1 Oct God of Justice and Oppressed Communities

GOD OF JUSTICE AND OPPRESSED COMMUNITIES

And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me.” (Matthew 25:40)

In 2020 a crime that took place in a village in Uttar Pradesh state, Hathras district, which is 200 km. from the Capital of India, is just one of many atrocities that happened in India against the Dalits. Dalits are people who do not belong to the Hindu caste system; hence are treated as untouchables and continue to suffer at the hands of the so-called upper caste people. A 19-year-old Girl was raped by four men belonging to the upper caste. The victim was left paralysed, bleeding and injured. She was rushed to the hospital and died there two weeks later.

When she died, the body was taken to the village in the middle of the night. Her family was locked behind the doors while the Police forcefully burnt her body without the family's consent. Journalists who tried to cover the incident had to face threats and violence from the state and dominant people.

The body is the evidence, and it was burnt; otherwise, there would have been a massive protest with her body. The dominant caste men raped her and killed her while the Police burned her body so, silencing the issue and denying justice. The Dalits are oppressed while the entire system seeks to protect not the victim but the perpetrator of the crime.

Bilkis Banu is a pregnant Muslim woman raped by 11 men during the 2002 Gujrat riots in India. During the riots, she lost several family members. The accused were sent to jail, but they were released recently, which sent a shockwave nationwide. At this time, the Dalits protested and raised their voice against the injustice done to Bilkis Banu. Dalits are oppressed and broken by violence, but their voices continue to cry for justice and resist injustice. Jesus stood against oppressive systems to the point of death, and the resistance of the Dalits in the face of injustice, giving hope to the struggle for the reign of God.

God is with the suffering communities all over the world and calls the body of Christ to stand with the communities that are broken but resisting violence and injustice with their lives, giving hope of a just world by following the crucified Christ, denying self, and carrying the cross. The God of Justice will surely establish Justice. That is the hope with which the Dalits stand, boldly dreaming of a just world not only for them but also for their oppressors. God brought the oppressed community out of Egypt with a mighty and outstretched arm. The same God is with the Dalits to establish Justice and calls the body to Christ to take the pilgrim of Justice with the oppressed communities to establish the reign of God. God of justice gives us the hope to take the journey of Justice boldly like Christ.

prayer

Loving God, we pray for the Dalits in India who face dehumanisation, rape, violence, and death as everyday realities. Thank you for the resilience this community has shown to the world by standing up for justice. Strengthen us to stand in solidarity with the Dalits resisting as communities of resilience. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen!

for further thought

Are communities that are oppressed around me? And what God wants me to do?

Shakespeare Sigamoney

Yonsei University, South Korea