Christian Leaders Found 'Guilty' of Converting Muslims to Christianity
Three Christian leaders have been found guilty of luring Muslims to Christianity in India, resulting in a rise in religious tensions.
Rev. Chander Manni Khanna of All Saints Church in Srinagar, Dutch Catholic missionary Jim Borst and Christian worker Gayoor Messah have been accused of using money to bribe local Muslims to convert them to Christianity.
Although the leaders have insisted that the converts participated in the video taped baptisms willingly, Mufti Bashir-ud-Din, who runs a Sharia court in the valley, found that them all guilty.
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Consequently, all three leaders have been ordered to leave the region, and local Christians are fleeing by choice as backlash against Christians has become a growing concern, according to The Times of India.
The court, which reportedly has no legal authority, has issued a fatwa (ruling based on Islamic law) ordering the Jammu and Kashmir government to gain control of local Christian schools and to develop a campaign designed to bring the converts back to Islam.
Critics have questioned why the government is being told to take over Christian schools, and although critics claim that it may simply be a business decision, others believe it is another attempt to hinder religious freedoms.
"They had the names of all my local Christian friends when they came to my parents' house, and they asked for the names of more Christians in the area," a source to Compass Direct News.
"Muslim men are going to every believer's home and asking their families to ensure that their children return to Islam," the source continued.
"They are using Islamic scriptures to persuade the families, warning that if their members do not reconvert their households will face ostracism," the source added.
In November, The Christian Post reported that Rev. Khanna had been arrested and detained along with several converts.
"I can't convert anyone; it is the work of the Holy Spirit ... And what do I teach in the church? God's love and how to be good citizens and good human beings … I have never shown disrespect for the Quran," Khanna was quoted as saying shortly after his arrest.
