Church Reports

• Church – Racism

1. Pew Research Forum Study shows black Christians are more negative toward President Trump

Key Points:

1. Study shows black Christians, whether Catholic or Protestant more negative toward President Trump compared with white Catholic or Protestant Christians.
2. A recent study published by Pew Research Forum has shown that white Christians, whether Catholic or Protestant, are in favor of President Trump. In contrast, black Christians, whether Catholic or Protestant, are against President Trump. The study clearly indicates that Christianity in the USA divided under racism.

(indiafaith.in, 26 September 2020)  (News Link)

• Church – Society

1. Tension in 3 Chhattisgarh villages over conflict between 2 groups: Police

Key Points:

1. Study shows black Christians, whether Catholic or Protestant more negative toward President Trump compared with white Catholic or Protestant Christians.
2. Three Chhattisgarh villages in Kondagaon district of Bastar division are tense after some villagers allegedly threatened and ransacked houses of some families living in these villages over Tuesday and Wednesday over a dispute, said police.
3. Police have not registered a case till now and are conducting preliminary investigations to ascertain the details of the case after a complaint over the incidents was filed by Chhattisgarh Christian forum.
4. The forum, however, claims that a group of villagers was pressuring some Christian families to either convert or lose the benefits availed by the scheduled tribes (STs) in the state.
5. Arun Pannalal, president of the Christian forum claimed that some affected families ran away from the villages and reached Raipur. He further alleged that their houses were ransacked in the presence of police.
6. “I have also demanded a compensation of Rs 10 lakh each for the victim families, immediate registration of FIR and a high level enquiry into the matter by a retired judge of the HC or a district court,” said Pannalal.
7. Kondagaon superintendent of police (SP) Siddharth Tiwari rubbished the claims and said the conflict was not about two communities but was rooted into land encroachment issues. He added that police weren’t present during the incidents as had been claimed by the forum.
8. “The issue is of forest land encroachment and not Christianity versus tribals. The situation is under control and peaceful. We are still talking to both groups and police personnel have been deployed in the district,” said Tiwari.
9. Meanwhile, IG Bastar, Sunderaj P, in a statement said, “In five villages of Kondagaon District namely Karkabeda, Singhanpuri, Tiliyabeda, Silati and Jondrabeda, there are a few families following Christianity faith since last 5 to 6 years. The tribal community in these villages have a problem with these families not following local customs/festivals.”
10. He said that the “situation” has led to “some tension” in these villages before adding that the affected villages were “peaceful” at present and police force has been deployed to prevent any untoward incident.

(hindustantimes.com, 25 September 2020) (News Link)

• Church – Blasphemy

1. At United Nations, India raises issue of misuse of blasphemy laws by Pak against minorities

Key Points:

1. Indian diplomat to UN in Geneva, Senthil Kumar said, “Pakistan’s deplorable human rights records and discriminatory treatment of its minorities has been a cause of persistent concern for the international community.”
2. India has raised the issue of misuse of the blasphemy law in Pakistan against minorities. According to India, currently, at least 80 people are in prison in Pakistan for the crime of “blasphemy”, with at least half of them facing life sentences or the death penalty. At least 42 cases pertaining to blasphemy were registered across Pakistan in a single month.
3. Indian diplomat to UN in Geneva, Senthil Kumar said, “Pakistan’s deplorable human rights records and discriminatory treatment of its minorities has been a cause of persistent concern for the international community.”
4. “In Pakistan, Blasphemy Laws are being used against religious minorities such as Christians, Hindus, and Sikhs, to violate their human rights and dignity,” Kumar added.
5. Misuse of blasphemy laws in Pakistan is something that has been talked about at the international level, especially when it comes to the case of Christian Pakistani women Asia Bibi who later got asylum in Canada.
6. Senthil Kumar highlighted, “Enforced disappearances, state violence, and forced mass displacements, harassment, extrajudicial killings, army operations, torture, kill-and-dumps, torture camps, detention centers, military camps” are “regular features in Baluchistan”.
7. India cited the example of the disappearance of Rashid Hussain in December 2018, and the killing of journalist Sajid Hussain Baloch after he went missing in March 2020.
8. He said, “nobody knows the fate of missing 47,000 Baloch and 35,000 Pashtuns till date. Sectarian violence has claimed more than 500 Hazaras in Baluchistan and more than 100,000 Hazaras have fled Pakistan.”
9. He also slammed Islamabad for a similar situation in Pakistan occupied Kashmir saying,” before preaching to others, Pakistan must remember that terrorism is the worst form of human rights abuse and a crime against humanity” and “the world doesn’t need lessons on human rights from a country which has been known as nursery and epicentre of Terrorism”.

(dnaindia.com, 25 September 2020) (News Link)