ICC Note:

The government of Nepal has announced it will provide all its citizens with national identity cards which will include a section marking out an individual’s religion. When this announcement was made, the government also said something that disturbed Christians living in Nepal. Before submitting their paperwork to receive the national identity cards, the government will “force” Christians and other religious minorities to “reconsider their faith.” Many Christians feel this is a clear indication of the government’s preference for the Hindu majority even though Nepal became a secular state in 2008. Please pray for Christians in Nepal.

5/7/2014 Nepal (Worthy News) – The Nepali government just announced that though all its citizens will be provided with national identity cards, members of religious minorities must submit to greater scrutiny to get their IDs, according to AsiaNews.

Government forms will force Christians, Muslims and converts from Hinduism to “reconsider their faith” before submitting their paperwork. In fact, members of all religious minorities will be required to restate their beliefs before registering for their IDs. And if no religious affiliation is submitted, the applicant will be registered by default as a Hindu!

The new procedure comes after thousands of Hindus have converted to Christianity.

“By discriminating on the basis of the national identity card, the government is trying to discourage us and those who wish to convert,” said rights activist C.B. Gahatraj. “This is against the law, democracy and civil rights …”

According to Rev. Isu Karki, no one should offend the faith of others. Instead, the government should provide all minorities with the same national identity card through the same paperwork.

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