Indian American Christian Organizations to Host a Prayer Vigil to Spotlight Persecution of Christians in India
- The vigil to be held on New Year’s Eve in Frisco, Texas, seeks to draw attention to the Global Hindu Heritage Foundation, a local group allegedly raising funds to demolish churches in India.
The Federation of Indian American Christian Organizations in North America (FIACONA) has announced that it will host a prayer vigil on New Year’s Eve in Frisco, Texas, to draw attention to the ongoing persecution of Christians in India and the complicity of some Hindu American organizations in anti-Christian pogroms in India.
In particular, the vigil is a response to the activities of the Frisco -based Global Hindu Heritage Foundation (GHHF), which reportedly held a fundraiser last month calling for the “demolition of illegal churches” in India.
FIACONA alleges that the Global Hindu Heritage Foundation is an “extremist group operating under the garb of a charity” in Frisco.
The multi-lingual/multi-denominational prayer vigil will be held from 10 to 11:30 a.m., Saturday, at 6101 Frisco Square Boulevard, Suite 1000, The Dallas Morning News reported.
“Earlier this month, FIACONA held a press conference on the steps of Frisco City Hall to bring awareness to what they say is an infiltration of Hindu nationalist groups in the U.S. collecting funds in Texas to demolish churches in India,” the report added. The GHHF reportedly has close ties with Hindu Devalaya Parirakshana Samithi based in Hyderabad, which is involved in “reconversion” of Christians and Muslims under its program called “Ghar Waapasi.”
In a press statement, FIACONA said, GHHF, “a Frisco-based charity organized a fundraiser on November 27, 2022, with the explicitly stated goals of demolishing churches besides forcefully converting Christians to Hinduism. This charity in Frisco is one of many radical Hindu nationalist organizations that have sprung up across the United States in recent years.”
Several church leaders who spoke at the press conference expressed concern about the growing persecution of Christians in India.
A report published in the Wire said: “Data gathered by a non-governmental organization based on distress calls it received on a helpline number, however, records over 300 incidents of attacks – verbal, physical and with help of law enforcement – on Christians until July this year.”
The Print quoting Christian rights groups reported 486 incidents of violence against Christians in 2021, up by 75% since 2020. The report quoted the United Christian Forum saying 2021 was the “most violent year for Christians” in India since 2014 when the group started a toll-free helpline that assists Christians in distress to reach public authorities. The body counts an incident as an alleged crime once it authenticates a complaint raised, through its network.”