Sister Joti, a human rights lawyer in India, has worked on numerous religious freedom cases. She will tell listeners about 80 pastors currently in prison, accused of “forcible conversion.”

Listen as Joti shares how the courts have tried to navigate the seeming opposites of a constitutional promise of the freedom to practice and propagate one’s religion and state laws that require a person to notify the government, in advance, of their conversion. She’ll also tell how she and her coworkers are advising pastors and churches to document interactions with Hindus and even record their sermons in order to create an evidence trail against possible future legal challenges.

Joti knows her work could put her in danger, yet boldly continues in what God has called her to do. “The work impacts real lives and real people,” she says. “I am here to serve, for as long as I can.”

Pray for Christians in India to be bold in showing love to their neighbors, and for lawyers like Joti on the frontlines serving persecuted Christians in the court.

The VOM App for your smartphone or tablet will help you pray daily for persecuted Christians throughout the year, as well as provide free access to e-books, audiobooks, video content and feature films. Download the VOM App for your iOS or Android device today.

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The youth, all of whom were related as either siblings or cousins, had come to know Jesus Christ through the witness of older relatives. After studying God’s Word, something impossible for many of their parents who cannot read, they learned firsthand the cost of following Christ in their Muslim community. But when everything seemed hopeless, the Holy Spirit led them and others to boldly stand for Jesus.

False Accusations

While the youth were away for Bible training, neighbors questioned their parents about where the children had gone. Soon, various rumors began to spread through the community, including allegations of sexual abuse that made their way to the ears of Islamists.

As a small minority in the area, Christians must keep their faith secret. Believers often hide their Bibles, understanding that their discovery by Muslim neighbors could result in violence. “We know people from this community who have had their house burned down, been beaten, been kicked out of their home and kicked out of their family,” said Aarav, a front-line worker.

When the youth returned to the village, local Islamists interrogated them, following up on villagers’ accusations that they had been taken to the city for deviant sexual purposes. The entire community shunned the girls in the group, and their parents grew concerned.

One girl’s father, a known follower of Christ, feared that the girls might be taken from them permanently or even killed. In conservative Muslim communities, family members or others sometimes commit “honor killings” of individuals considered to have been sexually disgraced.

When pressured by the Islamists, the Christian man, Ali, grabbed a micro SD card and handed it to one of the Islamists. “This is what it is all about,” Ali said. “This is why they left.”

The Islamist took the SD card and reviewed its content, expecting to find pornography. But instead he heard the gospel. “This isn’t so bad,” another Islamist said. “It’s about Isa [Jesus].”

Encouraged by their reaction, Ali felt emboldened to preach to the radicals. In that moment, he felt the Spirit’s nudge to proclaim Christ. “Repent! Come out of the darkness!” he told the radicals and village elders who had gathered.

Then, realizing the message on the SD card was talking about Jesus Christ of the Bible instead of the Prophet Isa in the Quran, the Islamists grew angry.

Determined to reconvert all of the Christian youth to Islam, they took them to a boarding school on their compound. While some of the youth were released or went into hiding, several girls were detained at the school for more than a month.

“[Jesus] told us this would happen,” a father of two of the girls said, referring to Matthew 10. “He told us He is sending us out like sheep among wolves. This persecution will happen, and He will be with us.”

Spirit-Led Boldness

Since the girls had not been allowed to gather extra clothing or other daily necessities before being taken to the Islamic boarding school, they had no toothbrush, toothpaste, hairbrush or feminine hygiene products for several weeks. And they had no extra blankets to protect them from the chilly evening air. Eventually, however, the Islamists let the girls leave briefly to obtain basic necessities with money their parents had sent them.

Everyone at the school, from students to teachers, called the girls “Christians” as a derogatory term to mean “infidels” rather than “followers of Christ.” But they were prepared; they had learned during discipleship training that persecution is part of following Christ.

The oldest girl told a front-line worker that when she was with the other girls, sharing a windowless room at the school, she didn’t cry. Instead, she tried to display strength to the younger girls; they prayed together to overcome their shared fear and sadness. Then, one day, they were separated.

When the girls were split up, they were again interrogated by teachers at the school. Although the teachers tried to catch them in a lie, the girls — led by the Holy Spirit — always had the same responses to their questions.

The teachers were surprised by the girls’ consistency and boldness, and the girls were equally surprised by what they heard themselves saying. They often responded to the teachers’ questions with questions of their own, much as Jesus responded to His accusers.

One day, a teacher asked the oldest girl if she had a tattoo of a cross on her body. Muslims in the area commonly believe that all Christians have such a tattoo, so the teacher wanted to look for the marking.

Although children are not expected to question authority in conservative Muslim culture, the girl decided to challenge the teacher’s request. “We will take off our clothes and let you look for a tattoo of a cross on our bodies,” the girl said, “but if we don’t have one, you have to agree that you will take off your clothes and show us that you don’t have a cross.”

The teacher decided not to search for the tattoo.

Persecution Now Normal

One of the Christian girls had a severe lung condition, and her parents feared she would die without her medicine. Aware of the girl’s condition, a villager took the girl’s medical papers to the boarding school one day and demanded that all of the girls be released. Otherwise, the villager argued, they would have a death on their hands that would draw negative attention. Finally, 42 days after being taken from their families, the girls were released.

The girls’ faith grew immensely as a result of seeing how God provided for them and sustained them throughout their abduction, interrogations, lack of basic necessities, fear and grief from being taken from their families.

“They are proud to follow Jesus, and they are confident”

“They are proud to follow Jesus, and they are confident,” the front-line worker said. “There is not a struggle to be like everyone else. They know they want to follow Jesus even if that means they are different and not going to be accepted by their community.”

 The girls were still ostracized by their community after they returned, and they have been barred from attending their former schools. But they still participate in discipleship training, both in person and weekly over the phone.

“We want them to know what the Word says,” the front-line worker said, “that this is going to be normal for them.”

The following reflection is written by Cole Richards, President of The Voice of the Martyrs. In this insightful passage, he reflects on the dangers of Hinduism and how it affects our brothers and sisters in India

Hinduism is misunderstood in the United States. I am often asked how the same religion that is viewed as a source of positivity in our popular culture can produce such violent persecutors of Christians. The answer is that the seemingly peaceful and tolerant ideas that have been extracted from Hindu belief and popularized in the U.S. since the 1960s do not reflect the religion as practiced by approximately 1 billion people on the Indian subcontinent, the place of its origin and historic majority.

At Hinduism’s core is the caste system, which is easily among the most oppressive and restrictive social constructs ever devised. In the West, many admire the concept of karma as the belief that if one does good, one will receive good. And reincarnation is viewed as an attractive idea of unending life. But those concepts are foreign to Hinduism as practiced in India, where the caste system traps each individual at birth within a specific tier of society. Hindus are born as simultaneously oppressors of those in castes below them and as victims of those in castes above them — with no hope or means of changing their fate.

Many in the U.S. have the misperception that Hinduism is inclusive, but its tenets include the teaching that those not born into it are permanently excluded. And worse yet, many in India are considered to be born beneath the castes. These are the “Dalits” (from a Hindi word meaning downtrodden), who number around 200 million and are treated as so far beneath others that they are untouchable. It has given me great joy throughout the years to share many meals, handshakes and hugs with precious people whom Hinduism defines as “untouchables” but Jesus Christ our Lord defines as my brothers and sisters — eternally equal to me in every way.

I have found that Americans enamored with Hindu ideas do not understand the most significant aspect of the religion as practiced in South Asia — the continual striving and sacrifice to appease wrathful gods and goddesses. Within this belief system, purifying a village, state or nation of anything or anyone that is not Hindu is viewed as essential to eliminating suffering and ensuring prosperity. Those who have been governing India since 2014 fervently believe this and apply it to the rule of their nation. As a result, violence against Christians has increased year after year.

I have been accused of being a “culture wrecker” for proclaiming the gospel in India, and more recently, the criticism of Hinduism has even been labeled as “hate speech.” But we must obey God no matter what men may say, and it is an act of love to “wreck” false beliefs that hold people captive. I pray that we will love Hindus enough to join our persecuted Christian brothers and sisters in boldly and joyfully paying any price to bring them the gospel.

Click here to find out about Christian persecution in India and learn how to pray.

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“He told me about his life-changing experience with Jesus and the peace he had been experiencing,” Bindi recalled. “He helped lead me to accept Jesus as my Savior.”

Although Bindi’s parents held animist beliefs, they approved of their daughter’s decision to follow Christ as well as her desire to join Kande in marriage. After the wedding, the newlyweds moved into a home Kande had built in a nearby village, where they were the first — and only — Christians in the Hindu community.

As they got to know their neighbors, Bindi and Kande often shared the gospel with them and prayed for those who were sick. Soon, however, their Christian faith caught the attention of village leaders. And some in the community started calling them names, eventually leading to threats of violence against the couple. “With prayer and our trust in God, we continued our journey with Jesus,” Bindi said.

An Unthinkable Attack

Kande served at his church in a nearby city and, even after a long day of construction work, never missed a prayer meeting or Bible study. Out of obedience to Christ, he also helped the poor in various ways.

But his active faith continued to irritate local leaders, who eventually asked Kande to publicly renounce his Christian faith at a community meeting. In response, Kande gave a thorough explanation of his decision to follow Christ and said he could not reject Him.

Radical Hindus soon visited Kande at home, pressuring him to participate in a puja ceremony honoring Hindu gods and to contribute to various Hindu causes. When he refused, the radicals threatened to kill him.

Each time Bindi and Kande faced persecution, they prayed for strength to endure the attack. And Kande often read from the Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:10).

In 2018, shortly after the birth of their first daughter, a group of young men barged into their home, threatening and verbally abusing them for their Christian faith. When Kande responded boldly, the men grabbed Bindi’s mother, who was there helping with the baby, took her into the nearby jungle and sexually assaulted her. Four of the men were later convicted and are currently in prison.

Losing Her Pillar of Faith

The violence didn’t end with the assault of Bindi’s mother or the arrest of her attackers. The family continued to receive threats for refusing to renounce their faith, and on the evening of June 7, 2020, Kande got an anonymous phone call from a man threatening to kill him. Kande told his wife about the call, and they immediately prayed about it.

Then, at about 8 p.m. that evening, during the family’s regular prayer time, someone knocked loudly on their door. When Kande looked outside, he saw a group of armed men. “If God is willing to take away my life, it is His will,” Kande told Bindi. “If God wants to save me, He will save me. No matter what happens to me, you should not give up your faith in Jesus. In difficulties, you must continue to follow Jesus. Our Lord is able to provide for you even if my life is taken away.”

Moments later, one of the men broke down the door and dragged Kande out of the house. Bindi followed the mob, begging them to spare Kande’s life. When the men chased her away, she ran to a church member’s home, where she spent the night.

The next morning, Kande’s body was found on the side of the road leading to his church. His throat had been slashed.

After Kande’s murder, Bindi and her two daughters moved in with her parents. Although her father had never objected to her Christian faith and her mother had even come to faith in Christ, Bindi’s father suggested that maybe she should stop following Jesus. His wife had been sexually assaulted and his son-in-law murdered, and he simply couldn’t handle it anymore. He worried about losing Bindi, too.

But in reply to her father, Bindi repeated something she remembered Kande once saying: “I will live for Jesus or die for Jesus,” she said, “but I will never turn back.”

Moving Forward in Christ

Bindi has not returned to her home because Kande’s killer is still free and she fears another attack. But her husband’s murder hasn’t deterred her from following Christ. In fact, it has inspired her to do so more faithfully. “I saw a deep love and commitment from Kande toward Jesus Christ,” she said. “Kande’s life example is helping me to keep following Jesus.”

Bindi said one of the things she misses most is Kande’s steadfast faith. Family prayer and Bible studies are different now. “I still think of Kande’s last words and the way that he remained faithful and trusted the Lord until his last moment of life,” she said. “I must also trust the Lord and continue to follow Jesus.”

Despite the great loss she has suffered, Bindi said she would try to forgive Kande’s killers. “I would dare to tell them, ‘My husband is in eternal peace. Why did you do this? Look at these two small girls; they are now fatherless.’”

Bindi said she has learned more about God’s faithfulness and purposes since Kande’s death. “God has provided what I need,” she said. “God is teaching me to remain strong so I can make other women strong.”

Click here to find out about Christian persecution in India and learn how to pray.

Post a prayer for Hira on iCommitToPray.com

Click here to find out about Christian persecution in India and learn how to pray.

Post a prayer for Farooq on iCommitToPray.com

Click here to find out about Christian persecution in India and learn how to pray.

Post a prayer for Chhater Singh on iCommitToPray.com

Click here to find out about Christian persecution in India and learn how to pray.

Post a prayer for front-line workers on iCommitToPray.com

Click here to find out about Christian persecution in India and learn how to pray.

Post a prayer for Kashvi on iCommitToPray.com