Rising attacks against Christians have triggered alarm in India and Myanma
A Christian group in India has called on the federal government and the judiciary to take immediate steps to curb the rising persecution of Christians. The New Delhi-based United Christian Forum has recorded 207 cases of persecution of Christians this year. The figure was 505 cases in 2021.
Some 57 attacks against Christians occurred in May alone. Apart from physical assaults, Christians endured vandalism, violence against women, forcible closure of churches, disruption of prayers and social ostracism. Most attacks originated from provinces ruled by the far right BJP party.
The UCF pointed out that most cases were related to false allegations over religious conversions. Places of worship and prayer meetings were attacked by religious extremists. Victims say the attackers often act with impunity as local authorities and police turn a blind eye to threats and attacks on Christians.
In the meanwhile India is witnessing large scale protests over a controversial army recruitment scheme brought by the government to replace existing induction. Youths are on the streets damaging public properties and demanding they be given full scale jobs and not temporary ones.
Indian Catholics pray during an annual rally on Palm Sunday in New Delhi on April 4, 2017. (Photo: Bijay Kumar Minj/UCA News)
Soldiers had encamped inside the church and burned it down along with several homes before leaving the area. The attack came amid intense fighting between the military and Karenni National Defense Force in Phrosuo and Demoso townships.
St. Matthew Church in Dognekhu village of Loikaw Diocese seen soon after it was destroyed in a fire started by Myanmar’s military junta on June 15. (Photo supplied)
The military has targeted nine Catholic churches in Laikaw Diocese with artillery shelling and airstrikes since May. Areas in other states with sizeable Christian populations have also come under deadly attacks.
The military has devastated Catholic villages in Bamar Buddhist majority-regions, killing innocent civilians and livestock while burning down homes. The worst attack on May 23 last year left Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Loikaw severely damaged, four Catholics dead and eight wounded in artillery shelling.
Activists in Sri Lanka have dismissed allegations from Prasanna Ranatunga, Sri Lankan minister of housing and urban development, that Catholic clergy and Buddhist monks were behind riots that erupted on May 9 following an attack on peaceful protesters by pro-government supporters.
During a parliament speech, Ranatunga claimed Cardinal Macolm Ranjith and senior Buddhist monk Venerable Sobitha Thera influenced people to attack properties of cabinet ministers during the riots.
A student gestures in front of riot police during a demonstration demanding the resignation of Sri Lanka’s President Gotabaya Rajapaksa over the country’s crippling economic crisis in Colombo on May 21. (Photo: AFP)
The Coalition of Catholic Lay Organizations said it was displeased that the minister made a false statement and asserted that religious leaders have always stood for peace and non-violence despite the chaotic situation in the country.
Amid the worst economic crisis since independence, nationwide protests have demanded the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and new Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as millions suffer a shortage of daily essentials, medicines and food.
Minority Hindus in Bangladesh fear a backlash after tens of thousands of Muslims marched on the streets and the house of a Hindu family was vandalized over blasphemous remarks against Prophet Muhammad by a spokesperson of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
Millions of Muslims across cities in Asia marched after weekly prayers last Friday to condemn derogatory comments about the prophet and his youngest wife during a recent television debate.
Islamist activists shout anti-India slogans during a demonstration in Dhaka on June 10 to protest against Indian politician Nupur Sharma after she made incendiary remarks about the Prophet Muhammad. (Photo: AFP)
On Sunday, following a rally, a Muslim mob attacked a Hindu house in Bagerhat district of southern Bangladesh. No one was hurt in the violence as family members fled but the incident sparked panic among Hindus in the area.
In India, police fired at Muslim protesters in the eastern state of Jharkhand, leaving two dead. In the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, police arrested about 109 protesters and razed a house of a Muslim activist with a bulldozer.
Catholic bishops in the Philippines have announced that parishes across the country will build mental health centers for communities to provide psychological and spiritual support amid a rise in suicide cases.
The latest report from the Philippines Statistics Authority showed suicide rose by almost 30 percent in the first quarter of 2022. Camillian priest Father Dan Cancino of the Episcopal Commission on Healthcare said that mental health has become a priority for the church due to a sharp rise in suicide cases in recent months.
Suicides in the Philippines rose by almost 30 percent in the first quarter of 2022. (Photo: Pixabay)
Mental health experts have blamed the government for failing to respond to the pandemic that devastated the country’s economy, causing socioeconomic suffering and mental distress for millions.
Official figures showed that suicide was ranked the 27th most common cause of death in 2020, particularly among those aged 30-40. An average of 4,383 cases of intentional harm were recorded in 2021, an increase of 854 from 2020.