A young Christian mother was attacked after a mob of Hindu radical nationalists last month bombarded her home with the intent of forcing her and her pastor husband to close their church in Rajasthan state, India.
The woman, mother of a four-week-old, was hospitalized with serious head injuries, according to the human rights group International Christian Concern (ICC). Her husband said he had received death threats since starting the church five years ago.
In Uttar Pradesh state, as many as 30 Christians were imprisoned in May on charges of forced conversion, ICC reported.
Eleven of India’s states have anti-conversion laws that are often used falsely against Christians, but the Indian government has downplayed a U.S. report on religious persecution in India.
On June 2 the U.S. Department of State released a report on international religious freedom violations such as those against minorities in India. Subsequently, an official with India’s Ministry of External Affairs downplayed the U.S. statements as biased, ICC said.
India is No. 10 on Open Doors’ 2022 World Watch List of places most difficult to be a Christian.
This article first appeared in thebaptistpaper.org