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‘I saw them kill my husband’: Widow of Christian killed for his faith in India flees village

Published

9 months ago

June 10, 2024

NEW DELHI — The young widow of a Christian in India’s Chhattisgarh state who was killed for his faith is living in fear a month after she fled for her life.

“I saw them kill my husband right before my eyes,” said Jime Kawasi, whose husband, 22-year-old Kosa Kawasi, was slain in Bastar District on May 4. “I was assaulted, but somehow I managed to escape. I still fear that my husband’s killers will find me and kill me.”

Fleeing Kapanar village, in Darbha block, she took refuge in a house far from the murder site. The five other Christian families in the village, unable to find her, fled the same day, including elderly parents and young children.

Relatives furious with Kosa Kawasi killed him after villagers forbade any families with Christian members to participate in tribal festival offerings to local gods, sources said.

A mob of about 20 villagers, including Kosa Kawasi’s uncle, Dasru Kawasi, and cousin, Madiya Kawasi, went to his house at 10 a.m. and began to argue with him, telling him to renounce Christ, said area Christian leader Santosh Mandavi. When Kosa Kawasi refused, they began to assault him and his wife, he said.

“They hit the couple with wooden sticks, kicked them with legs and fists,” Mandavi said. When Kawasi persisted in his faith, “his uncle and cousin stabbed Kosa with the knife thrice in his stomach.”

Kosa Kawasi’s wife and younger brother managed to rescue him, took him toward the road and called for an ambulance, but as they were waiting, some people from the mob tried to slit his throat, Mandavi said.

“Kosa’s brother and his wife again saved him and carefully continued to carry him away from the ferocious mob,” he said.

His uncle and cousin then got an axe and struck Kosa on the head, killing him instantly, Mandavi said. Police arrived after about an hour and took his body.

Kosa Kawasi’s brother, Hidma Kawasi, is also a Christian, and he had fled when the mob, led by Dasru Kawasi and Madiya Kawasi, previously approached his house.

“Thankfully, Hidma fled and is still alive, though the mob tore down Hidma’s house, destroying it completely,” a local source told Morning Star News.

Months prior, Kosa Kawasi faced immense pressure from family members and villagers, including death threats, if he refused to renounce Christ and return to Hinduism, said the pastor.

Despite Kosa Kawasi’s repeated complaints to the Darbha Police station about the threats to his life and those of other Christians, authorities took no action, refusing to file a First Information Report, a source said.

Mandavi said he went to Kapanar on May 6 and saw police scattered throughout the village. The police station chief informed him that Jime Kawasi was hospitalized in a Dantewada government hospital 28 miles away for injuries sustained in the assault.

“When I met her, she was extremely terrified,” Mandavi said. “She narrated the entire incident and the brutality with which her husband was killed.”

The day after the attack, police arrested Dasru Kawasi and Madiya Kawasi on homicide charges, but no further arrests were made, Mandavi said.

Prior to the killing, village leaders decided that if just one member of a family were Christian, the entire household would be banned from attending Kapanar village’s Ammajugani festival, where the first mango harvest is offered to the local gods, Mandavi said.

“This infuriated Kawasi’s cousins, uncle and his family, and in their anger, they attacked Kawasi and his wife and killed Kawasi,” Mandavi told Morning Star News. “The other Christian families also were under threat of being attacked by their relatives, and Kawasi’s brutal killing set a precedence for other relatives to attack their Christian member, so all of them fled for their lives.”

During the festival, everyone in the village sings, dances, offers mangos and animal sacrifices to their gods, and then eats together. Whoever does not attend the festival is forbidden from using mangoes throughout the mango season, Mandavi said.

The area source who requested anonymity condemned the villagers for pressuring extended families to the point of murder for adhering to their Christian faith.

“We don’t expect the village heads to behave in such immature ways,” he said. “They caused so many homes and lives to be shattered and spoiled. Kosa lost his life, Jime is a young widow now, Dasru Kawasi and Madiya Kawasi are in jail, and their families will also pay for their actions.”

Jime Kawasi, still feeling physically weak and frightened, lives with five other Christian families several miles away, uncertain when or if she can return to her village.

“I want to continue to follow and serve Jesus,” she said. “It was for this Jesus that my husband was willing to be faithful to the point of death; I, too, will follow in his footsteps. Please pray for me, I need your prayers.”

India ranked 11th on Christian support organization Open Doors’ 2024 World Watch List of the countries where it’s most difficult to be a Christian. The country was 31st in 2013, but its position worsened after Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power.

The hostile tone of the National Democratic Alliance government, led by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), against non-Hindus, has emboldened Hindu extremists in several parts of the country to attack Christians since Modi took power in May 2014, religious rights advocates say.
Sources:Christian Post

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New Anti-Conversion Law Takes Effect in Rajasthan

Published

10 hours ago

February 22, 2025

theendtimenews

India — As of this week, a newly enacted anti-conversion law requires people in India’s Rajasthan state to give two months’ notice to the government if they plan to change their religion voluntarily.

Further, the “converter,” or the person performing the conversion ceremony, must also give the government a month’s notice of his intention to perform the ceremony.

The Rajasthan Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Bill, 2025, has made the procedures for conversions exhaustive and lengthy to stop unlawful conversions. Failure to involve government authorities in voluntary religious conversions could lead to up to three years in jail and a minimum fine of 10,000 rupees ($115).

The new law states that a prescribed declaration form should be submitted to the District Magistrate (DM) or the relevant authority 60 days before the person wants to convert voluntarily.

If the converter violates the law, it could lead to up to five years imprisonment and a minimum fine of 25,000 rupees ($289).
An officer not below the rank of Additional DM will “get an inquiry conducted through police with regard to real intention, purpose, and cause of the proposed religious conversion.”

Then, within 60 days of conversion, the converted person must send a declaration in a prescribed form to the DM. A copy of this declaration must be displayed on the notice board of the DM’s office until the date of confirmation.

Finally, the convert must appear before the DM within 21 days of filing the declaration to establish their identity and confirm the declaration’s contents.

According to lawmakers, unlawful religious conversions through coercion, force, allurement, or fraud, with allurement including cash, material benefits, employment, free education, and even inter-religious marriages, are taking place. This law aims to curb these so-called malpractices.

The anti-conversion law states that the burden of proof lies on the person who has “caused” the conversion. This is a reversal of the principle of assumption of innocence, which normally applies to the accused person in a criminal case.

Rajasthan joins 11 other Indian states that have passed anti-conversion laws. These include Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh.

Various offenses under the law are cognizable and non-bailable, which could result in harassment of innocent individuals, says Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP), which has long acted as a safeguarding organization for the human rights of Indian citizens.
Sources:persecution

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National

Chrysalis: Preparing for Marriage Workshop

Published

1 day ago

February 21, 2025

theendtimenews

Bangalore – All Peoples Church (APC) is excited to announce the Chrysalis: Preparing for Marriage Workshop, scheduled for February 22, 2025. This workshop is designed to help couples build a strong foundation for their future together.

The workshop will cover various aspects of marriage, including communication, conflict resolution, financial planning, and spiritual growth. Participants will have the opportunity to learn from experienced speakers and engage in interactive sessions that provide practical tools and insights for a successful marriage.
Sources:christiansworldnews

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National

എപിസി വനിതാ സമ്മേളനം 2025

Published

2 days ago

February 20, 2025

theendtimenews

ബാംഗ്ലൂർ, ഫെബ്രുവരി 2025 : ഓൾ പീപ്പിൾസ് ചർച്ച് (എപിസി) 2025 മാർച്ച് 29 ന് നടക്കാനിരിക്കുന്ന ഒരു വനിതാ സമ്മേളനം 2025 സംഘടിപ്പിക്കുന്നു. ഓരോ സ്ത്രീയുടെയും പോരാട്ടങ്ങൾ എന്നതാണ് ഈ വർഷത്തെ പ്രമേയം, ജീവിതത്തിന്റെ എല്ലാ തുറകളിൽ നിന്നുമുള്ള സ്ത്രീകളെ പ്രചോദിപ്പിക്കുക, ശാക്തീകരിക്കുക, ഉയർത്തുക എന്നിവയാണ് ഈ സമ്മേളനത്തിന്റെ ലക്ഷ്യം.

ജീവിതത്തിന്റെ എല്ലാ തുറകളിൽ നിന്നുമുള്ള സ്ത്രീകളെ പ്രചോദിപ്പിക്കുക, ശാക്തീകരിക്കുക, ഉയർത്തുക എന്നിവയാണ് ലക്ഷ്യം.

സഭയിൽ ഇന്ന് സ്ത്രീകൾ നേരിടുന്ന അതുല്യമായ വെല്ലുവിളികളെയും അവസരങ്ങളെയും അഭിസംബോധന ചെയ്യുന്നതിനായി രൂപകൽപ്പന ചെയ്‌തിരിക്കുന്ന സെമിനാറിൽ നിരവധി പ്രഭാഷകർ, ആരാധനാ സെഷനുകൾ, സംവേദനാത്മക വർക്ക്‌ഷോപ്പുകൾ എന്നിവ സമ്മേളനത്തിൽ ഉണ്ടായിരിക്കും.

സമാന ചിന്താഗതിക്കാരായ വ്യക്തികളുമായി ബന്ധപ്പെടാനും അവരുടെ അനുഭവങ്ങൾ പങ്കിടാനും അവരുടെ ആത്മീയ യാത്രയിൽ വളരാനും പങ്കെടുക്കുന്നവർക്ക് അവസരം ലഭിക്കും.

വ്യക്തിഗത വളർച്ച, ആത്മീയ വികസനം, പ്രായോഗിക ജീവിത നൈപുണ്യം എന്നിവയുൾപ്പെടെ വിവിധ വിഷയങ്ങളെക്കുറിച്ചുള്ള സെഷനുകൾ പങ്കെടുക്കുന്നവർക്ക് പ്രതീക്ഷിക്കാം. സമൂഹത്തിനുള്ളിൽ നെറ്റ്‌വർക്കിംഗിനും ശാശ്വത ബന്ധങ്ങൾ കെട്ടിപ്പടുക്കുന്നതിനുമുള്ള അവസരങ്ങളും സമ്മേളനം നൽകും.

കൂടുതൽ വിവരങ്ങൾക്കും രജിസ്റ്റർ ചെയ്യുന്നതിനും, ദയവായി എപിസി വനിതാ കോൺഫറൻസ് പേജ് സന്ദർശിക്കുക.

ക്രിസ്ത്യൻ സമൂഹത്തിലെ സ്ത്രീകളുടെ ശക്തിയും പ്രതിരോധശേഷിയും ആഘോഷിക്കുന്ന ഒരു പരിവർത്തന പരിപാടിയുടെ ഭാഗമാകാനുള്ള ഈ അവസരം നഷ്ടപ്പെടുത്തരുത്.
Sources:christiansworldnews

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All Peoples Church (APC) is excited to announce the upcoming Women’s Conference 2025, scheduled to take place on March 29th, 2025. This year’s theme, “Every Woman’s Battles,” aims to inspire, empower, and uplift women from all walks of life.

The conference will feature a series of dynamic speakers, worship sessions, and interactive workshops designed to address the unique challenges and opportunities faced by women today. Participants will have the chance to connect with like-minded individuals, share their experiences, and grow in their spiritual journey.

Attendees can look forward to sessions on various topics, including personal growth, spiritual development, and practical life skills. The conference will also provide opportunities for networking and building lasting relationships within the community.

For more details and to register, please visit the APC Women’s Conference page.

Don’t miss this opportunity to be part of a transformative event that celebrates the strength and resilience of women in the Christian community.

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