{"id":682,"date":"2026-01-14T13:14:16","date_gmt":"2026-01-14T06:14:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/?p=682"},"modified":"2026-01-14T13:14:25","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T06:14:25","slug":"rising-hate-in-india-christian-communities-face-growing-attacks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/?p=682","title":{"rendered":"Rising Hate in India: Christian Communities Face Growing Attacks","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"

On Christmas Eve, hardline Hindu groups linked to India<\/a><\/strong> ruling Bharatiya Janata Party<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/a> (BJP) called for a citywide shutdown in Raipur, the capital of Chhattisgarh, citing allegations of \u201cforced\u201d religious conversions by Christians. Such claims, frequently raised against the Christian community, have long lacked substantiated evidence.<\/p>\n

Later that day, groups of men carrying wooden sticks entered a shopping mall in Raipur, damaging Christmas decorations and disrupting celebrations. Police registered a case against 30 to 40 unidentified individuals but arrested only six. All were granted bail within days. Videos circulated on social media showed their release being celebrated with garlands, chants, and public processions outside the jail.<\/p>\n

On Christmas morning, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi<\/span><\/span><\/strong> visited a Catholic church in New Delhi for the holiday observance. He did not, however, publicly condemn the violence that had occurred the previous night.<\/p>\n

\n

Report documents sharp rise in hate speech<\/h4>\n

The Raipur incident forms part of a wider national pattern. A new report indicates that religious hate speech and violence in India are intensifying, with Christians becoming a more visible target alongside Muslims amid a broader rise in Hindu majoritarian rhetoric.<\/p>\n

Research by India Hate Lab<\/span><\/span><\/strong>, a project of the Washington-based Center for the Study of Organized Hate<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/a> (CSOH), recorded 1,318 hate speech events across India in 2025\u2014averaging more than three incidents per day.<\/p>\n

According to the findings, these events were largely organised by Hindu majoritarian groups and individuals affiliated with the BJP. Overall hate speech rose by 97 percent compared with 2023 and increased 13 percent from 2024. While Muslims remained the most frequent target, anti-Christian rhetoric rose sharply, with incidents increasing from 115 in 2024 to 162 in 2025\u2014a 41 percent jump.<\/p>\n

\n

Christmas celebrations disrupted nationwide<\/h4>\n

The report\u2019s findings were reflected in multiple incidents during Christmas celebrations last month. Disruptions and intimidation were reported in Delhi and the states of Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, and Chhattisgarh.<\/p>\n

In Madhya Pradesh, a BJP leader reportedly led a group that disrupted a Christmas lunch organised for visually impaired children. In Delhi, women wearing Santa caps were harassed by Hindu supremacists. In Kerala, schools allegedly received warnings from individuals linked to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh<\/span><\/span><\/strong> (RSS), cautioning against holding Christmas events. The state government later announced a probe following reports that an RSS worker had attacked teenage carollers.<\/p>\n

Christians account for just 2.3 percent of India\u2019s population, compared with Muslims at 14.2 percent and Hindus at around 80 percent.<\/p>\n

\"Rising<\/p>\n

\n

Experts warn of long-term escalation<\/h4>\n

Analysts say the latest figures represent a significant escalation in hostility toward religious minorities since the BJP came to power in 2014. The RSS, founded in 1925 and widely regarded as the BJP\u2019s ideological mentor, promotes the idea of India as a Hindu nation\u2014an outlook that conflicts with the country\u2019s constitutional commitment to secularism.<\/p>\n

Raqib Naik of the CSOH said the hate speech recorded in 2025 frequently portrayed Muslims and Christians as \u201cforeign\u201d and \u201cdangerous\u201d forces. Central to this narrative, he explained, is the claim that Christian social work is a cover for forced conversions.<\/p>\n

Data from the Pew Research Center<\/span><\/span><\/strong> shows that India\u2019s Christian population has never exceeded 3 percent between 1951 and the 2011 census.<\/p>\n

\n

Fear spreads within minority communities<\/h4>\n

Christian leaders say the rise in hostility has created fear and uncertainty. John Dayal, former president of the All India Catholic Union, said churches in Raipur were advised to seek police protection during Christmas.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was shocking that such precautions became necessary,\u201d Dayal said, noting that concerns over vandalism have forced communities to take extraordinary measures.<\/p>\n

\n

Anti-Muslim rhetoric also intensifies<\/h4>\n

The report also documents a steep rise in hate speech targeting Muslims. Of the 1,318 incidents recorded in 2025, 1,289 contained hateful or violent references to Muslims, up from 668 in 2023\u2014a 93 percent increase.<\/p>\n

Speakers frequently invoked conspiracy theories such as \u201clove jihad,\u201d \u201cland jihad,\u201d and \u201cpopulation jihad,\u201d often ending rallies with calls for boycotts or violence against Muslims.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese narratives are designed to frame minorities as existential threats,\u201d Naik said, adding that they help justify discriminatory laws and policies.<\/p>\n

\n

Political links under scrutiny<\/h4>\n

The report found that 88 percent of hate speech incidents occurred in states governed by the BJP or its allies. Among the most frequently cited figures were Home Minister Amit Shah<\/span><\/span><\/strong>, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath<\/span><\/span><\/strong>, and Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.<\/p>\n

In November 2025, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom<\/span><\/span><\/strong> raised concerns over what it described as discriminatory legislation in India related to citizenship and religious conversion.<\/p>\n

Al Jazeera contacted the BJP and India\u2019s Ministry of Home Affairs for comment, but received no response.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cA dangerous trajectory\u201d<\/h4>\n

Ram Puniyani, president of the Centre for the Study of Society and Secularism, said the rise in hate speech is closely tied to electoral politics following the BJP\u2019s reduced majority in the 2024 general elections.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis trajectory is dangerous,\u201d Puniyani said. \u201cHistory shows that sustained hate speech ultimately leads to violence.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On Christmas Eve, hardline Hindu groups linked to India ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) called for a citywide shutdown in Raipur, the capital of Chhattisgarh, citing allegations of \u201cforced\u201d religious conversions by Christians. Such claims, frequently raised against the Christian community, have long lacked substantiated evidence. Later that day, groups of men carrying wooden sticks […]<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"author":1,"featured_media":684,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-682","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"link","format":"url"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/682","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=682"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/682\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":685,"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/682\/revisions\/685"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/684"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=682"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=682"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=682"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}