Christians in Kashmir, India Increasingly
Fearful, Report Says
Muslim leaders setting hostile tone as Christmas nears.
NEW DELHI,
(CDN)
— A
fact-finding mission to India’s Kashmir Valley found that
Muslim leaders’ increasingly shrill opposition to
conversions has instilled fear among the Christian minority,
which has been threatened as Christmas nears.
Christians in Srinagar, the summer capital of India’s
northern-most state of Jammu and Kashmir, are “really
scared,” said Dr. John Dayal, a member of the National
Integration Council and part of the fact-finding team.
“Christian men, women and children are in a state of panic,
fearful of their security, uncertain of the future,
uncertain of their jobs.”
The Rev. Chander Mani Khanna, pastor of All Saints Church in
Srinagar, was arrested on Nov. 19 on charges of hurting
religious sentiments of Muslims after several youths were
baptized; he was released on bail on Dec. 1. But the pastor
of the Church of North India denomination, who is due to
retire early next year, may never be able to go back to his
church due to security concerns, Dayal said.
“There may be no proper celebration of Christmas in the
church if the bishop does not send a new priest
immediately,” he added. “The church [in Srinagar] needs to
get its act together in how it faces such religio-political
persecution.”
At the same time, a sharia (Islamic
law) court has reportedly summoned the Rev. Jim Borst, a
Dutch Catholic missionary, to appear on charges of
proselytizing and “forced conversions.” Borst runs two
schools in Baramulla and Srinagar that are said to have
aroused jealousy in area Muslims.
Sentiment against Christians was evident when a member of
the Kashmir Bar Association disrupted court proceedings as a
lawyer was seeking bail for Pastor Khanna.
“Their behavior tested the patience of the judge, who
remarked, ‘Do you want me to hang him?’” states the
fact-finding report, entitled “Dealing with Islamic Groups
in Kashmir on Christian Persecution.”
The investigative team was headed by Dr. H.T. Sangliana,
vice-chair of the National Commission for Minorities, and
included the Rev. Dr. Richard Howell, general secretary of
the Evangelical Fellowship of India. The team noted
hostilities toward Christian workers, churches and Christian
educational institutions in Kashmir.
Jammu and Kashmir state is 67 percent Muslim, 29.6 percent
Hindu and 0.2 percent Christian, but the Kashmir Valley
region is 97 percent Muslim, according to Operation
World. Christian organizations run schools where many
state leaders have studied.
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