Introduction

Last year, in February and March 2002, around 2000 Muslims in Gujarat were massacred by mobs of militant Hindus. Many other Muslims lost their loved ones, homes or livelihoods, and huge numbers are still unable to return to their homes because of the hostility of their Hindu former neighbours.

However, the plight of the Christian minority in Gujarat is also acute. The widespread attacks on Christian churches by Hindu militants in late 1998 and early 1999 was fairly well documented. What is less well known is that the Christian minority has lived in the shadow of renewed threats ever since.

Samson Christian, the head of the Gujarat branch of the All India Christian Council, had been beaten and nearly killed in July 2001. He is a target for the Hindu militants because of his unstinting work on behalf both of persecuted Christians and of the poor and marginalized in society. Recent information from a reliable source this month (April 2003) indicates that his life is once again in danger.

A fact-finding visit to the region was a priority for Christian Solidarity Worldwide. This visit would be able to glean first hand, reliable testimony of what is happening to Christians and other minorities there, and to take this testimony to the outside world. It would also be able to ascertain what particular needs the All India Christian Council branch there has, so that we can help to meet those needs, as well providing moral support for the AICC.


Fact Finding Visit to Gujarat
[1 – 3 December 2002]

Even before my visit, I had seen reports that militant Hindus had threatened Christians that they would be next to be attacked, after the horrific pogroms against the Muslims the previous year. During my visit I was able to interview a number of Christians, and their stories confirmed that Christians have been targeted, threatened, and discriminated against.

The testimony of one 17 year old Christian girl I interviewed - I'll call her 'Meena' in order to protect her identity - helps to illustrate this. She attends a Christian school in Ahmedabad. Militant Hindus have made open threats against staff and pupils. There has been pressure applied to make the curriculum less Christian and more "saffronised" (saffronisation is the term used when education is twisted to reflect the modern form of Hindu nationalism called Hindutva).

Some of the children at the school are the offspring of members of militant Hindu groups such as the Vishwa Hindu Parishad [VHP] and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh [RSS]. Sadly, a number of these children share the militant politics of their parents. They carry weapons at school and verbally threaten the Christian children. Some were also participants in the riots in February and March where so many Muslims were killed.

One incident which happened at the school just a couple of months ago shows how much danger Christian staff and pupils are in. A VHP activist came to the school and demanded that the school pay homage to Ram, one of the Hindu deities. Courageously, the principal of the school refused, and declared that they would continue to praise God.

The VHP man then fired his gun into the air. This was clearly a prearranged signal, because suddenly a mob of militants appeared brandishing large batons. The children fled in terror, and the principal was attacked. However, tragedy was averted because a local politician from the Congress party intervened and defended the school's good deeds.

On this occasion, the militants backed down. They may not do so on another occasion. Similar stories have been told from all over Gujarat.

Christians living in the Dangs tribal area in the south of the state are, if anything, in even more danger. Anti-Christian feeling in the area is very strong and there have been a lot of death threats.

Other Christians told me about the insecurity they faced, and about intimidation and discrimination from the state government. This is not surprising, since the party in power in Gujarat is the Bharatiya Janata Party [BJP]. Previous Christian Solidarity Worldwide briefings, and those of other organisations, have pointed out that the BJP is closely linked to militant Hindu groups such as the RSS and the VHP.

It was also noted by Samson Christian, the head of the Gujarat branch of the All India Christian Council [AICC], that both the appellant courts and the supreme court in Gujarat are becoming more communal (making decisions along religious lines rather than according to justice). Mr Christian noted that "day by day they become more and more biased". Christians and other minorities are therefore facing increasing difficulty in obtaining justice and fair play.

At one point I encountered for myself the intimidating atmosphere created by the ruling BJP. My AICC guides were taking me to two of the sites where Muslims, including the courageous former MP Aisun Jaffrey, were slaughtered the previous year. As we were at the site of Jaffrey's compound, where he and many others were murdered in brutal fashion, a BJP election rally passed us.

Two things may be noted here. The first was that, upon seeing me, the BJP activists were noticeably aggressive and unfriendly. This would appear to show their dislike of westerners (who they see as "Christian").

Secondly, and even more revealing, was the reaction of the march as it passed Aisun Jaffrey's compound. The site is well known for what happened there, and one would have expected a political march to have quietened its chanting as it went past there, out of respect. However, not only did the BJP marchers not become quiet, but their slogan chanting became louder and more triumphalistic as they passed. Clearly the BJP marchers were unapologetic for the actions of their fellow Hindu militants earlier in the year, despite the half hearted criticisms of the massacres from some of the BJP hierarchy. Indeed, the triumphalism of the marchers would seem to indicate a positive support for what happened to Aisun Jaffrey and the other Muslim victims in the compound.

The AICC group in Gujarat did sterling work, not only to help persecuted Christians and other minorities, but also in helping the poor and in evangelism. However, they did not even have a computer to make their work easier. The lack of a computer meant that they were more isolated from the outside world than they should have been, at a time of great uncertainty and tension.

Having promised to help if I could, I launched a campaign upon my return to Britain to raise the funds to purchase a computer for the Gujarat branch of the AICC. Due to the kindness and generosity of Christian Solidarity Worldwide supporters, the funds were raised and the computer provided by June 2003. The branch will now be able to use the computer for their valuable work, as well as to keep in close touch with the outside world and to be less isolated and exposed.


Subsequent Threats and Incidents

Recently (April 2003) a health centre in Limdi village, Surendranagar district, Gujarat, was ransacked by Hindu militants who were identified as supporters of the extremist VHP group. They were angry because it had been rebuilt partly with money given by the All India Christian Council.

The atrocities in Gujarat in early 2002, far from being disowned by the Hindu militants, have been embraced by them. VHP leader Ashok Singhal, in late 2002, referred to the events in Gujarat as a "successful experiment" which would be repeated elsewhere. He also boasted of the fact that whole villages had been "emptied of Islam" and portrayed this as a "victory" for Hindus.

The BJP election victory has further emboldened the militants. VHP Secretary-General Praveen Togadia saw it as a huge victory for Hindutva and argued that the secularist opponents of the VHP "have become the impotent fringe". He also threatened that "All Hindutva opponents would get the death sentence".


Census of Christians, March 2003

One of the most sinister aspects to the violence unleashed against the Muslims in February and March 2002 was the fact that the Hindu rioters had copies of a recent survey of Muslims, which proved very useful in targeting Muslim homes and businesses.

It was therefore of grave concern to the Christian community when, in February, the Gujarat state authorities conducted three surveys of Christians. These quizzed Christians on matters such as the number of Christians, the number of conversions, and the number of those Christian agencies allegedly receiving overseas funding.

The surveys were carried out by the Criminal Investigation Department, and many Christians felt intimidated by the manner in which they were carried out. Nor did the sinister precedent of the surveys of Muslims prior to the 2002 attacks go unnoticed.

"Are we criminals that the state has to order the CID to conduct surveys on our communities and activities? This is precisely what they did to the Muslims before their pogroms against them last year," commented Rev. Dev Oza, a Church of North India pastor.

The main short term reason for the surveys seems to have been to pave the way for the anti-conversion law which swiftly followed the carrying out of the surveys.


Anti-Conversion Law

The BJP had warned before the Gujarat state elections of December 2002 that they would bring in an anti-conversion bill, and they lost little time in doing so. The Freedom of Religion Bill requires anyone wishing to convert to obtain prior permission from a district magistrate.

This contradicts the articles in the Indian constitution which provide for freedom to choose one's religion and to change one's religion.

The bill claims to be tackling "forced" or "fraudulent" conversions. However, some militant Hindus have in the past made it clear that they consider all conversions away from Hinduism to be forced or fraudulent. Viewed in this light, the bill seems to be a direct assault on all conversions.

This is backed up by other evidence. The General Secretary of the BJP in Gujarat, Jayanti Barot, showed his hostility to all conversions when he declared that "Everybody in India understands that one should live and die in the religion one is born into. Nobody should have the right to disturb this tradition".

Similarly, the bill stipulates that failure to obtain prior permission to convert will result in a year's imprisonment and a fine, even where the conversion was not forced or fraudulent.

Given the requirement of the bill to gain permission from the district magistrates, or collectors, one commentator noted, "Even a genuine conversion in Gujarat would depend on the whims of the district collectors".

Many Dalits and tribals have seen the bill as targeting them in particular and trying to prevent their conversion to Christianity or Buddhism. Many demonstrated against the bill. The bill itself does specifically talk of the need to prevent "exploit[ation]" of the Dalits and the tribals, demonstrating that these groups were very much on the mind of the drafters of the legislation. Observers such as David Haslam, the Chair of the Dalit Solidarity Network UK, point out that the Hindutva organisations are worried that their control over the Dalits and the tribals is being eroded, and that they are taking drastic steps to try and maintain it.

A number of Christians and other observers have wondered aloud why the state government is not focusing on more pressing issues, such as unemployment, health, illiteracy and access to clean water.

They also wonder at the obsession with conversions: "In a democratic and secular country, if one finds peace in professing a particular faith, why should the government or others concerned feel threatened?" asked one Christian. They also point out that the percentage of Christians of the total population, far from increasing through conversions, has actually decreased over recent decades.


International Response to the 2002 Pogroms – April 2003

The response by the international community to the terrible pogroms of February and March 2002 was considered by many observers to be muted. However, there are signs that the international concern at what happened and the aftermath has grown. This appears to be directly linked to the campaign by Indian and international human rights groups to show the extent of the carnage and the ongoing suffering by many in the Muslim community.

The Netherlands is the fourth largest donor of aid to India. However, the Dutch Government has recently declared that this will have to be reviewed in light of the failures of the state authorities, both at the time of the massacres and subsequently.

Four prominent MEPs – one from each of the main four political groupings in the European Parliament – have asked the European Commission to suspend official aid to Gujarat until "it is clear that those guilty of the massacre on 2000 Muslims are being punished, the victims rehabilitated and an end is put to the marginalisation of Christians
and Muslims."

It is to be hoped that other governments and political bodies across the world protest even now about what has been happening in Gujarat, including the ongoing marginalisation of Muslims and Christians. The Indian Government is sensitive to world opinion. Therefore, the more the world protests at what is happening in Gujarat, the more likely the extremists will be reined in, and the less likely there will be a repeat of the pogroms, aimed either at Muslims or Christians.