persecution.com

Preparing their Hearts
for More Persecution

On May 23 India reelected Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a staunch supporter of Hindutva — a pervasive Hindu nationalist ideology that calls for India to be a completely Hindu nation. Modi has said Christians and other non-Hindus have no place in India.

During Modi’s first term, our brothers and sisters in India endured increased beatings, imprisonment and the destruction of their church buildings by members of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) — a Hindu nationalist organization, of which Modi was a member before he entered politics. During the next five years of Modi’s second term, Christians expect to suffer even more persecution.

VOM’s field leader for India said that Christians have a growing concern. “They see persecution as part of their faith, but they expect persecution to increase now,” he said. “Modi’s re-election will give these Hindu nationalists more courage. They think nobody will stop them. Pray that Christians in India will remain bold and continue their witness regardless of who is in power.”

More than 5 million Hindus are part of the RSS, which has been known to intimidate and even force Christians to convert to Hinduism to return them to “their nation’s Hindu roots.” The RSS has informants living in nearly every village in India. These informants report evangelism activities or the names of Hindus who choose to follow Christ.

A Christian named Pratik experienced such intimidation just 10 days after Modi was first elected in 2014. Thirty RSS members surrounded Pratik’s home and forced him, his wife and their two teenage daughters into SUVs. They drove them to the nearest Hindu temple, where a priest poured Hindu holy water over their heads, dabbed their foreheads with red powder and forced them to eat food dedicated to a Hindu deity. An RSS member then beat Pratik unconscious. When he regained consciousness, Pratik and his family stood firm in their faith. Today, even as they are considered pariahs in their village, they continue to faithfully follow Jesus Christ.

With Modi winning a second five-year term and gaining increased political capital, many Christians in India are preparing to face what Pratik’s family endured. Please pray for them.

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