as silent spectators. Nuns have been gang raped in the present of police.”
The current anti-Christian campaign is said to be the worst in the 60 years of India’s independence. India is the largest democratic country to experience such a large scale persecution of religious minority.
Though Hindu radicals accuse Christians of only serving the poor to convert them, Howell vehemently denied the allegations.
“Christians care for the poor for the sake of the love of Jesus Christ, not because we go out to convert,” he asserts. “Propagation machine say Christians serve to convert. If that was the case, our percentage should be 40, 60 or 80 percent – that’s not the case.”
India’s population is currently comprised of 80.5 percent Hindus, 13.4 percent Muslims, 2.3 percent Christians, and 1.9 percent Sikhs, according to the CIA World Factbook.
Johann Candelin, the outgoing WEA director of the Religious Liberty Commission, offered recommendations on steps that evangelicals should take to respond to persecution.
They include: • Having a stronger Kingdom of God identity that seeks to promote God’s kingdom instead of an organization or denomination • Meeting government officials regularly to present who evangelicals are and ask how the global network of evangelicals can serve the nation. If evangelicals don’t go to the government, Candelin warned, it’s likely that others will paint a negative picture who evangelicals are • Arranging global demonstrations where dozens of protests outside embassies around the world take place on the same day • Learning to genuinely work with Muslims, people of other faiths, as well as Christians from other traditions and stop seeing them as enemies or “the others,” but rather as real brothers
Other panelists, meanwhile, discussed the dire situation in Iraq, including Christian women who were being kidnapped, raped and beheaded.
The World Evangelical Alliance General Assembly, which began on Oct. 25, was scheduled to conclude on Thursday, Oct. 30.
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