Watchdog is warning about an increase in anti-Christian persecution in India, the world’s most populous country.
Joel Verdkamp, head of international communications for Christian Solidarity International, told CBN News that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi heads to the US this week to meet President Donald Trump.
According to Veldkamp, the encounter could provide an opportunity for Trump and the West to pressure Modi to curb the flow of persecution. Watchdog said the most “extreme cases” of persecution are unfolding in Manipur, the northeastern state of India.
Listen to the latest episodes of “Quick Start”
“This is where the area exploded with anti-Christian violence about two years ago,” Veldkamp said. “There was a dispute over land rights over what land the territory had rights to own, and that turned into a religious conflict.”
And the conflict forced 40,000 Christians to flee their homes for weeks. With nearly two years since that chaos, this situation remains harsh for the majority of the Christian cukizo community.
“Now, most of them live in refugee camps where cancer mortality, kidney failure and other curable diseases are in fact rising rapidly. “And that violence against this particular group of Christians is They are called people called the Kukizo people.
Just a few months ago, one of the most frightening examples of violence unfolded.
“I had three mothers, Christian women from this indigenous group. They were attacked by Hindu extremists, raped and burned alive,” Veldkamp said. “And that causes another violence between the groups, many people are killed, more people are evacuated, and the government really appears to be completely absent from this situation.”
He added that humanitarian assistance to those in the suffering is “weak,” and that government officials are sometimes conspiring, if not inactive, in their reactions.
These issues arise as India is suffering from a growing persecution. The majority of the country (about 80%) are Hindus, and a small Christian minority, which accounts for just 2%, is often targeted and condemned.
“India has a long tradition of democracy, the rule of law,” Veldkamp said. “But in the last decade or so, things have really gotten systematically worse for Christians and other religious minorities in India.”
As the government is led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the cohort Veldkamp said it has “roots of Hindu nationalism,” but the issue continued, and Christian persecution intensified.
“The party in power was able to use a kind of religious identity as a weapon to keep the enemy adversaries,” he said. “So they say they are a true Hindu party, so they encourage them to vote for it. They are a party that protects the identity of Hindu people in India.”
Veldkamp continued. “And of course, such rhetoric requires an enemy. Unfortunately, India’s very small Christian population will become an enemy in the eyes of many followers of this party.”
Verdkamp hopes to meet with Modi and other US officials on Wednesday and Thursday.
“This is a very important week for US-India relations,” he said. “Trump has something to do with this prime minister, and Trump has also committed to becoming a president who seeks to care for and protect persecuted Christians around the world.”
Veldkamp continued. “He doesn’t need to flip the table. He doesn’t need to pose a threat. He doesn’t need to harm the relationship. But while he’s in the room with the Prime Minister, the President should tell him. I really recommend doing something about it.”
India ranks 11th on the Open Doors World Watch list, the world’s worst country ranking due to Christian persecution.
***As the number of voices facing big technology censorship continues to grow, sign up for Faithwire’s daily newsletter and download the CBN news app developed by its parent company. Clearly a Christian perspective. ***
