ICC Note:

Following the election of the Hindu nationalist BJP to India’s central government, many Christian NGOs operating in India became concerned for their future. Since then, thousands of Christian NGOs have lost their ability to transfer funds into India to support their projects because the government claims they are involved in religious conversions. Unfortunately, Compassion International also seems to be falling in India. Last week, Compassion International gave testimony before the U.S. Government explaining how the Indian Government has sought to ban their activities from the country. U.S. lawmakers recently expressed their concern, but it is yet to be seen how India will respond.  

12/12/2016 India (Christian Today) – Lawmakers from both the Republican and Democratic parties in the United States have united to call on the government of India to ease funding restrictions it imposed on a Christian organization based only on an accusation that it is encouraging religious conversions.

According to a report by The Hindu, the foreign affairs committee of the U.S. House of Representatives held a public hearing to voice concerns on how the Indian government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has banned the Colorado-based Christian charity Compassion International (CI) from transferring funds to local civil society groups.

The Indian government imposed this ban last February, requiring the Christian group to obtain prior permission before it can extend financial support to local groups.

Republican Congressman Ed Royce, who chairs the committee, expressed dismay over the Indian government’s supposed inaction to their repeated requests to lift the ban imposed on CI.

“This isn’t a hearing that the committee expected to be holding,” Royce said, as quoted by The Hindu. “For the past nine months, this committee has had meetings, written letters, made phone calls, and for that, I thank our members.”

The lawmaker also maintained that the Christian group’s supposed involvement in religious conversions is just a “rumor” and a “myth.”

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