Catholic leaders say ‘ethnic cleansing’ of Christians unfolding in Indian state
MUMBAI – Prayers and protest marches by India’s small but socially influential Catholic community were staged across the country July 2 in response to ongoing violence against Christians in the country’s northeastern state of Manipur. Called by the Catholic Bishops Conference of India, the protests highlighted that more than 100 people, largely Christians, have been killed so far in Manipur, with the carnage unfolding just ahead of the August anniversary of an anti-Christian pogrom in 2008 in the state of Orissa. The conflict pits the largely Hindu Meitei ethnic group against the mostly Protestant Christian Kuki people, each of which represents roughly forty percent of the state’s population of four million, but the Meitei enjoy the support of regional and national political forces dominated by the Hindu nationalist BJP party of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Since the violence began on May 3, estimates are that some 50,000 displaced persons are now living in 300 refugee camps, though with larger numbers expelled from their homes and villages who haven’t moved to any formal settlements. Over 5,000 structures, including churches and private Christian homes, have been burned, and some local observers claim that as many as 120 people have died. A June 22 message from
How Americans are Helping Fund Hindu Extremism in India
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is an Indian right-wing, Hindu paramilitary group that has been accused of promoting violence and intolerance under the guise of Hinduism. It was founded in 1925 by Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, a physician and activist who drew inspiration from fascist movements in Europe. Hedgewar’s goal was to establish a Hindu-only nation in India. The RSS adopts a paramilitary structure, training its members in hand-to-hand combat and weapons, preparing them for potential conflicts with Muslims and other minority groups. The RSS has close ties with the Bharatiya Janata Party, India’s ruling political party led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a former member of the RSS. The RSS and other Hindu nationalist groups played a key role in Modi’s national rise to power a decade ago. The history of the RSS is tainted by bloodshed. One notable incident was the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi in 1948 by Nathuram Vinayak Godse, a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. Additionally, its members were involved in the destruction of the Babri Masjid mosque in 1992. The RSS’s alleged complicity in the Gujarat riots of 2002, led to accusations against Modi himself, who was the Chief Minister of Gujarat at the time. Because of
