Conversion and fundamentalism: challenges in India
Christians in India have expressed alarm following the arrest of 14 people for having
converted to Christianity. At the end of March, police arrested 12 Tribals and two
Protestant pastors in the Indian state of Orissa for "illegal" conversions. The
converts violated the Orissa Freedom of Religion Act, which ironically bans any conversion
without a permit issued by the authorities. Critics say Orissa is one of six Indian
states that adopted the conversion law under pressure from fundamentalist Hindu groups
who accuse Christians of proselytism and conversions for money. To date, neither claim
has ever been proven. The Global Council of Indian Christians has condemned the
arrests and called for a stop to anti-Christian violence in the state. In recent
years, Hindu radicals have carried out attacks against Christians in Orissa. In 2008,
100 Christians were killed and another 55,000 forced to leave their homes. Christian
groups have called for a full investigation of the involvement of Indian army in the
massacre against Christians in Orissa. Tracey McClure spoke with Averil Stone
of the Council of Catholic Women’s National Secretariat in Bangalore. She says the
rise in religioius fundamentalism is one of the primary challenges of the Church in
India: "We find it difficult to openly witness (our faith)...people who want to
embrace the Catholic or Christian faith... conversioin has become an issue. They
cannot freely and openly do it in most cases." listen to the interview: