Mixed news for Christians coming out of Jammu and Kashmir states

India (MNN) ― There's a bright spot amongst all the news coming out of India's Jammu and Kashmir states.

According to Lee DeYoung with Words of Hope, Rev. Chander Mani Khanna--accused of bribing Muslim young people to convert to Christianity--is free, and the case against him is dismissed for lack of evidence. 

The bad news is: the stress silenced the pastor. "He retired officially from the only open church in Kashmir, (that is the All Saint's Church in Srinagar), in mid-January. The church is still there, but at this point, it seems as if Christian activity has been driven completely underground and has been severely curtailed."

DeYoung confirms the Compass Direct News report saying because no charges were filed against him, the state's High Court on Feb. 11 halted proceedings in the police complaint of "promotion of religious enmity by conversions" against Khanna.

Khanna can now travel because the order binding him to the state was lifted, as well. The court asked the government to file its response by March 14, and then it will set the date for the next hearing. 

  

What's odd is that while Kashmir's sharia (Islamic law) court has no legal authority in India, the committee charged and convicted three church leaders of "luring the valley Muslims to Christianity." As part of their sentence, the trio was ordered to leave the state, and the state government was told to take over the management of all Christian schools in the region. 

DeYoung says, "Local Christians say that the Sharia court is continuing to pursue Christians. Newspaper announcements are posted, naming suspected or known Christians and urging people to turn them in."

As a result, life has been extremely difficult for Kashmir's Christians since the verdict. First, there's the intimidation. 

"They're also seeking to prevent conversions and to re-convert Christians," says DeYoung. "Committee members of this Islamic Sharia court are visiting Christian homes and allegedly pressuring them and their families to return to Islam."

Then, there are the threats, which have to be taken seriously. DeYoung says they're taking steps to keep the staff safe. 

"Words of Hope's radio broadcasts in the Kashmiri language, which had been on the air for a number of years, are going to be suspended at the end of March--in part, because the people who have been recording the programs, the production effort has been disrupted by this persecution."

The fifteen-minute program, "Ray of Hope," airs four days a week and includes music, a health segment, and a Bible-based message. Personal contacts have been made with listeners. The few seekers who respond to the program need support and encouragement to stand for their faith in their own community.

The decision to pull back a little is not limited to Words of Hope. "The shortwave transmissions of FEBA radio are going to cease to the Indian subcontinent at the end of March. We are continuing to pursue other opportunities, and we hope that it will be possible to restart this ministry sometime in the future."

As noted in an earlier interview with another Words of Hope staffer, for all practical purposes "active ministry has ceased for the moment, as far as we know, and the Christians who were involved in that have had to flee for their lives."

There was openness to the Gospel, so keep praying for opportunity. DeYoung says the story isn't over yet. "[We] seek the prayers of God's people for an easing of this illegal persecution and for the work of the Gospel to continue--and hopefully increase."

Fatwa proves costly for ministry in India's Kashmir region

India (MNN) ― A self-styled Sharia Court is doing its best to silence the Gospel in India. The panel of Muslim clerics expelled three pastors from Kashmir state over allegations of forcible conversions.

However, the row created by the situation has believers raising the alarm. In mid-January, Muslim clerics issued a fatwa against them for "luring the Valley's Muslims to Christianity."

David Bast with Words  of Hope says, first, "The Sharia court is not an official institution. It's not a government court. This is simply a group of Muslim clerics who set themselves up and say, 'We will dictate what happens because Kashmir is Muslim.'" 

Second, the current crisis was sparked by video, posted in October 2011, of a pastor baptizing Kashmiri Muslim youth. There were calls to kill the pastor and to burn down churches and schools in the Valley.

Within hours of the warning, the pastor was arrested. The panel also accused two other Christian workers of being accomplices. As a result, says Bast, "Active ministry has ceased for the moment, as far as we know, and the Christians who were involved in that have had to flee for their lives."

Specifically, the expulsion is costly in terms of outreach. "Our team has experienced directly the results of that ruling because one of those three was heading up the work that we're involved in. The report we're getting from the direct for South Asia where Words of Hope is involved is basically that Christian ministry has shut down in Kashmir."

Bast goes on to say that before this happened, there was one above-ground church in the capital city. Now, there are none. It's unlikely that the situation will improve much. The Sharia court has also called on the government to take over management of missionary schools. There are several media reports indicating the Sharia court wants to introduce Islamic prayer and to allot classes for Islamic studies at these schools.

Jammu/Kashmir is India's only Muslim-majority state; Muslims account for 67% of its population. In the Valley, Muslims are the overwhelming majority constituting 97% of the population.

Bast notes that although there is dispute with Pakistan over the region's identity, "Legally, it's part of India, so it should be governed by the constitution of the state of India which guarantees religious freedom, but that's not happening there right now."

Words of Hope's ministry includes Gospel broadcasts in eight languages to four countries. It is the only region where Words of Hope broadcasts to audiences which are predominantly Hindu (Hindi, Bhojpuri, Dogri, Garhwali, Nepali), Buddhist (Tibetan, Dzongkha) and Muslim (Kashmiri).

Please pray for Words of Hope's continued efforts in South Asia. Bast requests, "Pray for the believers that are still there. They are very much under pressure. They're probably mostly underground. They're being intimidated, so pray that they'll be strengthened, that they'll be courageous, that they'll be able to stand."