Church in India

2010-12-22T02:36:00.001-08:00

2010-12-22T02:35:00.001-08:00

Ideal Will of a Priest

2010-10-22T12:43:00.001-07:00

2010-10-13T20:24:00.001-07:00

Poster Girl of Taliban Oppression Unveils Her New Face-receives heart endures award

London | Oct 13, 2010

A young Afghan girl, who went on to become a poster girl of Taliban oppression in Afghanistan after her nose was sliced off by her militant husband, has unveiled her new face to the world.
19-year-old Alisha triggered a worldwide outpouring of sympathy after her plight was highlighted by the Time magazine which put her on the front cover to draw attention to sufferings of women in Afghanistan.
The girl, thanks to pioneering surgery by American surgeons, got a new nose and appeared before the cameras to receive an Enduring Heart Award by a foundation which paid for her operation in Los Angele
Alisha was 12 when her father married her to a Taliban fighter to repay a debt. She was handed over to the militant's family, abused and made to sleep in a stable with animals.
Depressed due to ill treatment by her husband and in-laws, she tried to escape and her nose and ears were sliced off by her husband as punishment.
After being left for dead in the mountains, Alisha crawled to her grandfather's house from where she was rushed to an American medical facility.
The Grossman Burn Foundation flew her to America in August where she had a prosthetic nose fitted at the West Hills hospital and the doctors say she would be given a "more permanent" solution soon.
This might involve rebuilding her nose and ears, using bone, tissue and cartilage from other parts of the body.
Till then, Alisha is back to her old joyful ways.
"This is an award given to a woman whose heart endures," said the Californian First Lady Maria Shriver, wife of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who presented the award to a girl who never thought she would see life again.

A song by H.G. Job Mar Philoxenos Metropolitan.

2010-10-11T04:15:00.000-07:00

2010-09-30T21:38:00.001-07:00

Contributions of Christians in early printing and publishing in Kerala by P. Thomas, piravam

Check out India News - വിദ്യാര്‍ഥിയുടെ മരണം: മാനേജ്‌മെന്റിനെതിരെ കേസ്‌ - Kerala, World News - Mathrubhumi Newspaper Edition

2010-09-28T16:53:00.001-07:00

Check out India News - വിദ്യാര്‍ഥിയുടെ മരണം: മാനേജ്‌മെന്റിനെതിരെ കേസ്‌ - Kerala, World News - Mathrubhumi Newspaper Edition

The Church left behind by God

2010-09-25T03:04:00.000-07:00

The Church boycotted by God. Daivam Padiyirangippoya Sabha by Dr. Sr. Jesmi in Malayalam Varika

Role of Women in the Church

2010-09-22T17:05:00.000-07:00

Role of Women in the Church - Mor Milethius

Theological Education of women by Fr. Dr. K.M. George

2010-09-19T07:25:00.000-07:00

Fr. Dr. K. M. George
http://www.fatherkmgeorge.info/KMG/Articles.pdf
An Appreciation of the prayers of Mar Aprem

Fr. Dr. M. O. John Controversy

2010-09-19T06:48:00.000-07:00

Fr. Dr. M. O. John Controversy

Confusion over Catholicos

Church service stopped in Naggal -utter Pradesh | Christian Persecution Update India

2010-09-14T21:42:00.000-07:00

Church service stopped in Naggal -utter Pradesh | Christian Persecution Update India

Pastoral letter against Prof T J Joseph

2010-09-12T02:58:00.001-07:00

Pastoral letter against Prof T J Joseph, Not done anything wrong to apologise: Joseph
Pastoral letter against Prof T J Joseph read out in 120 churches
12 Sep 2010
Kochi: A Pastoral letter condemning the 'irresponsile action' of Prof T J Joseph, for preparing a question paper hurting
the religious sentiments of a community, was today read out during the sunday mass in 120 parish churches under the Kothamangalam Dioceses in Ernakulam district.

Coming out against the lecturer, whose is recovering after a brutal attack on him by radical outfit, Popular Front of India (PFI),
which hacked his right arm, the Kothamanagalm dioceses bishop, George Punnakottil, said the attack does not nullify the 'crime' committed by Joseph. Such an 'irreresponsbile' act cannot be expected from the lecturer.

The college was accused of being an accomplice in hurting the reglious feelings of the muslim community. So the management had to take a decision to distance itself from the act of the lecturer, it said.

The pastoral letter also supported the management of the Newman college for sacking him.

Despite his repeated pleas for pardon, the management has been adamant with regard to its stand.

The Bishop said the aggrieved lecturer can approach the court to redress his grievance and the management would abide by the decision.

As controversy broke regarding the question paper, Joseph was suspended by the management.

The lecturer has decided to approach the university appellate tribunal for his re-instatement as his pleas to the college management to reconsider its decision, has fallen into deaf ear

Ousted New man college lecturer T J Joseph, who's hand was chopped off for preparing allegedly derogatory question in a exam, said that he had not done anything wrong to apologise to the church and accept favours from it.

'I have not done anything wrong. I am a religious person and respect all religion. Knowingly I have not hurt any religious community. Why is the Church asking to me apologize for a wrong doing I have not done?', Lecturer added.

'We have no other choice', Stella, his sister, who is a nun, said. The family is 'upset' and 'scared' with the letter being read out in the churches.

Submitted by newsman on Sun, 12/09/2010 - 15:15. church pastoral letter Islamic

Continuing story

2010-09-06T09:24:00.001-07:00

Some Christians denied Flood relief aid unless they convert to Islam in Pakistan
newsman Sep 6, 2010 5:06 PM - Show original item

September 06, 2010

The head of an organization that combats anti-Christian persecution charges that some Pakistani Christian families are being denied flood aid unless they convert to Islam.As far as the aid brought by Islamic charity groups, they defend themselves by saying that according to their doctrine, the money from the zakhat (Islamic alms) should go only to Muslims,”“

Christian suppression - a continuing story

2010-09-06T09:22:00.001-07:00

Pastor detained in Doni village, Gadag distrct Karnataka
newsman Sep 6, 2010 5:18 PM - Show original item

Pastor Mallikarjuna Sangalad aged 36 years belonging to Indian Pentecostal Church, started a worship in Doni village. The worship is conducted in a shed belonging to one of the believer Mr Nagaraj.
There are about 60 believers participating in the worship. The service is conducted on every Sunday from 7.30 pm to 9.pm. read more »

NCCI condemns plan to burn the Holy Qu'ran on 9/11

2010-09-06T04:15:00.000-07:00

National Council of Churches in India condemns US based 'christian body's plan to burn the Holy Qu'ran The National Council of Churches in India (NCCI) joins the Christian community and the friends belonging to other faith traditions and ideological persuasions both in the country and world-wide in strongly condemning the intention and plan of the persons connected with the Dove World Outreach Centre in the USA to burn copies of the Holy Qu'ran on the 11st of September 2010. Such an act is contrary to the spirit and essence of the teachings and practices of all faith and secular traditions, and particularly detrimental to the spirit of unity and comradeship that prevails among adherents of different faiths. That it is called for during the sacred days of Ramadan and Eid-al-Fitr is deplorable. The NCCI calls upon all its constituents - Churches, and Ecumenical Councils, Orgainsations and Agencies, to reach out to the Muslim brothers and sisters with a spirit of goodwill and friendship particularly at this time, which can be used by miscreants to sow seeds of division. The NCCI recalls the experiences of solidarity and the sense of mutual self-respect shared between the peoples of Muslim and Christian communities in India at all times and particularly when issues relating to religious minorities, including the recent claim of SC status to Dalit Muslims and Dalit Christians, and that of secularism were addressed. The NCCI requests the brothers and sisters of the Islamic faith tradition to view this call to burn the Holy Qu’ran as that of some pervert minds and not as representative of the whole Christian community which shares with its Islami c sister-faith a heritage of united pilgrimage, more so in India as religious minority communities. The NCCI seeks the intervention of the Government of India in using its diplomatic channels with the counterpart Government in the United States of America for stopping the proposed act on 11th September 2010. This will send out a strong message of National Solidarity to the Muslim community in India, which is the World’s largest Muslim-minority population In solidarity with the people of Islamic faith who have been unduly targeted time and again, the NationalCouncil of Churches in India will co-ordinate with the National Council of Churches in USA who have already strongly condemned the call for burning the Holy Qu’ran, more than once.

Signed by: Rt. Rev. Dr. Taranath Sagar ( President NCCI ) Rev. Dr. P.B.M. Basaiawmoit, Ms.Sushma Ramswami, Mr. Angelious Michael (Vice-Presidents ) Adv. Suresh Koshy (Treasurer) and Rev. Asir Ebenezer (Officiating General Secretary)

NCCI release on 6th September 2010

The Pioneer > Online Edition : >> Close aide blows whistle on Teesta

2010-09-05T19:16:00.000-07:00

Close aide blows whistle on Teesta

Mar Thoma Church and175th Anniversary of Reformation

2010-09-04T16:19:00.000-07:00

Mar Thoma Church is celebrating 175th Anniversary of Reformation in 2010. This is an occasion to take new steps to continue reformation, that is, to do something for making the spiritual ife meaningful, as Abraham Malpan did. The Church needs to take bold steps in relation to their attitude towards ecumenism, towards women ministry and make adequate revision of its liturgy to reflect the contemporary aspirations of the people, especially the young members of the Church. Towing the line of Chrysostom Valiya Metropolitan, it should allow open communion for all those who want to participate. Marriage rules need to be amended to allow Church marriages for all who desire. The boundaries of the Church must be opened for cross cultural influences. New forms of worship need to be encouraged. The Church has to become a fellowship and a movement towards human freedom rather than an insititution thriving to maintain its institutional interest.

ECUMENISM VIS - A - VIS SHARING HOLY QURBANA

2010-09-03T16:50:00.000-07:00

ECUMENISM VIS - A - VIS SHARING HOLY QURBANA The essence of what Chrysostom Thirumeni told them was that the true message of ecumenism was sharing or participation in the Holy Qurbana without restrictions. In other words, as I understand, a believer should have the freedom to accept Holy Qurbana from any church whatever be his denomination. HG Dr Gheevrgese Mar Osthathios Thirumeni has been advocating this view as the truth behind ecumenism through many of his writings with the churches coming together by respecting each other, spreading the message of love and coming to an understanding on faith and interpretation of truth as taught by Jesus and shown in practice by the Apostles and church fathers. I don’t think any Bishop in Orthodox Churches would object to this, nor the Church leadership. Then, what is it that prevents us from doing it?

- Indian Christianity

2010-09-03T05:39:00.000-07:00

- Indian Christianity

St. Thomas Evangelical Fellowship of India

2010-09-03T04:28:00.000-07:00

Dedication of the new Church building at Kesavadasapuram, Trivandrum on 4th September, 2010.

False Calendar of Mar Joseph Metropolitan of Marthoma Church by Dr. M. Kurian Thomas

2010-09-03T04:26:00.000-07:00

False Calendar of Mar Joseph Metropolitan of Marthoma Church by Dr. M. Kurian Thomas

Theology Reader: Sex allegations shock Kerala Church| Cathnews India#links#links

2010-09-02T06:35:00.000-07:00

Theology Reader: Sex allegations shock Kerala Church Cathnews India#links#links

William Carey 249th Birth Anniversary August 17,2010

2010-08-17T03:15:00.000-07:00

William Carey (missionary) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "William Carey (17 August 1761 – 9 June 1834) was an English Baptist missionary and a Reformed Baptist minister, known as the 'father of modern missions.'[1] Carey was one of the founders of the Baptist Missionary Society. As a missionary in the Danish colony, Serampore, India, he translated the Bible into Bengali, Sanskrit, and numerous other languages and dialects"

DNA: India - Kandhamal riots: Nun identifies one person during identification parade

2010-07-31T04:28:00.000-07:00

DNA: India - Kandhamal riots: Nun identifies one person during identification parade

Kerala Pentecostalism — European Research Network on Global Pentecostalism

2010-07-26T02:25:00.000-07:00

Kerala Pentecostalism — European Research Network on Global Pentecostalism

mission in the indian context - Google Search

2010-07-20T04:49:00.000-07:00

mission in the indian context - Google Search

Gospel and Cultures: An Indian Perspective

2010-07-05T17:47:00.000-07:00

Gospel and Cultures: An Indian Perspective: "The primary concern of this paper is to focus on a paradigm shift in the theology of Christian mission in India today. During the last decade or so, there has been a decisive shift in the theological thinking on the implications of Christian witness in the country, to one that is basically from the perspective of the marginalised people. One of the key aspects of the shift is the awakening of the people to the recognition that theologizing in the past was not sufficiently sensitive to their perspectives. A certain continuity with the past, especially with the mission and theology of the Indian Church, the missionary movement and the ecumenical discussions on missiology and ecclesiology, is implicit in this shift, and therefore it is not an outright rejection of the earlier patterns. But there is also a radical discontinuity with the past, a critical corrective rooted mainly in a re-reading of history and theology, especially in the light of the liberal democratic and socialist values of justice, equality and participation. My thesis here is that relevant patterns of Christian witness can be sought only in the context of an organic dialogue between traditional theologies and the subaltern perspectives, especially on the questions of mission and koinonia in pluralistic societies like India." Athyal

2010-07-05T03:25:00.000-07:00

Athyal:Today, however, the missionary work follows an efficiency mode, where we have strategies and targets. The impression that mission is the programme of a specific department of the church assigned that task, is an understanding that followed this understanding of mission Secularism in India is defined as freedom from discrimination on the basis of religion and also, the promotion of renascent and reform movements in religions, especially those aimed at the liberation of the downtrodden sections of the society. The Neo-Hindu movement of the 19th and 20th centuries was in essence the struggle of Hinduism to build up a religious humanism in active dialogue with the secular and socialist movements in the country.

Several theologians and social scientists feel that one of reasons for the resurgence of communalism and religious fundamentalism is that this dialogue, vibrant during the last century, has become dormant in recent years. Over the years, the renascent elements in religion were overtaken by more aggressive and shrill voices from within. Equally important, the secularist movement, caught up in the web of rigid academic confines and political compulsions, turned dogmatic. The dialogue of the religious and secular, crucial for building up a secular ethos became dormant.In the words of M. M. Thomas, ‘It is my conviction that it is the strengthening of the closed secularism with this total privatisation of religion and the development of what may be called Dogmatic secularism which rejects any relevance of religious values in the public realm, along with the slackening and marginalizing of religious and social reform movements that have created the spiritual vacuum which is now sought to be filled by religious fundamentalism and communalism’ (Religion, State & Communalism: A Post-Ayodhya Reflection, CCA, 1995, p. 14). The hope for a secular India lays not so much in the separation of religion and society but in the positive and healthy interaction of the renascent and liberative elements in both. In Thomas’ own words: ‘If religion is part of the problem in India, religion must also be part of the solution’.

BBC News - Politician jailed for seven years over India riots

2010-06-29T23:37:00.000-07:00

BBC News - Politician jailed for seven years over India riots A politician has been sentenced to seven years in prison in a case related to anti-Christian riots which rocked an eastern Indian state. Manoj Pradhan, a legislator with the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, was charged with murder but convicted of "fatal attack" and arson.

Amen - an autobiography of a nun by Dr Sister Jesme

2009-02-19T21:41:00.000-08:00

A book written by a former nun is threatening to embarrass the Catholic Church in Kerala. is written by former nun Dr Sister Jesme and threatens to reveal what allegedly happens behind the closed doors of convents. The book claims that harassment and sexual repression take place in convents. “I wanted an outlet for my trauma. It'll help me start my second life afresh. The society has the right to know what's happening to the sisters,” says Dr Sister Jesme. Sister Jesme was the principal of St. Mary's College in Thrissur till she quit the congregation last August alleging harassment from superiors. The church in turn has labelled her mentally sick. “Thirty-three years cannot be penned down in 180 pages but there are points the I want to make about the capitation fee, the quarrels that happen within the church, about the homo-sexuality, the hetero-sexuality,” says Jesme. The book comes soon after the Central Bureau of Investigation booked two priests and a nun in the high-profile sister Abhaya murder case. The state women's commission now says it will take up Jesme's case very seriously. “We are studying the matter and will take it up seriously. I cannot tell you anything more on this issue,” says State Women Commission Chairperson, Justice Sree Devi The Catholic Church in Kerala is silent on the book and in an election year, political parties too would be cautious about raising these allegations. More Born C Meamy Raphael, Jesmi writes in her autobiography that she got her first rude shock when she was a Novitiate. ''At a retreat for novices, I noticed girls in my batch were unsettled about going to the confession chamber. I found that the priest there asked each girl if he could kiss them. I gathered courage and went in. He repeated the question. When I opposed, he quoted from the Bible which spoke of divine kisses,'' she writes. Her second shock was from an ordained nun. ''I was sent to teach plus-two students in St Maria College. There, a new sister joined to teach Malayalam; she was a lesbian. When she tried to corner me, I had no way but to succumb to her wishes. She would come to my bed in the night and do lewd acts and I could not stop her,'' she writes. In Bangalore for a refresher course in English, she writes, ''I was told to stay at the office of a priest respected for his strong moral side. But when I reached the station, he was waiting there and hugged me tight on arrival. Later in the day, he took me to Lalbagh and showed me cupid struck couples and tried to convince me about the need for physical love. He also narrated stories of illicit relations between priests and nun to me. Back in his room, he tried to fondle me and when I resisted, got up and asked angrily if I had seen a man. When I said no, he stripped himself, ejaculated and forced me to strip,'' Jesmi recounts. More

Virakta Mutt in Deshanur, Belgaum has a Christian priest and Hindu Muslim devotees

2009-02-16T06:34:00.000-08:00

Church or mutt? A sign of hope 16 Feb 2009, 0515 hrs IST, N D Shiva Kumar, TNN BELGAUM: In these troubled times of religious intolerance and rise of fundamentalism,, a village 25 km from Belgaum, stands out as a beacon of hope. The church here has adapted itself to local culture so much so that it is called a ‘mutt’ — — and has both Christian and Hindu features. The walls are adorned with teachings of Basavanna, Sarvajna, Akkamahadevi, Kabir Das, Tulsi Das, Sur Das, Purandaradasa, Kanakadasa and Meera. The church priest wears a saffron shawl; the devotees, comprising Hindus and Muslim, recite verses from the Bible, Gita and Koran. “The essence is peaceful coexistence of all faiths,’’ says priest Fr Menino. The village has a population of around 11,000 and is dominated by Lingayats and Muslims. The priest is the lone Christian member in the village. The priest worked closely with the villagers and started the first girls’ school, helped build roads, brought post office and electricity to the village. The church runs a primary school with 459 students and provides hostel accommodation to 46 poor students. Most villagers prefer to send their children to the church school. Though it has classes only up to 7th standard, high school students throng the church during nights to study. “We have a lot of powerlooms in our village. We can’t study at our homes due to the sound. So, we come here to study at nights,’’ said Shivanand Jawahar Thondikatti, a 10th-standard student. Besides Christmas, the church celebrates Sankranti. “Around 3,000 people participate during these celebrations. This place is a classic example of peaceful coexistence,’’ said Fr Menino. Source

Tenth Anniversary of the Killing of Graham Staines

2009-01-25T01:41:00.000-08:00

Ten years after the brutal murder of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons in India’s Orissa state, widow Gladys Staines is urging persecuted Christians there to turn to Christ. On Thursday,22nd January, a mass was held at the site of murders in Monoharpur marking the tenth anniversary, followed by a prayer service on Friday and the inauguration of a new physiotherapy hall. Baptist missionary Graham Staines, 58, and his sons Philip, 9, and Timothy, 7, were sleeping in their station wagon in Manoharpur village when they were attacked by a mob of Hindu extremists and burned alive inside their vehicle on the night of 22 January 1999. Mr Staines had spent more than 30 years working with leprosy sufferers in India. In an interview with AsiaNews this week, Mrs Staines admitted there had been times of sadness during the last 10 years. “I feel sad that I do not have my husband to support me, to guard me, but these are just momentary emotions of sadness which also fill me with great hope, the hope of heaven and of being reunited with my husband and children in paradise and seeing the Father face to face. This guarantee fills me with consolation,” she said. Although Mrs Staines said she missed the support of her husband and was sad that she was not able to see her sons grow up, she affirmed forgiveness for the killers and said that Christ had been her companion over the years. “God gives me great support, and the prayers of people has been a source of great consolation, and this is the solidarity I share with the widows of Kandhamal. It is Jesus who is the source of every consolation and support. God gives us the strength to be able to carry our cross and to live in His will. Our life and our work here on earth has to go on according to His holy will.” Mrs Staines went on to express her sadness over the recent wave of attacks against Christians in Orissa but urged women who had lost their husbands in the killings to stay strong “and Christ will be your support, your companion, your guide and your strength”. “When God is working with us, nothing can be against us,” she said. “I am in prayerful solidarity with them, I share their sufferings and I want to encourage them with hope. It is painful and sad but importantly - it is not how we live, but what matters is ‘whether we are in the will of God’.” Mrs Staines returned to Orissa in 2006 to continue the work of her husband in fostering peace and harmony. She encouraged Christians elsewhere to support believers in Orissa with solidarity and prayers. “To the people of the world I say, do not give up hope, pray for India,” she said. Mrs Staines has previously stressed forgiveness for the killers. When one, Dara Singh, was sentenced to death and 12 others given life imprisonment in 2003, she appealed for clemency. Singh’s death sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment. In a 2006 interview with AsiaNews, she stressed the importance of forgiveness. "In forgiveness, there is no bitterness and when there is no bitterness, there is hope. This consolation comes from Jesus Christ." source

Karnataka High Court allows House Churches to hold Worship services

2009-01-14T09:33:00.000-08:00

Legal Victory for House Churches in Karnataka

Posted on January 14, 2009 by cd

KARNATAKA, INDIA (ANS) – Over four months after government authorities closed several house churches in Karnataka, India, the Karnataka High Court said they should reopen and can hold worship services.

This followed the action of several pastors and Christian believers from Davanagere District who had lodged a writ petition to the High Court of Karnataka in Bengaluru.

The All India Christian Council had supported the pastors in logistical and finding legal representation. For last four and half months about twelve churches in Davanagere in central Karnataka were locked.

Following attacks on several churches on August 17, 2008, the district administration issued notices seeking a survey of churches functioning without permission. In early September, several churches were sealed. The next week Deputy Commissioner K. Amar Narayan instructed the Police Department to survey churches and prayer halls to check how many of them were authorized. The Indian media noted that worship places of other religions were not checked.

Local Christian leaders say the problems were because extremist Hindutva groups influenced officials. During 2008, groups like RSS and Bajrang Dal have beaten believers, pastors, and even set fire to churches. They also made false accusations against pastors and registered cases with the police.

The High Court chief Justice Mr. Dinakar was strict with the District Collector saying, “In a democratic country, no one has power to stop anyone worshiping according to one’s own faith. One’s faith can be a church or any other worship centre.” more

Story of Hindutva

2009-01-04T07:49:00.000-08:00

Augustine Kanjamala | Friday, 26 December 2008 Why Hindu extremists target Christians A militant school of Hindu thought which despises Islam and Christianity as alien creeds is growing in strength in India. Many Westerners believe that Hinduism is exemplified by Gandhi, the saintly man who led India to independence through toleration and ahimsa, or non-violence. But there is another strain of Hinduism which is far from tolerant and dreams of reviving the martial traditions of Aryan forebears. One leading Hindu monk, the Sankaracharya of Karvipith, criticised Gandhi in 1922: “Ahimsa undermines Hindu self-respect; passive and non-resisting sufferance is a Christian and not an Aryan principle.” Organized anti-Christian animosity and violence in India goes back to the Hindu reformist movement, Arya Samaj, and its founder Dayananda Sarasvati (1824-1883). When an American Presbyterian mission in Punjab began to attack Hinduism and denounce its superstitions, Dayananda was infuriated. His Hindu social reform movement bore some resemblance to Luther’s slogans. His mottoes included, “back to Vedas” (like “back to the Scriptures”). He introduced the Sudhi rite for reconversion to counter Christian proselytism among the Chura community of outcasts. In 1923, a political extremist from the state of Maharashtra, V.D. Savarkar, after imprisonment for 12 years for terrorism, published his book Hindutva: Who is a Hindu? He argued that only those who are bound by the Hindu culture and uphold India as their pitrubhumi (fatherland) and punyabhumi, (holy land) should enjoy full rights. Muslims and Christians, whose holy lands are far off in Arabia and Palestine, are not children of the soil of the sub-continent. He popularized the slogan: “Hinduise all politics and militarize Hinduism”. The exclusivist Hindutva policy was radically opposed to the inclusive and secular policies of the founders of independent India. more

India, an Exporter of Priests: New York Times

2008-12-31T06:25:00.000-08:00

By LAURIE GOODSTEIN Published: December 29, 2008 ALUVA, India — In the sticky night air, next to a grove of mahogany trees, nearly 50 young men in madras shirts saunter back and forth along a basketball court, reciting the rosary. James Estrin/The New York Times FOCUSED ON FAITH In Kerala, a state in the southwest part of the country where 20 percent of the population is Roman Catholic, families like the Alengadans pray together at home and Mass attendance is high. They are seminarians studying to become Roman Catholic priests. Together, they send a great murmuring into the hilly village, mingling with the Muslim call to prayer and the chanting of Vedas from a Hindu temple on a nearby ridge. Young men willing to join the priesthood are plentiful in India, unlike in the United States and Europe. Within a few miles of this seminary, called Don Bosco College, are two much larger seminaries, each with more than 400 students. more

Kandhamal killings split Orissa Maoists on religious lines

2008-12-30T22:20:00.001-08:00

December 30th, 2008 - 11:51 am ICT by IANS - Send to a friend: Berhampur (Orissa), Dec 30 (IANS) The killing of a Hindu leader and his associates that triggered attacks on Christians in Orissa have split the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) on religious lines for the first time, with many Hindu members breaking away to form a rival group.The unexpected development, which have taken many by surprise, came to light when the breakaway faction put up posters threatening to target Christian members of the CPI-Maoist in the state. The new group calls itself “IDGA-Maoist”, which some posters say is the acronym for “Idealize of Democrat Garila (Guerrilla) Army (Maoist)”. According to informed sources, the new group’s formal inauguration will take place Jan 3 at an undisclosed location under the leadership of a guerrilla identified only as M2. The origin of the split is the Aug 23 gunning down of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Swamy Laxmanananda Saraswati and four associates at Jallespata in tribal-dominated Kandhamal district. It sparked off an orgy of violence against Christians, whom the VHP blamed for Saraswati’s killing. About 40 people, mostly poor Christians in rural areas, were killed. While the police blamed the Maoists for the killings, the VHP insisted that Christians were responsible. The CPI-Maoist claimed responsibility for the murder, saying Saraswati was creating a sectarian divide in the impoverished region. The breakaway IDGA’s posters have denounced the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA), the military wing of the CPI-Maoist, and its leader Sabyasachi Panda for the VHP leader’s death. A Maoist sympathiser close to the new faction told IANS that the main reason behind the break-up was the Kandhamal violence, for which he blamed Panda. “Maoists don’t have any religion. Their religion is to safeguard the vulnerable people and fight exploitation and oppression. But those under Panda are acting like a mafia,” he said, requesting anonymity. People familiar with the Maoist movement in the state believe that the split will result in escalation of violence. Sixteen of Orissa’s 30 districts are considered Maoist- dominated. Six southwestern districts - Malkangiri, Koraput, Raygada, Kandhamal, Nayagarh and Gajapati - are the worst hit. The existing Maoist group active in southern Orissa is known as the Bansadhara Divisional Committee. This is expected to face the wrath of the splitters. Nihar Nayak, an expert on Maoists at the Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses in New Delhi, told IANS that if a split has indeed taken place on religious lines, it would mark a first in India’s Left history. “Since the Maoist movement began in India, they have never supported a specific religion or caste or community,” he said. Nayak added that the objective of the splinter group would be “to protect Hindus from Maoist attacks and retaliate by killing Christian leaders” in the state. In its posters, the new group has threatened to kill one Christian on the 23rd of every month — to avenge Saraswati’s murder Aug 23. The new group’s area of influence includes three regions: southcentral Orissa, Ghumsar division in southern Orissa and Bansadhara division which shares a border with Andhra Pradesh. Some police officials here fear the law and order situation in the region might worsen if the new group starts revenge killing, inviting retaliation. “It is certain that violence will escalate and this split is going to be a major headache for the already burdened police force,” a senior officer told IANS requesting anonymity. Deputy Inspector General of Police P. Koche told IANS: “I don’t have any information regarding this new Maoist group.” Sanjeeb Panda, another deputy inspector general of police, added: “We don’t have any official information regarding the split. But I can’t rule out that there has been a split among the Maoists.” source

Orissa proposes deletion of 'Kui' from tribal list

2008-12-30T22:11:00.000-08:00

Published: December 30,2008 Bhubaneswar , Dec 30 Orissa government has proposed deletion of the term&aposkui&aposfrom the list of tribals in a bid to resolve the controversial fake caste certificate issue believed to have contributed in triggering the Kandhamal riot. A meeting of the state level Tribal Advisory Committee will be held on January 19 to formally decide on deleting the term from the list, official sources said here today. There had been reports of a large section of population, including the schedule caste people converted to Christianity in Kandhamal, obtaining schedule tribe certificate by claiming that they were Kui tribals. A senior SC and ST development department official said that there is no specific group known as Kui tribe. " Though Kui being considered as a specific tribal group, but in fact it was never a tribe but a language,"he said, adding that though a large number of people speak Kui language in Kandhamal, all of them are not tribals. As per the existing law, a schedule caste person can not avail reservation and other benefits after getting converted to other religion. However, a tribal can retain his status and get benefits even if he converts to any other religion. The fake caste certificate issue had turned out to be a major problem for the administration. The officials had received as many as 600 complaints relating to fake tribal certificates mainly from areas in Kandhamal where people, mostly non-tribal Christians, had acquired tribal certificate on the basis of speaking Kui dialect. Kui Samaj Samanway Samiti (KSSS), a tribal body in Kandhamal, had been agitating since a long time demanding cancellation of fake caste certificates acquired by non-tribals in the district. more Discusssion : A move to deprive christians tribal status?

Why Christmas was peaceful in Orissa, India?

2008-12-29T06:17:00.000-08:00

nalysis: Why Christmas was peaceful in Orissa, India? Monday, 29th December 2008. 8:35am By: Vishal Arora. New Delhi: Christians and rights groups across the world feared re-eruption of violence around Christmas in the east Indian state of Orissa, which witnessed a macabre spate of attacks on Christians in August and September in 2008. But thanks to changing political atmosphere in the country, the festival season passed off largely peaceful in the region. The ebb and flow of the targeting of the Christian minority in India in the last 10 years can put in context both the wave of anti-Christian violence in Orissa’s Kandhamal district in August 2008 and the absence of more attacks in December 2008 despite a call for a state-wide shutdown by Hindu extremist groups on Christmas Day. The decade of organised Christian persecution, which began in 1998 and climaxed in 2008, can be divided into four episodes, the ongoing being a period of restraint. I. The Genesis and Rise of Christian Persecution (mid-1998 to mid-2004): Until 1998, Hindu nationalist groups targeted only the Muslim community, which accounts for around 14 per cent of India’s population, which is more than one billion. But due to two developments, the targeting of Christians began in 1998. The Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came into power at the federal level for the first time in 1998 – though through a coalition, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). The BJP, but its admission, was started under the leadership of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or the RSS, India’s chief Hindu nationalist organization that acts as an umbrella for a plethora of smaller groups. The BJP original agenda is to make India a Hindu nation; not a theocracy like in Saudi Arabia, but a national state in the European sense of the word. The party wants to create a nation that will be recognized as a land belonging to the Hindus, who account for more than 80 per cent of the population, and where Christians (who comprise 2.3 per cent of the population) and Muslims will be seen as outsiders and in subordination to the majority community. It will also be a nation where minorities will not be allowed to preach their religion and religious conversions will be banned. In March 1998, Sonia Gandhi, the wife of late prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, became the president of the Indian National Congress, India’s grand old party and the biggest threat to the BJP’s rule at the time. Given that Mrs Gandhi is an Italian-born Roman Catholic, the BJP launched a campaign, including violent attacks, against Christians to provoke her to defend the minority community, whereby she could be branded as a minority leader as opposed to BJP’s leadership to the majority community. By launching attacks, the BJP also hoped to suggest that Christians were using money and force to convert Hindus under the protection provided by Mrs Gandhi. Following the two developments, the Independent India witnessed its first large-scale, indiscriminate attack on Christians in the Dangs district of the western state of Gujarat in December 1998. The violence led to a mass destruction of property belonging to local Christians and Christian organizations in Dangs, a tribal (aboriginal people) majority district (with 93% tribal population). The violence began after an alleged attack on a Hindu nationalist rally -— an allegation that had no evidence. In January 1999, an Australian missionary, Graham Staines, and his two underage sons were burned alive in the western state of Orissa’s Keonjhar district, another tribal district. In March 2004, India’s second massive spate of anti-Christian attacks took place in the Jhabua district of the central state of Madhya Pradesh. The violence erupted after a nine-year-old Hindu girl was found murdered in a Christian school — a Hindu man was later arrested for the murder. Over 85 per cent of the people in Jhabua are tribal. From 2000 to 2004, around 200 anti-Christian attacks were reported each year from various parts of the nations, but mainly from the states situated in the tribal belt of central India (including some eastern and western states), where 75 per cent of India’s tribal population lives. II. The Period of Sustenance (mid-2004 to 2006-end): In the general elections of 2004 –after the NDA federal government completed its five-year term, the BJP-led coalition lost to the Congress party-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA). The RSS blamed the BJP’s defeat on the party’s reluctance to whole-heartedly implement its Hindu nationalist agenda (Most political analysts, however, said it was a vote against the BJP’s non-inclusive economic policies, and that people’s interest in emotive, identity-based issues was gradually fading away.). However, Christians continued to face attacks, as the BJP was a ruling party in various states (India is a federation, and law and order is a state subject). According to the Christian Legal Association (of India), at least 165 anti-Christian attacks were reported in 2005, and over 130 in 2006. more

Over 1 lakh accused in Kandhmal case

2008-12-28T20:07:00.000-08:00

29 Dec 2008, 0224 hrs IST, Sandeep Mishra, TNN

PHULBANI (Kandhmal): Holding trial for the accused in the recent communal riots in Kandhmal district of Orissa could turn out to be an onerous

and long drawn process as over a lakh people have been accused of their involvement in the violence.

The police, based on 698 FIRs filed in connection with the carnage that happened mostly in August and September in the southern Orissa district, have found that 11,348 people are named accused, while over 89,424 people have been categorized as others in the complaints. "The number would go further up as 75 more cases have been lodged since we made the assessment a few days ago,'' a senior police officer said.
Conducting investigation, arresting the accused and organizing trial for such a huge number of accused is being viewed as a "big challenge'' for the state administration, admitted officials. "This is an unprecedented situation in Orissa. We have never dealt with a law and order situation of this magnitude,'' pointed out a top cop. Officially, 39 people were killed in the religious mayhem. Police have so far arrested around 700 people in connection with the murders, arson and other violence that took place in Kandhmal. Even incarcerating those arrested has been a major headache as the states prisons are overcrowded. The jails in Kandhmal district could not accommodate such large number forcing us to shift a good person of the under trials to jails in Ganjam and other places, official sources said.

more

Christmas peaceful in Kandhamal: Hindus join the celebrations

2008-12-25T03:31:00.000-08:00

Christmas mass passes off peacefully in Kandhamal Bhubaneswar (IANS): Midnight Christmas mass was attended by thousands of Christians amid tight security across Orissa, including Kandhamal district that had witnessed widespread anti-Christian violence earlier this year. In many places Hindus joined Christians in the celebrations, officials said Thursday. "We have not received information of any trouble. It seems to be all peaceful," the Archbishop of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar Raphael Cheenath told IANS. "We held the Christmas mass with prayer and singing," Cheenath said, adding that he is satisfied with the security arrangements made by the government. "We are confident the Christmas celebrations will also pass off peacefully in the state," Cheenath said. Midnight mass was held peacefully in Kandhamal amid heavy security cover. Officials said except for the felling of two trees on the road in two places early Thursday no untoward incident was reported. The trees were promptly removed by security forces. "There has been no problem so far," Kandhamal district collector Krishan Kumar told IANS by phone. About 8,000 people still living in government-run relief camps in the district also attended the Christmas mass and decorated their camps, officials said. more

Kadamphul Nayak forgives her husband's killers in Orissa

2008-12-20T23:22:00.000-08:00

Orissa: Christian Widow calls for Forgiveness By Nirmala Carvalho 12/20/2008 Asia News (www.asianews.it/) Christian Widow speaks about the attack by Hindu fundamentalists who killed her husband. BANGALORE (AsiaNews) - "This Christmas, Samuel will celebrate with Jesus, whom he loved so much. This Christmas I only ask Jesus that my husband's ministry - to spread the Gospel - will continue, that people will learn the Good News of our Savior, that people will learn to forgive and believe in His Name." There is no hatred or desire for revenge in the words of Kadamphul Nayak, 47, whose husband was killed by Hindu fundamentalists in the early days of anti-Christian violence in Orissa. "For me, it was a privilege to be his wife," the woman says, "and although we no longer have a home, the presence of Jesus in our hearts is a reason for comfort for us." .................. "The extremists, who were also carrying inflammables like gasoline and kerosene, came to our house, shouting Hindu chants. They dragged my husband outside and thrashed him severely, some of the men placed a knife and this throat and demanded that Samuel renounce Christ, which he refused to do. This angered the extremists, who then poured kerosene on my mother in-law and set her aflame. As she was burning, they repeated their demand to renounce Christ. One of them had tied me up with a knife to my throat also, but Samuel refused to embrace Hinduism. The extremists began slashing him on his neck, back and heels, they also slashed me on my stomach reaching up to my back. For the third time, they asked him to denounce Jesus, and in spite of the heavy bleeding and being in great pain, in a gasping low tone he said: 'For 25 years, I have been in the Gospel ministry, I have walked all over Orissa telling people that Jesus loves and Jesus saves, I will never abandon my Jesus'. This angered the extremists, who then slashed his throat, and shouted, 'Now let us see how your Jesus will save you'." more

Beat gong and blow conch on Christmas in Orissa: Sangh outfit

2008-12-20T23:13:00.000-08:00

Bhubaneswar , Dec 20 A Sangh Parivar outfit today called people of Orissa to"blow conch and beat gongs on Christmas"after calling off the proposed state-wide bandh. " People have been asked to beat gongs and blow conch shells from 5.30 pm-540 pm on 25th December to protest the state government&aposs failure to arrest the culprits who killed VHP leader Laxmanananda Saraswati,"president, Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati Sradhanjali Samiti, Ratnakar Chaini said. " This will ring as a warning bell for the government,"he said, adding the bandh was called off following a request of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. Patnaik reportedly said to them that given the complexity of the case, arresting the culprits require some more time. He, however, said the outfit had kept its option open to go for a democratic peaceful agitation depending on the situation. soure ....................... Fears of new anti-Christian violence in Orissa Saturday, 20th December 2008. 12:41pm By: Judy West in Religious Intelligence Dr Joseph D’souza, AICC President, said: “The climate of intimidation and fear among Christians continues in Orissa. Although we hope the state and central authorities act to protect thousands of innocent victims and prevent future mob violence, we’re deeply worried. We are appealing for preventative action through all legal avenues.” As we reported yesterday, the subject was raised in the British House of Lords. Earlier, on Dec. 10, 2008, the United States Congressional Task Force on International Religious Freedom held a briefing titled, "The Threat Religious Extremism Poses to Democracy and Security in India: Focus on Orissa." Witnesses included Vishal Arora, an independent Indian journalist who contributes to this site; Dr Angana Chatterji, Associate Professor of Social and Cultural Anthropology at California Institute of Integral Studies; Angela Wu, International Director at The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty; Sophie Richardson, Advocacy Director for Human Rights Watch's Asia Division; and Joannella Morales with the State Department's Office of International Religious Freedom. The AICC briefed two of the panelists during their recent visits to India. Dr D’souza said: “We are hopeful that our great democracy can resolve these issues by itself, but at the same time we welcome the interest of nations friendly to India and citizens of goodwill from across the world who believe in human rights and religious freedom more

Justice B K Somasekhara Commission orders grant of permission for prayers

2008-12-20T04:15:00.000-08:00

Karnataka: Justice B K Somasekhara Commission orders grant of permission for prayers 12/19/2008 Justice B K Somasekhara Commission set up by the Karnataka Government to inquire into the attack on prayer halls in the state during September, has recommended the Davanagere District Administration to reopen the two Churches which were seized by the administration and allow the Christians to conduct peaceful prayer in seven places where the prayers were banned. The Commission recommendation is only till January one and it is upto the Distrct Administration to take a decision whether to continue it or not. The Commission held a preliminary sitting today after visiting 30l prayer halls which were ransacked during the attack. Talking to newspersons, the Commission Chairman Justice D K Somasekhara said the state government had been requested to extend the term of the Commission for another six month. more

Sangh Parivar calls off Orissa bandh

2008-12-20T03:18:00.000-08:00

BHUBANESWAR: The Sangh Parivar on Friday called off its proposed Orissa bandh on December 25, the Christmas Day. The bandh was called off after a delegation comprising leaders from both the Sangh Parivar and Bharatiya Janata Party met Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at his residence in the evening. The Christian community had expressed apprehension that a Statewide bandh on the Christmas Day would create communal tension in riot-hit Kandhamal district and other areas. CM’s assurance The members of the delegation that met Mr. Patnaik include president of Lakshmanananda Saraswati Shrandhanjali Samiti Ratnakar Chaini, Laxmikant Dash of the Vanvasi Kalyan Samiti, BJP Rajya Sabha MP Chandan Mitra, BJP MP from the State Dharmendra Pradhan, and BJP Orissa unit president Suresh Pujari. According to Mr. Pradhan, the Samiti decided to call off the proposed bandh after Mr. Patnaik assured the delegation that the government would take all possible steps to ensure arrest of all those who were involved in the murder of Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Lakshmanananda Saraswati. more

NHRC notice to Orissa govt on Hindu groups' bandh on X'mas day

2008-12-18T21:28:00.000-08:00

Published: December 18,2008 in Indopia New Delhi, Dec 18 The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) today issued a notice to Orissa government asking it to explain how it proposes to deal with a bandh called by the Sangh Parivar in the state on Christmas day. The Commission asked the Chief Secretary and Director General of Police of Orissa to explain in three days what steps the state has taken for protection of minorities during the Christmas season. The notice was issued after Congress leader Margaret Alva wrote a letter to NHRC in which she expressed apprehension that violence may erupt in Orissa in the wake of the bandh call given to press for arrest of killers of VHP leader Laxmananda Saraswati in Kandhamal district of Orissa. more

Catechist Yuvraj Digal killed by fundamentalists in Orissa

2008-12-18T21:23:00.000-08:00

Orissa: Catechist Attacked by Hindu fundamentalists Found Dead By Nirmala Carvalho 12/19/2008 Asia News (www.asianews.it/) Yuvraj Digal, 40, was brutally beaten by a mob of about 20 people and disappeared. Today his body was found. BHUBANESHWAR (AsiaNews) – The catechist who vanished after being attacked by a mob of Hindu fundamentalists last Tuesday has been killed. Yuvraj Digal, 40, from the village of Kanjamedi in Kandhamal district (Orissa), was a well respected catechist and a leader in his local Christian community. (Proud to be Catholic? Show Your Support Right Now! Virtual Vigil of Prayer and Solidarity for the Persecuted Church in India. Please Sign the 'Catholic Action' Petition!) Sources told AsiaNews that his lifeless body was found today and that his death is attributable to the severe beating he received during the attack. Mr Digal and his 20-year-old son were making their way home on a motorbike from the village of Tikabali, some 50 kilometres away, when they were intercepted around 6.30 pm on Tuesday. According to his son Bidyadhar, about 20 men who met them on the road recognised his father. “They stopped him, insulted him and began beating him without any pity,” the son said. The latter was eventually able to escape the mob violence and sought help at a nearby police station. Police began a search for the catechist but he had vanished. Bidyadhar said the attackers, who numbered about 20, before they started their beating, accused him and his father of involvement in the murder of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati more

Civil Society Ushers a New Hope in Kandhamal, Orissa

2008-12-17T21:20:00.000-08:00

Civil Society Ushers a New Hope in Defeating the Fundamentalist Forces in the Society An Initiative for Peace in Kandhamal, Orissa ............... On the 17th December 2008, nearly 3000 teachers from all parts of Kandhamal and even from other parts of Orissa went in a procession and gathered at Coronation Grounds in Phulbani town. The public gathering started with the performance of a street theatre group on the reasons for the conflicts and the ways in which common citizens and people’s movements can drive away those evil forces, which create conflict and hatred among people. The public gathering was addressed by a galaxy of dignitaries, social activists and teacher’s federation leaders. Mr. Sandeep Pandey, the International Magsaysay Award winner was one among those who addressed the gathering and called on the teachers present to implant peace education among their students and also requested the teachers’ community to explain & analyse the contextual realities to their students and nurture them with values of justice, secularism and democracy. He also explained the evils of the nuclear power, to which our Indian government is so enthusiastically inclined to implement in India. read it all

Orissa's persecuted Christians get relief

2008-12-17T19:53:00.000-08:00

More than $38,000 has been released from the Southern Baptist World Hunger Fund and general relief funds to distribute a month's worth of basic food items to 2,135 families, representing a total of about 12,810 people, said Francis Horton, who with his wife Angie directs work in Central and South Asia for Baptist Global Response, an international relief and development organization that is coordinating the effort. The director of the Orissa project, whose name has been withheld for security reasons, said the effort seeks "to bring some relief to Christians who have suffered loss at the hands of persecutors in the state of Orissa. These brothers and sisters have nowhere to go. Many are afraid to go back to their homes. At present they are unable to go home unless they convert to Hinduism." The project, which is being implemented in partnership with Baptists in India, will purchase and distribute lentils and rice to families in three districts of Orissa, Horton said. Blankets also will be supplied as needed to the families. read it all from:http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=29527

Ente Keralam: Abhaya case

2008-12-17T16:16:00.000-08:00

Ente Keralam: Abhaya case

Chidambaram assures Orissa Christians Safe Christmas

2008-12-14T02:20:00.000-08:00

War and Terror: Chidambaram assures Orissa Christians Safe Christmas

EU team meets Orissa home secretary on Kandhamal

2008-12-14T02:09:00.000-08:00

14 Dec 2008, 0050 hrs IST, TNN

BHUBANESWAR: In an apparent follow-up to French President Nicolas Sarkozy eliciting a "national shame'' response in October from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over the Kandhamal violence, a five-member delegation from theEuropean Union has asked the Orissa government to ensure a peaceful Christmas in the riot-ridden region.

This came even as the Centre advised the ruling BJD-BJP coalition to remain alert considering the saffron brigade's announcement to organize a statewide bandh on December 25. The diplomats met home secretary Aditya Padhi and DGP Manmohan Praharaj on Friday and expressed their concern and fears over possible re-escalation of tension between communities during Nativity. "The delegation had taken prior clearance from the ministry of external affairs to visit Bhubaneswar and Berhampur,'' an official said. The visitors comprised deputy head of mission (embassy of Ireland) Pat Bourne, second secretary (embassy of the Netherlands) Bart Paans, second secretary (British high commission) Ruth Willis, deputy head of mission (embassy of Finland) Lissa Valjento and first secretary (embassy of Italy) Gabriele Annis. "The delegation laid stress on the prevention of forcible reconversion activities, people returning to their villages, restoration of peace and normalcy in Kandhamal and smooth celebration of Christmas,'' a senior official said. "The government representatives highlighted the steps they have taken so far and assured that they would do all to ensure peace in the trouble-torn district,'' he added. The home secretary told TOI: "The state government is committed to maintaining law and order and ensuring harmonious coexistence of all communities.'' The visit of the envoys coincided with a letter from Union home secretary to the state chief secretary, advising the latter to take adequate measures to prevent recurrence of any untoward incident in Kandhamal during Christmas. more

Christmas at UTC with Widows Of Orissa Violence

2008-12-14T01:57:00.000-08:00

INDIA Widows Of Orissa Violence Brought Across Country For Christmas Celebration

December 11, 2008 | IB06299.1527 | 609 words Text size

BANGALORE, India (UCAN) -- A Christian group here organized an advance Christmas celebration for some women widowed during anti-Christian violence in the eastern Indian state of Orissa.

Asmitha Digal is among 24 widows who lost husbands in the anti-Christian Orissa violence in India, taking part in Christmas celebration in Bangalore on Dec. 8.

"We have lost our husbands to a hate campaign, yet we believe that only love and forgiveness can bring peace in society," asserted Kadamphul Nayak, widow of Pastor Samuel Nayak.

She was among 24 widows and two children who traveled 1,400 kilometers from Orissa to the southern Indian city of Bangalore to attend the Dec. 8 celebration. The ecumenical Global Council of Indian Christians, which is based in the city and organized the event, is involved in rehabilitation work for the Orissa victims.

About 150 people from various Churches joined the celebrations held at Protestant-run United Theological College in Bangalore, 2,060 kilometers south of New Delhi. They sang together hymns of praise and joy.

The Churches and their institutions gave the guests pots and other household items, clothes and sweets. They also shared a Christmas cake, and sang Christmas carols. Some of the Orissa visitors performed a tribal dance depicting the birth of Jesus.

Retired Methodist Bishop Sampath Kumar told UCA News the faith of the simple women amazed him and made the event the most meaningful celebration in his life. "We celebrate Christmas in our fullness, but they celebrated it in an utter hopeless situation," he remarked. more

Price to kill a pastor is $250, in Orissa

2008-11-26T03:09:00.000-08:00

Money, food and alcohol are being offered by Hindu extremist groups to people willing to murder Christians and destroy their homes.

This violence is not new to Orissa, India where India’s Communist Party estimates that more than 500 Christians have been killed by Hindu mobs since August. This figure is twelve times greater than official government claims of only 40 homicides.

The stakes are higher now and pastors have a bounty on their heads. Chairman of Good News India, Faiz Rahman said Hindu militants are targeting Christian leaders according to the Christian Post. “The going price to kill a pastor is $250,” he said.

Rahman told the UK based Release International, “All of the pastors are high value targets.” “We’ve got to get them out of the refugee camps.” more

Call to observe Aug. 25 as "Indian Christian Martyrs Day"

2008-11-21T21:01:00.000-08:00

INDIA Ecumenical Group Calls For Indian Christian Martyrs' Day

November 20, 2008 | IC06165.1524 | 427 words Text size

JABALPUR, India (UCAN) -- A Christian group in central India has called for Aug. 25 to be observed as "Indian Christian martyrs day" to honor Christians killed recently in Orissa state.

According to Madhya Pradesh Isai Mahasangh (grand assembly of Madhya Pradesh Christians), the ecumenical group in Madhya Pradesh state that made the demand, Aug. 25 was the day Hindu radicals killed the most Christians in Orissa.

The exact number of fatalities is not yet known, but available reports indicate at least 59 Christians perished in seven weeks of anti-Christian violence in that eastern state. The violence that also destroyed thousands of Christian homes and more than 100 Church properties including churches, and displaced around 50,000 Christians began on Aug. 24, the day after a Hindu religious leader and four associates were gunned down in Orissa. Maoists claimed responsibility for the assassination.

Some independent groups that toured Orissa in October put the number of Christians killed at more than 500.

On Nov. 9, about 200 members of the Madhya Pradesh ecumenical group met in the state capital of Bhopal, 745 kilometers south of New Delhi, to review the status of Christians in India.

Their resolution says establishing the martyrs' day will help the Indian Church remember Orissa Christians' "great sacrifices" for the universal Church.

Archbishop Leo Cornelio of Bhopal welcomed the group's suggestion and said the Orissa victims' "supreme sacrifice is admirable."

The prelate, who heads the Catholic Church in Madhya Pradesh, commended the Orissa Christians for preferring death to giving up their faith. He also pointed out that such sacrifice disproved the allegation that missioners converted people through allurement, force and other illegal means. more

NDTV: Christians Attacked, Arrested in Maharashtra

2008-11-21T02:57:00.000-08:00

EFI NEWS:Christians Attacked, Arrested in Maharashtra and Karnataka

EFI NEWS:Christians Attacked, Arrested in Maharashtra and Karnataka November 18, 2008: Pastor, Believers attacked in Maharashtra A mob of about 20 Hindu Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Shiv Sena on November 15 accused a pastor of forced conversion, stripped and beat him up till he felt unconscious in Bhayander, Mumbai, Maharashtra. According to EFI source, at around 12:30 p.m., the extremists barged into the Church of God shouting slogans “Jai Hind, Jai Maharashtra”, vandalized the church and assaulted Pastor Philip Fernandez. They beat up the pastor till he felt unconscious and 20 believers who were attending the prayer meeting were also confined. The NDTV, a national television channel, telecast the incident on Sunday. The extremists also falsely accused the Christians of distributing gospel tracts whereas the believers were giving out flyers for a peace convention to be held. The police have arrested 15 attackers under Section 143,147,148,149,451,427 and 323 of the Indian Penal code. more

Christians continue to be arrested in Karnataka

2008-11-19T06:35:00.000-08:00

Christians continue to be arrested in Karnataka

Ten Christians run in state elections in Madhya Pradesh

2008-11-19T06:28:00.000-08:00

For the first time ten Christians will run in state elections in Madhya Pradesh. One of them is Xavier Meda, a Tribal Christian who is trying to get elected in the Jhabua district. Meda, 32, talked to AsiaNews about his decision. “Incidents caused by Hindu fundamentalist violence against Christians are routine in Jhabua,” he said. “I have two small children and the future of our young generations needs to be secured. The majority community treats Tribal Christians with scorn and disdain and this has to end. For this to happen we must have our own voice in the [state] assembly to seek justice and rights for Christians, not only in Jhabua but throughout Madhya Pradesh and across the whole of India. This is one of the priorities in my election manifesto.” The Madhya Pradesh Isai Mahasangh (MPIM) made Meda’s candidacy and that of nine other Christians possible. He is also the organisation’s deputy chairman. more

Raped nun appears before police

2008-11-18T17:30:00.000-08:00

Sify News
Tuesday, 18 November , 2008, 21:53

Bhubaneswar: The nun who was allegedly raped during communal violence in Kandhamal in Orissa on Tuesday recorded her statement with Orissa police in Delhi. However, she is unlikely to attend the much-awaited test identification parade (TIP) of the accused persons scheduled to be held on Wednesday.

''Both the nun and Father Thomas Chelan appeared before the crime branch team in Delhi and recorded their statements in connection with the rape and other incidents this afternoon,'' Cuttack-Bhubaneswar Archbishop Raphael Cheenath said.
The nun would not be able to reach Baliguda in Kandhamal from Delhi in such a short period of time to attend test identification parade. It required at least six hours by car to reach Baliguda from here and it was not practically possible for her to be present for the TIP, he said. more

Rajya Sabha Member BALBIR K. PUNJ against Christians

2008-11-18T17:08:00.000-08:00

Who killed the 84-year-old swami? Sabyasachi Panda, the Maoist leader who owned up to the killing, said the swami was eliminated for reviving Brahminism. Strangely, Panda turned a blind eye to evangelism. But he divulged an interesting fact—that the Christian Panas (an SC group) provides cadres to the Maoists in Orissa. I for one don't know how to reconcile evangelism, which believes in the harvesting of souls, with Maoism, which believes there's no soul. In Europe, wherever Communism succeeded, the Church had to go underground, if not disappear. But in Orissa, perhaps there is some kind of 'strategic alliance' happening. Did the Church outsource the swami's assassination? Now to the alleged rape of a nun in Kandhamal. Such 'Rape of nun by Hindu fascist' stories have turned out to be false in Jhabua, Jajjhar and Baripada in the past.Unfortunately, by then the 'hot story' had gone cold for the media. We are witnessing another edition of this in Kandhamal. The nun would not attend the identification parade, the SC ruled out a CBI inquiry, but the National Commission for Minorities still jumped into the fray. Is the nun a pawn in the church's game of chess? read it all

Central Ministers Sharad Pawar, Meira Kumar, P.R. Kyndiah visit Christian relief camp in Raikia

2008-11-18T16:34:00.000-08:00

Central Ministers visit Kandhamal

Special Correspondent, The Hindu

BHUBANESWAR: A three-member team of Central Ministers on Tuesday visited Orissa’s Kandhamal district to take stock of the situation in the areas affected by communal violence. The team advised the administration to hasten the peace process in the riot-hit district.

The team that comprised Union Agriculture Minister , Social Justice Minister Meira Kumar and Tribal Affairs Minister P.R. Kyndiah visited a relief camp in Raikia and spoke to Christian families living there since August.

Most of those with whom the Ministers interacted expressed their willingness to return to their homes but said they were still at the camp as they apprehended attacks from the majority community.

The Ministers also inspected the facilities at the camp. The refugees handed over a memorandum listing various demands, including measures to restore peace. more

K.N.Panikkar on UPA's Soft communalist agenda

2008-11-16T06:51:00.000-08:00

Elaborating further on the theoretical analysis of Hindutva as fascism, noted historian K.N.Panikkar spoke about how the Hindutva agenda is now being advanced not so much by communal riots, as in the past, but by what he termed as 'organized attacks on Muslims and Christians, amounting to genocide', often in complicity with agents of the state. Earlier, he said, communal riots were largely localized affairs, but now these organized attacks are happening simultaneously in different parts of the country, particularly in states ruled by the BJP or by coalitions in which the BJP is a major partner. In other words, he said, 'There is a convergence between the state and Hindutva fascist organizations since the state promotes or allows these attacks'.

These well-planned attacks on Muslims and Christians, Prof. Panikkar pointed out, are characterized by far greater brutality than previously, and no effective action is taken against their perpetrators, whether by the Central or state governments. He indicated that although the present Government in the Centre had come to power on what it had touted as a 'secular' platform, it has taken no effective action against Hindutva terrorism. In this way, he argued, 'There is no fundamental difference between the present UPA Government and the previous BJP-dominated NDA Government vis-à-vis fascism. The only distinction is that while the latter was aggressively communal, the former appears passively communal. But both allow and create spaces for fascism to advance'. In the last four years of Congress-led rule, he noted, groups like the RSS, the Bajrang Dal and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and their allied social and cultural outfits have made rapid inroads across the country, 'so much so that today there is hardly a village in India where they do not operate'. He also argued that many of the terror attacks and bomb blasts that have occurred in India in recent years might have been orchestrated by Hindutva groups in order to justify attacks on Muslims and Christians, whip up Hindu sentiments and thereby consolidate their vote-bank.

Christians arrested in Bangalore for conducting Prayer visits

2008-11-13T06:38:00.000-08:00

Christians arrested in Bangalore, Karnataka.

Chandrashekar (54), Sandhya (45) and Kamalamma (43) are residents of Benson Town and Banasvadi. They are members of Pavithra Agni Church, Cox Town, Bangalore. Chandrashekar's wife Dr. Leelavathy is a highly placed official in the state government.

At 7.30 pm on 12th November 2008 Chandrashekar, Sandhya and Kamalamma were visiting Gayathri and Parvathi, residents in Doddigunta near Cox Town, who were sick, prayed for them, and left.

As they were returning, a group of 20 persons belonging to the radical Hindutva group the RSS, accosted them and alleged they were involved in forceful conversion. They snatched the Christians' bags and subjected them to verbal abuse. Then they contacted the Frazer Town Police station, and at once the police arrived in a jeep and took the three persons to the Police Station (this is against the law as women are not supposed to be take to police stations after sunset). They filed an FIR under section IPC 295A and 298. Later Sandhya and Kamalamma were sent to Ladies remand Room at 11.30 pm. Chandrashekar was detained in the police station and on the morning of 13th Nov he was sent to Jail.

another report

Secular media is doing a far better job than Christian media in covering peresecution

2008-11-13T05:20:00.000-08:00

Christians are facing increasing amounts of persecution in India. Hundreds have been killed and thousands displaced in the most recent violence.

In Iraq, Christians have left the country because of the violence they're facing. The list goes on and on. Sadly, however, many Christians in the west aren't concerned about it, says Glenn Penner of Voice of the Martyrs, Canada.

He's been pleased by the secular coverage. "Groups like BBC, CNN and Fox [have] been actually covering the persecution in Orissa very well. In fact, recently I wrote a blog on this subject as to who's really silent. I really think that in some regards, the secular media is doing a far better job than some of the Christian media."

"[For] many Christian radio stations and television stations, that's not a big part of their mandate. It's either playing music or sermons. Also, part of the problem is that, as a rule, Christian leaders in North America very rarely say very much about persecution."

More and more radio, television and newspapers are giving more attention to local events rather than world events. Penner thinks that's true of many churches, too. "We're very interested and preoccupied with reaching out in our own neighborhoods for Christ, which is laudable. But at the same time, we forget our obligations to the world." more

Orissa bishops ask the Government to rebuild the churches before Christmas

2008-11-13T05:13:00.000-08:00

Orissa bishops warn state leader of ‘master plan’ to wipe out Christianity

Archbishop Raphael Cheenath

Orissa, Nov 13, 2008 / 04:54 am (CNA).- Denouncing what they called a “master plan” to wipe out Christianity, the bishops of India’s troubled Orissa region have written a letter to state’s Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik concerning the persecution of Christians at the hands of Hindu extremists.

The bishops challenged characterizations of the anti-Christian attacks as an ethnic conflict:

“Hindu Fundamentalist groups have been trying to name the communal violence as an Ethnic Conflict between the Tribals and the Pano Christians. A cursory look at facts reveals that this conflict is a calculated and pre-planned master plan to wipe out Christianity from Kandhamal district, Orissa, in order to realize the hidden agenda of Sangh Parivar of establishing a Hindu Nation.”

This agenda has allegedly been furthered by concealing the fact that the attack victims were Christians.

The bishops expressed happiness that the Orissa government has decided to establish a Fast Track Court at Kandhamal to expedite the trials of cases related to the violence. In addition, the bishops requested that the judge of the court should be from a religion other than Hindu or Christian.

Continuing their requests, the bishops asked that the presence of national police in Kandhamal be extended until the parliamentary and assembly elections in Orissa are concluded, citing the State Police’s low numbers and inability to defend themselves.

Finally, to allow Christmas preparations to begin and spiritual traditions to be observed.

“This will also help confidence building among the congregations and bury the past quietly as they approach Christmas 2008,” their letter concluded.

“Sangh Parivar trying to wipe out Christianity’

2008-11-10T16:26:00.000-08:00

Special Correspondent, The Hindu

BHUBANESWAR: A delegation of Christian organisations of Orissa met Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday and told him that the Sangh Parivar was “trying to wipe out Christianity from Kandhamal district.”

The team which met Mr. Patnaik at the State Secretariat said “fundamentalist forces were trying to name the communal violence as ethnic conflict between the tribals and Dalit Christians.”

The victims of the attacks were Christians, it said.

The Church representatives, led by Archbishop of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar Raphael Cheenath, said the claim that those leaving the relief camps in Kandhamal were going back to their own villages and settling down in their homes was not true.

Most of the Christian families that had left the relief camps in the riot-hit district had migrated to relief camps in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Berhampur and other places and also settled down in rented houses and in the homes of their relatives and friends, they said in a memorandum submitted to the Chief Minister.

A large number of Christians of Kandhamal had gone to Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Gujarat, they added.

Hindutva terrorists setting India on Fire!!!

2008-11-10T07:50:00.000-08:00

Setting India on Fire!!! Violence against Christians / minorities "It is a matter of deep humiliation to confess that we are a house divided against itself, that we Hindus and Mussulmans are flying at one another. It is a matter of still deeper humiliation that we Hindus regard several million of our own kith and kin as too degraded even for our touch." M.K. Gandhi`s address to the US through Columbia Broadcasting System in 1930s: Such discrimination, as noted by Gandhi himself, forced many Dalits to convert to Islam, Budhism and Christianity, in the hope of gaining some social standing in the society that refuses to consider them human otherwise. But the VHP led Hindu right took this to be an unforgivable sin. To abandon their religion and that too for Islam outraged the hardliners to the core. The VHP saw this as a serious threat to its notion of Hinduism. India, the world`s largest secular democracy is everything but that. This rhetoric sounds good but only for so long. It becomes nauseating when this hypocrisy takes such toll that humans are openly butchered in the streets while the government prides itself to be a representative of those very people. more

2008-11-10T07:43:00.000-08:00

Watch Persecution update video channel

Orissa Persecution slides

Mangalore Persecution slides

Listen Persecution update Audio Channel

Looking forward to more 30 min 27 sec ago
Vindicating Sonal Shah 5 hours 13 min ago
The real Sonal Shah 7 hours 20 min ago
Conversions 1 day 8 hours ago
Priest and nuns attack Italian restaurant owner over land lease 1 day 14 hours ago
Priest and nuns attack Italian restaurant owner over land lease 1 day 14 hours ago
Where are the stories of the persecuted POOR? 3 days 4 hours ago
WHO RULES INDIA ? 3 days 6 hours ago
The Christian right in USA hates Obama 3 days 11 hours ago
OBAMA AND RELIGIOUS FREEDOM 3 days 18 hours ago

On 2nd November 2008 regular worship was going on, at noon some policemen from Bagalkot TownPolice station arrived and asked the pastor to call off the prayer meeting immediately. He was warned not to conduct any meeting without the prior permission from D.C. The police officials also collected personal details of 25 persons who were attending the worship.

Basappa Adapur has been Pastor for the past 10 years of Shalom Full Gospel Association in Bagalkot district. He also manages Orphanage called Shalom Girls Boarding Home, Bagalkot.

Pastor Basappa had been targetted in an assault on 27th July 2008, during which even innocent children present in the church were not spared: miscreants pushed a 4-year old child to the wall causing severe injuries. Five other Christians, all women and children, also sustained serious injuries: the Pastor's wife Renuka (38), daughters Krupa(16) Manjula(15) and two orphans Yellamma (13) and Sudha (12) were injured in the assault. All of them underwent medical treatment at the Keruddi Hospital in Bagalkot.

Pastor Basappa has written to the District Administrator, the Governor and also GCIC requesting protection and preservation of thier human rights. source

2008-11-08T23:33:00.000-08:00

Believers arrested under forced conversion charges

POSTED: 7 NOVEMBER, 2008

Topics in this story:
arrest
conversion
discipleship centre
mob
police

India (MNN) ― Four Christian relief workers were beaten, threatened and then arrested in Orissa on Tuesday, November 4. The World Evangelical Alliance says the four were arrested under "forced conversion" charges.

The workers were on their way to the Discipleship Centre (which focuses on holistic care, education, health care and similar disaster relief projects) when an unknown motorist collided with one of their motorbikes, causing minor injuries to the worker.

A crowd gathered around the scene, quickly turning into a group of 400. The mob beat the DC staff members, threatening to set fire to them at a local cremation centre. Included in the mob were two Hindu groups that had already been protesting against what they perceived to be forced conversions from local Christians.

When police arrived, the workers were arrested for supposedly forcing Christian conversions and causing the motorbike accident. The four are currently in the custody of Orissa police.

The outlandish charges against the four seem to be characteristic of much of the persecution in India. Pray that these Christians would be released soon and would stand firm in their faith regardless of false accusations. source

Creating fear: A Hindu Interpretation of Christian mission in India

2008-11-07T17:07:00.000-08:00

Evangelists are playing long-term chess game

Balbir K. Punj

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India has a long history of Hindu-Muslim riots but little record of Hindu-Christian violence. Thus violence in Kandhamal and Mangalore would appear extraordinary. The devil lies in details, but the national media conveniently locates it in the RSS, VHP and the Bajrang Dal. Actually, it is evangelism that provokes a violent reaction from local people.

Evangelism, or bringing heathens to Christian faith, might sound a throwback to the colonial era, if not the Middle Ages. Yet we have to countenance it (like we have to countenance jihad, a 7th century Arabic concept) in the independent India of the 21st century. Money and flab, it is said, show even if you try to hide them. Just surf through television channels and you will find the evangelical flab. Let alone dedicated evangelical channels, evangelical capsules of Joyce Meyer and Paul Dinakaran occupy time slots on most private channels. No wonder this has come about in the last four years of the UPA government. How else could DD Punjabi/Jalandhar, DD NE/Guwahati or DD Malayalam — national carriers of a secular country — show explicit evangelical content by Joyce Meyer, neatly dubbed and subtitled in the language of those channels? What the MoU is between the soldiers of Christ and the I&B ministry of a "secular" government needs to be investigated.

The Church in India claims that the demographic share of Christians in India has declined to 2.5 per cent. Is such a vast telegospel project meant to serve the needs of this minuscule community? Census 2001, however, shows an abnormally steep rise in the Christian population in various states (Goa and Kerala are surprising exceptions) between 1991 and 2001.

The British rule was farthest from theocracy but it offered a certain leeway to evangelical clout. "In the 10 years, 1921-1931, the population of India has increased by 10 per cent; the Christian Church has increased by 32 per cent.

The Church has doubled its number in the 20th century. Christian work is being carried on in every province, and in almost all the larger Indian states," wrote Stephen Neill, warden of the Diocesan Theological College, Tinnevelly, in his 1936 book Builders of the Indian Church. But independent India has outdone it all. The Northeast, where evangelical penetration was least during British rule, has become almost wholly Christian during independent India.

Christian missionaries are viewed as people who have done wonderful work in the field of education, health and philology. Orientalist and humanist Reverend James Long (1814-1887) of Calcutta was such a revered name. But recently I was shocked to read in his book Handbook of Bengal Mission, (1948) in connection with the Church of England, what this illustrious scholar of Sanskrit, Bengali and Persian had to say on the Himalayas that Hindus view as the abode of gods: "Every valley has its spirit and every hill its demon, and the heaven-springing pinnacles of snow are tin; temples of gods of terror and vengeance, who must be appeased by painful pilgrimages… Many had recruited their exhausted spirits, reinvigorated their bodily powers by breathing the pure air of the rugged Himalaya fastnesses, and indulged their curiosity by penetrating into these magnificent regions; but few thought of the moral darkness and deformity that reign in those regions of natural light and beauty".

James Long's period, i.e. 19th century, was also the time when many non-evangelical Western Orientalists did great work to exhume India's heritage through philology, archaeology and numismatics. But James Long's evangelical streak exposes his essential antipathy to heathen India despite his excellent mannerism. If it had happened to Long, today's shortbrained evangelists would scarcely be immune. In the 19th century, the ecclesiastical career still attracted many brilliant minds in the West. But in the 21st century, when there are so many white-collar career opportunities, only those who can't make it elsewhere join the evangelical brigade. Today's evangelists are not qualified to join Microsoft, Intel or Nasa. It is only the Church, ironically built in the name of Nazarene, that seems flushed with money to offer them a career. Look at the Joshua Project (www.joshuaproject.net) that aims at "Christianisation of India".

The evangelists are playing a long-term chess game in India. How evangelists dupe people is exemplified by the story of Italian Robert di Nobili, who came to India in 1605. His story is related by Charles Henry Robinson, a top missionary, in his 1915 book History of Christian Missions. "Having determined to make himself an Indian, in order he might win the Indians, he adopted the dress and the sacred thread of a brahmin, and painted sandalwood on his fore head… He called himself a raja from Rome and eventually produced a new veda, which he himself had forged, in support of his teaching. He kept aloof from men belonging to low castes and only allowed the brahmins, or men of high caste, to have access to him. The principle which underlay his action was sanctioned by a papal bull in 1623 which declared that "out of compassion for human weakness, Nobili's converts are permitted to retain the plait of hair, the brahminical thread, the sandalwood sign on the forehead, and the customary ablutions of their caste". Christian missionaries turned their eyes to tribals and dalits only after they failed to cut much ice with the upper castes. Their love for India has proved to be more dangerous than their hate. India must wake up to these ecclesiastical commandos who make deception their chief weapon.

Mother Teresa: Saint or Celebrity ? by Dr Gezim Alpion

2008-11-07T16:52:00.000-08:00

Jump to Comments

Marking 20^th anniversary of its foundation the Faculty of the Sciences of Communication is organizing a conference on his book

Mother Teresa: Saint or Celebrity at the Salesian Pontifical University Rome.

The conference scheduled for Thursday 20^th Novemberwill be in English with Italian translation. Open to all, the programme will start at 4.30 pm and will conclude at 6.45 pm.

Mother Teresa of Calcutta was undoubtedly one of the great personalities of the twentieth century. The author explores her significance to the mass media, to celebrity culture, to the church and to various political and national groups.

Albanian born Gëzim Alpion currently director of Research Postgraduate Studies, Department of Sociology (Birmingham University) received a PhD from the University of Durham, UK, in 1997. His works include Vouchers(2001), Foreigner Complex (2002), If Only the Dead Could Listen (2006), andEncounters with Civilizations (2008).

Orissa's 'religious genocide',

2008-11-07T06:39:00.000-08:00

Orissa attacks are 'religious genocide', says ministry leader

by Ethan Cole, Christian Post

Posted: Wednesday, November 5, 2008, 14:21 (GMT)

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The persistent and vicious attacks against Christians in India are “religious genocide”, says one Christian ministry leader fresh from a visit to the persecution hotspot of Orissa state.

“This has been a religious genocide according to the UN definition of genocide, where persistently and systematically it is planned and not stopped,” maintains Ramesh Landge, founder and director of Cooperative Outreach of India (COI), according to Mission Network News. more

Orissa Update: Advocacy

2008-11-07T06:35:00.000-08:00

Dr. John Dayal, member of the National Integration Council, told Compass Direct News that the chief minister of Orissa admitted that at least 10,000 people are still in government-run refugee camps, and that tens of thousands are in the forests or have migrated to towns outside Kandhamal.

“The government has admitted 40 dead, though we have details of 59 men and women mercilessly killed in the seven weeks of unabated mayhem,” he said. “For us, peace would be when the last refugee is back in his home, secure in his faith, with a livelihood restored, his children’s future secured as it should be in a secular India.”

Carl Moeller, Open Doors USA President/CEO states: “The situation is still horrific for Christians in Orissa. Christians are still suffering from violence and the terrible conditions in the refugee camps. Open Doors is committed to support our brothers and sisters in Orissa with a holistic approach – now and for the future. Join me in prayer for the victims of this senseless violence.”

So far Open Doors co-workers, partnering with Christian groups in India, have accomplished the following: more

Research and Survey

* Selection and training of paid volunteers for a survey of 14 districts in Orissa * Collection of data of about 500 families who suffered loss in the violence * Networking with churches and Institutions for relief distribution and organizing seminars.

Medical * Treatment of more than 35 individuals suffering from major illness or disease primary due to the recent persecution * A referral center established at Berhampur for patients injured in the violence * Partnering with YMCA Berhampur and Christian hospital Berhampur for assistance in medical work.

Aid and Relief

* Distribution of relief packets (clothes, soap, rice, cooking oil, etc.) to 626 families in Koraput and Gajapati districts * 1,000 packets of relief materials packed and stored in a warehouse for distribution * Assisted 23 children living in a hostel * Individual help provided to pastors and families who were in urgent need of food and clothing.

Training and Counseling

* Three Standing Strong through the Storm seminars were held for pastors. The seminars focus on helping the participants face persecution from a biblical perspective. One of the seminars featured special counseling sessions for the victims.

Advocacy

* Formation of the Orissa United Christian Forum (OUCF) as a common umbrella organization for all Christian programs in Orissa * Filing of writ petitions and affidavits * Participation in various rallies and protests organized by different organizations against the violence in Orissa.

The goal for the Open Doors’ project for the long term is to reach out to the victims of persecution who are traumatized and living in constant fear with basic needs of food, clothing, medical care and spiritual healing so that it leads to the restoration of normal life. In collaboration with many other Christian organizations working under the OUCF umbrella, the programs include research and data collection, distribution of relief package for victims, medical care and support, legal assistance, training and counseling.

Open Doors is asking supporters to join in an advocacy campaign to help the suffering Christians in Orissa. Participants can Email the Indian Ambassador to the U.S. Ronen Sen to ask him to provide adequate protection for Christians in Orissa and to ensure justice and compensation to the victims of the violent attacks. To send an Email to Indian Ambassador Sen, go www.OpenDoorsUSA.org.

Bishop of Orissa: We are being persecuted like the first Christians

2008-11-05T05:31:00.000-08:00

» 11/03/2008 16:55 INDIA by Nirmala Carvalho Raphael Cheenath, archbishop of Bhubaneshwar, comments to AsiaNews on the first pastoral letter of the bishops of Orissa following the violence that began at the end of August. The text calls for justice regarding all of the destruction, but also thanks many citizens and Indian and international organizations for their collaboration.

Bhubaneshwar (AsiaNews) - A pastoral letter signed by six bishops of Orissa was read yesterday in all the churches of the state, where for two months a pogrom against Christians has been underway. The letter is the first document published by the pastors since the beginning of the violence.

It is signed by Bishop Thomas Thiruthalil of Balasore; Bishop Alphonse Bilung of Rourkela; Bishop Lucas Kerketta of Sambalpur; Bishop Sarat Chandra Naik of Berhampur; John Barwa, coadjutor bishop of Rourkela; and Raphael Cheenath, archbishop of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar.

"Our people are traumatized by these ruthless and barbaric attacks, and we needed to encourage them not to lose hope," Archbishop Cheenath tellsAsiaNews. "Moreover, we felt at this point in the history of Orissa to explain to the people the historical background of the persecution of the Church, the history of the Christians who for centuries who have been persecuted for bearing the name of Christ and for the faith. The early Church went through great hardships and martyrdom; its members were often persecuted and massacred. But history has shown that persecution ultimately strengthens the Church."

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In recent days, Archbishop Cheenath presided over the funeral for one of the martyrs of Orissa, Fr. Bernard Digal, who died of complications from the beating he suffered, for hours, from Hindu fundamentalists in the district of Kandhamal, where the series of attacks began. The bishop says that "Now [in the the district of Kandhamal] there are no attacks because there is nothing left to be destroyed, burnt or looted - the extremists have razed everything to the ground - there are no burnings or destruction as nothing remains. Now our people are terrified of returning to their homes and villages because firstly, they will be attacked, and beaten up, their lives are still in danger - even though the new district administration is doing much to provide safety to the Christians. Secondly, our people are frightened of being forced to change their religion. Thousands have been tonsured and forced to embrace Hinduism as a prerequisite to return to their villages, as they have been warned that they can stay only as Hindus. And thirdly, many of the Kandhamal Christians have been forced to surrender their land and property, and this is a bleak future for our people."

The pastoral letter asks the government for security; for justice and for punishment of the guilty; for adequate compensation for those who have lost their property. But above all, the letter highlights the reasons for the persecution: "The Church has been standing by the side of the poor and the marginalized. Through education, health, housing and employment programmes, the Church has been bringing in awareness and awakening among the vulnerable communities. They in turn are demanding their rights. This is not liked by the powers that are since they fear their position being challenged by the poor people. Hence, they have taken to violence. But we condemn this and restate our resolve to continue the services of the Church."

Hindutva critique of Inculturation

2008-11-01T06:44:00.000-07:00

Inculturation- Fooling Hindu Masses, by Nithin Sridhar

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Shantivanam Ashram on the banks of the sacred Kaveri River near Trichy in South India appears Hindu. It has a Hindu shrine, saffron-robed “swami” seated cross-legged on a straw mat, devotees practicing yogic meditations, even chanting Hindu scriptures. But these impressions gradually prove false. First, the eye detects that the courtyard shrine is for Saint Paul and that “puja” is actually, a daily Mass, complete with incense, lamps, flower offerings and prasadam. Finally, one meets the “swami,” Father Bede “Dayananda” Griffiths, a Christian “sannyasin.” This is a Christian ashram, one of more than fifty in India, which are described as “experiments in cross-cultural communication,” or as “contemplative hermitages that revolve around both Christian and Hindu ideals.” Fr. J. Monchanin, one of the founding members of the ashram, defines his mission in these terms: “I have come to India for no other purpose than to awaken in a few souls the desire (the passion) to raise up a Christian India. It will take centuries, sacrificed lives and we shall perhaps die before seeing any realizations. A Christian India, completely Indian and completely Christian will be something so wonderful the sacrifice of our lives is not too much to ask.” (5) His words are a reflection of the motive behind these ashrams.

Sita Ram Goel, in his book “Catholic Ashrams,” lists 108 such Christian ashrams in India, 4 in Nepal and 8 in Sri Lanka. These ashrams include Asha Niketan, Bangalore, Karnataka, Bethany Ashram (1938), Channapatna, Karnataka, Christa Sevakee Ashram (1950), Karkala, Karnataka, Christian Institute for the study of Religion and Society, Bangalore, Karnataka, Yesu Karuna Prarthanalaya, Kote, Mysore District, Karnataka and others. (7)

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read ita all

Orissa suspends 5 policemen in nun rape case

2008-10-31T18:26:00.000-07:00

Special Correspondent

BHUBANESWAR: The Naveen Patnaik government on Friday suspended five policemen for not coming to the rescue of the Catholic nun who was attacked by a mob and raped in Kandhamal district of Orissa during the anti-Christian violence.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik ordered for the suspension by acting upon a report submitted by the District Collector and Superintendent of Police of Kandhamal district.

Mr. Patnaik had sought a report from the officials after the nun recently told journalists in New Delhi that the policemen deployed in the locality had failed to protect her from the attackers.

According to the Chief Minister’s Office, the five policemen who were placed under suspension are Assistant Sub-Inspector Rasananda Mallick, Havildar Major K.N. Mohapatra, Havildar S.K. Hamim and Havildar J.S. Khan and Havildar B.K. Mohanty.

Father Bernard Digal of Orissa dies from wounds

2008-10-31T07:19:00.000-07:00

ZE08103001 - 2008-10-30 Permalink: http://www.zenit.org/article-24110?l=english

INDIAN PRIEST DIES AFTER BEATING

NEW DELHI, India, OCT. 30, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Father Bernard Digal, 45, in a hospital Wednesday from wounds he sustained in late August, when he was beaten by Hindu extremists. The priest served in the Archdiocese of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar, in the state of Orissa, the hotbed for a large portion of the anti-Christian violence that has plagued India since the August death of a Hindu leader. Father Mrutyunjay Digal, secretary of Archbishop Raphael Cheenath of that archdiocese, announced the priest's death to the Fides news agency. He said the community was in "a moment of mourning, of silence and of prayer for the entire local Church." "During his life, Father Bernard showed determination and courage to give testimony and die for Christ," the secretary added. "He has died as an authentic Christian; immediately after the attack he suffered, he pardoned his enemies and persecutors." The Fides agency cited Indian Christian organizations in reporting that some 100 Christians have died as a result of the wave of persecution, while thousands have been wounded. Some 15,000 Christians are living in refugee camps and perhaps as many as 40,000 more have fled to the jungle to hide from the extremists.

The Weight Of The Cross

2008-10-30T17:40:00.000-07:00

All of a sudden, Christians are being forced to examine their willingness to forgive in a hostile world, reports VIJAY SIMHA

.........

“There is a deep sense of fear and anger within the community and if things continue, we will be forced to pursue all possible means of action including approaching the judiciary for relief,” says Moras.

The legal option, however, has its own problems. “We have launched a drive to get more FIRs registered. The worry is that the victims do not know the importance of FIRs, nor are they interested. We need lawyers to help with all this. Then, they have to know the local language. When we finally found lawyers willing to do this in Kandhamal, the Bajrang Dal threatened them. Some lawyers gave up after their houses were broken into,” says

...........

Tehelka Report

Kerala offers protection to Orissa Christians

2008-10-30T16:53:00.000-07:00

Thiruvananthapuram, October 30: : In a significant humanitarian and political move, the Kerala Government has offered protection to 56 Christian families from Orissa, who had fled the state after being ‘harassed’ in the name of religion.
The delegation of the 56 families, including children, met Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan on Thursday. He consoled them saying the state Government would protect them.
Those who had fled from Orissa have been staying at a prayer centre at Chalakkudi till now. They contacted the Chief Minister after an intervention by a Thrissur-based human rights forum.
The Chief Minister said the state government would accommodate them in various centres under the social welfare department.

more

Behind Conversion

2008-10-28T18:11:00.000-07:00

The Crisis Of A Convert
From the many narratives and personal testimonies of people who have changed their faith, the one thing that has been inadequately highlighted is the enormity of their personal crisis.


SUGATA SRINIVASARAJU Outlook India.Com OCT 23, 2008

"I am a Syrian Jacobite who converted to New Life, but nobody forced me to do so. As long as I was with the mainstream church I had no personal encounter with Jesus Christ. I was a Christian only because I was born into that religion. I had many problems and many fears. I used to drink and smoke. I used to get terrible dreams. I went to a psychiatrist, but the drugs he gave me only made me feel drowsy. I found my peace after I joined New Life and accepted Jesus as my personal saviour. It was not a change of religion it was a change of heart." Similarly, there was the story of a Hindu woman who had joined a Pentecostal group to escape the agony caused by her infidel husband. Also the story of a fisherwoman who had shown the light to a family, one of whose members was infected with HIV; a mother who had to find prayers for her daughter who was suffering from terminal cancer and so on. Verghese's pastor, Gopinath, was himself a Hindu-Brahmin from Kerala, who had converted into New Life and founded its unit in Udupi.

In my effort to make sense of all that I had heard, on my return to Bangalore, quite unconsciously, I picked up God That Failed, a book long forgotten and tucked away in a corner shelf of my library. Edited by Richard Crossman and published in the 50s, this book spoke about a different kind of conversion - the ideological one. Here too, I found personal testimonies of six important writers (Andre Gide, Richard Wright, Ignazio Silone, Stephen Spender, Arthur Koestler and Louis Fischer) on why they made their journey into Communism and how they later traced their steps back to democracy. Communism is the 'God' they had all gone seeking, but they found, and explained how, that 'God' had failed. History, politics and disagreements apart, what struck me as I re-read the book was that at the core of their ideological departures and arrivals was a crisis.

read it all

Protests in US

2008-10-28T07:24:00.000-07:00

The protesters carrying placards reading "Stop Religious Persecution in India," "We Want Justice" and "No Justification for Murder," were led by Rev Biju Thomas of St Thomas Evangelical Church of Philadelphia and Fr Jacob Christy of St Thomas Syro-Malabar Catholic Church of Philadelphia. more

Embrace Hinduism, and your house will not be demolished,’ Somini Sengupta writes in New York Times

2008-10-26T04:31:00.000-07:00

By SOMINI SENGUPTA

Published: October 12, 2008 NYT

“ ‘Embrace Hinduism, and your house will not be demolished,’ ” Mr. Digal recalled being told on that Wednesday afternoon in September. “ ‘Otherwise, you will be killed, or you will be thrown out of the village.’ ”
India, the world’s most populous democracy and officially a secular nation, is today haunted by a stark assault on one of its fundamental freedoms. Here in eastern Orissa State, riven by six weeks of religious clashes, Christian families like the Digals say they are being forced to abandon their faith in exchange for their safety.
The forced conversions come amid widening attacks on Christians here and in at least five other states across the country, as India prepares for national elections next spring.
The clash of faiths has cut a wide swath of panic and destruction through these once quiet hamlets fed by paddy fields and jackfruit trees. Here in Kandhamal, the district that has seen the greatest violence, more than 30 people have been killed, 3,000 homes burned and over 130 churches destroyed, including the tin-roofed Baptist prayer hall where the Digals worshiped. Today it is a heap of rubble on an empty field, where cows blithely graze.
Across this ghastly terrain lie the singed remains of mud-and-thatch homes. Christian-owned businesses have been systematically attacked. Orange flags (orange is the sacred color of Hinduism) flutter triumphantly above the rooftops of houses and storefronts. more

For comments see Annotated New York Times

"Hindus Order Christians to Convert or Flee Homes," by Somini Sengupta in NYT

2008-10-26T04:24:00.000-07:00

Two separate articles in The New York Times last week provide detailed reports of vicious attacks against Christians by Hindus in Borepanga, India and by Muslim extremists against Christian Chaldeans in Mosul, Iraq. The story on India, by , appears under the ominous headline, "Hindus Order Christians to Convert or Flee Homes," and reports that "Christian-owned businesses have been systematically attacked. The attacks intensified after the assassination of a charismatic Hindu leader, which authorities believe was carried out by Maoist extremists. Hindu extremists have used the incident as a pretext for launching attacks on Christians. Two nights after his death, a Hindu mob in the village of Nuagaon dragged a Catholic priest and a nun from their residence, tore off much of their clothing and paraded them through the streets," according to the Times. The report adds: "The nun told police that she had been raped by four men, a charge the police say was borne out by a medical examination." more

Justice B K Somashekhar Commission of Inquiry into anti Christian violence, invites statements

2008-10-26T01:48:00.000-07:00

OCTOBER 24, 2008

Karnataka: Commission of inquiry into anti Christian violence, invites statements

Deccan Herald - 18 October 2008

Inquiry commission

Bangalore, dhns: Justice B K Somashekhara commission, set up by the state government to inquire into attacks on places of worship, has invited statements regarding the attacks from the public.

Those filing statements should provide materials supporting their statements.

The public can file statements in the office of the commission or may send to:

The Secretary,
Justice B K Somashekhar Commission of Inquiry,
Balabrooie Guest House, Palace Road,
Opposite to BWSSB Office, Bangalore - 560052

or

Home Office,
Justice B K Somashekhar Commission of Inquiry,
# 175, Brindavana, 3rd E Cross, II block, III stage,
Basaveshwaranagar, Bangalore - 79

or

deputy commissioners of all districts.

Statements can also be emailed to - enquiry@jbkscol.org

courtesy: communalism watch

Orissa police may invoke Section 160 CrPC on nun who was raped

2008-10-24T18:41:00.000-07:00

Orissa police may force nun to cooperate in probe Zee News The Orissa police is contemplating invoking Section 160 of Criminal Procedure Code to force the allged rape victim nun to cooperate with the police, official sources said on Friday. The state government, which was happy with the Supreme Court which refused to order a CBI probe into the case, was surprised at the nun's media conference in Delhi where she reiterated her lack of faith in Orissa police and said she will not like to be further harassed. If the nun avoided the investigation, the crime branch probing the case might invoke Section 160 CrPC to ensure her appearance to cooperate in the probe, the sources said. According to the section 160 of CrPC, any police officer making an investigation can order a person to appear before him and the person has to follow the order. A senior home department official said that though it was not in favour of putting pressure on the alleged rape victim, the police had no alternative because the proposed test identification parade (TIP) could not be held without her presence. The state government has offered the nun to choose the venue of the proposed TIP besides assuring full protection to her and her associates. Home Secretary TK Mishra had last night told reporters that the crime branch would accept any venue chosen by the nun for the TIP. In the history of the crime investigation in Orissa, the state government had never extended such facilities as given to the nun, pointed out an official. This apart, the official said, the government has arrested nine persons though the nun had alleged that one person had raped her. "We have arrested nine people who were involved in the crime. But it is for the nun to identify the real culprit," he said. source Bureau Report

Kandhamal debate in Parliament

2008-10-24T18:28:00.000-07:00

Kandhamal: Congress accuses Patnaik of inaction

Times of India 25 Oct 2008, 0246 hrs IST, TNN

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NEW DELHI: The heat generated by the pitched battle between the UPA coalition and the BJP-led NDA during the Lok Sabha debate on Friday led to

Facing Flak: Orissa chief minister Naveen Patnaik

the disruption of the House.

While the BJP and ally BJD sought to project the sustained violence in the Kandhamal district as an outcome of tension between tribals and economically better-off, converted Scheduled Castes, Congress ascribed it to chief minister Naveen Patnaik’s inability to act under pressure from the BJP.

“When he decided to take into bed a snake, he was supposed to be bitten,” panchayati raj minister Mani Shankar Aiyar said.

There was a demand from the UPA benches that in situations like Kandhamal, the Centre should have the legal teeth to intervene.

Orissa Nun who was raped tells her story to the Press

2008-10-24T18:03:00.000-07:00

Front Page The Hindu , October 25, 2008 I don’t want to be victimised by Orissa police, says Sister Meena

Special Correspondent

Police did their best to dissuade me from filing FIR

— PHOTO: S. SUBRAMANIUM ‘POLICE FAILED TO PROTECT ME’: Sister Meena Lalita Barwa, who was raped in Orissa two months ago, addresses a news conference in New Delhi on Friday. She said the police failed to protect her from the attackers, were friendly with them and did not register an FIR. With her are Sister Vineeta (left) and Lensinglau Rongmei, a Supreme Court lawyer.

NEW DELHI: The nun who was raped by a rioting mob in Kandhamal district of Orissa on August 25 on Friday demanded that the case be transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation.

Her face covered, Sister Meena Lalita Barwa made a statement in full view of the media, at a press conference under the aegis of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India. Her decision to meet the media comes two days after the Supreme Court rejected an application by the Archbishop of Cuttack, Raphael Cheenath, for a CBI probe.

Home > Nation Zee News

Orissa nun demands CBI probe, doesn`t trust police

New Delhi, Oct 24: Displaying immense courage, the Orissa nun on Friday revealed in full media glare that she was attacked and raped by a violent mob during the communal violence in Orissa. The lady, who had covered her face with a veil during the press conference, was untraceable since she had registered an FIR in this connection. “A group of 40-50 people attacked the house where I was staying with father Thomas Chellantharayil. They first slapped me and then threatened me. I was then taken out of the house,” she said. She added, “There were three men who first threatened to throw me into the smouldering fire. Then they threw me in the veranda full of plastic pieces. One of them tore my blouse and undergarments. While one man stood on my right hand, other stood on my left hand and the third man raped me.” Trying to recall the gory images of the shameful incident, the nun said, “I tried to get up, wear my clothes and go. Then another man pulled me and attempted to rape me. At that time a mob reached there and I hid behind the stair case. Then the mob pulled me out. Some of them even threatened to kill me while others wanted to parade me naked on the street. They then beat me up with hands.” “I was made to walk on the streets wearing my petticoat and sari as my blouse was torn by one of the attacker. When we reached the market place I saw two policemen there. I asked them to help me but they refused,” she lamented. more

Orissa nun recounts ordeal before media

DNA India

Vineeta Pandey

Friday, October 24, 2008 17:08 IST

Says she does not trust police, demands CBI probe

NEW DELHI: The nun who was raped in Kandhamal, Orissa, on August 25 has come out in the open and demanded a CBI inquiry, two days after the Supreme Court turned down such a demand. Cuttack archbishop Raphael Cheenath will now file a review petition.

Appearing before the media for the first time since the crime, the nun said she was paraded naked and beaten up but over a dozen cops just looked on and refused to help. Later, the Baliguda police station O-C dissuaded her from filing a complaint saying, “Do you know what will be the consequence?”

“The state police failed to stop the crimes, failed to protect me, they were friendly with the attackers and tried their best to see that I did not register an FIR or complain against them. The police did not even take down my statement… I don’t want to be victimised by the Orissa police. I want a CBI inquiry,” she said. more

The Hindu Right fears not conversions but equitable society

2008-10-22T16:57:00.000-07:00

From Tehelka Magazine , Vol 5, Issue 42, Dated Oct 25, 2008

The Hindu Right fears not conversions but equitable society

UDIT RAJ

RIGHT-WING HINDUS never had any issue with Christians or with conversion when it came to using — and exploiting — Christian institutions. They have had no problem in availing Christian medical facilities. No abhorrence has been evinced toward convent schools, where the so-called upper castes were taught the English that got them jobs abroad and enabled them to articulate their views at global forums. That changed around 1998, when the BJP came to power. Targetting Christians became politically useful. A massive campaign was launched against Sonia Gandhi, making an issue of a person of foreign and Christian origin wielding power over a Hindu majority country. It culminated in the hatred for Christians, who are now seen as villains instead of the gentle community they had hitherto been known as.

Sangh Parivar demand arrest of raped nun and ask her to marry the rapist

2008-10-22T04:15:00.000-07:00

Raped Nun

On Oct. 13, some 5,000 radical Hindu women demonstrated in K. Nuagaon demanding that “the victim marry her rapist in accordance with local tradition.”

In the rape of a nun shortly after the violence began, police have arrested Mitu Patnaik and also implicated Muna Ghadei and Saroj Ghadei. They were arrested at a mill in Kerala’s Palakkad district on Oct. 11.

Police had earlier arrested five men – Juria Pradhan, Kartik Pradhan, Biren Kumar Sahu and Tapas Kumar Patnaik on Oct. 3 and Santosh Pradhan on Oct. 7 for their alleged roles in the crime.

Orissa police sent Patnaik to Cuttack for DNA testing. The alleged rape of the 29-year-old woman took place at the building of a Non-Governmental Organization in Kanjamendi village in Kandhamal on Aug. 25.

The nun has refused to come forward to identify any of the suspects, though inspector general Ray told media they were hopeful of making their case.

“The nun must be very scared and disturbed,” he said. “If necessary, the trial of the case can be held in any other place in Orissa.”

The nun has expressed her disbelief by saying that she would not like to “meet” the state police that remained a mute witness of her predicament.

“The nun wrote from a hospital, as she is yet to recover from the shock,” Archbishop Raphael Cheenath reportedly said.

At the same time, Hindu radicals want to reintroduce a tribal law that would obligate a rape victim to marry the man who rapes her.
more

Sangh Parivar women demand arrest of nun who was raped

National,Religion, Tue, 21 Oct 2008IANS

Bhubaneswar, Oct 21 (IANS) Further vitiating the already surcharged atmosphere in Orissa's Kandhamal district, hundreds of women of the Rashtra Sevika Samiti - an outfit affiliated to the Sangh Parivar - Tuesday demonstrated here demanding the arrest of a nun who was raped during the violence that erupted in the area in August.

'The allegations made by the nun appear to be baseless because she is not coming forward to identify the people already arrested,' the organisation's zonal organising secretaty Suchitra Mohapatra told IANS.

'If she was raped she should come forward and identify the culprits. The state government has already announced to extend all security and help,' she added. more

Orissa Christians need to be protected under as Stateless Refugees by UN

2008-10-20T09:10:00.000-07:00

The government of Orissa is closing the refugee camps and driving out thousands of Christians, without food or shelter. In the meantime, the violence continues, denounced as a genocide to the United Nations, which is being asked for immediate intervention. Fr. Manoj Digal of the archdiocesan social service center tells AsiaNews, ”One of the three relief camps in Baliguda was shut down on Oct 15th, and 900 people sent away. It is ridiculous, these people have nowhere to go, they are defenseless, moreover they have been given just 10 kg of rice per family. How will they live? The government has not even given them tents, where will our people stay? They have lost everything, they are reduced to nothing, moreover, the looming fear of reconversion to Hinduism, if they return to their villages they can only stay as Hindus. The government has not ensured any security for these Christians. There is a grave risk and threat to their lives terror still haunting them, moreover, now radical women’s groups who are terrorising the Christian women. Our people are destitute.”

Sajan K, George, president of the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) has petitioned the United Nations over the decision by the government of Orissa to close the refugee camps in the district of Kandhamal.

"These Orissa Christians and others to follow," he concludes, "express the desire to be termed Prima Facie Refugees and urge you, through the UNHCR to deem them so, in order that they can be covered by a legal framework to protect their human dignity from rights violations and abuse. Currently, they along with tens of thousands, are a stateless people, as the writ of the government of India does not run large in the state of Orissa. more

Justice Sarat Chandra Mohapatra, one-man judicial commission to probe Kandhamal violence

2008-10-18T17:56:00.000-07:00

Probe into Kandhamal violence begins

Special Correspondent The Hindu Oct 19, 2008

BHUBANESWAR: The one-man judicial commission set up to probe into widespread communal violence in Kandhamal district and other places in Orissa started its work on Saturday.

Justice Sarat Chandra Mohapatra, who is heading the Commission, visited the Jalespata Ashram where Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Lakshmanananda Saraswati and four others were killed on August 23. Mr. Justice Mohapatra is a former Judge of the Orissa High Court. more

India Today article on Orissa Violence and Maoist connection

2008-10-18T17:39:00.000-07:00

On September 9, VHP leader Ashok Singhal had a breakfast meeting with Naveen Patnaik at his residence and later told media that he had told the chief minister: "You decide whether you want to be on the side of Hindus and return to power or be politically doomed'. He asserted 'I told the CM out of state's total population 3.51 crores are Hindus (including tribals) while there are only 17 lakhs Christians and Muslims'. more

“Sorry you can’t enter India”. You are ‘involved in missionary and conversion activities’

2008-10-18T17:29:00.000-07:00

Indian Christian leader’s wife arrested and deported from India

Posted: Saturday, 18 October 2008, 10:54 (EST)

Font Scale:A A A

Jossy Chacko is the Founder and Director of Empart, an organization that transforms communities in Asia by planting churches among unreached people. Throughout this year there have been constant reports about the increasing persecution in India.

Jossy and his wife Jenni felt that they needed to be close to their leaders and workers in India to encourage and support them in their suffering. On October 4 they arrived in Chennai with their four children. While waiting for immigration clearance a group of immigration officers and armed police blocked the area and said to Jenni, an Australian national, “Sorry you can’t enter India”. The allegations made against her were that she had been ‘involved in missionary and conversion activities’.

Fr. Thomas Chellan's story

2008-10-18T17:25:00.000-07:00

Fr. Thomas Chellan

Violence against Christians

2008-10-18T17:15:00.000-07:00

Violence against Christians - story so far

Orissa Government refuses CBI probe on nun's rape

2008-10-16T18:10:00.000-07:00

Nun CBI probe call rejected

OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

Bhubaneswar, Oct. 16: The government has refused a nun’s demand for a CBI probe into her alleged rape saying the matter was sub-judice.

“The matter is pending in the Supreme Court,” said chief minister Naveen Patnaik, when reporters sought his reaction on the nun’s demand. But he neither confirmed nor denied receiving a letter from the nun expressing her “lack of faith” on the state police and seeking a CBI probe in the case.

Her demand was first reported in a news agency which quoted her stating she would be “happy” if the matter was handed over to the CBI. She had added that she would not like to “meet” the state police that remained a mute witness of her predicament. read more

Minorities protest inaction on communal violence

2008-10-14T19:08:00.000-07:00

New Delhi, Oct 14 (IANS) Groups representing India's religious minorities and activists held a protest rally here on Tuesday demanding stronger action against perpetrators of communal violence, with several parts of the country seeing sectarian strife in the past two months.

The rally at Jantar Mantar in central Delhi condemned the 'communal violence on minorities in India' and was organised by the All India Confederation of Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe Organisations to mark World Religious Freedom Day.

"To choose one's religion is a fundamental right. On this day to mark religious freedom, we condemn violence and atrocities meted out to minorities - the recent attacks on Christians in Orissa and Muslims after the terror attacks," said Madhu Chandra, national secretary of the All India Confederation of SC/ST Organisations.

Chandra said across the nation members of the confederation resented the government's inaction and were disappointed by the National Integration Council meeting here Monday.

"Crucial issues of arresting perpetrators and putting a ban on radical groups have not been addressed. The action they speak of is very mild," Chandra averred.

Oct 14 was declared World Religious Freedom Day in 2006 at a mega gathering of Dalits at Nagpur, Maharashtra, to mark the day on which B.R. Ambedkar, the chief architect of the Indian Constitution, quit Hinduism and converted to Buddhism in 1956 to be free from caste oppression. more

‘Swami’s students behind clashes’

2008-10-14T19:03:00.000-07:00

Vijaita Singh, Hindustan Times

Email Author

Chakapad, October 13, 2008

First Published: 00:53 IST(13/10/2008)

Last Updated: 00:57 IST(13/10/2008)

The Orissa administration refuses to blame the Bajrang Dal or any other Hindu group for the sustained attacks on Christians in Kandhamal district and elsewhere in the state, which has taken 35 lives and forced over 15,000 people to flee their homes and seek shelter in relief camps.

It insists the rioters were largely former students of a local school founded and run by Swami Laxmananda, whose murder, allegedly by Maoists, on August 23, sparked off the violence.

“Earlier we thought the mobs comprised people allied to the Bajrang Dal, the VHP or the RSS,” a senior government official told HT. “But after questioning most of the 500-odd people who have been arrested, we find that they have nothing to do with Hindu organisations. They are largely students of Swami Laxmananda who thought he had been killed by Christians and wanted to avenge his death. Some of them are erudite Sanskrit scholars.” more

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Communal Violence in Orissa

2008-10-13T18:47:00.000-07:00

Vinod Sharma, Hindustan Times

Email Author

New Delhi, October 14, 2008

Nun rape was shocking, savage, says Orissa CM

In an exclusive interview withVinod Sharma, Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik says he doesn't want communal violence to return to any part of his state

The communal violence in Orissa continued for days. Nearly 15,000 Christians are refugees now. Don’t you feel accountable personally?

We have been taking action from the very start of the violence. I visited the district to bring peace and calm. An officer has been appointed as a special administrator of Kandhamal. He will look into the problems of land and false certificates that cause tension between STs and SCs.

Have you also sent a tough political message to the Sangh Parivar, of which the BJP, your ally, is as much part as the Bajrang Dal?

Over 1,000 people have been arrested. These include members of the Bajrang Dal and the VHP. We will brook no violence or any breaking of the law.

Haven’t the BJP and Sangh Parivar done you great disservice? They were behind the Graham Staines incident and also last year’s December riots

In the eight-and-a-half years that I have been CM, there have been two communal incidents, including the one in December 2007. Both were in Kandhamal that is among the 30 districts we have in the state. There are more than one lakh Christian in Kandhamal. At the beginning of the violence, there were a maximum of 20,000 in the relief camps. Now ten thousand of them have left the camps. I am sure more will be leaving soon. My job is to see that law and order is maintained; that peace is restored; that the law comes down heavily on anyone involved in violence, communal or otherwise; and to deal in a humane and caring way with the suffering people.

But Chief Minister, don’t you feel personally betrayed by the Sangh Parivar?

I repeat to you again that people from extremist organizations who have been involved in these crimes have been arrested. The law will take its course.

Will you support a Central ban on the Bajrang Dal?

We have heard media stories about it. That will be the Centre’s decision. My job is to ensure that that anyone who commits a crime is arrested.

That means you do not support banning the Bajrang Dal.

Bans etc. are in the hands of the Central government.

Will you implement the ban?

We are obliged to implement anything that’s legal. But let me put it this way…. We have taken stringent action against those involved.

So, you say if the Centre proscribes the Bajrang Dal, your government will be obliged to implement it.

Let me clarify. Many people at the NIC meeting from all sides thought that banning an organisation does not work. But the law will take its course against those who commit crimes.

That’s another matter. If there is a ban, will you implement it? You said you’d be legally obliged to do so…

I said whatever any government is legally obliged to do, it will obviously have to do.

If there is another Kandhamal type incident, what shall be your political response vis-à-vis the BJP? It’s after all a political problem.

I am not an astrologer. I do not want communal violence to return to any part of my state. I do not want to speculate on the future.

Don’t you think a greater responsibility devolves on you to protect the Christians who aren’t a major vote bank in the predominantly Hindu Orissa?

I have been CM for over eight years during which only two communal incidents have happened. Staines was murdered during the Congress rule in 1999.

But the same forces were behind it…

It was a great tragedy, a horrible crime. I then was a Union Minister and visited Keonjhar after the incident. It was a terrible thing. But it did happen.

The BJP’s Kharabela Swain first said the Christians, not the Maoists, killed the Swami. But after the Maoists claimed the murder, he said the VHP leader was slain by Maoists who are Christians….

Our crime branch will get to the truth. We have also ordered a judicial inquiry into murder and the consequent communal violence.

Who are they? Are they Maoists, Christians or Christian Maoists?

Let the crime branch get to the truth.

The Nun’s rape was shocking…

Yes, shameful and savage…

Courtesy HT

Attack on churches continue

2008-10-13T18:45:00.000-07:00

B.R. Srikanth

Bangalore, October 14, 2008

After nationwide protests over the attacks on churches, it seems miscreants have changed their style of functioning.

The St Antony's church authorities in Karnataka claimed that a fire – caused by mischief-makers – destroyed several hymnbooks, an audio system and furniture at the church at Yadavanahalli in Bangalore (rural) district on Monday.

Although the police say it was an accident, Father Santosh of St Antony’s church said, “It’s clear that somebody has played mischief. This (fire) is not caused by electrical short circuit.”

He told Hindustan Times, “It looks like somebody has pulled out the hymn books and opened the cupboards and moved candle stands and flower vases.”

Father Adolf Washington of the Archdiocese of Bangalore, who visited the Church this morning, said, “We know for sure that this is not a case of short circuit. We have officials of Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) and the directorate of electrical safety going over the place for clues.”

“We don’t understand how the police department can brush it off as short circuit when many things have been moved and some stands have been knocked down,” he added. more