RLPB 334. India: violence escalates as Hindutva takes hold

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 334 | Wed 04 Nov 2015

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Supporting International Day of Prayer (IDOP)
    for the Persecuted Church
IDOP 2015: Sunday 8 November
    See Critical Prayer Requests (CPR)
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INDIA: VIOLENCE ESCALATES AS HINDUTVA TAKES HOLD
By Elizabeth Kendal

Hindutva (Hindu nationalism) arose in the early twentieth century -- first, as a response to British colonial rule, and also in response to the threat of Muslim secession (which would leave millions of Hindus as threatened minorities under Muslim rule). Though India has been independent since 1947 and partition is now an established fact, ambitious politicians in 'democratic' India have fostered Hindutva for political gain. No longer needed to unify Indians against colonial rule, Hindutva today is used to unify Indians behind high caste Hindu elites. Nearly a century after Hindutva activists began their long march through India's institutions, high caste Hindutva protagonists have come to dominate politics, academia, education, media and security. Despite multitudes of Indians being secular and peaceable, Hindu nationalism has captured the imagination. [For a more detailed version of this RLPB that explains the origins of Hindutva and Islam's influence on it: click here, India: Hindutva, Conversions and Violence, by Elizabeth Kendal, Religious Liberty Monitoring, 4 Nov 2015]

Hindutva has turned India into a tinderbox of sectarian tension. Violent persecution is on the rise. The monthly reports from Evangelical Fellowship of India (EFI) make sobering reading, covering incidents raging from destruction of Christian property through to mob violence (pogroms), serious assault and murder. The following are a few samples from EFI's October report, all fully verified and acknowledged as 'the tip of the iceberg'. On 8 September a mob of over 50 Hindu radicals attacked a church in Bastar, Chhattisgarh, beating the believers with clubs, sticks and fists after a village council banned all non-Hindu worship. Two Christian women were beaten unconscious. The Christians are being shunned and boycotted, making living in the village close to intolerable. On 22 September Hindus in Kongud, Chhattisgarh, summoned two Christian brothers to the local temple and demanded they renounce Christ. When they refused, the Hindus beat them, accused them of forceful conversions, vandalised their home and drove them from the village. The brothers complained to  the police, who refused to register a case. Despite this, the Hindus are threatening further violence if the brothers do not withdraw their complaint.

Pastor Arvinder Singh
(EFI)

During the first week of October Hindu leaders in Chattarpur, Madhya Pradesh, ordered Hindus to boycott Chattarpur's 26 Christian families, depriving them of water and other basic services. The Christians are also receiving death threats. On 8 October Pastor Arvinder Singh and his family were beaten almost to death in Phagwara City, Punjab, by a Hindu mob which included their own neighbours. Pastor Arvinder (pictured) was beaten unconscious with a metal bar, his pregnant wife was seriously bashed and their 11-month-old baby boy was thrown onto a pile of bricks, causing him serious internal injuries. Nearly a month later, no police report has been registered. On 12 October the mother of a pastor in Dahod, Gujarat, was stoned by a Hindu mob. Her injuries required hospitalisation. On 13 October suspected Hindu nationalists broke into the home of Pastor Chamu Hasda Purty of the Pentecostal Church in Sandih, Jharkhand, and shot him dead. On 17 October Hindu nationalist youths attacked a 50-strong prayer meeting in Rajnandgaon, Chhattisgarh, and beat up the pastor. Police arrived and detained the Christians, who were only released after local Christian leaders intervened. On 25 October Pastor Thomas, his wife and two children were among ten Christians arrested in Junardeo, Madhya Pradesh, on false charges of forced conversions. The children were separated from their parents and from each other. While all the adults have since been bailed, the children remain in detention -- John (14) 174 km away in Narsinghpur and Kezia (12) 471km away in Shahdol.

India's ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) plans to introduce a private member's bill banning conversions to both the upper and lower houses of parliament during the winter sitting, expected to commence on 20 November. The bill will propose that those engaged in conversion be subject to a non-bailable warrant and liable to a ten-year prison term. The situation in India is about to get considerably worse. (Ephesians 6:12-18)

PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY THAT

* God will be at work amongst Indians, opening their eyes to truths (e.g. that Christians are doing good works), quickening their minds to discern lies (that Christians are not the enemy), and awakening them to realities (particularly that sectarian bloodshed shames India and threatens the economy); may the people wake up to and reject the self-serving ploys of the Hindu elite.

* Western political leaders and diplomats will not avoid addressing the issue of Hindu nationalism, religious apartheid and escalating religious intolerance and communal violence. [India should stand condemned but currently nobody seems to have an interest in addressing this issue.]

* Christ will build and bless his Church, leading those who need wisdom, comforting those who are traumatised and afraid, providing believers with all their needs, and redeeming all suffering for his good purpose.


SUMMARY FOR BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN WHOLE ARTICLE
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VIOLENCE ESCALATES AS HINDUTVA TAKES HOLD IN INDIA

Hindutva (Hindu nationalism) arose in the early twentieth century primarily as a response to British colonial rule. India has been independent since 1947, but ambitious politicians in 'democratic' India now foster Hindutva for political gain. Instead of uniting Indians against the British, Hindu nationalists are uniting Indians behind a Hindu elite keen to preserve their own power and privilege. By demonising non-Hindus as disloyal and a threat, Hindutva has turned India into a sectarian tinderbox. Violent persecution is escalating and will certainly get considerably worse when the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) introduces an anti-conversion bill during the winter sitting of parliament (expected to commence 20 November). The Indian Church is growing precisely because it is a mission-focused church. Please pray for India and its Church. (Ephesians 6:12-18)

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Elizabeth Kendal is the author of 
Turn Back the Battle: Isaiah Speaks toChristians Today
(Deror Books, Dec 2012).

RLPB 333. October update. Incl, Bangladesh, Assyrians in Sweden, Syria, Germany, Indonesia (Aceh), Nigeria, Uganda

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 333 | Wed 28 Oct 2015

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Supporting International Day of Prayer (IDOP)
   for the Persecuted Church
IDOP 2015: Sunday 1 or 8 November
   See Critical Prayer Requests (CPR)
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By Elizabeth Kendal

31 Oct 2015 is the 498th anniversary of the German Augustinian monk, Martin Luther, nailing his 95 theses to the door of Wittenberg Castle, triggering the Protestant Reformation. Luther was protesting the church's corrupt and exploitative practice of selling indulgences. To empower the people and facilitate reformation, Luther translated the Bible into German, thereby making the truth accessible to ordinary people. Martin Luther did not intend to divide the church -- he hoped for reformation, not division. Today we protest wide-scale church indifference to persecution, noting that Christian solidarity in the face of escalating persecution not only saves lives, it is a powerful witness to the world. PRAY for reformation through a return to scripture. PRAY for spiritual unity (John 17:20-23) and brotherly love (John 13:34-35), that we might stand together around the cross.

OCTOBER 2015 UPDATE -- During October we prayed concerning . . .

* BANGLADESH (RLPB 330), where Islamic State (IS) claims to be making inroads amongst the radicalised masses, while a local group boasting links to IS have claimed responsibility for the murders of four local bloggers. After IS claimed responsibility for the assassination of two foreigners -- described as 'nationals of crusader coalition countries' -- a call to prayer was issued on the expectation that the Church could be targeted as well.

UPDATE: Within hours of RLPB 330 being published, news emerged that Bangladeshi pastor Luke Sarker (52) had narrowly survived an attempted beheading. Rescued by family and neighbours, Pastor Sarker sustained wounds to his neck that required stitching but were not life-threatening. Praise and thank God for his merciful intervention! On 24 October Bangladesh suffered its first terrorist attack on Shi'ites when terrorists infiltrated the Ashura procession in Dhaka's Mughal quarter and left improvised explosive devices in the Hossaini Dalan Shi'ite shrine. A teenage boy was killed and some 80 Shi'ite worshippers were wounded in the explosions. Though IS has claimed responsibility, the police and government continue to insist that IS has no presence or influence in Bangladesh. The situation is dangerous. Pray for the Church in Bangladesh.

* ASSYRIAN CAPTIVES (RLPB 331) held by Islamic State (IS) in Syria after videos emerged in early October of captives in Qaryatayn signing dhimma contracts and of three Assyrian captives from Hasakah being executed.

RELATED: ASSYRIAN CHRISTIANS THREATENED IN SWEDEN

Assyrian protest
Gothenburg, Sweden.

Of the 300 Swedish citizens believed to be fighting with IS, at least half of them come from one city: Gothenburg.  [As a comparison, some 250 Americans are fighting with IS, as are around 120 Australians.] Of the 10,000 Assyrians living in Sweden some 3000 live in Gothenburg. On 13 October (just days after the IS videos were released), Assyrians in Gothenburg woke to find threatening messages graffitied on the walls of Assyrian-owned businesses. Messages included 'Convert or Die' and 'The Caliphate is Here', along with the IS logo and/or the Arabic letter 'N' for Nazrani/Nazarene (a follower of Jesus the Nazarene) -- the same symbol IS used to identify the homes of Christians in Mosul in July 2014. Pray for the Assyrian community in Sweden.

* RUSSIA IN SYRIA (RLPB 332), noting that Russia's bombing raids and provision of air cover were helping the Syrian government drive back al-Qaeda-linked Jaysh al Fateh in the north and Islamic State around Damascus, the population of which has swelled from two million to ten million as Syrians have flooded in to find sanctuary from the rebels.

UPDATE: The Syrian government is fighting two main enemies -- al-Qaeda (and its numerous affiliates, some US-armed and trained) and IS. It is also being forced to fight on multiple fronts. Committed as it is to regime change in Damascus -- no matter the cost -- the America-Turkey-Sunni Arab axis has dramatically escalated its support to 'rebels' (most of whom are aligned with al-Qaeda). Weapons are flooding in; in fact rebel use of US-made TOW anti-tank guided missiles has increased 850 percent since the Russian intervention began, causing serious problems for the Syrian government which happens to be the last line of defence for many millions of Syrians, including hundreds of thousands of Christians. Pray for East-West co-operation in the war against Islamic jihadists.   

ALEPPO CRISIS
Because the M5 Highway into Aleppo runs through Idlib, which is under the control of Turkey-Saudi backed, al-Qaeda-linked Jaysh al Fateh, the government has had to gain access to government-controlled western Aleppo via the Ethyra-Khanaser road approaching from the south-east. On Friday 23 October IS forces attacked that road, capturing at least ten government checkpoints and successfully severing the government's supply-line into Aleppo. This is a major catastrophe for government soldiers, Christians and other loyalists now besieged in the city. Pray for the Church in Aleppo, and that the road will be re-opened. Again, pray for East-West co-operation in the war against Islamic jihadists. 

'In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord ... I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old ... You are the God who works wonders ...' (from Psalm 77).

OCTOBER 2015 ROUND-UP -- also this month ...

* GERMANY: CONVERT BASHED IN MIGRANT CENTRE
A 24-year-old Iranian national has been seriously bashed in a migrant camp in Hamburg for his 'sin' of converting to Christianity. By the time other migrants managed to restrain the attacker -- an Afghan refugee armed with a telescopic baton -- the Iranian convert was unconscious and seriously injured. Pray for Christians in Europe's migrant centres. Pray for a change in policy and that Christians will be housed separately. Of course this would require the authorities to end their ideological and fear-driven denial and admit that Islam really does endanger Christians. 

* INDONESIA: CHURCHES ATTACKED IN ACEH

photo: World Watch Monitor

On 13 October a mob of some 700 Muslims attacked and torched a Protestant church in Aceh's southern-most district of Aceh Singkil. They had been incited by hard-liners from the Islamic Defenders Front who are demanding that as most of Aceh Singkil's 22 churches do not have permits, they should be torn down. Permits for houses of worship in Indonesia are granted by local religious harmony forums, which tend not to permit churches in Muslim-majority areas. With tensions soaring, the police picked up sledgehammers and axes and tore down at least three more churches, supposedly to 'preserve harmony'. All church members could do was watch and weep. The pastor of one church with over 100 members said they had applied for a permit repeatedly, but were always refused. Ten churches have been listed for closure; some will be dismantled. With text messages circulating calling for Christians to be hunted and churches to be burned, an estimated 8000 Christians have fled across the provincial border into north Sumatra. Some 1300 security personnel have been deployed to the area. Pray for the Church in Aceh.

* NIGERIA: REMEMBERING THE GIRLS
Unbeknown to worshippers, the three veiled girls who entered their Maiduguri mosque on 16 October were strapped with explosives. When their vests were detonated, the explosion ripped through the mosque killing 26 and wounding dozens. Boko Haram, now an Islamic State (IS) affiliate going by the name Wilayat al Sudan al Gharbi, claimed responsibility. It was the second Boko Haram bombing using three girls in the space of three days. Global Stratfor Intelligence commented on Boko Haram's unprecedentedly high use of girls as suicide bombers, noting it had used 50 girls for this purpose so far this year. As Boko Haram comes under increased military stress it is returning to guerrilla tactics and terrorism. In this it is both exploiting its kidnapped girls (who have mostly been kidnapped from Christian communities) and relieving itself of burdensome captives. Pray for God to intervene to end this unmitigated evil. (See Isaiah 59:15b-19)

* UGANDA: INTENSE PERSECUTION CONTINUES
Morning Star News (MSN) reports that the mutilated body of Samson Nfunyeku, a long-time evangelist, apologist and convert from Islam, was found on 23 September not far from his home in Kalampete village, Kibuku District, Eastern Region. After Samson was killed, his brother, George Mwanika, also a convert to Christianity, started receiving death threats. On 19 October Muslims came to George's house, intending to kill him. George was not home, so they dragged his wife, Mamwikomba, out of the house threatening to kill her if she didn't divulged her husband's whereabouts. When George arrived home he found Mamwikomba unconscious in a pool of blood. Neighbours helped George rush her to hospital, but she was dead on arrival. Three of the couple's eight children were home at the time of the attack. The whole family is at risk. 'We really need prayers,' George told MSN.

'I will say to the Lord, "My refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust." For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge.' (Psalm 91:2-4 ESV)

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Elizabeth Kendal is the author of
Turn Back the Battle: Isaiah Speaks to Christians Today
(Deror Books, Dec 2012).