Christianity and Non-Hindu Religious Activity Banned
By Joseph DeCaro, Worthy News Correspondent
NEW DELHI (Worthy News)– Church leaders in India have petitioned Chhattisgarh state to reverse its ban on non-Hindu religious activity, according to Morning Star News.
The ban — adopted by 50 villages in the Bastar District — could lead to the persecution of Christians and other minority communities.
The bans were supposedly adopted to stop the forced conversion of Hindus to other religions and prevent any derogatory language against Hindu deities and customs; as a result, the Sirisguda Gram Sabha Village Council banned prayers, meetings and any "propaganda" by non-Hindu religions.
"This resolution goes against the ethos of the constitution, which guarantees to everyone the right to equality and freedom of religion," said attorney Tehmina Arora of Alliance Defending Freedom of India, a religious rights group. "The state authorities should not discriminate against anyone because of their religious beliefs."
Chhattisgarh state's population is 95 percent Hindu and two percent Christian.