Anti-Christian violence in India: FIACONA’s annual report highlights plight of the community

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https://www.fiacona.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/FIACONA-2022-Report-updated-4-11-22-1.pdf

Preface by Koshy George, president of the Federation of Indian American Christian Organizations of North America

Freedom, whether it is religious freedom, freedom from discrimination, freedom of speech or political freedom, is the fundamental right of any human being anywhere in the world.

Denying one’s freedom is denying the God-given right of another individual. No human being or government should take away or impinge on the freedom of another individual. A nation that honors the freedom of its citizens, the basic freedom to assemble, worship and speech, will thrive in modern day.

In a democracy the majority rules, but the nation will prosper only if it is not imposing the will of the majority on the minority, but considers and provides equal opportunity for all. India, the largest democracy in the world, was once considered a country where various religious, ethnic, and linguistic groups could live harmoniously for centuries. The founding fathers of India, freed from colonialism, had a vision of a secular India, where there is freedom of religion and human rights for all.

However, that ideology was subtly ignored and replaced with hatred and violence by the current leaders of India. No one will win in this situation. It may appear that they are benefiting from the current day confusion but ultimately no one will win. India could deteriorate and be ruined and thus diminish its stature among the world's elite nations. Lies and hatred are being spread from various leadership quarters and the followers simply act on it by harassing, suppressing, and even killing the minorities that look, talk, or believe differently from them.

No one should expect that everyone else should believe the way they do. Live and let others live should be the philosophy. Hundreds of innocent people are murdered and harassed daily at various places in India. Political leaders in India should wake up and put an end to these heinous crimes before it reaches any worse.

Koshy George

President