The latest round of negotiations has been launched between the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), the two
Violent incidents on Christmas Eve in India are condemnable. By Dr. Emanuel Adil Ghouri
On the joyous occasion of Christmas, Indian religious extremist groups have resorted to physical violence and vandalism of places of worship against Christians for decorating their homes, singing carols and wearing Santa Claus costumes. This is a very sad and condemnable act.
According to local media, there have been several incidents of vandalism of Christmas decorations in India ahead of the festival. According to the Indian Express, a mob armed with wooden sticks vandalized Christmas decorations and installations in Raipur, a city in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh
The Bishops' Conference of India said in a statement: "Such targeted incidents, especially attacks against peaceful carol singers and congregations worshipping in churches, gravely undermine India's constitutional guarantees of religious freedom, the right to live and worship without fear."
International organizations working for religious freedom and human rights should take notice of this matter. These incidents prove that the Indian government has become hostage to religious extremist organizations. The unfortunate events that occurred on Christmas Day did not happen suddenly, but rather began on December 18. Considering this, the government should have taken steps to protect Christians, which were not taken, resulting in these incidents.
Attacks on the Christian community have increased in several parts of India during the Christmas season, drawing criticism. The Congress party has accused the BJP of giving the 'gift of hate' during the festivities.
This is the true face of the Bharatiya Janata Party's intense hatred against Christianity. Their leaders will go to any extent to insult minorities in India, even if it means attacking a blind woman," wrote KC Venugopal, general secretary of the opposition party Congress, in a post on social media platform X.The Congress leader blamed the Hindu nationalist BJP-led state governments in Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Odisha for these attacks, saying that these incidents took place with their backing .Venugopal added, "RSS workers also attacked a children's carol choir in Palakkad, Kerala, where the BJP is proving day after day that it is nothing but a wolf in sheep's clothing.
For years, Prime Minister Modi has been trying to portray himself as great by pretending to show new love for Christians. But his party and the Sangh Parivar expose his true character every time," he said.
Critics believe that India, Asia's second-largest country with a Christian population of 3 5million, appears to be failing to protect Christians.
India ranks 11th on the Open Doors World Watch List 2025, which ranks the countries where Christians face the most persecution.
The world's largest democracy, a nation that prides itself on secularism and diversity, is in the top eleven countries where being a Christian is tantamount to killing yourself.
Excluding the Christmas holiday, there were an average of two incidents of violence against Christians per day from January 1, 2025 to December 18, 2025. The UCF Forum documented 706 incidents,
Uttar Pradesh (184) and Chhattisgarh (157) topped the list. Of the 579 incidents reported between January and September 2025, only 39 resulted in police cases. With a 93% gap in documentation
The main reason for the violence against Christians in India is the rapid growth in the acceptance of Christianity, which Hindus see as a threat to their religion.The anti-Christian movement in India is driven by the Hindu nationalist ideology of Hindutva, which portrays Christians as a demographic and cultural "threat" to the concept of a Hindu nation. This has resulted in a systematic increase in the enforcement of laws prohibiting violence, discrimination, and religious conversion, especially since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in 2014.
Proponents of the "Hindu Nation" ideology believe that only Hindus are the true indigenous inhabitants of India and that other religions, such as Christianity and Islam, are foreign imports. Physical Violence: Hundreds of incidents are reported annually, including burning down churches, disrupting prayer gatherings, physical assaults, murders, and sexual violence. In 2023, hundreds of people were killed and more than 200 churches were burned in violence in the state of Manipur.
To stop the increasing religious conversions, the Indian state of Rajasthan has passed the Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversions Bill, 2025, which is based on the violation of fundamental human rights. Despite this bill, the number of people accepting Christianity is increasing rapidly.
According to local media, there have been several incidents of vandalism of Christmas decorations in India ahead of the festival. According to the Indian Express, a mob armed with wooden sticks vandalized Christmas decorations and installations in Raipur, a city in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh
The Bishops' Conference of India said in a statement: "Such targeted incidents, especially attacks against peaceful carol singers and congregations worshipping in churches, gravely undermine India's constitutional guarantees of religious freedom, the right to live and worship without fear."
International organizations working for religious freedom and human rights should take notice of this matter. These incidents prove that the Indian government has become hostage to religious extremist organizations. The unfortunate events that occurred on Christmas Day did not happen suddenly, but rather began on December 18. Considering this, the government should have taken steps to protect Christians, which were not taken, resulting in these incidents.
Attacks on the Christian community have increased in several parts of India during the Christmas season, drawing criticism. The Congress party has accused the BJP of giving the 'gift of hate' during the festivities.
This is the true face of the Bharatiya Janata Party's intense hatred against Christianity. Their leaders will go to any extent to insult minorities in India, even if it means attacking a blind woman," wrote KC Venugopal, general secretary of the opposition party Congress, in a post on social media platform X.The Congress leader blamed the Hindu nationalist BJP-led state governments in Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Odisha for these attacks, saying that these incidents took place with their backing .Venugopal added, "RSS workers also attacked a children's carol choir in Palakkad, Kerala, where the BJP is proving day after day that it is nothing but a wolf in sheep's clothing.
For years, Prime Minister Modi has been trying to portray himself as great by pretending to show new love for Christians. But his party and the Sangh Parivar expose his true character every time," he said.
Critics believe that India, Asia's second-largest country with a Christian population of 3 5million, appears to be failing to protect Christians.
India ranks 11th on the Open Doors World Watch List 2025, which ranks the countries where Christians face the most persecution.
The world's largest democracy, a nation that prides itself on secularism and diversity, is in the top eleven countries where being a Christian is tantamount to killing yourself.
Excluding the Christmas holiday, there were an average of two incidents of violence against Christians per day from January 1, 2025 to December 18, 2025. The UCF Forum documented 706 incidents,
Uttar Pradesh (184) and Chhattisgarh (157) topped the list. Of the 579 incidents reported between January and September 2025, only 39 resulted in police cases. With a 93% gap in documentation
The main reason for the violence against Christians in India is the rapid growth in the acceptance of Christianity, which Hindus see as a threat to their religion.The anti-Christian movement in India is driven by the Hindu nationalist ideology of Hindutva, which portrays Christians as a demographic and cultural "threat" to the concept of a Hindu nation. This has resulted in a systematic increase in the enforcement of laws prohibiting violence, discrimination, and religious conversion, especially since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in 2014.
Proponents of the "Hindu Nation" ideology believe that only Hindus are the true indigenous inhabitants of India and that other religions, such as Christianity and Islam, are foreign imports. Physical Violence: Hundreds of incidents are reported annually, including burning down churches, disrupting prayer gatherings, physical assaults, murders, and sexual violence. In 2023, hundreds of people were killed and more than 200 churches were burned in violence in the state of Manipur.
To stop the increasing religious conversions, the Indian state of Rajasthan has passed the Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversions Bill, 2025, which is based on the violation of fundamental human rights. Despite this bill, the number of people accepting Christianity is increasing rapidly.
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