India: U.S. Christians Expelled

Three American women who entered India on tourist visas were asked to leave last week following complaints by Hindu organizations that they were part of a religious conversion drive in the city of Kochi, Kerala state.

“We have not received any evidence to indicate the three women were engaged in conversion-related activities. However, they were about to attend religious prayer sessions. Their tourist visa does not allow them to attend any meeting, including prayer sessions. We were not clear about their intentions. That is why we asked them to leave the country, and they agreed,” said District Superintendent of Police Asok Kumar.

The three women, one from Wisconsin and two from Pennsylvania, were organizing prayer sessions along with local pastors in an area that is predominantly Hindu and Muslim. Right-wing Hindu organizations launched a protest, alleging that the women were trying to convert poor people by offering bribes.

“They were targeting the poor families in the coastal area and were trying to convert them with several offers’’ said a spokesman from the right-wing nationalist Hindu group Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). “They had visited several houses in the area and conducted prayer sessions.”

According to the Indian news website www.mangalorean.com, the women agreed to leave the country. The local pastors they were working with are currently under investigation.

According to India’s constitution, Indians have religious freedom. However, through pressure from militant Hindu-only organizations like the RSS, six states — not including Kerala — have enacted laws that prohibit “forced-conversion.” Other states are considering similar legislation.

Source: The Times of India, www.mangalorean.com