Open Doors Wonders: Is Mistreatment of Believers in India Being Ignored?
by Allie Martin
May 19, 2006
(AgapePress) - - The president of a ministry that serves persecuted Christians worldwide is expressing shock that a government agency has not named India as a country of "particular concern" when it comes to religious freedom.The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) recommended the U.S. Department of State keep India off its list as a country of particular concern, or CPC -- despite the fact that attacks on Christian churches and individuals have been on the rise throughout that nation. A press release from the Commission states that, even though "significant developments" affecting freedom of religion and belief have taken place, it is "closely monitoring the situations" in India, categorizing it as a nation that is "under scrutiny." Other nations with that designation are Russia and Sri Lanka.
Open Doors USA, which serves the persecuted Church worldwide, has documented 75 cases of persecution against Christians throughout India this year alone. Carl Moeller, president of Open Doors, says the U.S. government must put pressure on India to stop persecuting Christians.
"We need to pray for the persecuted Church in India, but we also need to pray for our representatives in the U.S. government, that we would take the high moral ground and stand for religious freedom," he urges, "even when this is an economic trading partner and a good friend on many levels. We need to keep putting religious liberty at the center of our foreign policy."
Moeller says the United States must not ignore documented abuses simply because India is considered an ally. "It's the world's largest democracy, and so it's surprising on the one hand because of the volume of incidents and the U.S. government not paying attention to that or the Commission not paying attention to that," he observes.
"But on the other hand, because [India] is a friend, I think it's not surprising [to find it is not on the list]," he continues. "We're all too willing often to look the other way when our friends do these things rather than those countries [where] we'd like to see change [in] their governments."
The State Department will make its 2006 CPC designations in September. Countries being recommended at this time by the USCIRF for that list include North Korea, Eritrea, Iran, Pakistan, People's Republic of China (Red China), Saudi Arabia, and Vietnam.
Allie Martin, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
