New Petition Link

THERE IS NOW A NEW PETITION LINK WHICH ANYONE IN THE WORLD CAN SIGN PELASE SIGN IT AND TELL OTHERS TO DO SO ACROSS THE GLOBE

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/bantherss/

HINDUIZATION OF CHRISTIANITY BY HINDU FANATICS

Jesus as a Reincarnation of Krishna

Hindus fanatics preach that Krishna was the eighth "avatar" or incarnation of the god Vishnu - one of the Hindu deities in the Hindu trinity. Hindu scriptures state that Krishna "appeared in all the fullness of his power and glory." Krishna was born sometime between 900 and 1200 B.C. and his religious teachings can be found in the Bhagavad-Gita, one of the sacred texts in Hinduism. The karmic similarities between Jesus and the Hindu messiah named Krishna (1200 B.C.) are many. There over one hundred similarities between the Hindu and Christian saviors which could easily fill a volume. Some of these similarities are apocryphal which means their source comes from the extra-canonical scriptures of Hinduism.

Identical Life Experiences

(1) Krishna was miraculously conceived and born of the Virgin Devaki ("Divine One") as a divine incarnation. (2) He was born at a time when his family had to travel to pay the yearly tax. (3) His father was a carpenter yet Krishna was born of royal descent. (4) His birth was attended by angels, wise men and shepherds, and he was presented with gifts. (5) He was persecuted by a tyrant who ordered the slaughter of thousands of infants who feared that the divine child would supplant his kingdom. (6) His father was warned by a heavenly voice to flee the tyrant who sought the death of the child. The child was then saved by friends who fled with them in the night to a distant country. When the tyrant learned that his attempt to kill the child failed, he issued a decree that all the infants in the area be put to death. Writing about Krishna in the eighteenth century, Sir William Jones stated, "In the Sanskrit dictionary, compiled more than two thousand years ago, we have the whole history of the incarnate deity, born of a virgin, and miraculously escaping in infancy from the reigning tyrant of his country." (Asiatic Researches, Vol. I, p. 273). (7) The Bible states that Jesus and family fled to Egypt afterward to escape from King Herod. According to the Christian apocryphal text "the Gospel of the Infancy," the family traveled to Maturea, Egypt. Krishna was born in Maturea, India, hundreds of years earlier. (8) He was baptized in the River Ganges. (9) The missions of Krishna and Jesus were the same - the salvation of humanity. (10) Krishna worked miracles and wonders such as raising the dead and healing lepers, the deaf and the blind. (11) Krishna used parables to teach the people about charity and love. (12) Jesus taught his disciples about the possibility of removing a mountain by faith. According to tradition, Krishna raised Mount Goverdhen above his disciples to protect his worshipers from the wrath of Indra. (13) "He lived poor and he loved the poor." (14) Krishna washed the feet of the Brahmins and transfigured before his disciples. (15) Krishna's teachings and Jesus' teachings were very similar. The celebrated French missionary and traveler, Evarist-Regis Hucv, who made a journey of several thousand miles through China and Tibet, stated, "If we addressed a Mogul or Tibetan this question, 'Who is Krishna?' the reply was instantly 'The savior of men." According to Robert Cheyne, "All that converting the Hindoos to Christianity does for them is to change the object of their worship from Krishna to Christ." Appleton's Cyclopedia says this about the teachings of Krishna: "Its correspondence with the New Testament is indeed striking." (16) There is an extra-canonical Hindu tradition which states that Krishna was crucified. According to some traditions, Krishna died on a tree or was crucified between two thieves. (17) He descended to hell, rose bodily from the dead, and ascended to heaven which was witnessed by many. (18) Krishna is called the "shepherd god" and "lord of lords," and was considered "the redeemer, firstborn, sin bearer, liberator, universal Word." (19) He is the second person of the trinity, and proclaimed himself the "resurrection" and the "way to the Father." (20) He was considered the "beginning, the middle and the end," ("alpha and omega"), as well as being omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent. (21) His disciples bestowed upon him the title "Jezeus," meaning "pure essence." (22) Krishna is to return again riding a white horse to do battle with the "prince of evil," who will desolate the earth.

"How, if you hear that the man newly dead is, like the man newly born, still living man - one same, existent Spirit - will you weep? The end of birth is death; the end of death is birth: this is ordained!" - Bhagavad Gita (The Song Celestial: 2) "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again ... no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." - Jesus Christ (John 3:3-8)

Srila Prabhupada, the foremost exponent of the Krishna

consciousness movement explains that Jesus is Krishna's representative, son of God, and spiritual master.

Below are excerpts from Srila Prabhupada's books, lectures, and conversations about Jesus Christ and his

relationship with Krsna.

"If one loves Krishna, he must love Lord Jesus also. And if one perfectly loves Jesus he must love Krishna too. If he says, "Why shall I love Krishna? I shall love Jesus," then he has no knowledge. And if one says, "Why shall I love Jesus? I shall love Krishna", then he has no knowledge either. If one understands Krishna, then he will understand Jesus. If one understands Jesus, you'll understand Krishna too"
(Srila Prabhupada - Room conversation with Allen Ginsberg, May 12, 1969 / Columbus - Ohio)

As Lord Jesus Christ said, we should hate the sin, not the sinner. That is a very nice statement, because the sinner is under illusion. He is mad. If we hate him, how can we deliver him? Therefore, those who are advanced devotees, who are really servants of God, do not hate anyone. When Lord Jesus Christ was being crucified, he said, "My God, forgive them. They know not what they do." This is the proper attitude of an advanced devotee. He understands that the conditioned souls cannot be hated, because they have become mad due to their materialistic way of thinking. In this Krsna consciousness movement, there is no question of hating anyone. Everyone is welcomed to come and chant Hare Krsna, take krsna-prasada, listen to the philosophy of Bhagavad-gita, and try to rectify material, conditioned life. This is the essential program of Krsna consciousness.
(Path of Perfection Chapter 3: Learning How to See God)

Christian, Muhammadan, Hindu-it doesn't matter. If he is simply speaking on behalf of God, he is a guru. Lord Jesus Christ, for instance. He canvassed people, saying, "Just try to love God." Anyone-it doesn't matter who-be he Hindu, Muslim, or Christian, is a guru if he convinces people to love God. That is the test. The guru never says, "I am God," or "I will make you God." The real guru says, "I am a servant of God, and I will make you a servant of God also." It doesn't matter how the guru is dressed. As Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, "Whoever can impart knowledge about Krsna is a spiritual master." A genuine spiritual master simply tries to get people to become devotees of Krsna, or God. He has no other business.
(Science of Self Realization Chapter 2: Choosing a Spiritual Master)

So Lord Jesus Christ said, "My Lord, hallowed be Thy name." He wants to glorify the name of the Lord. And some people says that there is no name of God. How? If Lord Jesus Christ says "Hallowed by Thy name," there must be name. The name is there, but he did not pronounce it because the people at that time will not be able to understand or maybe some reason, but he says there is name. So we are making this propaganda, Krsna consciousness movement, the "Hallowed by Thy name. My Lord Krsna, the Personality of Godhead, let Your holy name be glorified." This is our movement. It is not a sectarian...(Lecture: Bhagavad Gita 3.27 Melbourne June 27, 1974)

Sometimes Sri Krsna descends Himself, and sometimes He sends His representative. The major religions of the world-Christian, Hindu, Buddhist and Moslem-believe in some supreme authority or personality coming down from the kingdom of God. In the Christian religion, Jesus Christ claimed to be the son of God and to be coming from the kingdom of God to reclaim conditioned souls. As followers of Bhagavad-gita, we admit this claim to be true. So basically there is no difference of opinion. In details there may be differences due to differences in culture, climate and people, but the basic principle remains the same-that is, God or His representatives come to reclaim conditioned souls.
(Raja Vidya Chapter 6 :Knowledge of Krsna's Appearance and Activities)

Just like Lord Jesus Christ. He was so badly treated and still he was thinking, "Father, they do not know what they are doing. Please excuse." This is suhrdah. He is praying to God This is sadhu, mahatma. Suhrdah prasanta. Not that... In India there are examples like Haridasa Thakura, Prahlada Maharaja. And the Western countries also, Lord Jesus Christ, he is saktyavesa-avatara, God's son. And he tolerated so much. These are the examples of mahatma. Don't misunderstand that we are preaching that mahatmas are only in India. No. By the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead there are mahatmas even amongst the birds, even amongst the beasts, even amongst the lower than animals. Because this Krsna consciousness movement is going on in different places, in different circumstances.(Srimad Bhagavatam 5.5.3 --vrndavana Oct 25, 1976)

Conversation with Father Emmanuel - In 1974, near ISKCON's center in Frankfurt am Main, West Germany, Srila Prabhupada and several of his disciples took a morning walk with father Emmanuel Jungclaussen, a Benedictine monk from Niederalteich Monastery. Noticing that Srila Prabhupada was carrying meditation beads similar to the rosary, Father Emmanuel explained that he also chanted a constant prayer: "Lord Jesus Christ, be merciful unto us." The following conversation ensued.

Conversation with Cardinal Danielou - "Thou Shalt Not Kill" or "Thou Shalt Not Murder"?
At a monastic retreat near Paris, in July of 1973, Srila Prabhupada talked with Cardinal Jean Danielou: "... the Bible does not simply say, ..Do not kill the human being.' It says broadly, ..Thou shalt not kill.'... why do you interpret this to suit your own convenience?"

From Perfect Questions, Perfect Answers - Discussions between Peace Corps Worker Bob Cohen and His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Jesus Christ Was a Guru - The spiritual leader of the Hare Krsna movement here recognizes Lord Jesus Christ as "the son of God, the representative of God... our guru... our spiritual master," yet he has some sharp words for those who currently claim to be Christ's followers...

A devotee of Krsna is friendly to everyone. Therefore it is said here that he has no enemy (nirvairah). How is this? A devotee situated in Krsna consciousness knows that only devotional service to Krsna can relieve a person from all the problems of life. He has personal experience of this, and therefore he wants to introduce this system, Krsna consciousness, into human society. There are many examples in history of devotees of the Lord who risked their lives for the spreading of God consciousness. The favorite example is Lord Jesus Christ. He was crucified by the nondevotees, but he sacrificed his life for spreading God consciousness. Of course, it would be superficial to understand that he was killed. Similarly, in India also there are many examples, such as Thakura Haridasa and Prahlada Maharaja. Why such risk? Because they wanted to spread Krsna consciousness, and it is difficult. A Krsna conscious person knows that if a man is suffering it is due to his forgetfulness of his eternal relationship with Krsna. Therefore, the highest benefit one can render to human society is relieving one's neighbor from all material problems. In such a way, a pure devotee is engaged in the service of the Lord. Now, we can imagine how merciful Krsna is to those engaged in His service, risking everything for Him. Therefore it is certain that such persons must reach the supreme planet after leaving the body.
(Chapter 11 Bhagavad gita text 55 purport)

Failed state

The popular Indian tourist city Jaipur was hit with a series of bomb blasts on Tuesday resulting in over 80 people dead. Outside of the troubled regions of Jammu and Kashmir and the North-East, this is the tenth terror bombing in India targeting civilians since 2005. In what is now all too familiar, blame game and finger pointing have started after these blasts as well. While the law enforcements promise to deliver, Indians have increasingly becoming more insecure at the moment when they are poised to play a bigger role internationally.

After each of these blasts Indian authorities have blamed Pakistan or Bangladesh based terrorists for these attacks. While accusing ‘Islamic’ terror groups for these attacks, law enforcement agencies start arresting Muslim youths of the area, in many instances torturing them. None of those arrested have ever proven guilty for any of these terrorist acts.

Indian Muslims were once proudly showcased internationally by the Indian Prime Minister for the fact that they were free from terrorist activities. In 2006 when visiting India, President Bush remarked to his wife that "Not one Indian Muslim has joined Al Qaeda." Since 2005 a new wave of terrorist attacks in India was blamed on Islamic groups originating in Pakistan and Bangladesh. Slowly the blame shifted to Muslims of India because they were thought to be providing local support to these terrorists. Indian Muslims have increasingly come under pressure from the media, law enforcement agencies and right wing Hindu groups.

Indian madrasas became a special focus of attention of these groups. In response, the Darul Uloom at Deoband, one of the oldest and largest seminaries of Islamic learning in the country, recently organized an anti-terrorism conference attended by a large number of Muslims scholars. This gathering issued a fatwa against terrorism, declaring it to be against Islamic teachings. These conferences are now being organized in many parts of the country. This is a sign of desperation and the only thing a powerless community under siege can do.

Many Muslims find it difficult to believe that some among them may have resorted to terrorism. Given that several series of raids and detentions by the state authorities have never resulted in any conviction Muslims of India have reasons to suspect that they are being unfairly targeted.

For their part the Indian intelligence agencies seem to have failed miserably to prevent or solve these terror strikes, a large number of them designed to create tensions between Hindus and Muslims by targeting their places of worship. Since 2006, four mosques and two temples have been targeted. Indian law enforcement agencies have arrested a large number of Muslims after every blast but none of the investigations have so far led to disruption of any terrorist group in India.

In three years, terrorists have struck India in the East, West, South and North. These bombings have been of low to medium intensity blasts. In most of these cases, ammonium nitrate was used as an explosive material, pointing to a local group. RDX, another explosive material, can only be obtained through army contacts or through an international link. Use of easy to obtain ammonium nitrate and the modus operandi of these terror bombings suggest a local group with limited resources.

Terrorists have used bicycles or bags to plant bombs in crowded public places. To increase the impact of their low to medium intensity bombs, terrorists have strategically chosen the targets—mosques on Friday and temples on Tuesday— to kill the maximum number of people. The bombs were packed with metallic objects to increase the lethal power of the explosions. In most cases, some of these bombs have been found unexploded, potentially providing valuable clues to the police. But these clues have not lead to solving of any of these terrorism cases. The intensity or frequency of bombings shows no sign of slowing down pointing to the miserable failure of Indian security agencies.

Muslim and some secular organizations say that these investigations have failed because investigators have been looking for leads in all the wrong places. Some like human rights activist Teesta Setalvad says that linking Islam with terrorism is nothing but a well planned conspiracy against Muslims. They believe that the most to gain from these attacks are extremist Hindu groups, also knows as Hindutva groups, so known for their ideology of Hindutva which claims India is for Hindus. There have been confirmed cases of their involvement in at least some of the blasts. In April 2006, a bomb blast in Nanded, Maharashtra in the house of a Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS, parent body of all Hindutva groups) activist first alerted secular groups to the possibility of their involvement in terror bombings. Two Bajrang Dal members died in that blasts reportedly during making of the bombs. Bajrang Dal is a militant associate of the RSS.

Just last month, Home Minister of India Shivraj Patel informed the Parliament that Maharashtra police, anti-terrorist squad, and India’s premier investigating agency Central Bureau of Investigations have come to the same conclusion that some Bajrang Dal members were involved in Nanded blasts.

In September of the same year, three bombs exploded in Malegaon, a Muslim majority city of Maharashtra. Local witnesses reported recovering a dead body with a fake beard on it, suggesting that terrorist disguised themselves as Muslims to plant the bombs. The bombing was timed to coincide with a Muslim festival when the targeted mosque and the graveyard were full of people.

In June of 2007, a low intensity blast in a Muslim majority area of Assam that killed one and wounded 40 person was initially blamed on Assam militants United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) but in a very unusual statement ULFA denied the responsibility and blamed the RSS for the bombing.

In July of last year, a former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, Mr. Digvijay Singh, issued a statement that bombs and explosive materials was recovered from RSS sympathizers in that state. He has repeated his statement since and has demanded a ban on Hindutva organizations.

Of all these blasts linked to Hindutva groups, the investigating agencies have not tried to work their way up to the organization to find out the masterminds or the conspiracy. Meanwhile, the blasts have continued; in the south of the country, in January of this year, Tenkasi a small town in Tamilnadu witnessed two bomb blasts—one targeting the local RSS office and another one a bus stop. No one was killed in these attacks but Hindutva groups organized demonstrations to create tension between Hindus and Muslims. The Tamil Nadu police investigated the blasts and arrested seven Hindus as responsible for them. All of them were been found to be RSS activists, and one of them is the General Secretary of a local RSS front, the Hindu Munani.

All this and the continued incidents of terrorist bombings in India have increased the demand for an impartial and effective investigation that looks at all clues and leads. Muslims have long argued that biased investigations have resulted in harassment of Muslims and have not resulted in any positive outcome. The latest bomb blasts in Jaipur are a proof of that.

A group of prominent intellectuals and peace activists, comprising of Asghar Ali Engineer, Ram Puniyani and several others, have demanded that a National Commission be set up to monitor the progress of investigations into these bomb blasts cases. This might help speed up the process of investigations, find valuable clues to catch the culprits, provide justice to the victims, and prevent future attacks.

Spread of Hindutava

BANGLADESH:Bombs found in Maitree’s route

Some crude bombs have been found on a rail track through which the Dhaka-Kolkata Maitree Express will start rolling on Monday, Indian officials said.The bombs were found between Ranaghat and Gede railway stations, north of Kolkata, late on Sunday evening, the officials said.

Bangladesh rail officials were unaware of the "bomb discovery".

"The bombs are crude and are meant to scare, but we are taking no chances," said Dilip Mitra, inspector-general of Railways Safety in Kolkata.Trains between India and Bangladesh are being resumed after 42 years, after they were stopped during the 1965 India-Pakistan war.Indian Intelligence blamed the Nikhil Banga Nagarik Sangha (All Bengal Citizens Group), an organisation of Hindu refugees from East Pakistan, now Bangladesh, in planting the bombs.
The group has close links with the Hindu fundamentalist Rastriya Swayamsevak Sangh or the RSS. The Sangha has opposed the "friendship express" and called upon their supporters to disrupt it.

"Why should democratic and secular India seek to develop such intimate links with Islamic Bangladesh…?" the Sangha's general secretary Subhas Chakrabarti said in a statement this week.

NEPAL:MILITANT HINDUTVA RAISES ITS UGLY HEAD

Needless to say, not everyone was excited by the 18 May 2006 declaration of secularism. Nepal’s Hindutva (Hindu nationalist) elements, with backing from Hindutva forces in India, immediately increased their intolerant rhetoric and exploited the confusion of the Hindu masses. On 22 May 2006 some 5000 Hindus rallied in Birgunj, a southern town in the “Hindutva belt” on the border with India, protesting the parliament’s resolution to turn Nepal into a secular state. The rallies were organised by activists from the World Hindu Federation (WHF) and Shiv Sena Nepal. The protestors blocked the Tribhuvan highway on the Bara-Parsa industrial belt near the Indian border. Shouting “Jay Shree Ram!” (Lord Ram is great!), they burnt tyres, logs and newspapers that supported the resolution. (See LINK 2)

A group calling itself the Nepal Defense Army (NDA) committed several minor acts of terrorism during 2007, primarily targeting Maoist institutions. It claims it is fighting for Nepal’s reinstatement as a Hindu state.

On the evening of Wednesday 12 March 2008 a bomb exploded in the regional office of Kantipur Publications in Biratnagar, a city some 240 km south-east of Kathmandu in the Hindutva belt on the Indian border. Kantipur, a Nepali news service, reported that the explosion caused no harm to the staff or the office property. “Though it was not immediately clear who carried out the attack, the pamphlets found at the explosion site suggested that ’Nepal Defense Army’ was responsible. The pamphlets read ’Nepal Defense Army for Hindu Kingdom’.” (LINK 3)

MOSQUE BOMBING

On the evening of Saturday 29 March 2008, three powerful bombs ripped through the Sarouchiya Mosque in Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala’s hometown of Biratnagar. A fourth bomb failed to explode and was later defused. Two locals were killed in the blasts, while two others were hospitalised with critical injuries.

According to Kantipur, “Two unidentified persons, who came on motorcycles, had lobbed four bombs while over 60 persons were busy reciting evening prayers inside the mosque.”An eyewitness, Malik Alam Kuresi, said the unidentified men hurled the four bombs from the gate and fled the scene. ’However, only three of them (bombs) went off immediately.’

“Meanwhile, an underground group — Nepal Defense Army — took responsibility for the blasts. One R P Mainali aka Paribartan, who identified himself as ’supreme commander’ of the group, owned up the group’s involvement in the blast, in a press statement.” (LINK 4)

In a statement sent to media outlets, the Nepal Defense Army vowed it “would continue such attacks until Nepal is reinstated as a Hindu nation.”

The Times of India reported: “Soon after the attacks, Muslims began demonstrations on streets. Fearing a riot, the district administration clamped curfew from Saturday night. When the curfew was lifted in the morning, Muslims called a strike in Jhapa, Morang and Sunsari districts, ignoring [PM] Koirala’s appeal to show restraint.” (LINK 5)

An October 2007 article by Prashant Jha in the Himal SouthAsian entitled “Royal Hindutva — The Hindu right in Nepal is currently down, but not out” provides insight to the relationship between Hindutva forces in Nepal and India. [In fact, Jha’s article makes one wonder: what would it mean for Nepal if India’s BJP won power in India’s 2009 federal elections?]

Concern Nepal, Jha writes: “India’s Hindu right does not like what it sees taking place in Nepal. Angry that the country is headed towards becoming a secular, democratic republic, it can see its traditional influence in Nepali politics waning. A terminal blow has now been dealt to the two pillars central to what the Hindutva-wallahs have cherished about Nepal: a Hindu rashtra [state] with a Hindu monarchy.”But Hindutva leaders from both India and Nepal have not given up. They have been brainstorming — at the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) headquarters in Nagpur, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) office in New Delhi, the Gorakhnath temple in Gorakhpur, and at the residence of royalist politicians in Kathmandu — as well as with King Gyanendra at the Narayanhiti Palace. However, the Indian and Nepali Hindu right recognises the limits of its capacity, and does not have a clear rescue plan as yet [Oct 07]. . ." (LINK 6)

Maybe the recent mosque bombing in Biratnagar signals a shift in Hindutva strategy. Perhaps the Hindutva agenda will be advanced, not through riots or minor acts of terrorism against Maoists and journalists, but, as in India, through the fomenting of sectarian strife.

Elizabeth Kendal

PAKISTAN:Hindu fanatics are behind the anti Islamic and anti Pakistan propaganda in Pakistan.

India has dismissed Pakistani allegations that it was involved in a train bomb explosion which Islamabad says killed 22 people and left 36 injured.

The bomb turned the carriage into a mangled wreck. Owen Bennett-Jones reports.

The Pakistani authorities said the time bomb went off in the early hours of the morning as the Karachi to Peshawar train approached Khairpur in the southern province of Sindh.

It exploded in a packed train carriage while most of the passengers were asleep, according to an official.

The blast was so powerful it brought the train to a halt

Although no group has admitted responsibility for the bomb, the Pakistani authorities told the BBC they had "unimpeachable" evidence it was the work of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) of the Hindu extremists intelligence service rss.

RSS Attacks On Christians Continue

INDIA WATCH: Massive Attacks Reported Against Christians Across India

Wednesday, 02 April 2008 http://www.bosnewslife.com/news/3541-india-watch-massive-attacks-reported-against

By BosNewsLife Asia Service

In India Christians represent just over two percent of the mainly Hindu population. Via BBC News NEW DELHI, INDIA (BosNewsLife)-- A devoted Christian pastor in India's state of Andhra Pradesh was still suffering of injuries Wednesday, April 2, after Hindu militants stormed his house, the latest in a series of attacks against church leaders and other believers across India, an advocacy group said.

The Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) said 35-year old Pastor Hanock Sanjeev, a former Hindu from the town of Asifabad, was beaten Saturday, March 29, by activists of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), or 'National Volunteers Organization', a hard-line Hindu group. "A group of four RSS activists entered forcibly into Pastor Hanok's house and started beating him with sticks before leaving the place. He went to the hospital and was back in the evening after treatment. He still has pain in his chest region," GCIC said. Just two days earlier in the same state Hindu militants attacked and severely injured the grandparents and aunt of a 15-year-old girl in the village of Bahera, when the Christian family stopped the mob from raping her, Christians said. It came after nine Hindu militants reportedly demanded that the father of the girl, Brij Gopal Saket, turn over his daughter, Urmila, so that they could abuse her. Saket apparently refused to hand her over and locked himself, his wife and daughter inside their home. The militants, who had reportedly threatened other local Christians with violence for worshipping Christ, then grabbed Saket's parents and his sister who were outside the house and beat them with rods, sticks and stones, according to local sources. They were the latest victims of an apparent new wave of anti-Christian launched by Hindu and Islamic militants since Good Friday, March 21, when militants entered the house of Peerzada Shakeel, a convert to Christianity from Islam, and dragged him to the mosque “to say his Muslim prayers," Christians said. "FALSE CHARGES" He was reportedly detained along with his wife Arifa in Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir state, after his father and other Muslims brought “false charges” against related to him "forced conversions," Indian Christians said. He were released the next day, but reportedly still under house arrest Wednesday, April 2. The Good Friday violence in Jammu and Kashmir spread to other areas of India during Easter, rights investigators said, including in Karnataka's state capital of Bangalore and in Shimoga district, where Hindu militants reportedly stormed two Easter Sunday services, beating at least 16 Christians, including two pastors. In one of the attacks, a mob of over 150 intolerant Hindus on Sunday, March 23, launched an attack on a Pentecostal church in Karnataka's Shimoga district in the morning, while a group of over a dozen assailants struck Christians of an independent church in Byapanahalli on the suburbs of Bangalore, said the GCIC in a statement. Accusing the Pentecostal church of "forced" conversions, the attackers allegedly beat 35-year-old pastor Mandya Nagraj and five others, besides vandalizing church property. In Byapanahalli in Bangalore, some 12 “extremists led by a Hindu priest” and an associate attacked the Grace Almighty Full Gospel Church. The assailants beat Pastor P. Isaac and nine believers, including a 17-year-old girl, the GCIC added. POLICE REFUSAL Although police apparently refused to register a complaint against Pastor Isaac for "forced" conversions, the pastor has been pressured to leave the area. Christians said. Violence was also reported around Easter in the state of Madhya Pradesh, where reportedly seven RSS activists interrupted the evening service of a house church in Bherugarh village, beating believers with stones and sticks. The owner of the house, Bhurji Dindore of the Shalom Mission group and his wife were reportedly seriously injured. The attackers also took away Bibles and Christian literature and destroyed the house’s roof, Christians explained. Instead of taking action against attackers, police reportedly detained the pastor and Dindore last week, before releasing them on a 1,200 rupees ($30) bail. Police officials could not immediately be reached for comment. The Easter violence came after Hindu militants already threatened and attacked Christians, including nuns, earlier in the month. On March 15 an angry Hindu mob attacked and sexually assaulted two Catholic nuns in the coastal town of Alibaug in Maharashtra state, the GCIC and India media reported. Sister Mercy Tuscano and Sister Philomena D’Mello, were reportedly preparing to hold a women’s empowerment program to spread AIDS awareness among tribal people when the attack occurred. A day earlier in the Indian state of Karnataka activists the Hindu group Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV) allegedly disrupted a Christian program entitled “Miracle” held March 14 at a playground in Koramangala area of Bangalore, injuring several Christians, the GCIC said. Police said KRV “extremists” accused preachers of “mass conversion.” Indian media reported. Police detained some 20 suspects, said GCIC President Sajan K. George in published comments. There whereabouts were not immediately clear Wednesday April 2. PREACHERS ATTACKED Attacks against preachers reportedly already began March 9 when in the state of Madhya Pradesh Hindu RSS militants “beat pastor Tulsi Ram and had him arrested on false charges of forced conversion on March 11 in the town of Shajapur. He was reportedly dragged to the police station on charges of “forced conversions” and beaten before and during police custody. He released March 14, on bail. Also on March 9 in Karnataka state Hindu nationalist of the RSS group disrupted a worship service in a rented home in the Davangare area, “severely beating” the gathered Christians, with one believer requiring hospitalization for internal injuries, GCIC said. Pastor Philemon Babu reportedly said that among the 25 people attending Sunday morning worship was a new person fidgeting with his mobile phone. "Suddenly at around 11:30 a.m., around 30 extremists barged into the assembly shouting Hindu devotional chants, ‘Jai Shri Ram [Hail god Rama]. They began slapping and hitting the believers, snatched Bibles from their hands and tore them. They made false accusations of [forced] conversion and played the recording of my sermon, which the newcomer had recorded on his mobile phone.” Cursing the Christians, the Hindu extremists beat up several of them, with evangelist Jobin Varghese repeatedly struck and another identified only as Nagaranjan hospitalized with internal injuries. The Hindus allegedly warned Christians of “more serious consequences” if worship services continue in the future. The pastor has been ordered to leave his home and no Sunday worship has been held since, said GCIC President George.

Militant RSS Hindutva raises its ugly head

http://www.spcm.org/Journal/spip.php?breve11311

Nepal: Militant Hindutva raises its ugly head

• as historic elections approach.

By Elizabeth Kendal

On Thursday 10 April, Nepalis will vote in historic constituent assembly elections. And this is no routine election — it is the culmination of three years of upheaval and peace process. The constituent assembly elected on 10 April will draft the new secular constitution which will replace the 1990 Constitution which describes Nepal as a Hindu Kingdom.

BACKGROUND

On 1 February 2005 Nepal’s King Gyanendra, backed by the Nepalese Army, dismissed the Prime Minister and his government and seized absolute power in a bloodless coup. Anti-monarchy sentiment subsequently soared and in November 2005 the previously disparate opposition parties joined forces to form the Seven Party Alliance (SPA) in opposition to direct, totalitarian royal rule.

In April 2006, crippling mass demonstrations in Kathmandu ultimately forced King Gyanendra to step down and hand power to SPA. The Maoists then declared a ceasefire. On 18 May 2006 Nepal’s new parliament publicly declared that Nepal would no longer be a Hindu Kingdom but would now be a secular state. An interim government was formed that included the Maoists.

On 21 November 2006 the Maoists and the SPA signed a Comprehensive Peace Agreement committed to advancing human rights and equity, bringing to an end the decade-long civil conflict. Constituent assembly elections were slated for June 2007, after which a new Constitution would be drafted. (See LINK 1)

Various setbacks, including insecurity and political fractures with the Maoist, forced the postponement of the elections in June 2007 and then again in November 2007.

Over recent months various anti-democratic, anti-secular and marginalised ethnic groups have been escalating their protests, militancy, and violent intimidation of voters in the run-up to the historic elections, forcing Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala to appeal to all political parties to put an end to the violence.

Security has been bolstered and some 135,000 police are being deployed to polling booths in Nepal’s 240 constituencies. There is also considerable concern that after the elections, powerful, armed, not-so-democratic losers might undo Nepal’s tentative peace.

MILITANT HINDUTVA RAISES ITS UGLY HEAD

Needless to say, not everyone was excited by the 18 May 2006 declaration of secularism. Nepal’s Hindutva (Hindu nationalist) elements, with backing from Hindutva forces in India, immediately increased their intolerant rhetoric and exploited the confusion of the Hindu masses. On 22 May 2006 some 5000 Hindus rallied in Birgunj, a southern town in the “Hindutva belt” on the border with India, protesting the parliament’s resolution to turn Nepal into a secular state. The rallies were organised by activists from the World Hindu Federation (WHF) and Shiv Sena Nepal. The protestors blocked the Tribhuvan highway on the Bara-Parsa industrial belt near the Indian border. Shouting “Jay Shree Ram!” (Lord Ram is great!), they burnt tyres, logs and newspapers that supported the resolution. (See LINK 2)

A group calling itself the Nepal Defense Army (NDA) committed several minor acts of terrorism during 2007, primarily targeting Maoist institutions. It claims it is fighting for Nepal’s reinstatement as a Hindu state.

On the evening of Wednesday 12 March 2008 a bomb exploded in the regional office of Kantipur Publications in Biratnagar, a city some 240 km south-east of Kathmandu in the Hindutva belt on the Indian border. Kantipur, a Nepali news service, reported that the explosion caused no harm to the staff or the office property. “Though it was not immediately clear who carried out the attack, the pamphlets found at the explosion site suggested that ’Nepal Defense Army’ was responsible. The pamphlets read ’Nepal Defense Army for Hindu Kingdom’.” (LINK 3)

MOSQUE BOMBING

On the evening of Saturday 29 March 2008, three powerful bombs ripped through the Sarouchiya Mosque in Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala’s hometown of Biratnagar. A fourth bomb failed to explode and was later defused. Two locals were killed in the blasts, while two others were hospitalised with critical injuries.

According to Kantipur, “Two unidentified persons, who came on motorcycles, had lobbed four bombs while over 60 persons were busy reciting evening prayers inside the mosque.”An eyewitness, Malik Alam Kuresi, said the unidentified men hurled the four bombs from the gate and fled the scene. ’However, only three of them (bombs) went off immediately.’

“Meanwhile, an underground group — Nepal Defense Army — took responsibility for the blasts. One R P Mainali aka Paribartan, who identified himself as ’supreme commander’ of the group, owned up the group’s involvement in the blast, in a press statement.” (LINK 4)

In a statement sent to media outlets, the Nepal Defense Army vowed it “would continue such attacks until Nepal is reinstated as a Hindu nation.”

The Times of India reported: “Soon after the attacks, Muslims began demonstrations on streets. Fearing a riot, the district administration clamped curfew from Saturday night. When the curfew was lifted in the morning, Muslims called a strike in Jhapa, Morang and Sunsari districts, ignoring [PM] Koirala’s appeal to show restraint.” (LINK 5)

An October 2007 article by Prashant Jha in the Himal SouthAsian entitled “Royal Hindutva — The Hindu right in Nepal is currently down, but not out” provides insight to the relationship between Hindutva forces in Nepal and India. [In fact, Jha’s article makes one wonder: what would it mean for Nepal if India’s BJP won power in India’s 2009 federal elections?]

Concern Nepal, Jha writes: “India’s Hindu right does not like what it sees taking place in Nepal. Angry that the country is headed towards becoming a secular, democratic republic, it can see its traditional influence in Nepali politics waning. A terminal blow has now been dealt to the two pillars central to what the Hindutva-wallahs have cherished about Nepal: a Hindu rashtra [state] with a Hindu monarchy.”But Hindutva leaders from both India and Nepal have not given up. They have been brainstorming — at the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) headquarters in Nagpur, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) office in New Delhi, the Gorakhnath temple in Gorakhpur, and at the residence of royalist politicians in Kathmandu — as well as with King Gyanendra at the Narayanhiti Palace. However, the Indian and Nepali Hindu right recognises the limits of its capacity, and does not have a clear rescue plan as yet [Oct 07]. . ." (LINK 6)

Maybe the recent mosque bombing in Biratnagar signals a shift in Hindutva strategy. Perhaps the Hindutva agenda will be advanced, not through riots or minor acts of terrorism against Maoists and journalists, but, as in India, through the fomenting of sectarian strife.

Elizabeth Kendal

Fact Finding Report by aicc Orissa Chapter

Written by AICC

Tuesday, 08 January 2008

RESEARCH & FACT FINDING REPORT BASED ON VISITS TO KANDHAMAL, ORISSA IN THE AFTERMATH OF ANTI-CHRISTIAN ATTACKS Jan. 7, 2008 PREFACE: From January 3-5, 2008, a second fact finding team from the All India Christian Council (aicc) Orissa chapter surveyed extensively and visited all the villages and places in Orissa attacked since December 24, 2007. Team members included: Rev. Dr. Pran Ranjan Parichha, aicc Orissa Chapter General Secretary; Mr. Harish Chandra Arisalya, Regional Manager for Dalit Education in Orissa; Rev. Abhiram Keshari Singh, Associate Secretary, aicc Balasore District Chapter; Rev. Samaresh Naik., Secretary, aicc Balasore District Chapter. They found that the VHP (Vishwa Hindu Parishad) instigated the attacks and carefully targeted Christians throughout Kandhamal District, Orissa. Most of the Christians were Dalits. Here is a summary of findings from spot visits, interviews, and personal talks with victims as written by Mr. Harish. [Note: we have used the local spellings for some villages which may not be the official English version.] CONTENTS: A. Deaths B. Seriously Injured C. Other Violence D. Slogans Used During Attacks E. Weapons Used by Attackers F. VHP Leaders G. Disturbing Facts About the Attacks H. Police Response I. The Scenario Today A. DEATHS:- There are different figures given by different people on the number of deaths from the minority (Christian) community. No figure is wrong, in a sense. The ground reality is many people are still underground or hiding literally in the forests to escape attacks & possible death from VHP cadre. Those who are missing in the villages may be alive in the forests or at nearby villages, or killed and their dead bodies are taken away or kept secret by the VHP cadre. This truth can never be ruled out. During our visit we have interviewed and found names of four confirmed dead. 1. Bhogra Naik – Male – 50+ years – village Barkhama. I have visited his broken house and met with his eldest son. Photograph of his son is available. He was a Christian and killed by the VHP cadre. 2. Tileshwar Mistri – Male – 42 years – village Kasupanka GP, Hatimunda. He was killed by the VHP mob. 3. Rajesh – Male – 22 years - from Alanjori GP. Christian young man killed by the VHP mob. 4. Kundan Mantri – Male – 21 years – Jholasahi village. Died of firing (gunshot). The VHP cadre is making all efforts to hide / destroy dead bodies of Christians killed by them to avoid death record. B. SERIOUSLY INJURED:– 6 (SIX) Christians were strangulated and fired at by the VHP cadre. They are hospitalized. 1. Sumanta Naik 2. Abhinay Naik 3. Dipti Senapati 4. Amar Naik 5. Kishore Baliyarsingh 6. Remez Singh C. OTHER VIOLENCE: DESTROYED, LOOTED, ROBBED & MOLESTED:- We have numerous pictures of property that was destroyed, burnt, and made to ashes. You will see only heaps of ashes, charcoal, and marks of black smoke in many churches and Christian institutions. Total no. of churches burnt, destroyed:- 95 This includes all village churches and churches of all denominations. Total no. of houses set on fire and completely destroyed:- 730 (In Barkhama village alone:- 415 houses.) In most of the villages the VHP miscreants not only destroyed the houses but looted gold jewelry, cash, and valuables. They did not spare ladies. Whomever they caught, they molested. D. SLOGANS USED DURING ATTACKS:- We have asked at all the villages regarding the slogans given by the attackers. Following are the slogans given by them during and after attack and killings. This is a fact. A) Bajrang Dal Jai [Hail Bajrang Dal! (Bajrang Dal is the youth wing of the VHP)] B) Hindu Hindu Bhai [Hindu Hindu Brother] C) Jai Shriram [Hail Shriram! (Shriram is a Hindu deity)] D) Jai Shiva Shambu [Hail Shiva Shambu (Shiva Shambu is also a Hindu deity)] E) Jai Bajrang Dal [Hail Bajrang Dal!] F) Only Hindus to stay here – no Christians to stay here G) Bharatmata ki jai [Hail mother India!] H) Bajrang Dal ki jai [Hail Bajrang Dal] I) Kill Christians E. WEAPONS USED BY ATTACKERS:- The VHP cadre attacked with guns, knives, trishuls (a tri-tipped spear), bombs, and other lethal weapons. Many of them had tied a yellow ribbon on their heads and put vermillion on their foreheads. F. VHP LEADERS:- Based on our research, the following people/groups were behind the attacks. 1. Chitta Bindhani – this man is not a local. He is not from Kandhamal district. He is actually from Jajpur district which is part of the coastal belt. This belt is the stronghold of VHP. 2. Bhagaban Panda – VHP leader of Kandhamal who co-masterminded this operation. Both were staying adjacent to Hanuman Mandir at Balliguda town. They are not locals but settled in Kandhamal and have been instigating threats against innocent tribals and Dalits for some time. 3. Kui Samaj - local leaders of the alliance of VHP which agitates for caste and reservation status for the Kui speaking people. G. DISTURBING FACTS ABOUT THE ATTACKS:- FACT - 1. BARKHAMA CHRISTIANS SUFFER GREATEST ATTACK Barkhama is a village about 12 kms away from Balliguda town sub division in Kandhamal. This village has Hindu majority but there are 450 Christian families. Out of 450, 415 houses belonging to Christians were completely smashed. This village has 7 churches of different denominations. All churches had well constructed buildings and six of the seven were seriously damaged. FACT – 2. POLICE INACTION AT BARKHAMA Barkhama village was attacked two times – on 24th & 25th December 2007. The sub division police head office is only about 12 kms away at Balliguda. But the police came only on the 25th night at 11 pm. They took no action but remained as silent spectators and went back. This was the exact repetition of the Gujarat carnage and its methodology. At Daringbadi, people also witnessed police watching vandalism silently as if they are watching a Hindi movie. This also was reported in Baminigaon. These are clear examples of police helping the VHP in the operation. FACT – 3. CONSPIRACY TO HIDE DEAD BODIES We believe there is a conspiracy to hide the bodies of Christians killed by the VHP cadre in order to destroy evidence of deaths in the Christian community. Many are missing -- both adults and children -- in every village. FACT – 4. PLACE OF WORSHIP VS. CREMATION OF THE DEAD Every year at Barkhama village, all the 7 churches join together and conduct a combined Christmas Eve & Christmas Day service on open ground belonging to the church. This year just as the service was over on Christmas Eve the VHP cadre attacked the congregation. They burnt the pulpit and ransacked the church buildings. On that day an old Hindu person had died naturally. In order to desecrate the place of worship of Christians the VHP cadre brought the dead body and cremated right in front of the pulpit. The ashes of the dead body remain there until today. We have a photograph. Yesterday, 6th Jan the Hindu community had a puja (worship) to mark the 10th day of the death. [Due to curfews and other restrictions, the celebration was delayed slightly.] This was not at the church ground but was intended as an insult and disrespect to the faith of the Christian community. FACT – 5. FIRST DEATH Bhogra Naik, a Christian, was killed and his body cut into three pieces. I talked to his son, Bipse Naik, and visited his destroyed house. The dead body was retrieved by his family and buried on his own land. FACT – 6. PASTOR ADAM NAIK: EYE WITNESS Pastor Adam Naik of Barkhama village was the chief speaker of that combined Christmas service. He ran for his life and is alive today. We talked to him over the phone. Both Bhogra Naik and Adam Naik were running for their lives. But Bhogra Naik could not run fast enough and succumbed to death by the VHP cadre. Adam Naik saw Bhogra brutally killed and heard him screaming for help. FACT – 7. PASTOR'S WIFE MISSING OR DEAD Pastor Krushna Chandra Digal and his family with three kids left home and ran for their lives. All went to the nearby forest in different directions with the crowd. They lost track of each other. After two days in the forest, the pastor started searching for his family. One by one he found his three children but till today his wife, Mrs. Sabita Digal, is missing. She might be killed or alive -- nobody knows. This is only one example, and there are more people. This is the reason no one can give now a definite figure on the death toll. FACT – 8. NO MEN AT BAMINIGAON VILLAGE Baminigaon village was the epicenter of this violence against Christians. Today you will see only women at the village and relief camps, but no men. All the men have gone into hiding in the forest to save their lives and to avoid the police, atrocity, or arrest. Nobody knows how many of them are alive in the forests. FACT – 9. TIGER & BEAR SIGHTED IN JUNGLE The people of Barkhama ran for their lives to the nearby jungle (forest). The name of the jungle is Kade Dangar Hill. Many families stayed for 3 nights in the jungle. Some slept under trees and behind huge rocks. It was difficult to manage in the cold of the season. Two times they saw tigers passing by and once a bear passed by. People spent the nights unharmed. This was the testimony of Pastor Lalit's wife, Mrs.Sadhaban. She was with her 4th standard girl, Rolly. FACT – 10. LICKING LEAVES FOR WATER During their stay in the forest, people did not get water to drink. Adults managed but kids were helpless. So they licked the dew on the leaves of plants and trees to quench their thirst. The children survived and returned to villages, but many asked what is the government doing to help? FACT – 11. MEDIA REPORTS Except NDTV and ETV, the TV and print media did not seem aware of the facts. They were giving biased reports, figures, and stories from VHP sources. There was no impartial report and "news" in the true sense of the term. The ETV reporter went to the forest and covered the condition of the people hiding there. Immediately he was shifted to other place by the media. The name of the reporter is Mr.Panda. Thus, we request people to please do not rely on the facts & figure of the media. See http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/gentemplate_generic.aspx?template=orissaviolence. FACT – 12. CHURCH VANDALISED AND GOAT KILLED In Baminigaon, the epicenter of the violence, the VHP cadre attacked the Roman Catholic church and all the adjacent houses of the priest & nuns. They took away one goat from a Christian family and butchered it to get the blood. The whole mob used that blood for Tilaks (forehead marking) and shouted "Jai Bajarangbali" [Hail Bajrang Dali! – the VHP youth wing] and "Jai Shriram" [Hail Shriram! – a Hindu deity]. Later, with that blood mark on their foreheads, they started attacking & looting other Christian houses. FACT – 13. HOLY COMMUNION TRAMPLED While destroying the Roman Catholic church building and attacking those inside, they brought out the holy communion elements – bread, grape juice, containers, and distribution cups. They crushed these articles under their feet. This is a great barbaric and insulting act. FACT – 14. RECONVERSION PLOT – TONSURED – GOAT BLOOD Under Balliguda tehsil is Kutikia GP. The Christian families are very few in number here. There was a small church that was attacked. The pastor, Rev. Kalia Mani Digal, and 12 Christians were forcibly taken to a field and were tonsured (heads shaved) because they refused to deny their Christian faith. Later all of them were told to eat raw rice mixed with goat blood in order to become Hindus. FACT – 15. OFFICIAL PERMISSION OBTAINED The youth wing of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Banik Sangha at Baminigaon applied to the government authorities and obtained the required permission to hold worship & meetings with P.A. system and a stage on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. In spite of that, the minority Christian community was attacked. FACT – 16. WHO IS THIS LAKHMANANDA SARASWATI He is not a tribal from Kondhmal district. He hails from a small village near Talcher of Dhenkanal district which is in the central part of Orissa. He murdered someone in his locality and had a fight in his family, then he ran away. Many years ago, Kondhmal was a peaceful district with tribals and Dalits. This man took shelter here and joined the VHP. He established an ashram at Chakkapada and became the mouthpiece of the VHP for Kondhmal. FACT - 17. ONLY CHRISTIAN HOUSES WERE CAREFULLY DESTROYED Their (VHP) strategy was so meticulous that if a Christian office (i.e. World Vision) was in a rented house of a Hindu, they did not attack that house but brought out everything on the road and then set it on fire. H. POLICE RESPONSE:- In all the villages we have visited, people testify that the attacks, destruction and looting was done in the presence of police. Police did not prevent the situation and they could have taken action. There was one exception. In Balliguda town there was a police sub-inspector from the Christian community. He used to warn the Christian community of Barkhama village of a possible attack by the VHP. Even on that fateful day (Dec. 24, 2007) he told the pastors to leave the village and run for their lives. Next day the said inspector was transferred. Even today we believe the police are shielding the VHP cadre. I. THE SCENARIO TODAY:- The present situation in most villages is like a man-made desert. Everywhere there are heaps of ashes, charcoal, and broken pieces. People cannot believe the VHP's:- • well planned attack • organized vandalism • pre-planned looting, arson & robbery • meticulous destruction • local police as silent spectators • sheer devastation • quick destruction • barbaric mutilation The situation right now feels like after a war. During this winter people will now be deprived of a roof above their heads. If you make a round through the villages, you will feel & hear testimony from victims that one of the following things is true: a) India is not a democratic country or b) there is at least no rule of law in this place c) or Hindu fundamentalists are on the ruling throne of the nation Many are still in hiding or missing, and there is still much fear. We appeal for assistance and justice in light of these horrible events from Dec. 24, 2007, til now, Jan. 7, 2008.

Hindu RSS Fanatics Attack Pastor

By James Varghese

A pastor has been beaten up by a group of Hindu radicals. According to a story on the web site www.persecution.in, the assault occurred on the evening of March 11 in Madhya Pradesh, India.

When leaving his house, Pastor Tulsi, 26, was attacked by members of a Hindu militant group called RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh).

According to the web site, when he was assaulted Tulsi (who works for an Indian evangelical team), was holding a copy of Jesus Calls magazine and his organization’s brochure.

The story on www.persecution.in said the Hindu militants snatched the material from Tulsi and started to beat him up. Later the radicals took Tulsi to an area police station where the story said they locked him up, claiming that Tulsi was converting people to Christianity by force.

The story on the web site said that area believers attempted to see Tulsi but were refused permission. They were told that police needed to talk to RSS leaders before granting any visits to see Tulsi, as they feared trouble from members of the militant Hindu sect.

According to www.persecution.in Tulsi was made to forced to sign his name on blank pieces of paper. That, the story said, would enable either the police or the Hindu radicals to say he was engaging in forced conversions.

Tulsi was apparently told that if he renounces his faith he would be immediately released, but he refused.

The writer of the story asked that people pray for Tulsi.

Intolerant Hindus Attack Easter Services in India

Assaults on two churches mar celebrations in Karnataka state.
by Vishal Arora

NEW DELHI, Hindutva (Hindu nationalist) extremists stormed two Easter Sunday services and beat at least 16 Christians, including two pastors, in the Karnataka state capital of Bangalore and in Shimoga district.

A mob of more than 150 intolerant Hindus on Sunday (March 23) launched an attack on a Pentecostal church in Karnataka’s Shimoga district at 9 a.m., and a group of more than a dozen assailants struck Christians of an independent church in Byapanahalli on the suburbs of Bangalore at 11:45 a.m., reported the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC).

“About 150 Hindutva radicals armed with sticks stormed the Indian Pentecostal Church in Gundlikoppa village, around 20 kilometers from Shimoga district headquarters, while the believers were attending the Easter service,” Dr. Sajan K. George, GCIC’s national president, told Compass.

Accusing the church of “forced” conversions without any evidence for the charge, the attackers beat 35-year-old pastor Mandya Nagraj and five others, besides vandalizing church property, George added. The assailants damaged the roof and musical instruments.

Pastor Nagraj had received a threat a week earlier, added George.

Police arrested six of the attackers and provided protection to the pastor after GCIC’s intervention. The Pentecostal church, attended by around 60 Christians, has been functioning for six years with no evidence of attempting to convert people by force or fraud.

Girl Beaten

In the second attack, George said at least 12 extremists led by the Hindu priest of a local temple and his associate, identified only as Puttappa, attacked the Grace Almighty Full Gospel Church in Byapanahalli in Bangalore.

The assailants beat 30-year-old pastor P. Isaac and nine believers, including a 17-year-old girl identified only as Jency. The girl was rushed to a hospital for first-aid.

Following the attack, the assailants went to the homes of a few believers and warned them against attending the church. They also took Pastor Isaac to the police station and sought to register a complaint against him for “forced” conversions. Police interrogated the pastor and subsequently released him.

But police brokered a “compromise” between the attackers and the pastor requiring him to leave the area.

The independent church was established around seven years ago, and has more than 60 members.

Karnataka came under the President’s rule on November 20 last year, when the ruling coalition comprising the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) party and the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) broke up. Legislative elections are expected to be announced soon.

Christian persecution rose to new heights in the state after the BJP and JD-S came to power in February 2006.

There are a little more than 1 million Christians in Karnataka, which is home to over 52.8 million people.

Holiday Attacks

Attacks on Christian holidays are becoming increasingly common in India.

Hindutva extremists beat two pastors of Believers’ Church on Easter last year (April 8) in Salwa village in Madhya Pradesh state’s Mandla district. They arrived at the house of the pastors, Dinesh Toppo and Chandan Chhinchani, to launch the assault.

Similarly, on Christmas Eve of 2007, Hindutva extremists led a series of violent attacks on Christians and their property in Orissa state’s Kandhamal district.

The attacks, lasting more than a week, killed six Christians and razed at least 730 houses and 95 churches, according to a fact-finding team of the All India Christian Council’s Orissa chapter. Hundreds of displaced Christians remained in relief camps set up by the Orissa government at press time. (See Compass Direct News, “Two More Victims of Violence Succumb to Injuries in Orissa,” February 20.)

The Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) told BosNewsLife that the Hindu militants were part of an angry mob of some 100 people who last week attacked the nuns near their St. Mary convent in Alibag, just outside Mumbai.

One of the two victims, identified only as Sister Mercy, returned two the convent after spending five days at Alibag Civil Hospital, but she struggles to overcome the trauma of the sexual abuse, the well-informed GCIC said. "I told them, 'kill me, don't leave me half-dead, if you must, then kill me'," she recalled in remarks published by GCIC. "They pushed me against the wire, and hit me, then threw me to the ground," she reportedly said.

It came on the heels of a report detailing 142 religiously-motivated attacks on Christian targets in 2007, although it acknowledged the real total may be "much higher." The report, issued by Britain-based Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), specifically cited deadly clashes in India's Orissa State over the Christmas period of 2007, described by rights watchers as the "largest attack on the Christian community in the history of democratic India."

Human Rights group releases report on anti-Christian violence in 2007 as UN Special Rapporteur warns of rising communal divisions in India

dimanche 23 mars 2008 By Michael Ireland

A report documenting the high rate of religiously-motivated violence against Christians in India during 2007 has been released by Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW). The report was released as the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief concluded her 17-day visit to India.

At a press conference in New Delhi last week, UN Rapporteur, Asma Jahangir, warned that communal divisions seem to have increased in India during the past decade and called on the Indian government to address this growing problem.

CSW’s report provides details of 142 religiously-motivated attacks on Christian targets in 2007, although it acknowledges that the real total may be much higher. It also provides a summary and analysis of the outbreak of severe communal violence, predominantly against Christians, in Orissa over the Christmas period. This episode was described by CSW partners, the All India Christian Council (AICC) as « the largest attack on the Christian community in the history of democratic India. » The highest recorded rate of separate incidents was in Karnataka state.

The report links the anti-Christian violence to an « anti-conversion culture, » rooted in the extremist Hindu nationalist ideology of Hindutva. This culture is also reflected in anti-conversion laws, currently in force in four states and on the statute books in three states. A new anti-conversion bill is due to be discussed in the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly today.

The report criticizes pervasive police inaction or complicity with regard to anti-Christian violence, especially in the states of Chhattisgarh, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh. In some cases, police arrested the Christian victims of attacks instead of their assailants, and a number of attacks on Christians by police officers were also recorded.

The report also highlights that religious freedom for Dalits is damaged by the religious conditionality attached to eligibility for the affirmative action-style system of ‘reservations’ designed to address the social exclusion of Dalits. Those who adopt Christianity or Islam lose their eligibility for these rights.

A copy of the report can be found at : http://dynamic.csw.org.uk/article.a...

CSW Chief Executive, Mervyn Thomas, said : “India has one of the worst rates of anti-Christian violence anywhere in the world. We urge the Indian government to take seriously the warning of the UN Special Rapporteur and to address both the activities of Hindu extremists in attacking and inciting hatred against Christians, and the prevailing culture of impunity for the perpetrators of these attacks. We further call for the repeal of all anti-conversion laws and for the extension of equal rights to Dalit Christians and Muslims.”

CSW is a human rights organization which specializes in religious freedom, works on behalf of those persecuted for their Christian beliefs and promotes religious liberty for all.

For more information, please contact Penny Hollings, Campaigns and Media Manager at Christian Solidarity Worldwide on +44 (0)20 8329 0045, email pennyhollings csw.org.uk or visit interro_liens_callback .

Attack on Bar by Hindu extremists widely condemned in IHK

Srinagar, March 19 (KMS): In occupied Kashmir, the assault on Kashmiri lawyers by a mob of Hindu extremists outside Kot Bhalwal Jail in Jammu has triggered severe condemnation from various political, religious, and social organizations. The lawyers on Monday had gone to visit detainees on the orders of High Court to see if they needed any legal help.

The All Parties Hurriyet Conference (APHC), while condemning the attack, termed it a vain attempt by Hindu fanatics to put a cover on the atrocities and excesses being perpetrated on the Kashmiri detainees languishing in different jails of Jammu and India.

“The attack on lawyers cannot be termed as an aberration as the Hindu extremists have attacked various pro-movement leaders in the past,” said the APHC spokesman. He flayed the puppet administration for not taking any action against the assailants, adding, “The authorities have demonstrated state terrorism albeit in a different form.”

Senior Kashmiri Hurriyet leader, Syed Ali Gilani termed the act of Hindu Chauvinists as fascism. “The attack on lawyers reflects the extent of danger to the life of Kashmiri prisoners in jails,” said Gilani. He appealed to the International Committee of Red Cross to take serious notice of it and play its role in getting the detainees shifted to Valley to ensure security to their life.

The Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) termed the attack a vile tactic by the superintendent Kot Bhalwal Jail. The JKLF has warned of serious consequences if the assailants were not arrested and brought to justice and appealed to all the Muslim and democratic countries to exert pressure on India to stop atrocities on people in occupied Kashmir.

Comdemning the attack, the patron of Jammu Kashmir Mahaz-e-Azadi, Muhammad Azam Inqalabi said that such Hindu extremists had massacred lakhs of Muslims in Jammu in 1947.

The Jammu and Kashmir Salvation Movement (JKSM) at a meeting held at its head office in Srinagar and presided over by its chairman Zaffar Akbar Bhat strongly condemned the attack on lawyers. “This attack on lawyers has proved it beyond any doubt that the Hindu chauvinists enjoyed the patronage and support of the administration and police in Jammu, Zaffar said.

The Secretary General of the Jammu and Kashmir Muslim League termed the attack a handiwork of Indian secret agencies and added that the attack had debunked India’s claims of being a democratic country.

Attacks on Christians Continue

Christians Forced to 'Reconvert' in Himachal Pradesh by RSS Fanatics,

3/4/08 New Delhi (International Christian Concern) - Reports of Christians being forced to convert back to Hinduism from the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, where an "anti-conversion" law was recently passed that prohibits forcible conversion. Nevertheless, the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which came into power two months ago, does not appear to see any problem with forcible "reconversions" of Christians to Hinduism.

At least 60 Christian families were reportedly "reconverted" by organizations linked to the BJP in the last week alone, which, according to the Evangelical Fellowship of India (EFI), is the tip of the iceberg.

The EFI said in a statement that one Pastor Ram Lal and his wife were reconverted in a ceremony organized by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP or World Hindu Council) on February 27 in the Rampur area of Shimla district.

The extremists first tried to induce Pastor Lal by offering Rs.15,000 ($400) a year in exchange for preaching Hinduism, instead of Christianity. But after he refused to do so, they threatened to kill him or put him behind bars by lodging a false complaint. Under duress, he finally underwent a ritual to convert to Hinduism.

"It is better for me to die than to leave Jesus. But I was under so much pressure," the release quoted Pastor Lal as saying to the Christian Legal Association (CLA).

Pastor Lal's "reconversion" came just days after over 60 families were "reconverted" to Hinduism at a ceremony in the Satyanarayan Temple in Rampur, and one day before RSS and VHP extremists approached other Christians, asking them to install idols of Hindu gods in their homes. But, these families did not heed their demands, and as a result the extremists "reconverted" them forcibly, said the release.

The atmosphere in Rampur area was "very tense" at press time.

From Deception to Force

Extremist groups started a reconversion drive in Himachal Pradesh about a year ago. However, what began as a deceptive movement last February under rule of the Congress party has now turned overtly forceful with the BJP's coming to power late last December.

In March 2007, a fact-finding team of the All India Christian Council (AICC) recorded testimonies of Dalit families who said they were made to sign papers not knowing that the papers were documents requesting "reconversion" to Hinduism in Sirmaur district on March 21, 2007, according to a report in Hindi language daily Punjab Kesari.

Prior to the reconversion drive, the extremists launched a virulent anti-Christian campaign to suggest that missionaries were alluring poor Hindus to Christianity. In 2005, the local edition of a Hindi language daily, Dainik Jagran, carried a series of articles highlighting allegations made by extremists against Christians, as highlighted in ICC's press release on May 15, 2007 (Deceitful Propaganda Led to Himachal Pradesh Anti-Conversion Law).

Law that Bans Forced Conversion Doesn't Prohibit Forced Reconversion?

Himachal Pradesh has a special law banning conversion by the use of "force, inducement or fraudulent means." But the law excludes "reconversions" implicitly by stating that a conversion by unfair means shall not be recognized as such. Extremist groups, who are linked to the governing party, assert that Christian organizations give financial benefits for conversions, and thus conversions to Christianity do not count as true conversions.

The anti-conversion law was passed by the Congress party, which claims to respect religious freedom. However, in the face of the December 2007 elections which Congress was afraid of losing to the radical BJP, the party switched positions on the issue of conversion to try to win back votes. The BJP still defeated the Congress.

Despite the hypocrisy of the "anti-conversion" laws, there are sections in the Indian Penal Code concerning hurting religious feelings and creating animosity among religious denominations that could be applied against the forced reconversions. However, the police, under pressure from the government, hesitate to file cases against extremist groups linked to the ruling party.

"Complaints are filed only against Christian preachers, and that without evidence of conversion by unfair means, but no action is taken against the Hindu extremists who openly force Christians to convert. What would you call it, if not hypocrisy?" asked Tehmina Arora, general secretary of the CLA.

There are less than 8,000 Christians in Himachal Pradesh, according to the Government of India's figures.


http://www.persecution.org/suffering/ICCnews/newsdetail.php?newscode=7294&title=christians-forced-to--reconvert--in-himachal-pradesh--despite-new-anti-conversion-law

Anti-Sikh Propoganda by RSS Supported Hindu Terrorists & the BBC in response to Ban The RSS Campaign

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/file_on_4/7263211.stm

Manmohan Singh Khalsa chairman World Muslim -Sikh Federation has said:

''This story is an typical example of anti-Sikh propaganda by Hindu terrorists in UK. Hindu terrorists have a communal agenda.BBC was a credible and respectable media worldwide,but it has become cheaper in recent times.This kind of anti-Sikh propaganda can only cerate tensions between Sikh and the Hindu community.Hindu terrorism and their propaganda is the main reason behind in growth of tensions between Sikhs and Hindus in India and abroad.''

• * ''Sikh separatists are receiving vital funding from the UK which could support renewed violence, police in India have told the BBC's File On 4 programme.''
• * ''Chief of the Punjab Police, NPS Aulakh, said money was reaching militants from British-based supporters via informal funding channels in the Sikh community.''
• * "Definitely some of the money was being used to fund militant activities in the Punjab,"
• * "The vast majority of Sikhs want nothing to do with them but they must take some of the blame,"
• * Some members of the Sikh community told File On 4 they fear the extremists could use Sikh temples the way radical Muslim cleric Abu Hamza radicalised the Finsbury Park Mosque in London.

All these are allegations, not even a shred of any solid proof, this is the BBC not Bajrang Dals or RSS propaganda mags.Recently the BBC has been staying away from the truth in the case india and Hindu terrorists eg:anti-Christian violence in india or anti -Sikh or anti -Muslim violence

This seems like a response to the Ban The RSS campaign the BBC has not taken any note of the campaign of a real terrorist group the RSS,but insted claims Panjab has an insurgency and Sikhs fund it from here.Is the BBC stupid?Their is no armed insurgency in Panjab,so where do they get their information from?Indian Govt,stooges of the RSS,who hate the fact that UK Sikhs are exposing their activities and are showing the world what Hindu Terrorism is.

India's largest incident of sustained anti-Christian violence, which rendered thousands homeless in Orissa State, was preplanned.

The violence began on Christmas Eve, with an attack on a Catholic church in Brahmani village, and continued until January 2. Christian leaders told the National Human Rights Commission that

* 9 people had been were killed
* 90 churches burned
* 1000 houses torched or vandalized
* Thousands displaced.
*Hundreds have now died

If things stay the same British Broadcasting Corporation will probably have changed their name to Bajrangdal Broadcasting Corporation.