Diocesan Resources
USCCB Fact Sheet on India (2015)
USCCB Fact Sheet on India: Secularism Under Siege
India is a land where different faiths have long thrived. Not only is it the birthplace of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, but it is believed that Thomas the Apostle introduced Christianity to the subcontinent in the first century AD. Islam came to India in the 7th century and expanded under the Mughal Empire. India now has the third largest population of Muslims in the world. Given this history, it is no wonder that the 1950 Indian Constitution declared the country to be a secular republic guaranteeing freedom of belief, faith and worship. But how is India as a whole and its current government protecting that fundamental freedom?
Tensions among Indians of different faiths are not new. In 2002, violence between Hindus and Muslims led to the death of over 1,000 people and the displacement of over 100,000, mainly Muslims, in Gujarat. In 2008, in the eastern state of Odisha, Hindus blamed Christians for the death of a swami and went on a rampage, killing an estimated 100 persons, injuring over 10,000, displacing 50,000. The fact that a Maoist group claimed responsibility for the swami’s killing made no difference. Hundreds of Christian churches and thousands of homes were torched. Some Christians were forced to undergo “reconversion” to Hinduism as a pre-requisite for being able to return to their villages. Several Indian states have enacted laws that criminalize conversion by Hindus to other faiths. Some also label any offer of humanitarian, health or educational assistance as “inducement” to convert, an act that can be prosecuted.