The conflict between India and Pakistan over Kashmir has been in the news for over sixty years.
For a few weeks now the Kashmir valley, the much contended Muslim region at the foot of the Himalayas which has never fully accepted New Delhi’s sovereignty, has become a hot-spot for Christian persecution.
Last week, for example, the Islamic tribunal of Srinagar, the main city of this region, asked the government of Jammu and Kashmir, that has jurisdiction over the valley, to expel three Christian missionaries, two Anglican pastors -Chander Mani Khanna and Gayoor Masih- and the Dutch Catholic priest Jim Borst, 79 years old, of the Mill Hill Missionaries.
They are accused of proselytism.
Khanna had already been arrested for the same reason in November and had only been released on bail after ten days.
In theory the Islamic Tribunal could not pass this kind of sentence, in Jammu and Kashmir there are no laws against religious conversions, which are however present in other Indian states with a majority Hindu population; therefore even if proselytism had occurred, it would not constitute a crime.
Because of the long lived opposition between Kashmir and New Delhi, the valley has always been considered a powder-keg. Therefore the Jammu and Kashmiri authorities seem to have no intention of fighting the fatwa against the Christians in Srinagar.
Erring on the side of caution, the three missionaries are now safe outside the Kashmir valley. But pressure against the tiny Christian community in the region which amounts to just a few hundred people in a population of 5.5 million, is still very high.
Even on Saturday - according to the Fides news agency- in the Catholic Holy Family Church in Srinagar someone set fire to the priest’s motorbike.
The Islamists are not beating about the bush and have clearly talked about taking control of the schools currently managed by Christians, these schools count 7000 students and 99% of them are Muslim.
Frightened by such threats, some Christians have already set off towards Jammu, the capital city where Christian Churches have a few thousand followers and tensions seem less heightened.
The atmosphere in Kashmir is surprising.
Up until a few years ago the prevalent faith in this region was Sufi Islam which was far away from the intolerant views of the Wahhabists. It seems that the tide that has already overcome Pakistan has finally reached the valley too.
What sparked the controversy was simply the baptism of seven former Muslims who had declared their will to convert to Christianity, the ceremony was celebrated by Father Khanna, pastor of the Church of North India , which represents the Anglican faith in the area.
In the local papers in Srinagar there are dubious tales of money dealings, alcohol, women and even ceremonies where the seven were asked to drink pig’s blood.
Of course there are those who add fuel to the fire in order to seize the schools, it would be difficult to explain otherwise why one of the targets was Jim Borst who had been living in Kashmir for 48 years and shared the Kashmiris’ pain and experience of the long conflict.
Even Juan Marcos Troia, Argentinean football scout who had travelled all that way looking for new talent, has been caught in the anti-Christian storm. He has become famous because of «Inshallah Football», a documentary on Basharat the son of a Kashmiri independentist who has been able to realize his dream of playing football in Brazil.
Now however, Marcos too is regarded with suspicion by the Islamists.
Christians in India are very worried because of this incident. Among the first to denounce it was John Dayal, Catholic journalist and secretary general of the All India Christian Council which has always been fighting for the rights of minority groups, so far threatened mostly by Hindu integralists.
In actual fact in states like Gujarat, Karnataka and Orissa often Christians and Muslims have been on the same side, the side of those who are victims of intolerance. In Kashmir nowadays however, Indian Christians stand alone.
“I don’t know of any group in Indian society” said Dayal in a statement for Ucanews “that has sent a delegation to see what is happening in Srinagar. They have all been using as an excuse the ‘fragile nature’ of the peace in the valley, where the locals are in constant opposition to New Delhi. In truth, aside from two journalists, no one has written anything about the fatwa issued by the Islamic tribunal and no Muslim organization whether large or small has tried to mediate. This has heightened the harsh isolation of the small Christian community and their already severe trauma”.