Religious Liberty Prayer List – No. 147 – Wed 12 Dec 2001

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INDIA: RE-EDUCATING A NATION; plus SULAWESI UPDATE

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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won power in February 1998 on a Hindu nationalist (Hindutva) platform. Upon taking office, the BJP called for the ‘Hinduisation’ of education in India, with its Minister for Education, Murli Manohar Joshi, appointing Hindu nationalist scholars to national academic bodies. At a national education conference in October 1998, Joshi introduced a proposal drawn up by the Vidya Bharati (the education section of the militant Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh [RSS]) to ‘Hinduise’ the Indian school system. Courses in ‘Indian values’ and Hindu religious texts would become compulsory for all students and teachers. The proposal was eventually withdrawn due to vociferous objections from several state education ministers demanding that India’s secular nature be preserved.

However, school textbooks began to change anyway. They were being covertly altered by BJP-appointed academics, particularly in states controlled by the BJP. In January 2000 a group of some 60 teachers called on the government to stop its Hindutva indoctrination. The new school texts glorify upper-caste Hindu symbols, defend the caste system and depict Muslims and Christians as foreigners. For a start, that ignores Christianity’s long history in India, dating traditionally from 52 AD with the Apostle Thomas.

On 23 November 2001, the upper house of Parliament had to be adjourned after the opposition Congress leader caused an uproar by accusing the BJP of ‘Talibanising’ India’s education system through the government-controlled National Council for Educational Research and Training. The Council had ordered schools across the country to delete immediately from textbooks any sections referring to controversial issues such as the Hindu caste system, and the archaeological evidence relating to various Hindu gods as well as the consumption of beef in ancient India.

The BJP has not only defended its rewriting of Indian history, but has also decreed that history books for Indian schoolchildren will now only be published after they have been approved by Hindu religious leaders. When criticised, Joshi said, ‘I am delighted. I am like Jesus Christ who was crucified for his beliefs.’ The BJP manifests its contempt for Christianity through statements in the new textbooks such as, ‘It is because of the conspiratorial policies of the followers of (Christianity) that India was partitioned. Even today Christian missionaries are engaged in fostering anti-national tendencies.’ This can only breed serious intolerance and give rise to increasing persecution.

In late November, four evangelists returning from a screening of the Jesus film were assaulted by a mob in Madhya Pradesh. They were seriously injured and had to be hospitalised. Violence against Christians has skyrocketed since the BJP came to power and this can only go from bad to worse with Indian schoolchildren being indoctrinated with Hindutva’s religious bigotry.

PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY FOR:

* the international community to see this devious assault on the minds of India’s schoolchildren, pressing the government to restore integrity to the education system and not promote religious intolerance by using textbooks as tools for Hindutva propaganda.

* God to use India’s teachers as a force for justice and truth by rejecting propaganda in education.

* wisdom, grace, strength and courage for India’s Christian leaders seeking to lead people into truth and into fellowship with Jesus in the face of social hostility fanned by lies and politics.

* India’s Christian 2% minority to remain faithful and courageous shining lights in a Church that continues to grow at its present remarkable rate, in spite of increasing persecution.

‘…how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!’ Jesus, Matthew 7:11b

SUMMARY TO USE IN BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE:

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RE-EDUCATING INDIA

Ever since coming to power in India in February 1998, the Hindu nationalist BJP has sought to ‘Hinduise’ India’s education system. They have set about rewriting school history books by removing unfavourable archaeological information as well as material critical of the Hindu caste system. Instead, they promote Hindu nationalism, glorify upper-caste symbols and vilify Muslims and Christians as foreigners. (That ignores Christianity’s long history in India, dating traditionally from 52 AD with the Apostle Thomas.) The ‘new’ history states, ‘It is because of the conspiratorial policies of the followers of (Christianity) that India was partitioned. Even today Christian missionaries are engaged in fostering anti-national tendencies.’ Please pray for the 2% Christian population, as all this can only breed serious intolerance and escalate persecution.

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A MASSACRE BEFORE CHRISTMAS DAY? – Sulawesi Update on 12 Dec 2001

‘A massacre before Christmas Day is the horrific possibility facing Christian villagers in central Sulawesi, unless the Indonesian government is able to control militant Jihad militia currently holding (them) under siege’, the President of the Uniting Church in Australia, Rev Professor James Haire, said today. He described many tens of thousands as being either in the mountains, in makeshift refugee camps or holed up in Tentena. ‘Every one of them is afraid for their lives. This is Ambon all over again.’

Whilst the Indonesian government has at last sent troops in, the last Protestant Church in Poso has been bombed as an act of retaliation against this effort to bring peace to the region.

Professor Haire, who lived and worked there for 13 years, said information he had received from his Indonesian church contacts in the last 24 hours indicated that leaders of the militant Jihad gangs now encircled the region of Tentena. They were threatening a bloody invasion of the town saying ‘there would be no candles lit on Christmas Day’.

RLP reiterates last week’s prayer request that all those facing impending slaughter at the hands of the Laskar Jihad may be protected and rescued through God’s intervention.

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Please pass this along to others with attribution to World Evangelical Fellowship (WEF) Religious Liberty Prayer List <>

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The WEF Religious Liberty Commission sponsors this RL Prayer List to help individuals and groups pray specifically and regularly for religious liberty issues, and in particular to uphold the Church where it is suffering persecution.

RL Prayer is moderated by Ron Clough, a commissioner of the WEF RLC and convenor of the Australian EA RLC. Elizabeth Kendal researched and compiled this message.

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