| Kidnapped Christians forced to ‘reconvert’ |
|
|
| By Robert Dilday | |
| Thursday, March 20, 2008 | |
|
(BP) -- Hindu extremists in northern India's Himachal Pradesh state kidnapped at least 60 Christian families in late February and pressured them to “reconvert” to Hinduism, despite a new law that prevents forced conversions.
Lawmakers in Himachal Pradesh passed a law banning conversion by the use of “force, inducement or fraudulent means” in 2007, and the law explicitly states that conversions accomplished by unfair means will not be recognized as valid. Extremist groups like the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and Vishwa Hindu Parishad, which are linked to the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, insist that Christian organizations win converts by offering financial benefits. One pastor whose family was kidnapped told the Christian Legal Association that the extremists offered him the equivalent of $400 a year if he would preach Hinduism instead of Christianity. When he refused, they threatened to kill him or file a complaint against him that would send him to jail. The pastor finally gave in and a ritual was conducted to reconvert him to Hinduism. Although there are other laws that could be applied to forced reconversions, police are reluctant to file charges against extremists linked to the ruling party, said Tehmina Arora, general secretary of the Christian Legal Association.                 Comments (0)
 Readers alone are responsible for the content of the comments they post here. The comments are subject to the site’s terms and conditions of use and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or approval of the Religious Herald. Readers whose comments violate the terms of use may have their comments removed or all of their content blocked from viewing by other users without notification.
Write comment
You must be logged in to post a comment. Please register if you do not have an account yet.
|
Subscribe to this comment's feed
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
Nation
- Delegation, collaboration and prayer are key to managing disasters, say Baptist relief managers
- ANALYSIS: Will the Kermit Gosnell verdict change the abortion debate?
- What now for West, Texas? The challenge comes when public attention goes away
- Religious liberty is Baptists’ ‘gift to the nation,’ says new director of faith-based office
- U.S. House funds disaster aid for churches
| |