Refugee Review Tribunal AUSTRALIA RRT RESEARCH RESPONSE Research Response Number: IND31233 Country: India Date: 2 February 2007 Keywords: India – Goa – Evangelical Christians – Shiv Sena – RSS – Jamat-e-Islami This response was prepared by the Country Research Section of the Refugee Review Tribunal (RRT) after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the RRT within time constraints. This response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Questions 1. What is the activity of the Bajrang Dal, Jamaat -E-Islam, Rashtriya Swayam Sevak and Shiv Sena against evangelical Christians in Goa? 2. What difficulties do evangelical Christians face in Goa? 3. Would the police in Goa condone and/or be involved in discrimination / persecution against evangelical Christians in Goa by these groups? RESPONSE 1. What is the activity of the above mentioned four groups against evangelical Christians in Goa? 2. What difficulties do evangelical Christians face in Goa? 3. Would the police in Goa condone and/or be involved in discrimination / persecution against evangelical Christians in Goa by these groups? The state of Goa has a significant Christian population. According to the 2001 India census, Goa has a Christian population of 359,568 on a total population of 1,347,668 (there are 886,551 Hindus and 92,210 Muslims). Christianity, and the Catholic Church in particular, has played a significant role in Goa’s history and since Goa’s 1962 integration into the Indian Union this has continued to be the case. Studies of the Goan Christian identity, such as Dr Charles Borges’ 2000 study, tend to emphasize the inclusion and participation of the Christian population in Goa’s social and political life (‘Population by religious communities’ (undated), Census of India website http://demotemp257.nic.in/httpdoc/Census_Data_2001/Census_data_finder/C_Series/Populat ion_by_religious_communities.htm – Accessed 31 January 2007 – Attachment 24; Borges, C. 2000, ‘The Changing Faces of Christianity in Goa: From Being Portuguese to Being Indian?’, Lusotopie http://www.lusotopie.sciencespobordeaux.fr/borges.pdf – Accessed 16 January 2007 – Attachment 25). Information addressing the above queries is set out below under the following subtitles: Attacks on Evangelical Christians; Attacks on other Christians in Goa – Catholics; Hindu nationalism in Goa – Rashtriya Swayam Sevak and Shiv Sena; Jamaat-e-Islami in Goa; Christians and police protection in Goa. Attacks on Evangelical Christians in Goa The Journal of Church & State’s ‘Notes on church-state affairs’ provides regular monthly reports of incidents of this kind, and regularly documents attacks upon Evangelical Christians in other Indian states. No reports of attacks upon Evangelical Christians have, however, ever been noted by the Journal of Church & State’s ‘Notes on church-state affairs’ for the state of Goa. Nonetheless, reports of two such incidents, one in 2005 and the other in 2002, were located within other sources, and details on these reports follow below. A report published on the All India Christian Council (AICC) website claims that “the church of the New Life Fellowship in Ponda” was harassed by “Hindu fundamentalists” who attempted to have “the pastor Rev Cajetan Tellis” prosecuted by the police in December 2005. The police reportedly “questioned the pastor but found nothing wrong”. The Hindu fundamentalists are reported to have subsequently attacked and vandalized the church. The report is vague in its reporting of the nature of the police response. It is stated that the police “refused to take action against those who took law into their hands”; but also that: “The police arrested six persons for the attack on 18 December 2005 and detained them in the police station”. In any event, the AICC was clearly of the view that the police had not done enough to protect the congregation. The report follows: Hindu fundamentalists ransacked a church at Ponda in Goa when the worship was going on and dragged its pastor to the local police station alleging that he was disturbing peace in the area. And the police refused to act, leaving the stage to the hooligans to do whatever they wanted. As usual the church of the New Life Fellowship in Ponda, 40 km from Panaji, the capital of Goa, started the worship on 18 December 2005 with a gathering of about 80 believers. Just after the worship began, about 20 Hindus carrying chains, iron rods and sticks and barged in and started to smash the audio system and other equipment. When some believers tried to protest, they manhandled them and chased all of them out of the church. The attackers threatened the pastor Rev Cajetan Tellis with dire consequences if he tried to preach in the church again. All this happened after alerting the local police in advance against the fundamentalists who had tried to intimidate him on 11 December 2005. In fact on that day the attackers had brought six policemen to the church who took him to the police station. The in-charge of the police station questioned the pastor but found nothing wrong. Yet he refused to take action against those who took law into their hands. The police arrested six persons for the attack on 18 December 2005 and detained them in the police station. In a memorandum submitted to Governor SC Jamir, the All India Christian Council (aicc) condemned the attack and sought stringent action against culprits as well as adequate security for all churches in Goa. “The devious insensitivity of the district administration and the police is a matter of great shame as we profess to be the world’s largest secular democracy. These constant efforts by communal fanatics to strike at the heart of India’s plurality to eliminate any semblance of diversity with a blatant disregard for the religious rights enshrined in the Constitution of India must be put to a stop. Such a shameful act is unacceptable in a civilized society such as ours in an era of globalisation and is in violation against the provision of the Article 25 of our Constitution and accepted ‘Universal Human Rights Convention’. The Christian Council demands that the perpetrators of this crime be arrested and booked under the appropriate sections of the IPC viz. section 153 (A) and 295 (A),” the memorandum said. The memorandum was signed by aicc president Dr Joseph D’Souza, aicc Maharashtra State General Secretary Dr Abraham Mathai, Goa United Christian Leaders Association Chairman Rev Gerson Coutinho, New Life Fellowship Coordinator Rev Felix Cardozo and Rev Mathew Kurien of the Assemblies of God Church,Goa (‘Church attacked, Pastor intimidated in Goa’ (undated), All India Christian Council website http://www.aiccindia.org/news/church_attacked_pastor_intimidated_in_goa.htm – Accessed 16 January 2007 – Attachment 6). “The aicc documented over 24 attacks against Christians from Nov. 2005 to March 2006. Of the confirmed attacks listed” only one occurred in Goa. The worst states were Madhya Pradesh (with six) Andhra Pradesh (with five) and Orissa (with four) (‘A report on activities of the aicc from Nov. 2005 – March 2006’ 2006, Secular India website, source: All India Christian Council, 7 April http://www.secularindia.com/comments/2006/04/13Christian.htm – Accessed 16 January 2007 – Attachment 7). According a November 2002 Mission Network News bulletin, “an Indian pastor along with team members from Operation Mobilization, were savagely beaten in the State of Goa”. According to this source: “The team had just shown the DaySpring International film on the life of Christ when some 30 people attacked them”. It was further reported that “police encouraged them to file a formal complaint” We begin today in India where an Indian pastor along with team members from Operation Mobilization, were savagely beaten in the State of Goa. The team had just shown the DaySpring International film on the life of Christ when some 30 people attacked them. The film’s director, John Gilman says the movie reflects the life of Christ filmed in the Indian context and it has had a huge impact on those who view it. “Dramatically demonstrating the story of Jesus and his love really is a seed that is planted in the hearts of the people and they never forget seeing Jesus crucified and what that means.” Gilman says they won’t stop showing the film. “I think we have a challenge to bring the Gospel to these people as a seed. Someone said don’t bring it to us as a potted plant, bring it to us as a seed and often Western Christians are tempted to have already grown something and bring it with their own flavor.” Meanwhile, the victims of the assault are recovering and police encouraged them to file a formal complaint (‘Story number 1 for 26 Nov 2002’ 2002, Mission Network News website, 26 November http://www.mnnonline.org/article/4056 – Accessed 16 January 2007 – Attachment 8). A 1997 article, published by the Christian Worldwide Challenge Magazine, also reports that Evangelical missionaries have encountered hostility when traveling to screen a film on the life of Christ. According to this report Evangelical Christians have faced opposition in Goa even from the state’s Catholic population. Nonetheless, according to one missionary: “outright attacks on film teams are rare in Goa”; “‘We can count on two hands the number of times the JESUS film teams were attacked,” he says, “maybe only seven or eight times in all’”. The relevant extracts follow. When John Esteves returned to his home in Goa, India, to show the JESUS film, a cousin confronted him publicly. “If you screen that film here or anywhere in Goa,” he shouted, “I’ll break your legs! I don’t want you to bring shame to our family.” …Goa, an Arabian Sea port 200 miles south of Bombay, is not like the rest of India.