10 pastors are in jail for leading a children's camp: How India's anti-conversion laws are targeting Christians
Three
months ago, 10 Indian Christian pastors and their colleagues were arrested and
charged with cruelty, kidnapping and forced conversion of children.
Police
stopped the group of religious leaders travelling with more than 60 children as
they were en route to a summer camp in Madhya Pradesh state on May 23. The
pastors' lawyers insist all parents had consented for their children to take
part in the Christian camp.
So
why do all 10 remain in custody, and what does the case show about the plight of
Christians in some parts of India?
According
to David Robin, a lawyer with the religious freedom charity ADF International,
the case is precedent-setting because the prosecution continues despite clear
consent from the parents.
'The
root of the case is the allegation of conversion. However all the parents have
stated that they are followers of Christ so how can the pastors be guilty of
converting them or their children?,' he says in an interview with Christian
Today.
'The
case is important because innocent Christians are being punished for a crime
they have not committed. This case will raise awareness on the unfair treatment
of religious minorities in India and will hopefully help reinforcing the
constitutional right to religious freedom.'
Robin
says a spate of anti-conversion laws, already in force in six states, as well as
the government's laissez-faire attitude to mob violence, has fuelled a steady
rise in attacks on Christians.
'The
anti-conversion laws regulate religious conversions and require that every
religious conversion be investigated by the state to ascertain if there is any
force, fraud or allurement. The state becomes the final arbiter of whether my
faith is genuine,' he tells Christian Today.
'Furthermore,
as these terms are poorly defined, they often lead to unnecessary harassment of
Christians who are practising and propagating their faith.'
According
to ADF International's Deputy Director, Paul Coleman, this incident was part of
a trend in an 'increasingly hostile climate towards religious minorities'.
He
says: 'Sadly, this is not an isolated incident. The international community
needs to wake up to what is happening in India.'
Persecution
watchdog Open Doors has monitored the steady rise of mistreatment of Christians
India in its annual World Watch List. Now ranked the 15th worst
country in the world to be a Christian, India is the highest it has ever been on
the influential scale.
CEO
Lisa Pearce says: 'There is a clear pattern of rising religious intolerance
across the Indian sub-continent, which affects many millions of Christians.
She
adds: 'Religious nationalists attempt to forcibly convert people to the dominant
faith of their nation, often turning to violence when community discrimination
and non-violent oppression do not succeed in imposing their religious beliefs on
minority Christians.'
It
comes after Compassion, a major Christian charity was forced to leave the
country accused of proselytism, abandoning more than 50 projects and around
145,000 children.
Robin
says Christian groups should insist on written consent from parents before any
work with children but also warns this is 'no guarantee'.
'The
most important response however must be to foster greater understanding between
religious communities. The mistrust that is being generated must be countered
with greater transparency and opportunities for interaction.'
He
adds: 'We need to bring persecution in front of the courts and guarantee justice
to religious minorities. In India, every faith group is allowed to spread their
beliefs. This is not wishful thinking but a constitutional right. We need to
advocate for it and make sure that this basic human right is embraced by the
political elites as well as by the public.
'The
Indian state must ensure that no one is targeted for their
faith.'
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