Christians Face Persecution in Popular Tourist Spots
Open Doors, a British charity organization based in Witney, Oxfordshire, urged travelers from the United Kingdom to be aware of persecution against the Christian community in their favorite tourist destinations, including India.
Stressing the need to raise awareness on the growing problem, Open Doors recommended writing letters to members of Parliament and protesting the treatment rendered.
Eddie Lyle, chief executive of Open Doors UK and Ireland, said, "'Sun, sea, sand and persecution' would be an appropriate adage here. The image many of us have in our minds of these gorgeous locations is one of sandy beaches, palm trees and exotic cultural treasures. But the reality for those people living there wishing to express their faith openly and responsibly is very different from how the brochures portray things."
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"Christians commonly experience discrimination in the workplace and in education, are abused physically and emotionally, cannot hold church services, are thrown into jail and – all too often – murdered," he added.
Open Doors does not demand that the Christians in UK boycott holidays in India but instead requests them to be aware of the issues and contribute to the saving and serving of the persecuted country.
A spokesman for the charity told The Telegraph that an estimated 200 million Christians around the world were facing varying degrees of persecution.
"These days we routinely make decisions about important ethical issues such as the impact food-miles have on global warming," Steve Gaukroger, chairman of Open Doors council of reference, commented. "Given the appalling ways that our Christian brothers and sisters are being treated in many places around the world, we need to apply similar criteria to our holiday destinations, too," he said, according to The Telegraph.
"In the largest democracy in the world, seven states now have anti-conversion laws which are being increasingly used by Hindu ultra-nationalists to harass Christians."
"Reports of threats against pastors, false arrests, beatings and even murder have been increasing, now averaging one incident every three days," he continued. "Many of the Dalits, the 'untouchable' caste of Hinduism, are converting to Christianity. This is one reason why Hindu nationalists are targeting Christians."
According to Open Doors' World Watch List, India ranks 30 among 50 of the worst persecutors in the world.
