The Hindu nationalists want their faith to shape the nation. And some want to eradicate Christianity in India—by any means necessary. And this dangerous belief jeopardizes the safety of persecuted Christians in India, who are already vulnerable as a minority population.
As you may recall, Christians were ruthlessly attacked by bloodthirsty Hindu mobs in Chhattisgarh, Central India earlier this year. By May, ethnic violence had spread to Manipur, Northeast India. Now, there’s been yet another attack: this time in Maharashtra, West India.
In this case, a Hindu mob descended upon Patil High School. They assaulted the founder and principal, Alexander Reid, who identifies as Christian. The mob took issue with Reid asking his students to recite a prayer during their morning assembly.
According to a local investigator, the attack was pre-planned. Over 100 angry Hindus pursued Reid on private school property, ripping his clothes and throwing sharp objects at him, leaving him bloodied and bruised. During the ambush, the mob chanted the name of a Hindu god.
Sadly, religious rights have plummeted for Indian Christians since the election of Prime Minister Modi and the rise of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which embraces Hindu nationalism.
As the United States seeks to strengthen its economic and military alliance with India in the wake of Russian and Chinese aggression, Prime Minister Modi recently met in person with U.S. government officials for four days in late June. Yet the uncomfortable chasm between the two nations grows wider as India’s democratic principles erode.
Please join us in the following prayer:
Heavenly Father, we lift up school principal Alexander Reid to You. Please heal his physical & emotional wounds and protect him from future attack. Amid the violence, please encourage Alex and his students to remain steadfast in prayer. We pray that his peaceful response would draw others to the light of Jesus Christ in a nation that is only 2% Christian.
Lord, we pray Ezekiel 36:26-27 over India’s politicians and Hindu nationalists: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit in you and move you to follow My decrees and be careful to keep My laws.”
About The Author
Amanda is a staff writer for Global Christian Relief, a nonprofit Christian ministry that works to strengthen persecuted believers and raise awareness regarding Christian persecution. For more information, visit our website at GlobalChristianRelief.org.
Correction
In a recently televised interview, Global Christian Relief President & CEO, Dr. David Curry, touched upon India’s currency. Curry’s comments were intended to reference India’s efforts to eliminate certain large currency denominations rather than forms of currency. We wish to clarify that India has a single form of currency: the Indian rupee. Additional information on the topic of demonetization can be found on NPR.org.
