It Is Time for India to Speak Up for its Christians

In recent years, we have witnessed a sharp rise in targeted violence against religious minorities across the country.

With Christians in particular, there are disturbing patterns of attacks, vandalism of churches, and arrest of pastors on the allegation of forced conversion. The United Christian Forum (UCF) recorded 814 incidents of violence against Christians in 2024. In 2025 alone, 706 incidents were recorded. Other organisations, like Open Doors, reported an even higher figure, over 2,900 incidents from January to November 2025. On this Christmas, a celebration of joy, peace and harmony, was claimed to be a crime of forced conversion, triggering miscreants of certain organisations to mount attacks, displaying a disturbing trend of hatred against Christians.   

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, like last year on the occasion of Christmas, visited churches, met Christian leaders, and even extended wishes on a social media platform. It is a gesture that is worth appreciating. However, for a Christian like me, these symbolic acts lose all meaning when juxtaposed against his silence on the escalating attacks.

What good are platitudes when the fundamental right to celebrate one’s faith without fear remains elusive?

It would have been better to spend a minute to condemn the attacks and tell the organisations to stop creating an atmosphere of disharmony. The government's resounding silence is not only causing a deficiency of trust and a breaking of its promise of sabka sath sabka vikas (with all, development for all), but is also conveying a dangerous message. 

We all know that the prime minister knows who the perpetrators are and which specific political ideology they are associated with. Take the case in Jabalpur, where a BJP city vice-president assaulted a visually impaired woman, used unacceptable derogatory words against her. To my knowledge, no leader from the party has come out in public to condemn the act. Does silence imply tacit endorsement? Condemning these affiliates might disrupt vote banks, but refraining from unequivocal condemnation, endorsing directly or indirectly, gives more power and immunity to such anti-social elements.

What has become the situation of today is the visible result of the prolonged silence of the authorities on recurring attacks on churches. Assam is a case in point. Misguided, communally charged individuals entered a private premise and vandalised a crib and other decorations. Decorations within a school campus are claimed to be aiding forceful conversions with no evidence. Christian leaders from the Northeast and elsewhere, affiliated with the ruling party, have refrained from speaking out, but what about the lakhs of non-Christians, many of whom were educated in Christian institutions across the country? Though the perpetrators in the Nalbari incident are arrested, it would be meaningless if they are not punished as per law, and if the authority does not ensure security to Christians staying there.  

The news of the attacks on Christians in India is also reported by the international media. The hypocrisy is for the global audience to see. France’s laïcité laws prohibit public displays of religious symbols, yet the authorities in Paris allow a grand Ganesha procession, embracing Hindu traditions. If Western nations can accommodate diversity, why has India grown intolerant toward Christianity? Meanwhile, large Hindu communities in the West celebrate other Hindu festivals publicly. What message do these attacks send to them? That their homeland rejects the very inclusivity they experience abroad?

A few journalists and concerned citizens have highlighted these issues and their efforts are appreciated. Yet a Christian on a panel on a national news show indirectly justified the attacks, calling it an inevitable friction caused by the actions of "some crazy people in a country of 1.47 billion people."

We shouldn’t forget that even a single assault on any citizen strikes at the nation’s unity. Quoting the Bible to take its literal meaning out of context to project how Christians forcefully intend to convert others – as interpreted by some in a national news debate – is another dangerous stand. The scriptures are loaded with deep theological meaning and many know when they are not meant to be taken literally.

A VHP secretary has likened celebrating Christmas or wearing a Santa cap to soft conversion tactics which allures one to convert. Isn’t such a statement mocking Hindus’ faith as fragile? Why assume Hindus are so easily swayed? This bogey peddled by ruling party leaders or people in authority is alarming not just to one community but for all Indians, as it threatens the constitutional promise of equality. Dialogue may be an appropriate way forward. However, how can one engage in dialogue with another who has closed oneself to any possibility of amity and is filled with hatred towards one's counterpart? 

For Christians, Christmas holds deep theological significance. It is the birth of hope and a symbol of peace amid adversity. We don’t mind if others overlook this significance. We are delighted when a large number of people of other faiths sincerely join us in celebration, wear Santa caps, hang stars, or erect Christmas trees. When attacked, we seek not sympathy but solidarity to defeat hatred. A mere wish suffices no longer in such an atmosphere of persecution.

We need voices to denounce these immoral and unacceptable assaults unequivocally. We need a voice to speak up louder than the hatred of others. We need a voice to condemn the violence and to reclaim the harmony that defines us. I believe this would be the greatest Christmas gift not just for Christians, but for the soul of our nation. A community who make up a mere 2.3% of the population is no threat to the majority, rather a part and parcel of this country. This community has contributed to nation-building, has served without bragging and prays for the well-being of the leaders of our nation and for everyone – irrespective of religion.

Julius Tudu, is an advocate, a human rights activist and a scholar at the Vidyajyoti Institute of Religious Studies, Civil Lines, Delhi.

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