2nd March, 2008

BosNewsLife.com

India's third national conference of persecuted Christians in India ended on Saturday 1st March, after emotionally charged testimonies of "survivors of victims of terror and persecution," organisers said.

The Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC), which organised the gathering in Hyderabad - capital of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, said over 160 key delegates, including relatives of those who died in anti-Christian violence, participated in the five-day meeting.

Over 50 survivors of persecution from recent violence in Kandhamal district of India's Orissa State were honored by the GCIC with Bibles "symbolising the determination to follow Christ in the face of severe persecution," a statement said.

"This is an attempt to recognise and honor the sufferings of Christians who live in remote locations, facing intense and prolonged persecution for their faith. It is also to challenge Christians in the rest of the country with their stories," GCIC President Sajan George told BosNewsLife.

At least 700 Christian homes and nearly 100 churches were destroyed and torched by angry Hindu mobs in violence that began around Christmas and lasted for 10 days, according to several rights groups and churches.

Widowed women from remote locations recalled violence against husbands and other family members and the abuse of young Christian women in Kandhamal, Orissa.

During the conference, aimed at raising awareness of people persecuted for their faith, there were testimonies of persecution victims from a long list of Indian states that besides Orissa also Andhra Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and the disputed region of Kashmir, the GCIC said.

However reported suffering and persecution was not the theme at the meeting. "Also common was the firm resolve by every one of the survivors to continue in their faith and work, with full faith in God. After every round of testimonies, senior Christian leaders prayed for those who testified," the group explained.

Among other speakers was a leader of Dalit Christians and scholar, Professor Kancha Illaya, who urged Christians "to stand by each other in order to face the persecution that is bound to increase in the future." In India's ancient system of Hinduism, Dalits, also known as the 'untouchables' are often seen as the 'lowest' caste, and those converting to Christianity face even more oppression, church groups say.

Illaya said however that the Bible shows how Jesus Christ played a significant role in abolishing "untouchability" in the Middle East. "Quality leadership is the need of the hour for the Christian community," he added, according to a statement released by GCIC.

The group also organised a rally at Indira Parki in Hyderabad, demanding "the right of worship" for all Christians in India. Several Christian leaders and organizations participated in that protest. Christians comprise just over two percent of India's mainly Hindu population of 1.1 billion people, but Hindu groups have expressed concerns over what they see as the spread of Christianity and missionary activities in the country.