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India

  • Homes Burned and Christians Beaten in Orissa

    As Rabindra Mallick, brother of Pastor Kulamani Mallick, was returning from the market in the village of Matiapara in Orissa, India on January 15, he was beaten and abused by local Hindus.  To prevent problems in this small village of 70 people (where only nine are Christians), the incident was not reported to the police.  The next day, however, local villagers armed with "lathis" (bamboo rods) attacked the Christians.  Their houses were ransacked and the home of Pastor Mallick was set on fire.  Nearby homes also caught fire and were destroyed.  Six of the eight homes burned belonged to Christians.

    According to a January 25 report from Compass Direct, police have arrested five of the villagers involved in the attack.  Hindu villagers have also accused the Christians of forcible conversion.  Members of the militant youth organization, Bajrang Dal, claimed the Christians were using torture to convert Hindus to Christianity.  Pastor Mallick and his cousin Gunanidhi Mallick were arrested but were later released on bail.  The All India Christian Council is urging the government to provide compensation, food and shelter to those now without homes.  At last report, no aid had been received.

    Pray that our brothers and sisters in Matiapara will be able to rejoice in the hope they have in Christ because of the false accusations leveled against them. Pray that Pastor Mallick will have clear direction from the Lord as he shepherds the people through this time.

    For more information on India and the persecution experienced by Christians there,click here.

    (Source: Compass Direct)
  • Four Arrested for Converting Hindus

    Police in Jabalpur, India arrested four Christians on January 26, accusing them of converting tribals to Christianity.  According to VOMC sources in India, a bus load of 23 tribal Christians were on their way to a Nazarene Church convention in Nagpur when police, acting on complaints from a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) arrested the leaders and charged them under the state's "Religion Freedom Act."  According to the Hindustan Times, the four arrested were Praveen Pawar, Samath Pawar, Shashi Prabha and Maclin Masih.

    Pray that Praveen, Samath, Shashi and Maclin will be released soon and that all charges against them will be dropped. Pray that they will have opportunities to share their faith while they are detained. Ask the Lord to sustain their friends and families.

    For more information on persecution in India,click here.
  • Bishop and Three Priests Pelted with Stones
    Biship Thomas Dabre
    Bishop Thomas Dabre of Vasai and three priests, Oneil Faroz, Philip Vaz and Andrew Rodrigues, were inaugurating a hostel for tribal children in the village of Ghosali, Maharashtra on January 29 when they were pelted with stones and verbally abused.  One of the priests sustained head injuries.

    According to a January 31 report by the Indian Catholic news agency, the incident began when over 100 members of the militant organizations Bajrang Dal and Vanvasi Kalyan Parishad began protesting against the hostel, claiming that its purpose was to convert the children to Christianity.  Local villagers who were grateful for this new facility drove the militants away before violence could escalate.

    Join us in thanking God with us that the violence was stopped when it was. Continue to pray that there will be no further opposition to this ministry.

    For more information on the persecution facing Christians in India,click here.
  • Pastor Beaten While Distributing Literature

    Pastor Aharon, a Pentecostal pastor from Nizamabad, India was giving out Christian literature at a bus stop on January 13 when he was attacked by Hindu militants. They claimed he was using money to lure people into converting to Christianity.  Two members of the Hindu organization Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) were detained by police following the incident.

    Pray that those opposed to the spread of the Gospel in India will come to understand the message of Jesus Christ. Pray that the literature that was distributed by Pastor Aharon will fall into the hands of those who are spiritually hungry.

    For more information on the persecution of Christians in India,click here.

    (Source: Webindia123)
  • Children's Homes Face Opposition

    On January 14, approximately forty Hindu militants opposed to a children's home and school being constructed in the north-eastern Indian village of Tikri in Uttaranchal came to the construction site and threatened to kill the workers who were building the new facility. The workers all fled for their lives. Ashish Massey, the head of the North India Evangelistic Association (NIEA) who is funding the project, has also been threatened with death by the militants. According a report received by VOMC, credited to Khumi Massey, a staff member of NIEA, some of the local villagers allegedly complained to the activists that the Christians had come to their village to convert them.

    In a separate incident in West Bengal, the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority demolished a church building and orphanage on January 16, despite on-going legal proceedings.  According to Indian Express, the development authority claimed that the buildings were impeding a planned road expansion.  At the time of its destruction, the orphanage was home to thirty children and twenty women.

    Pray that those who are serving these little ones in the name of the Father will know His protection. Pray that the displaced children and women in West Bengal will find comfortable, safe housing. Pray that the threats against Ashish's life will amount to nothing more than powerless words.

    For more information on persecution facing Christians in India,click here.
  • House Church Closed After Conflict with Hindu Worship

    Members of a house church in the village of Umarkote in Orissa state have been ordered by police to stop meeting after a conflict with Hindu militants.  According to a January 4 report from Compass Direct, the militants set up a make-shift Hindu temple in October 2005 near the house church.  They then complained to police that the noise from the Christians was interfering with their Hindu worship.  On December 29, an official complaint was also issued, charging the Christians with forcible conversions.

    On December 30, three Christian women were physically abused as they were making their way to a prayer meeting at the home of Tirinath Nag.  Another member of the church, Samraj Rai, was also slapped and had his motorbike damaged when be came to warn the women. The Christians reported the incident to the police the next day, but the officer would not register an official complaint.  When contacted by Compass, Inspector Narayan Chand Barik said he had not received any complaint from the Christians, but had a complaint submitted by the Hindus.  He also discovered that some Hindus had converted to Christianity without the official process of reporting their conversion to the magistrates, as required under Orissa's "Freedom of Religion" laws.

    As a result of a meeting on January 3, police said they would allow the makeshift Hindu temple to remain on public land, but Christians were banned from holding services in Nag's house. They would be allowed to meet in the home only for prayer and not for any other church-related activity.

    Pray that the believers will display patience and love during this confrontation. Ask the Lord to bring justice into the situation, and that the Christians will be allowed to worship freely. Pray that the believers will be strengthened in their walk with the Lord and in fellowship with each other and will have even more boldness to share the Gospel of Peace.

    For more information on persecution of Christians in India,click here.
  • Church Ransacked by Hindu Militants

    As the eighty members of the New Life Fellowship in Ponda, Goa began their worship service on December 18, twenty Hindu militants barged into the church carrying chains, iron rods and sticks.  They began smashing equipment and chased the worshippers away. They then dragged the pastor to the local police station and alleged that he was disturbing the peace.  Pastor Cajetan Tellis was threatened if he tried to preach in the church again.

    The week before, militants had brought six police officers to the church, accusing Pastor Tellis.  After questioning him, the police could find nothing to charge him with.  Six people have been detained in connection with the December 18 attack.

    Pray that the police will continue to see Pastor Cajetan's innocence and that the accusers will have to give up for lack of response. Ask God to give Pastor Cajetan wisdom to know how best to lead the congregation during this time of trouble. Pray that the congregation will wholeheartedly support their pastor, and that the unity of the believers will be a clear testimony to the community. Ask the Lord to soften the hearts of those who have been detained and that they will turn to Christ.

    For more information on the suffering of India's Christians,click here.
  • Catholics Attacked on Way to Christmas Mass

    Four Catholics on their way to Christmas Eve Mass were accosted by nine members of the militant Hindu organization, RSS, according to a December 30 report from Compass Direct.  The four, Jaisingh Baria, Sunil Minama, and two other people identified as Father Thomas and Santo, were traveling by jeep to a nearby village for mass when they were ambushed in Jambuda, Rajasthan.  The four were forced from their vehicle, stripped down to their underwear, and beaten unconscious.  They were left on the road until they were discovered by a local Christian four hours later.  The RSS members had spread rumours that the Christians were taking two children to be sacrificed as part of their worship.  As a result of these rumours, local villagers joined in the attack.

    Ask the Lord to give them emotional healing from the humiliation and physical healing from the beatings. Pray that this incident will serve to draw them close to the heart of the Lord that suffered first for us.

    For more information on the persecution facing Christians in India,click here.
  • Hindu Militants Attack Pastor While Police Turn a Blind Eye

    On December 3, members of the militant Hindu organization Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) attacked a pastor in Hyderabad, India.  While Pastor Yesupadam was conducting a prayer service in the village of Ashaiah Nagar, someone called for him to come out.  Thinking they were calling him outside to pray for them, he approached seven men who began to beat him.  The Hindu militants then took him to the police station where approximately twenty other RSS members were waiting.  Handing Yesupadam over to the police, the RSS accused him of converting Hindus to Christianity.  The police sub-inspector said that Christians had become a serious headache.  Mocking Yesupadam, the police officer said, "Did your mother conceive you through an English man or Telugu man?  Are you a Telugu man? Are you an Indian? If you desire to live, stop preaching about Jesus Christ.  You know people are killing pastors in the city but still you do not learn anything."  In the presence of the police, the RSS members attempted to apply a tilak, a mark of Hindu devotion, on Yesupadam's forehead.  When he refused, they threatened to kill him and harm his family.  The police did nothing in response to these threats.  When other Christians arrived to help him, they were refused entry into the police station and were threatened with death if they did not stop praying.

    Pastor Yesupadam was eventually released but the threats continued.  Services were cancelled on December 4 because of the threats.

    Pray that Pastor Yesupadam will continue to be filled with boldness as he proclaims the good news of freedom in Christ.  Pray that his courage will influence his persecutors toward a relationship with Jesus Christ.

    For more information on India and the suffering of Christians there,click here.
  • Church Building Converted to Hindu Temple

    Pastor Bhatti

    Pastor's home converted into a Hindu temple
    Pictures courtesy ofGospel for Asia
    The November 16 Persecution and Prayer Alert reported on sixty Christians in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh who were under death threats if they did not reconvert to Hinduism (click here for more information).  According to a December 12 report from Gospel for Asia, the home of Pastor Ramesh Masih Bhatti, where the church was meeting, has been taken over by area Hindus and converted into a Hindu temple.  A Hindu god has been placed at the doorway and Bhatti has been forced to take his family from the home where they had lived for twenty-five years and move in with relatives.  Local officials appear to have sided with the militants who drove the family from their home.  A militant leader in the area has reportedly announced a campaign to move throughout the area villages forcing Christians to reconvert to Hinduism.

    (Source: ASSIST News Service)

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