Indian Christians Fear Backlash Due To Sharia Ruling
ICC Note
India Christians are concerned that the Sharia court in Kashmir might find two Christian leaders guilty of forcefully converting Muslims to Christianity. The false accusation was made after some Muslims converted to Christianity.
01/13/2012 India (The Times of India)-All India Christian Council in New Delhi on Friday feared backlash against Christians in the country due to incrimination of pastors Jim Borst and CM Khanna by Srinagar's self-styled Islamic Shariat court.
The self-proclaimed Supreme Court of Islamic Sharia headed by Mufti Bashir-ud-din on Wednesday indicted Pastor C M Khanna and Dutch national, Jim Borst for their alleged involvement in luring Kashmiri Muslims to convert to Christianity.
The Deputy Mufti-Azam Jammu and Kashmir and son of grand Mufti Bashir-ud-din, Mufti Muhammad Nasir-ul-Islam in a statement on January 11 said that "it was proved beyond doubt that the accused" pastor Khanna "along with other accomplices was luring Muslim people to change their religion."
"The Kashmir situation is going through a critical phase and if such elements are not brought to book it will have a serious and negative impact on the (Kashmiri Muslim) society. It is shocking and surprising that the state government was allowing such activities. Kashmir society will not tolerate such activities at all and we stand united against such elements," Mufti Nasir said. The deputy Mufti added that a detailed verdict against the accused would be made public soon.
The two pastors have already quit the valley. They left soon after Pastor C M Khanna (who lived in Kashmir for past several years) was released on bail on December 1, 2011. The J&K police had arrested him on November 19, 2011 on charges of fomenting communal trouble in the state.
All India Christian Council in a statement on Friday feared that the Sharia court's threatening that it would issue a sentence soon could "encourage extremist elements to indulge in violence."
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The Church, he said, "does not accept as genuine any conversion brought about by fraud or force." Dr John Dayal pointed out that a fact finding team which went to Srinagar in the wake of the arrest of pastor Khanna, and interviewed Church personnel, Ulema, school, authorities and police, found no evidence of force or fraud in baptisms that have been carried out over a period of time.
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Dr John Dayal said that it was the responsibility of Jammu and Kashmir Government, religious leaders and people of goodwill in the Kashmir valley to ensure that the rights of minorities were respected, their welfare assured, and communal harmony strengthened in the region which desperately required an environment of peace.
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Tags: Kashmir
