PERSECUTION International Christian Concern | May 2013
Issue 1/4
INDIA A LEGACY OF
Christian Suffering ISSUE 1/4
ICC INVESTIGATES THE SYSTEMATIC PERSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS IN INDIA ICC sent Regional Manager William Stark to India to meet firsthand with Christians in Orissa, learning their story and how persecution still affects their daily life.
As I entered the Kandhamal district in India’s northeastern state of Orissa, I couldn’t help but notice the beautiful landscape opening up before me: jungle-covered mountains and villages tucked amidst valleys of rice fields left me awestruck. The view was almost beautiful enough to make me forget the unspeakable tragedies that hapYou can help today! 800-ICC-5441
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CENTRAL ASIA
WE CAME INTO THE VALLEY [DURING THE RIOTS] AND THERE WERE COLUMNS OF SMOKE RISING FROM MANY VILLAGES. IT LOOKED LIKE A WAR ZONE. - MILTON, ICC REPRESENTATIVE AND EYEWITNESS TO RIOTS
The 2008 violence of Orissa, India defined the lives of many Christians, trapping them in a cycle of grinding poverty.
pened and continue to unfold. “What was it like when you arrived here during the 2008 riots?” I asked our Indian staffer. “We came into the valley and there were columns of smoke rising from many villages,” he said. “It looked like a war zone.” 2008 ANTI-CHRISTIAN RIOTS The catalyst for the 2008 anti-Christian riots was the murder of Swami Lakshmanananda Saraswati. As a Hindu cleric, Swami was known among the Christian community for forcefully converting Christians to Hinduism through either social pressure or, in extreme cases, physical abuse. Tensions between Christians and Swami came to a boiling point in December 2007 when a Christian man threw a rock at Swami’s car as he drove through a Christian area of Kandhamal. Swami was murdered Aug. 23, 2008 along with some of his closest followers in Kandhamal. Upon hearing this news, Swami’s radical followers immediately blamed Christians despite the Communists’ admission that they killed him. Mobs of enraged Hindus swept across Kandhamal perpetrating the worst Christian pogrom modern India has ever seen. Six hundred villages were attacked; 5,600 Christian houses were looted and set on fire; 300 churches were torched and over 50 Christians were murdered. All told, over 54,000 people were left homeless. The effects of this violence have rippled across generations of Christians living in Kandhamal. Even though the riots ended over four years ago, those three months continue to be defining moments for many Christians.
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CENTRAL ASIA
ICC representatives survey the devastation left by the 2008 riots in Orissa, India.
FAMILIES BROKEN BY VIOLENCE Days after Swami’s murder, Rajesh Digal, a local Christian, attempted to return home from his job in the city to check on his family. On the road, he was confronted by a mob of Hindu radicals. The mob surrounded Rajesh and questioned him about his religious identity. Rajesh was identified as a Christian and the bag he was carrying was confiscated by the mob. When the bag was searched, Rajesh’s Bible was discovered. The mob descended upon Rajesh and began to savagely beat him. After beating Rajesh so badly that he could not move, the mob dug a pit. Rajesh was thrown into the pit where the mob began to bury him alive. “Why are you burying me? I am still alive!” Rajesh screamed according to witnesses. “Call your Jesus. He will save you,” his murderers replied as they continued to bury him. Like most Christians killed in the violence, Rajesh left behind a wife and children who continue to face a life of abject poverty with little hope of change. 4
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A SYSTEMATIC DENIAL OF JUSTICE Christians not only suffer at the hands of Hindu radicals—local police and government officials continue to deny justice to many of the victims. None more so than seven Christians falsely imprisoned for allegedly murdering Swami, who have been imprisoned without trial for four years. Because Christians were initially blamed for Swami’s murder, Hindu radicals demanded the local government arrest “the Christians responsible.” In response, the local government rounded up seven Christians at random. “In the middle of the night, three police house,” convicted Christian Budhadeb Nayak’s wife said. “They broke down our front door and tore my husband from our bed. In nothing but his underwear, they dragged him out of the house and took him away.” As their husbands continue to languish in prison on a false charge, these families face grinding poverty, insecurity and malnutrition. These families are forced to do hard labor or beg.
SUVs pulled up in front of our
[POLICE] BROKE DOWN OUR FRONT DOOR AND TORE MY HUSBAND FROM OUR BED.... THEY DRAGGED HIM OUT OF THE HOUSE AND TOOK HIM AWAY. - WIFE OF FALSELY IMPRISONED CHRISTIAN
During my visit, ICC provided them with immediate help. We are presently working on long-term finanical assistance and legal help. For the past four years, the trials for these imprisoned Christians have been purposely delayed by local officials, including the police and judge adjudicating the case. The Christians who survived the 2008 riots continue to suffer today; some as a result of violence committed by radicals operating unchecked by the police and others at the hands of the government officials sworn to protect them. Although this cycle of violence continues, believers are steadfast in their faith. “If we didn’t suffer because of our faith, we would be concerned,” a pastor from Kandhamal told me. “The Bible tells us that we will suffer if we follow Jesus’ example. Our suffering confirms our faith.”
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TER H G U A D R SON O A R O S N SPO ION! T U C E S R E OF P NAZIR’S STORY Nazir’s father is in prison in Pakistan for “blaspheming” Muhammad. The charge was false but regardless, he was arrested and convicted, and now sits on Pakistan’s death row. Nazir’s mother supports five children on less than $50/month. They live in one 15-square-foot room without heat, air conditioning, or beds. Because of their poverty, Nazir must go to a Muslim school where he is publicly humiliated and pressured by teachers to convert to the religion that is responsible for ruining the life of their family and will kill his father. The above story is not fictional. Nazir is a real child whose family was in dire straits before ICC brought the love and care of free Christians to his family. A SECOND CHANCE Because of ICC partners like you, we were able to provide Nazir with a
new warm home, beds for he and his siblings to sleep on, and most importantly, the funding to send him to a private Christian school where he will receive a superior education and the ability to break out of generations of poverty his Christian relatives have lived under. Each day, Christian children in heavily persecuted areas suffer because of their faith. Many are forced to convert to Islam, held as slaves, or even forced into marriage at a very early age. The majority suffer from lack of education, creating a generational poverty that becomes hard to break. Some will even be orphaned as their parents will be killed in attacks. FROM VICTIM TO VICTOR ICC’s “Kids Care” fund specifically helps these kids by providing education, food, shelter, and a loving community to disciple and care for them. Our kids grow up to be strong leaders in the Christian community—not victims! We have 300 kids under our care around the world. We have internally funded their care for years but we have run out of funding. We are not able to help any more children and are struggling to provide for the kids under our care already.
WOULD YOU PRAYERFULLY CONSIDER SPONSORING A CHILD IN NEED? Now is your chance! For just $45 a month, you can forever change the destiny of one young boy or girl that has suffered because they love Jesus. As always, know that your donation will be used ethically, effectively, and efficiently. I promise!
Jeff King, President, International Christian Concern
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YOU CAN HELP TODAY! SEND DONATIONS TO: ICC PO BOX 8056 SILVER SPRING, MD 20907 OR ONLINE AT WWW.PERSECUTION.ORG
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ICC makes every effort to honor donor wishes in regards to their gifts. Occasionally, a situation will arise where a project is no longer viable. In that case, ICC will redirect those donated project funds to one of our other funds that is most similar to the donor’s original wishes.
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