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Kashmir, Islamic court demands expulsion of 5 Christian religious
by Nirmala Carvalho
Among them Rev. CM Khanna and Fr. Jim Borst. The court wants to control Islamic Christian missionary schools in the region. The Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) will send a petition to the UN Commission on Human Rights. Bishop of Jammu-Srinagar: "Our schools serve the state and the Muslim population." A Brahmin who converted to Christianity: "The Indian government is afraid to confront Islamic terrorism."
Srinagar (AsiaNews) - An Islamic court in Jammu and Kashmir yesterday called for the expulsion of five Christians and strict inspection of Christian missionary schools in the region. Among the personalities involved in the decision, the Anglican pastor CM Khanna and Fr Jim Borst, recently accused of proselytism and forced conversions. Sajan K George, President of the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC), states: "This verdict is illegal, because the Islamic court has no authority in our country. The Supreme Court should take action against members of this Shariah body. "
Bishop Peter Celestine, of the Diocese of Jammu-Srinagar, says: "The Indian Constitution guarantees religious freedom, which includes the right to spread one’s beliefs and convert. In his schools, Fr. Jim Borst has only ever served the Muslim majority, educating young people. The missionary has never been involved in forced conversion or proselytizing. Our Christian institutions serve the state, not our interests. "
According to the president of the GCIC, "if the Indian judicial system submits itself to these courts Islamic extremist violence will be unleashed against the Christian minority." For this reason, he adds, "we will send a petition to the UN Commission on Human Rights, to ensure that the five men find justice."
For Predhuman Joseph Dhar, a Brahmin Hindu convert to Christianity, "the Indian government is afraid to confront the growing threat of Islamic terrorism" and "is doing nothing for the fate of Kashmir."
The intellectual, who along with Fr Borst has translated the Bible into Kashmiri, said: "Not all Muslims are terrorists, many of them want to live in peace. But today the world situation has exacerbated the tones, and anyone who speaks of extremism or Islamic terrorism is considered racist and Islamophobic. For this, no one in Kashmir is willing to stand against the abuses and attacks on the minority Christian and Hindu. "