What loving our neighbour really means

In June our friend and colleague Nehemiah Christie, a Christian religious leader and human rights defender based in Tamil Nadu, India, passed away from COVID-related illness. His passing is an enormous loss, especially to the cause of freedom of religion or belief for all. As Nehemiah told us once about his work for people of all religions and beliefs: ‘Faith or no faith, they are human beings. If you are a human being you are born with human rights.’

We’re humbled by Nehemiah’s courage, faith and determination to stand up for the rights of others. We spoke to Patrick, CSW’s Asia Team Leader, who knew Nehemiah personally.

Tell us a bit about Nehemiah’s life and work.

Nehemiah married Deepika in June 2008 and they have two daughters, Elena (12) and Neginah (5). He was the pastor of a church called Calvary Christian Tamil Church in Erode, in the state of Tamil Nadu. He was also a key contact of CSW, providing verification of incidents in Tamil Nadu and facilitating meetings for our in-country research. Guided by his Christian faith, Nehemiah had a profound conviction to advocate on behalf of religious minorities.

What was he like as a person?

Although I only knew him for four years, it felt like much longer. In that short time, I will always remember him as a brave person who was unafraid to speak his mind. And it was always done with the aim to advocate for freedom of religion or belief. He was remarkably savvy when engaging with the authorities, particularly the police, no matter how high in rank they were.

I will also remember him for his unreserved commitment to the cause of freedom of religion or belief. He would often drop whatever he was doing, even at the expense of sacrificing family moments, to attend to a distress call. I can attest to this as I’ve been with him in such moments. He would often refer to me as abang (‘big brother’ in the Malay language), which I will deeply miss.

How did Nehemiah’s faith motivate him to work for religious freedom for all?

In an interview with Nehemiah last year, he spoke of a pivotal moment when his relative called him for assistance because a pastor had been attacked and was bleeding: ‘…a mob came in [and] hit the pastor, women, children. They broke everything, just because they were praying. That broke my heart. I called the police and told them to take action and catch the perpetrators – otherwise they will be emboldened to do it again.’

‘Nehemiah had been a partner of CSW for years and was an incredible human rights defender who always fought for justice for minority groups in Tamil Nadu, India. He lived bravely and sacrificially and he loved Jesus.’ Scot Bower, CEO

Nehemiah told us that he believed he’d been called to be a ‘real Nehemiah…building the walls of Jerusalem to protect the churches and the victims in India’.

We asked him why as a Christian he felt it was important to speak up for all who are facing injustice because of their religion or belief, and he told us: ‘They have [the] right to worship their belief…As Christians, when we see Muslims being attacked and killed, that worries us a lot. We must protect our brothers – not just the Christians, but [people of] other faiths too.’

He told us, ‘Many ask me, “Nehemiah, why do you support these people?,” but I say to them, “Is this not their human right? To practise their faith?” The narrative that is used by those who support Hindu supremacy is that [human rights defenders] work against India’s interests. But this is not true. I am proud that my country has such a great constitution, which protects fundamental freedoms.’

What do you think will be Nehemiah’s legacy for freedom of religion or belief in India?

Nehemiah did not have a big purse nor was he a famed human rights defender, but he would roll up his sleeves and get the job done. I am convinced that he positively impacted more lives than we will ever really know. After his passing, his brother and father informed me how astonished they were at the number of messages and calls from people all over Tamil Nadu whom he had helped.

I’m glad that we are honouring him through this piece. I strongly believe that the legacy which he leaves behind is that many have been empowered to speak up for themselves.

Watch our interview with Nehemiah for the Faith in Extraordinary Times series at csw.org.uk/fietnehemiah