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India Gazette
18 hours ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
"Unanimity in support for action against terrorism": Ravi Shankar Prasad in Belgium
Brussels [Belgium], June 5 (ANI): BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad, leading an all-party Indian parliamentary delegation as part of India's big diplomatic outreach to refocus attention on terrorism in the wake of Operation Sindoor, said that there has to be a 'collective resolve' in the fight against terrorism, for human values, democracy, and humanity. After the delegation meets with the Members of European Parliament (MEPs) from the delegation for relations with India, the Foreign Affairs Committee, and the Security and Defence, Ravi Shankar Prasad described the meeting as 'extraordinary' 'There was unanimity in support for action against terrorism, and they were the first to convey solidarity to India,' said Ravi Shankar Prasad. 'India is a stabilising country, a big country, a democratic country, and there has to be a collective resolve in the fight against terrorism, for human values, democracy, and humanity. That was the essence of the discussions,' Prasad added. Earlier, BJP MP Daggubati Purandeswari said, 'India is capable enough of taking care of itself. The Indian army never surrenders. But they thunder. We not only had male armed officers taking the front line, but we had women, too, who took the front line on the battlefield.' 'What is important here is to tell the entire world that today terrorism is not the conventional terrorism, but we are facing unconventional forms of terrorism in the form of radicalisation, sleeper cells and so on. So if it is at the doorstep of India today, it could be at your doorstep tomorrow,' she said. Samik Bhattacharya, part of the delegation, cautioned about the impact of terrorism and its spread to Europe in the future. 'We want to send a clear message to all of Europe, the challenges India is facing today could also impact Europe in the future. Suppose anti-Hindu, anti-Christian, and anti-Buddhist propaganda continues unchecked. In that case, the consequences we're seeing in India may unfold across the European Union and other nations, and we are already seeing early signs of this.' He invoked Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech and said: 'The question arises, where are the IMF funds given to Pakistan being used? Pakistani military personnel are reportedly acquiring properties in the UK, Singapore, Bangkok, Dubai, and the United States -- but where is that money coming from? While the country's population is pushed towards hunger, those funds are being funnelled to military elites. Prime Minister Modi has made it clear -- any future acts of cross-border terrorism will be treated as acts of war, and India will respond differently this time,' he said. The delegation arrived in Brussels on Wednesday after concluding their visit to the United Kingdom. During the two-day visit, the delegation is scheduled to hold several meetings aimed at consolidating global consensus against cross-border terrorism. The delegation includes BJP MPs Daggubati Purandeswari and Samik Bhattacharya, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, Congress MPs Ghulam Ali Khatana and Amar Singh, former Union Minister MJ Akbar, and former Ambassador Pankaj Saran. Earlier, the delegation visited the UK to garner widespread support for India's fight against terrorism and highlight Pakistan's role in fostering terrorism. The team received support from British parliamentarians, think tanks, and the Indian diaspora. Ravi Shankar Prasad noted that they met UK leaders, including the Speaker of the House of Commons and Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel, and underlined the need for greater global accountability in terrorism financing, while reinforcing India's democratic approach. The diplomatic effort is part of India's broader global outreach following Operation Sindoor, launched on May 7 as a military response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam by Pakistan-sponsored terrorists, which claimed 26 lives. Subsequently, the Indian Armed Forces carried out strikes targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, resulting in the deaths of over 100 terrorists affiliated with groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen. (ANI)
Time of India
3 days ago
- Time of India
KCBC condemns brutal assault on priests in Odisha
Kochi: The Kerala Catholic Bishops' Council (KCBC) condemned the incident where two Malayali priests, including a 90-year-old elderly priest, were brutally assaulted at a boys' hostel in Charwatiya, Sambalpur district, Odisha. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now KCBC stated that the those who targeted the priests on a day when the students were on vacation, carried out the assault as part of a religious extremist agenda to intimidate and expel them. Early on May 23, the attackers broke into the priests' residence, tied them up, brutally beat them for hours and committed robbery. They also threatened to return if the priests did not vacate the place, KCBC reported. KCBC stated that the authorities were taking a stance that protects the criminals. Despite widespread protests, the govt systems have adopted an approach that supports anti-Christian moves, without engaging in impartial legal actions, which is a blatant violation of constitutional and human rights. The repeated hostile actions against Christians, who have made significant contributions to the cultural and educational progress of the state, is a serious issue. Effective intervention by the central govt is urgently needed. The Odisha govt should ensure exemplary punishment for the attackers who brutally assaulted the priests and take preventive measures to avoid such incidents in the future, KCBC urged. Fr Leenus Puthanveetil, who was attacked and is under treatment at a hospital in Manjummal, said the attackers put a knife against his neck before slapping him and tying him up. His fellow priest was brutally beaten by the attackers in front of him, he said in a video message.
Newsweek
6 days ago
- Politics
- Newsweek
Trump Could Be Sending Afghan Christians To Their Death, Group Warns
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. One of Donald Trump's latest immigration moves could be sending Afghan Christians to die at the hands of the Taliban, an anti-Christian persecution group has warned. Trump's administration took steps to remove protections for thousands of Afghan refugees earlier this month, asking them to self-deport and officially terminating their Temporary Protected Status (TPS) amid an ongoing immigration crackdown. International Christian Concern (ICC), a non-profit that supports Christians facing discrimination for their faith around the world, is worried that this will force Afghan Christians to return to the Taliban, where their lives could be in danger. ICC President Jeff King told Newsweek how, after the Taliban took power in 2021, it "conducted door-to-door searches, checking phones for Christian materials, and offered bounties for the betrayal of Christians so they could be executed or tortured for apostasy." "It's unlikely that President Trump has fully considered the specific plight of these converts, given the broader focus of his administration on vital immigration enforcement and border security priorities," he said. When Newsweek put this warning to the White House and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), it was told that "any Afghan who fears persecution is able to request asylum." The Context Afghan nationals were granted TPS, a program that allows people affected by war, natural disasters or other extraordinary conditions to live and work in the United States for a limited period, after the Taliban's rapid takeover of Afghanistan in 2021. The Trump administration announced on May 12 that this program would be terminated on July 14 after concluding that "the return of Afghan nationals to Afghanistan does not pose a threat to their personal safety." "This administration is returning TPS to its original temporary intent,"DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement at the time. "We've reviewed the conditions in Afghanistan with our interagency partners, and they do not meet the requirements for a TPS designation." The Danger Christians Face in Afghanistan Afghanistan is considered by activists to be one of the most dangerous places for Christians. In the ICC's Global Persecution Index, the country is classed in the highest danger category – the Red Zone, "where Christians are regularly tortured or killed for their faith." Open Doors, a different charity that monitors the persecution of Christians around the world, puts Afghanistan at number 10 on its World Watch List. The International Christian Concern's Global Persecution Index showing Afghanistan in the Red Zone"where Christians are regularly tortured or killed for their faith." The International Christian Concern's Global Persecution Index showing Afghanistan in the Red Zone"where Christians are regularly tortured or killed for their faith." International Christian Concern King, who has worked with the ICC to smuggle Christians out of Afghanistan, said, "Afghanistan under Taliban rule is a uniquely hostile environment for believers." "The Taliban's persecution is systematic," he told Newsweek. "They hunt converts through phone surveillance, reward informants, and subject believers to execution, imprisonment or — for women — forced marriage and enslavement. Having facilitated the escape of Christians prior to and during the Taliban's 2021 takeover, I know the risks firsthand. "While I support the administration's commitment to securing our borders, a broad deportation policy endangers many Afghan refugees in the U.S., including hundreds of Christian converts," King added. He believes Trump would "reconsider and adjust his policy if these realities were brought directly to the President." A White House spokesperson told Newsweek: "Any individual who fears persecution from the Taliban is able to apply for asylum to remain in the United States. Temporary Protected Status, by definition, is temporary and committed to the discretion of the DHS Secretary." What Could Trump Do To Protect Afghan Christians? King and the ICC have called for "a 90-day pause on deportations to allow collaboration with Congress and the administration to reinstate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) or expedite asylum for those facing religious persecution." The ICC says it "recognizes the need for immigration control and notes that some non-Christians, not at risk, entered the U.S. during efforts to extract persecuted Afghan Christians" but insists that "most of these refugees fled genuine Taliban threats." Donald Trump pictured at at a campaign event at 180 Church, Saturday, June 15, 2024, in Detroit. Donald Trump pictured at at a campaign event at 180 Church, Saturday, June 15, 2024, in Detroit. AP It wants the administration to "adopt targeted policies" to ensure specific pathways for Afghan Christians – both in the United States and still in Afghanistan. In response, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Newsweek: "Although TPS was terminated as required by law, any Afghan who fears persecution is able to request asylum. "All aliens who have had their TPS or parole terminated or are otherwise in the country unlawfully should take advantage of the CBP Home self-deportation process to receive a free one-way plane ticket and $1,000 financial assistance to help them resettled elsewhere."
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
France is seeing a rise in anti-Christian violence
Throughout the last few weeks, French churchgoers and leaders from Catholic, Protestant, Jewish and Muslim denominations have noted an increase in frequency and intensity of anti-religious sentiment and violence, per The Christian Post. In particular, anti-Christian hate crimes are rising at greater rates than before. On recent occasions, small mobs, comprised mainly of young men, have robbed and vandalized churches, synagogues and mosques. A tabernacle was broken open and a eucharist stolen from a church in Saint-Aygulf. Vandals defaced a Christian church and cemetery in Clermont d'Excidueil with Muslim slogans. Some pastors have reported that the attacks have not been personally directed toward members of the congregations. Rather, they have been directed at the faith itself. Christianity constituted 31% of religiously-motivated offenses in France in 2024; antisemitic attacks made up 62% and anti-Islamic attacks made up 7%. A European watchdog group documented nearly 2,500 instances of hate crimes against European Christians in 2024, with about 1,000 of those attacks occurring in France. Attacks included instances of discrimination, individual assaults, bomb threats, arson and more. The United Kingdom followed closely behind France, with 702 anti-Christian hate crimes reported, and Germany at 277. Each country noted a dramatic increase in the rate of such crimes.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Why Pete Hegseth leading a Christian prayer service at the Pentagon is so problematic
In early April, the State Department encouraged employees to report allegations of anti-Christian bias within the agency, and soon after, the Department of Veterans Affairs took the same step. The developments were largely overlooked, but they were early indications of a larger effort. A couple of weeks later, for example, Attorney General Pam Bondi convened a meeting of a task force charged with eradicating 'anti-Christian bias' within federal agencies. The Washington Post reported at the time, '[E]ven before the group's inaugural meeting, critics have assailed its mission as a bald attempt by government to elevate one faith over others and to rewrite recent history under the guise of protecting religious freedoms.' The critics obviously had a point. After all, the attorney general and her colleagues didn't say they were focused on perceived 'anti-religion bias' within the government; they focused only on perceived 'anti-Christian bias' within the government. The Trump's task force clearly had a faith-specific focus. Among those joining Bondi for the inaugural meeting of the group was Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who, it turns out, held a related event one month later. The New York Times reported: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth led a Christian prayer service in the Pentagon's auditorium on Wednesday morning, during working hours, in which President Trump was praised as a divinely appointed leader. The event, billed as the 'Secretary of Defense Christian Prayer & Worship Service,' was standing room only and ran for about 30 minutes, with Brooks Potteiger, the pastor of Mr. Hegseth's church in Tennessee, as the main speaker. This was not a one-time gathering: The Times report added that the beleaguered Pentagon chief said that he wants these prayer services to become monthly events. Hegseth and his allies will likely argue that his 'Christian Prayer & Worship Service' shouldn't be seen as controversial because he's an American citizen with the same First Amendment rights as everyone else. If you and I can host and/or attend prayer services, why can't he? The answer is simple: Context matters. If Hegseth led a Christian prayer service on his own time in a house of worship, that would be no one's business but his own. The Pentagon, however, doesn't belong to Hegseth — it belongs to all of us. When he, as a public official, commandeers it for a faith-specific event, it's easy to make the case that this was an inappropriate use of government resources. Similarly, Hegseth and his allies are likely to argue that attendance was voluntary, so no one was coerced into attending the event. But the details matter on this front, too: The Times' report added that the Cabinet secretary 'encouraged the uniformed military personnel and civilian employees there to tell their co-workers about it.' The message hardly seemed subtle: Pentagon officials were notified that their boss was poised to lead a midday Christian prayer service — on the premises — and department personnel were invited. Imagine being a Jewish service member, for example, hoping to stay on the secretary's good side, and perhaps even looking for an upcoming promotion, and the pressure that person felt when told about Hegseth's 'invitation.' As Potteiger, the pastor of Hegseth's church in Tennessee, the Times quoted the reverend's Trump-specific comments at the Pentagon. In his sermon, the pastor said, 'We pray for our leaders who you have sovereignly appointed — for President Trump, thank you for the way that you have used him to bring stability and moral clarity to our land. And we pray that you would continue to protect him, bless him, give him great wisdom. ... We pray that you would surround him with faithful counselors who fear your name and love your precepts.' For those concerned about the administration and the emergence of Christian nationalism, this was a step in an unsettling direction. This article was originally published on
