On Christmas Eve 2007 coordinated attacks on Christians in Orissa state left several people dead, and many Christian homes and churches burned. Eight months later more attacks began on Christians in the same state, killing at least 50.

These were the worst examples of a trend towards anti-Christian violence by Hindu extremists. An average of four attacks occur every week across India. Many go unpunished, and sometimes the police arrest the Christian victims.

Indian Christians gather for teaching and worship

According to tradition, the apostle Thomas brought the Gospel to India, and there has been an established Christian community since at least the 2nd century. Later there were a number of mass conversions, especially among the lowest levels of the Hindu caste system. Christians now number about 6% of the population.

India’s constitution guarantees religious liberty, but in the last few years seven states have introduced “anti-conversion laws”. Under these laws, non-Hindus are liable to penalties for converting someone by “force”, “fraud” or “allurement”. Anyone who changes their faith must report it to the secular authorities. These laws are mostly used to prevent legitimate Christian evangelism.

Other challenges faced by Indian Christians include campaigns by Hindu nationalists to convert Christians back to Hinduism. There are also attacks on Muslim converts to Christianity in Kashmir, where Muslims are the majority.