India (International Christian Concern) –  U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin are arriving in India Friday for a diplomatic dialogue focused on defense cooperation. The U.S. sees India as a key regional security partner and counterweight to China.  The meeting comes amid a serious diplomatic spat between India and Canada, America’s neighbor to the north and a close ally, over the assassination of a prominent Sikh activist, in Canada, allegedly at the hands of Indian government agents. The Sikh community is a religious minority with roots in northern India.  Though the details of the plot are not fully known to the public, U.S. intelligence services have determined with a high degree of confidence that India was responsible for the killing.  India denies the allegation but seems to have handled the situation in a way designed to create maximum publicity around the topic—Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is speculated to have rebuffed efforts by Justin Trudeau to handle the situation quietly, as would be the norm, at an in-person meeting just days before Trudeau made the allegations public.  If true, Modi may be leveraging the assassination to whip up his core voter base of radical Hindu nationalists ahead of next year’s

Myanmar (International Christian Concern) — Resistance groups in Myanmar’s western Chin and Rakhine states have increased their attacks against Tatmadaw-held positions in the last week. The Tatmadaw, the armed forces behind the military junta ruling Myanmar today, have waged a brutal, decades-long war against the Burmese people. Today, though, reports suggest that anti-junta militias have gained significant ground in recent months, reducing the area under solid Tatmadaw control to as little as 17%, according to the Special Advisory Council for Myanmar.  An earlier offensive, launched in October in Shan state, has led to the capture of several towns and more than 100 military outposts by the militant groups. The fighting there is ongoing.  Last week’s strikes against the Tatmadaw appear to have been part of a well-coordinated attack intended to stretch limited Tatmadaw resources and strategically weaken them as they struggle for control around the country. Multiple military posts were reported seized by the militant groups in the early hours of the new fighting.  Reuters reported that about 5,000 civilians fled across the border to neighboring India in the first day, though about half of that number has since returned to Myanmar, according to Indian officials speaking with AP News.   On Wednesday, reports emerged that

The decision by eastern Odisha state was criticized as it would have led to tribals losing their last valuable resource Christian leaders have lauded an eastern Indian state’s postponement of a decision to allow the sale of land owned by members of the tribal community to non-tribal people.   The eastern Odisha (formerly Orissa) state, home to the largest number of tribal people in the South Asian nation, on Nov. 17 put on hold the decision taken three days ago by the cabinet of ministers after the opposition parties protested against it.   An amendment to the law -- Orissa Scheduled Areas Transfer of. Immovable Property (by Scheduled Tribes) Regulation, 1956 -- as per the cabinet decision could have allowed tribal-owned lands to be sold to non-tribal people. “Indeed, it is a great relief to the tribal people in the state because they heavily depended on the land to survive,” said Father Nicholas Barla, secretary of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India’s office for tribal people.   If the land is taken away from them, they will face hunger, diseases, and even die, the priest who himself comes from a tribal community told UCA News on Nov. 21.   India’s largest mining companies like NALCO and Hindalco and firms attached to India’s billionaire tycoon Gautam

Recently, the Andhra Pradesh High Court upheld the termination of service of temple employee Due to conversion to Christianity. The bench of Justice Harinath. N was dealing with the petition challenging the proceedings issued by the 4th Respondent. The Petitioner's appointment as a record assistant was terminated. In this case, the petitioner was appointed as Record Assistant in the office of the 4th respondent/Sri Bramarambha Mallikarjuna Swamy Varla Devasthanam on compassionate grounds. The petitioner married the girl of his choice. A complaint was filed complaining that Rule 3 of AP Charitable and Hindu Religious Institutions and Endowments Office Holders and Servant Service Rules, 2000 is violated as the petitioner concealed his religion at the time of employment on compassionate grounds. The Lokayukta directed the concerned authority to conduct an enquiry and submit the action taken report. The 4th respondent addressed a letter calling upon the petitioner to attend the enquiry in the chamber of the Assistant Executive Officer. However, the enquiry also revealed that the petitioner filed two different cases against the employees of 4th respondent/Devasthanam complaining that he was abused in the name of caste and two different crimes were registered. High Court observed that the petitioner has not submitted the extract of the marriage

The CIA, in its recent edition of the World Factbook, categorised VHP and Bajrang Dal under "political pressure groups", defined as organisations that are involved in politics or that exert political pressure but whose leaders do not stand for elections. The Central Intelligence Agency, in its recent edition of the ‘World Factbook’, has named the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal as “religious militant organisations”. The agency, the intelligence wing of the US government, has categorised them under “political pressure groups”, defined as organisations that are involved in politics or that exert political pressure but whose leaders do not stand for legislative election. The CIA also lists the RSS, Hurriyat Conference and Jamiat Ulema-e Hind among the political pressure groups in India. The RSS has been defined as a “nationalist organisation”, the Hurriyat Conference as a “separatist group” and the Jamiat Ulema-e Hind a “religious organisation”. Also Read: VHP threatens agitation against CIA for naming it as a ‘religious militant organisation’ The CIA annually publishes a World Factbook which feeds intelligence or factual reference material on a country or issue to the US government. This includes information on the history, people, government, economy, energy, geography, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues. Data is available for

India (International Christian Concern) — This month, five states across India will see the results of regional semi-final elections, which will then lead into the country’s general elections happening in early 2024. The results of these elections will almost certainly have a negative impact on the lives of local Christians, who are already living under harsh persecution backed by a government that should be enforcing freedom of religion.   Divisive rhetoric and comments directly opposing Christianity have already become a staple for candidates leading up to election day. At his recent election rally in Chhattisgarh, Union Home Minister Amit Shah was quoted saying, “For anyone who encourages conversion, stern action will be taken by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to prevent it.”   Chhattisgarh is already known to be among the worse states in India for Christian persecution, with many cases of violence and social boycotts against them being well documented by multiple news outlets. Persecution has only gotten worse leading up to these elections, and speeches like this one will only continue this trend.  A local believer in Chhattisgarh was recently interviewed about these events, saying, “Almost every party in the state is looking to polarize the voters based on religion. This is very unfortunate, as

Hamirpur/Biwar. A girl resident of a village in Biwanar police station area has filed a case of illegal religious conversion and gang rape against 11 people associated with Shuats (complex) and Yashu Tabrical Church. Police have registered the case and started investigation. The woman, resident of Biwar police station area, told in her complaint that after completing her primary education from Maudaha town, she took admission in Allahabad University for graduation in the year 2005. A woman started studying in the hostel located there along with other girl students. A woman named Rekha Patel was supposed to come and go there. Falling into its trap, she went to Yeshu Tabrical Church, Mayurabad for the first time on November 6, 2005. Where Ivan Das, Rbilal alias Babaji, Imziaz Ahmed, David Philip, Vinod B Lal and Ramakant were already present. After the prayer, he was made to meet Rbilal and Vinod B. Who inspired him to convert to religion. Being influenced by his words, she started going to church often. On 11 November 2005, on the pretext of special prayer, Ranu Prasad stopped him and called him to the guest house of Jahanara Ahmed in Shutas Campus. Where she was raped by mixing intoxicants in the coal drink. When he regained consciousness, RB Lal was

At a meeting held on November 14 at St Andrew’s Marathi Church, Agripada, community members gathered for an ‘emergency meeting’ to plan a campaign to save church properties that are being sold without the approval of church members. After reports an unrecognised church trust has signed an agreement with a builder to sell Mazgaon's St Peter's Church and school's land rights to a builder without the approval of the church community,  Protestant Christians have planned an online petition and signature campaign across the country to protect their church properties. Emergency meeting held to plan campaign against sale At a meeting held on November 14 at St Andrew’s Marathi Church, Agripada, community members gathered for an ‘emergency meeting’ to plan a campaign to save church properties that are being sold without the approval of church members. Among the denominations affected by the alleged land scam are the Church of North India, a counterpart of the Anglican Church, and the Methodist Church. People who took part in the meeting said that the churches are witnessing a land scam where corrupt church officials and trustees, many of them belonging to trusts unrecognised by the Charity Commissioner, which has jurisdiction over public trusts, were on a ‘property selling spree’. According to them, properties that are in danger include Wilson High School, Mumbai, St Peter's School, Robert Money School, Grant Road, All Saints Church, Malabar

IN India, with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s (RSS) Hindutva inspired Modi-led BJP government since 1914, protecting faith and freedom for the followers of religions other than Hinduism, especially the Muslims and Christians, has become a question of life and death. The RSS advocates that the Hindutva concept does not accept Hindus’ conversion to other religions. Hence, since the BJP came to power in India in 1914, the Hindu nationalist organisations, the RSS and Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), implicitly supported by the BJP, have started Ghar Wapsi Movement in India (Hindi, meaning “Returning Home”), that is to reconvert the Muslims and Christians back to Hinduism. According to the proponents of Hindutva, the Ghar Wapsi process is called “reconversion” of Christians and Muslims who were previously converted, during the olden Muslim rule and British rule of India and those who had converted even after independence of India since1947 through preaching by the Muslim scholars and the Christian missionaries. The fundamentalist Hindu organizations view the Ghar Wapsi as “purification” since they state that through Ghar Wapsi, people from the other religions are returning to their “true” religion. Apart from preventing conversion to other religions from Hinduism, the Ghar Wapsi Movement is also being pursued intensely during

Nepal (International Christian Concern) –  ICC has released a report outlining the declining state of religious freedom in Nepal. Through a combination of legally repressive laws and social norms that sideline minority communities, Nepal is a difficult place to live for those outside of the Hindu faith.   Christians and other religious minorities face the combined threat of social attack and legal ostracization in a system that fails to treat them as equal members of society.    In August and September 2023, a series of attacks against Christian pastors and churches swept through the country, deepening rifts between religious groups and creating questions about how the government responds to violence against minorities.   Nepal’s General Code contains strict prohibitions against proselytization, an act punishable by up to six years imprisonment and deportation in the case of a foreigner. The National Penal Code of 2017 similarly criminalizes the sharing of one’s faith, and the Nepalese Constitution says that “no person shall … convert a person of one religion to another religion” or “disturb the religion of other people.”   Despite the social and legal pressure against them, religious and civil society organizations in Nepal actively work with friendly government officials to advance religious freedom in the country. In June 2023, a coalition