India

Hosur police arrested extremists in connection with violence during a Pentecostal convention. Police opens a file against person or persons unknown.

The military dictatorship issues a fictitious Constitution and bans the main opposition movements, to ensure victory. U.S. State Department: the vote does not have "international legitimacy". In 1990, 235 parties in contention, only 42 today. Minister in exile, "the government is the only competitor in the race," but "not all generals win all battles."

Indian Church is worried about the draft bill. A new law on assisted procreation could give singles, gay and heterosexual, an opportunity to have children. “A child’s biological nature is in the hands of God, not science,” Card Varkey Vithayathil says.

In the Middle East, Lebanon’s pluralism is an exception. In Egypt, Christians are seen as “god-less”. In Pakistan, they cannot talk about Islam for fear of being accused of blasphemy. In France, secularism is stifling every religious dimension of society.

Images by unknown “artists” appeared last Friday in the city of Shillong, eastern India, under the status of Saint John Bosco, which is located in front of a Salesian school, and on the walls of another school building. Graffiti depict Pope and Jesus as ‘Wanted’ fugitives, with the sentence ‘Arrest this man’ underneath. Meghalaya State governor is also insulted. “Such blasphemous actions have deeply wounded our religious sentiments,” Shillong archbishop says.

Lebanon is and was (even during the civil war) a model of life together because of its schools and universities. Card Tauran notes a movement back to religion in secularised societies. Card Scola says fundamentalism can be defeated by educating in truth and freedom.

For Ibrahim Musliyar Bekal, the dowry system, the ban on married women working, and frequent desertion by husbands explain indigence in Muslim communities.

Festering old quarrels and unresolved issues have put Naga Tribals and the Government of Manipur on a collision course. The former have been blocking the state’s main highway for weeks. This has led to shortages in some basic items. The state government has responded by issuing threats against those manning the blockade. Fr Fernandes, a Jesuit priest, tells AsiaNews about the complicated situation.

India’s rapid economic growth continues, but inflation is higher than expected. The government appears hard-pressed to contain price hikes, especially food prices. Experts believe that the Indian economy and Indian society are undergoing structural changes.

A group of Afghan Christian refugees, who escaped to India to save their lives, describe the hardships they face in their homeland, where Muslim converts to Christianity are put to death. They call on the international community to put pressure on the Afghan government to spare those sentenced to death.

India’s federal Home Affairs minister is seeking quick approval for the Communal Violence Bill, which will impose harsher penalties on those guilty of stoking inter-religious conflict. However, Fr C. Prakash, a front-line minority rights advocate, opposes the draft proposal because it does not prevent collusion between politicians and police in communal crimes.

Pandit Bishimajhi is blamed for serious anti-Christian violence in Orissa in August 2008, which included beating people and setting buildings on fire. A member of a Hindu nationalist party, he was a wanted man for many months but was able to elude and mock police. His arrest might be a sign that justice will finally be done in Orissa.