Hopegivers Perseveres Despite Leader's Imprisonment, Hindu Radicals' Persecution
by Allie Martin and Jenni Parker
April 13, 2006
(AgapePress) - - The president of a ministry that reaches out to orphans in India remains behind bars on charges made by militant Hindus. Dr. Samuel Thomas, president of Columbus, Georgia-based Hopegivers International, was arrested more than a month ago, accused of publishing and distributing a book that is allegedly offensive to those who follow the Hindu religion.The executive director of Hopegivers International has called upon Christians around the world to pray and to advocate for the safety of the ministry's president, whose life has been threatened repeatedly by the Hindu extremists. Dr. Thomas has an upcoming court date set for April 24, and attorneys for the organization are working to prepare his defense, even as they appeal to India's central government and national government officials to intervene.
Although the ministry insists it had nothing whatsoever to do with the writing or publishing of the banned book, local government and law enforcement authorities have done nothing to stop the campaign of violence and terror that has been waged against the Christian group.
Some Hopegivers officials believe the authorities in the northern state of Rajasthan, India, many of whom belong to a powerful Hindu political party, are behind this terrorism and are promoting it -- or that they are, at the very least, looking the other way while the authorities in Kota aid and abet radical Hindus in the persecution of the ministry's local staff and leadership.
Meanwhile, the ministry and its programs are suffering the effects. Schools, bookstores, churches, orphanages, and other outreaches supported by Hopegivers International have had their operating licenses revoked by Kota officials. On February 20, the police revoked the documents without any hearing or due process, even stripping licensure of the Christian organization's affiliated hospitals, its leprosy and HIV-AIDS outreaches, its printing presses, and other institutions.
Also, all bank accounts were frozen and the business administrators of the mission and orphanage in Kota were arrested and held without bail as police investigations continue. Threats were also made to cut off electricity and water to the facilities. In many ways, the Christian organization's facilities have been under siege, with little recourse to any kind of justice.
Standing Strong, Meeting Needs Amid Persecution
But Hopegivers International communications director Bill Bray says the ministry's local staff in Rajasthan are standing strong, despite the extreme persecution and government opposition. "Not a single school has closed," he notes. "We just began a new term last Monday, the students are coming back, and the faculty is carrying on without salary."
Admittedly, the ministry is experiencing serious hardship, both due to the strain the Hindu militants' opposition has put on operations and due to the legal expenses involved in fighting for the release of Thomas and other ministry leaders and workers. Nevertheless, Bray notes, "All the orphanages are still open; we're feeding over 10,000 orphans a day," and other outreaches continue as well.
"Even though we don't have bank accounts, and we can't pay our bills in the normal way, we are getting food," the Hopegivers spokesman adds. "People are delivering food from all over India and bringing cash to the orphanages -- other Christians, other Christian organizations, even Hindu organizations."
Hopegivers has organized a Legal Defense Fund to help free Dr. Thomas and the other members of the ministry's staff who have been arrested. The ministry's executive director, Michael Glenn, says while prayer is the most important thing right now, financial support is also needed, as are more correspondents for the letter-writing campaign that has been initiated on the president's behalf.
Christians across India are offering their prayers and their support as well. Recently, hundreds of Christians in India's capital of New Delhi turned out for a rally to protest the arrest and incarceration of Dr. Thomas, and comparable numbers showed up for another peaceful rally in Jaipur, Rajasthan. The Indian believers marched through the streets of the cities, raising an outcry over the Christian leader's arrest and the atrocities being committed against Christian missionaries and institutions in Rajasthan.
The Global Council of Indian Christians, which organized the rally in the capital, has called on the National Human Rights Commission in New Delhi to take "appropriate action" to ensure Dr. Thomas' safety and well being. Meanwhile, the Federation of Indian American Christian Organizations in the USA has joined with thousands of Christians across India and around the world to protest the growing persecution of religious minorities in Rajasthan.
