Tag: Hindu nationalism

Nepal on verge of curbing religious freedom

August 26, 2015 Nepal Converts, Hindu nationalism, Hindutva, Kathmandu, Maoists, Nepal, Rastriya Prajatantra Party Nepal, Religious freedom

The final draft of a new constitution was tabled in Nepal’s Constituent Assembly on 22 August amid protests by Hindu nationalists on the streets. They oppose the idea of secularism, which in the South Asian context simply means pluralism and equal treatment of all religions. It now needs approval by . . . Read More

Kandhamal couple’s shooting evokes darkest memories for India’s Christians

August 20, 2015 India Hindu nationalism, Hyderabad, Kandhamal, Maoists, Odisha, Police

Human rights groups claim a Christian couple were shot dead by Indian federal security forces last month, while they were speaking on the phone to their son on a mountain in the eastern state of Odisha – formerly known as Orissa. The alleged murder of Dhubaleswar (50) and Bhubudi (45) . . . Read More

Proposed Nepal constitution silent on secularism

August 10, 2015 Nepal Hindu nationalism, Nepal, Rastriya Prajatantra Party Nepal

Attempts to enshrine secularism in Nepal’s new constitution have stalled. Vishal Arora, who has covered Nepal for World Watch Monitor, reports that the four largest political parties “could not come to any conclusion on secularism” in the draft document, which is under consideration by the Constituent Assembly and expected to . . . Read More

Nepali constitution could render Christianity illegal

August 7, 2015 Nepal Constitution, Hindu nationalism, India, Proselytism, Rastriya Prajatantra Party Nepal, Religious freedom

In Nepal, 80 per cent of the population is Hindu; Christians comprise between 1.5 and 3 per cent.Courtesy Open Doors International Nepali Christians fear that proposed amendments to Nepal’s new constitution, likely to come into effect on Monday (10 August) after seven years of parliamentary discussions, could eventually render all . . . Read More

Nepal earthquake revives burial debate

May 8, 2015 Nepal Burial, Hindu nationalism, Nepal

With nearly 8,000 dead from Nepal’s worst earthquake since 1934 the relief effort has turned to recovery and finding the 400 missing people. The quake struck on Saturday morning, the time when many Christian church services were taking place. Many of the estimated 150 Christians killed died when the buildings . . . Read More

2014: A year of particular concern

April 30, 2015 Global News -- No Particular Country Anti-balaka, Bashar al-Assad, BJP, Boko Haram, Central African Republic, Chibok girls, Chin, China, Egypt, Eritrea, Ghar Wapsi, Hindu nationalism, India, Iran, Iraq, Islamic State, Kachin, Kano, Myanmar, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Potiskum, Rohingya, Saudi Arabia, Seleka, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, USA, Uzbekistan, Vietnam

If ever there were a year that made plain the importance of religious freedom, 2014 was it, according to the just-released annual report by an American government advisory group. “By any measure, the horrors of the past year speak volumes about how and why religious freedom and the protection of the . . . Read More

‘Token’ arrests frustrate Indian bishop

March 25, 2015 India BJP, Converts, Hindu Dharma Sena, Hindu nationalism, India, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, Narendra Modi

An Indian bishop has accused police of ‘tokenism’ after they swiftly released on bail six suspects allegedly caught on camera vandalising a cathedral in central India on March 20. “Such kind of tokenism from police [will] not help bring in confidence among beleaguered Christians,” said Bishop Gerald Almeida. The men were . . . Read More

India’s Modi breaks silence on protecting minorities, but urged to ‘walk the talk’

February 18, 2015 India BJP, Delhi, Hindu nationalism, Kerala, Narendra Modi, Vishva Hindu Parishad

Indian Prime Minister Modi shakes hand wtih Cardinal Alencherry while holding a memento of twin saintsWorld Watch Monitor Critics of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi were ‘pleasantly surprised’ by his unequivocal assertion of the right to freedom of religion while addressing a major church event in New Delhi on . . . Read More

Indian bureaucrat convert to challenge preaching ban

February 3, 2015 India Bangalore, Chennai, Converts, Ghar Wapsi, Hindu Munnani, Hindu nationalism, India, Proselytism, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand

Chellakani Umashankar, an elite Indian bureaucrat in southern Tamil Nadu state, has decided to challenge the order by the government of southern Tamil Nadu state that asked him to stop preaching and cancel his evangelical conventions. “This is nonsense. I am going to challenge it in the court” 51-year-old Umashankar, . . . Read More

Obama addresses persecution during India visit

January 27, 2015 India BJP, Constitution, Hindu nationalism, India, Narendra Modi, Religious freedom

President Obama addressed India’s treatment of minority faiths during his final speech on January 27 after a three-day-long visit to the country. His comments were widely interpreted as a message to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), whose rise to power emboldened activists to declare India . . . Read More

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