Chaos: Tribal Christians Attacked in Manipur, India

Seventeen Christians in Manipur killed; over 100 Christians injured; 27 churches torched; multiple Christian villages destroyed; thousands displaced or in hiding.  This was the initial emergency alert received by the Christian Emergency Alliance (CEA) on May 5, 2023. It’s only gotten worse since then.

Hindu mobs were killing, burning and kidnapping their way through the countryside. One of the CEA’s trusted ministry partners in the region relayed the distressing news, while trying to get updates themselves from village pastors on the run. Their own relatives had been kidnapped by attackers, though later some were freed.  

Chaos had come for the tribal Christians of Manipur. This remote region sits in the far east of India; east even of Bangladesh. Manipur neighbors Burma, where other tribal Christians face their own forms of violent persecution. Christians around the world typically know little about this region. Given the assaults against our brothers and sisters in Christ there, we must level up our awareness and pray accordingly.

The attacks against the Christian community has been described as “systematic” and “well-planned.” The attackers knew where to hit and executed swiftly. Hindu mobs also sought targets of opportunity. As one Christian tribal leader shared with the media: “A mother and son were on their way to a camp. On their way, a mob encountered them and beat the son to death. The mother was trying to protect the son. She was killed too.”  These are real people; our real spiritual family.

The Damage

The violence has not ended since the initial alert. The worst seems to have passed in the larger cities, though the villages are still scenes of rampage. 

The number of churches damaged or destroyed is staggering. Current reports list 123 specific churches. This list can be reviewed below. 

Over 50 people have been murdered, most if not all Christians. Hundreds of tribal Christians have been injured or hospitalized. Most of the patients arriving at hospitals have sever bullet injuries. Others have grievous head wounds, after being hit with large sticks. The death toll will almost certainly increase. Many of the Christians who have lost everything are also suffering from serious medical conditions and no longer have their medicines.

Over 22,000 tribal Christians have lost their homes and been displaced. Some have found shelter at nearby military bases. Others have been forced to hide in the jungle.  Starvation, disease and exposure are real threats.

The Pretext

Some observers insist this violence against the Christians does not constitute religious persecution, but rather a dispute among tribes. This is true in part. Then again, the best lies are partial truths.

There has been a dispute between the Kuki and Meitei ethnic groups. The Kukis are predominantly Christian, while the Meiteis are predominantly Hindu and constitute a majority in Manipur. Tensions broke out into skirmishes after thousands of tribal people participated in a rally by the All Tribal Student Union of Manipur. The rally was against the potential inclusion of the majority Meiteis.   

The Meiteis sought to be recognized as one of India’s “Scheduled Tribes,” which would grant them rights and benefits reserved for the country’s most disadvantaged groups. The rally opposing their efforts ignited Meitei fury.

The Reality

The dispute between ethnic groups certainly triggered the violence. But the resulting chaos constituted religious persecution. The Hindu mobs were well organized, well connected and lethal.

India has witnessed a sharp rise in attacks on Christians and churches since the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in 2014. The attacks on Christians, who comprise about 2% of India’s 1.3 billion people, have been fueled by an apparent coordination between BJP actors and Hindu vigilante groups. The objective of these attacks is to consolidate Hindu control, resulting in a pure Hindu state. Hindu nationalism in India is normalizing violence against Christians; taking advantage of the weak and vulnerable.

The attacks on Christians in Manipur bear these same hallmarks. Internet and phone lines were shut down, but only in Christian districts. As a result, tribal Christians were silenced, while the attacking Meiteis were free to post, share and shape the narrative. If one group is allowed to talk, and the other is censored, thoughtful people should ask why.

As a result of their free reign online, local Christians insisted that Hindu activists were spreading false reports online; reports they could not effectively counter since they had no digital access.  The CEA had no way of verifying these claims.  That is, until the CEA’s own materials were lifted by Hindu activists and deceptively posted.  

For example, the CEA posted video on Twitter and Facebook showing displaced tribal Christians hiding in the jungle. A tired but resilient pastor clutched a Bible while speaking words of comfort to stunned families sitting around him. Amazingly, Hindu activists shared the video themselves, claiming that the footage showed displaced Hindu families hiding in the jungle. CEA’s partners personally know the people shown. They are part of the same church family. This lie was egregious and intentional.

The CEA also received reports that Hindu radicals were coordinating with local police. This coordination provided them access to weapons, firepower and equipment; all used to attack the tribal Christians. According to some claims, local law enforcement would remove their uniforms, participate with the Hindu mobs, then blend back into their official capacities. Local news organizations also described law enforcement escorting Hindu mobs to their targets.

We do want to point out that not all government action was nefarious. We learned that some Indian Army units rescued many tribal Christians and provided them with emergency shelter. We are profoundly grateful for their help.

Needed Clarity about Christian Persecution

This tragedy represents a teaching moment for Christians. It is a case study from which we can all learn. Sometimes we hear an alarming account of Christians persecution. We are rightly grieved. But then we hear from others who suggest that persecution wasn’t really involved. When Christians hear this, they become confused and quiet.

This claim will be made by the persecutors involved, but it can even be made by thoughtful Christians. They state that it is only a case of apparent persecution. Maybe the attack is more of a political issue, or an ethnic dispute. Admittedly, this can be true. Sometimes people are harmed, but their identity as Christians played no role in the harm whatsoever.

But if people are targeted because of their Christian identity, that should trigger suspicion that Christian persecution is at play. Christian persecution falls along a spectrum. The clearest cases are those where a person is harmed because of their active ministry advancing the Gospel.

Further down the spectrum are attacks on people known to be Christians, but may not be actively involved in ministry when they are harmed. If a radical activist opposed to Christianity hurls a bomb into a majority Christian neighborhood, those harmed are not engaged in ministry at the time. Nevertheless, the attack still represents a form of Christian persecution.

The ongoing attacks against tribal Christians in Manipur, India resemble this class of Christian persecution. A vulnerable Christian minority being savaged by a stronger, larger majority – bent on advancing the majority’s own religious claims – is Christian persecution. These cannot be merely dismissed as criminal activity or political violence. If that were the case, the widespread attacks against Christians in northern Nigeria, the Middle East, or India, would all be relegated to non-persecution status. That would be absurd.

Christians must recognize the spiritual dynamic at play in these attacks. We must also appreciate that most attacks can be described in political or social terms. All state action against Christians in Communist countries could be characterized as legal matters. Does that mean the hostility cannot be labeled as Christian persecution? Absolutely not.  It is Christian persecution.

 If laws are passed that criminalize evangelistic speech, and evangelists are in turn arrested, is that merely a legal issue?  Of course not. In the present case, the fact that churches in Manipur were intentionally torched only underscores the religious flavor infused in these attacks.

If Christians will not stand up for Christians, who will? Of course, we still pray for the attackers and seek their salvation. We’re also not naïve. Sometimes these situations are complex. But we must prayerfully champion the welfare of Christians when they are vulnerable and attacked.

The Need

Christian persecution in India is real. Hindu radicals are carrying out these attacks to displace and intimidate tribal Christians. Little news can get out of the region; the enemy wants to conceal this violence in darkness. Praise God he preserved us some access to our brothers and sisters in Christ in Manipur! They are neither alone nor forgotten!

The Christian Emergency Alliance sprung into action immediately to meet emergency needs for the tribal Christians involved. We quickly delivered resources to help meet their critical needs, including food, clothing, and other humanitarian care.

One video the CEA shared was of a young Christian boy; one of many who had lost their homes. The famished child had not eaten for three days. Through the generous support of people like you, the CEA was able to provide funds for food. The boy got to eat and eat he did.

Many Bibles and Christian materials were also destroyed in the attacks. The CEA will also work to replace those as well.

If you, your family or church would like to contribute to their needs, we would welcome your help. Together we could do much helping tribal Christians stand in Manipur.

Prayer

Most importantly, we would ask for your prayers. Pause right now and pray for your spiritual family in Manipur, India.  Pray that:

·        Those who lost loved ones will be comforted by the Spirit’s peace, which defies understanding.

·        The injured will recover, keeping their eyes on the Lord in the midst of their pain.

·        The kidnapped will be comforted, protected and returned to their families.

·        The sick who lack their medications would find assistance.

·        Law and order would be restored, and justice delivered.

·        The homeless would find the shelter they need, and those hiding in the jungle will find ways to survive.

·        The attackers would realize their horrific sin, repent and turn to Christ.

·        God would redeem this darkness and use it to draw many in Manipur and across India to Himself.

·        Resources and aid will continue to make it into the hands of our spiritual family who need them.

On behalf of those who cannot speak for themselves right now, thank you for your prayers.  The Christian Emergency Alliance is committed to standing with these believers amidst this dark season. Thank you for standing with us.