Christians in Nepal persecuted by religious and political decree
Using a new anti-conversion law that contravenes the secular constitution, politicians and police are harassing Christians
Nepal has one of the world s fastest-growing Christian communities. (Photo: United Mission to Nepal)
Christians in Nepal, the Himalayan Hindu-majority nation where believers of Christ have a long history of persecution, are facing fresh attempts to defame them and their faith.
In early April, Hindu nationalists circulated a forged document on social media that showed Christian groups have outlined a plan to cause ethnic rifts among Hindus to convert them.
The document, allegedly prepared by two leading ecumenical Christian groups Nepal Christian Society (NCS) and National Churches Fellowship of Nepal (NCFN) noted that Christian conversion campaigns cannot succeed unless they first sew division between upper-caste Brahmins and Chhetris.
Christianity thrives in Nepal amid trials and tribulations
Hindu groups and political parties have accused Christians of converting low-caste Hindus with economic incentives
Hindu devotees perform rituals after a ceremonial bath in the holy Bagmati River during the month-long Swasthani festival at the Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu on Feb. 11. (Photo: Prakash Mathema/AFP)
Christian social worker Chinimaya Blon ran an orphanage for poor and abandoned children in Dhankuta district of eastern Nepal for five years from 2011-16 until it was shut down following the government’s refusal to renew its license.
She took 14 children to the capital Kathmandu, where pastor Hari Tamang offered them shelter on the premises of his church.