Educational Resource
International Religious Freedom Fact Sheet: Religious Freedom in India (2016)
International Religious Freedom Fact Sheet: Religious Freedom in India
Intolerance Winning Over Secularism?
Religious intolerance is on the rise in India, despite its founding as a secular democracy. A leading Hindu praised attacks on Christian churches, saying they are not places of worship but rather “factories for conversion of Hindus into Christianity.” He went on to urge the central government to protect those who carry out attacks. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India strongly condemned these remarks as “highly provocative and irresponsible.” They highlighted the escalating violence against Christians and other minorities.
Since mid-2014 when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi won a Parliamentary majority, religious minorities have felt increasingly under attack. The reason? The BJP and its volunteer arm, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), are known to promote Hindu nationalism, defining India as a “Hindu” nation in terms of language, culture and religion. One report documenting the first 300 days of Modi’s government revealed more than 600 cases of violence against religious minorities, including the rape of a 70 year old nun. Christians and Muslims have been assaulted and died. Places of worship, schools, businesses and homes have been destroyed. St. Sebastian’s Church in Delhi was burned at the end of 2014 and St. Mary’s Church in Agra was desecrated in March 2015. Yet the police appear slow to investigate any of these cases, so the perpetrators operate with impunity. The fact that a priest was dragged from his car and beaten by a mob outside a police station indicates the vulnerability of religious minorities.