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Tuesday, July 02, 2013

Hindu Nationalists Attack Peaceful Prayer Meeting Under 'Forceful Conversion' Pretense


Assault on pastors’ meeting in India shows depth of extremist hostility.

Even in a state with no "anti-conversion" law, Hindu extremists in India leveled the accusation of forceful conversion at pastors as they belted the Christian leaders with iron bars.

At their monthly prayer gathering in Hyderabad on June 4, about 20 pastors from various denominations were stunned when a mob of Hindu extremists approached with clubs and iron rods and accused the ethnic Telegu clergy of forceful conversion. Vaguely worded laws in other states banning forceful, fraudulent, or coercive conversions provide a ready pretense for false accusations against Christians helping to provide for the needs of the poor, leading to numerous false arrests—but Andhra Pradesh has no such law.

Moses Vattipalli, the All India Christian Council representative in Hyderabad, told Morning Star News that accusations that the pastors were forcing people to convert to Christianity were baseless.

"There was no case of forceful conversion," he said. "The pastors were having their monthly prayer meeting as usual." Read more

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