(International Christian Concern) – According to Outlook, the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) has launched an 11-day campaign pressing for the enactment of an anti-conversion law in India. Additionally, the VHP has called for legal provisions to be enacted that would strip tribals converting to Christianity and Islam of various benefits granted by the government.
Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, VHP President Alok Kumar said the campaign would raise public awareness through the distribution of literature, public meetings, and small group meetings. These events would “expose the conspiracies of those engaged in conversions so that the Hindu society sees through their anti-Hindu and anti-national acts and awakens to stop this.”
“It is not because of the inner conscience that people (Hindus) are converting to other faiths,” Kumar continued. “They are being converted through allurement, fear or deception. A stringent law should be enacted against such religious conversions by the states and the Center.”
The VHP plans to conclude this nationwide campaign by December 31, spanning the entire Christmas season. The VHP also claims they have met with 327 Members of Parliament from various political parties, requesting them to support their demands for the anti-conversion law.
In addition to calling for the anti-conversion law, the VHP is also campaigning to strip tribals of various government benefits if they convert to Christianity or Islam.
“Tribals who abandon the faith of their ancestors and convert to another religion also abandon the faith, tradition, and system of their worship,” Kumar said. “The members of the scheduled castes do not get the reservation benefits after converting to another religion. We feel that the same should happen in the case of those from schedule tribes embracing another religion.”
Across India, radical Hindu nationalists continue to call for the enactment of anti-conversion laws both at the state and national level. According to these nationalists, Christians and Muslims in India are fraudulently converting low-caste Hindus to Christianity and Islam in mass by illegal means.
These anti-minority narratives are based on little evidence. However, they are often used by nationalists to gain political support, marginalize minority communities, and justify anti-minority activities.
In states where anti-conversion laws are already enforced, they are widely abused. Radicals use the falsely accuse Christians of engaging in illegal conversions to justify street level violence. Unfortunately, authorities often look the other way when accusations of forced conversions are leveled against Christians.
This story first appeared on persecution.org