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Webinar on India's Deportation of Christian Visitors and Their Visa Policies

Published on 18 September, 2020
Webinar on India's Deportation of Christian Visitors and Their Visa Policies
One important dimension of the ministry of the New York State Council of Churches is to forge strong ecumenical partnerships locally, statewide, nationally and around the world. The Council of Churches particularly values its historic ecumenical partner, the Church of South India--the largest ecumenical Christian body in the world. The Church of South India is comprised of four predecessor denominations, Congregationalists, Presbyterians, Methodist and Anglican all which have strong ties to the United Church of Christ, Presbyterian USA, Episcopal Church in America and the United Methodist Church. Like the United Church of Christ in the United States, the Church of South India embraces the motto from John 17:21 "that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me." Through our membership in the National Council of Churches USA we are partners with the National Council of Churches in India in which the Church of South India is a member.

In the fall of 2018, the New York State Council of Churches led a delegation to India where 9 of the 12 were denied entry at the Chennai Airport and were sent back to the United States. It was a profoundly painful time but apparently a very common experience for visitors who are Dalits or who represent minority religions in India. In the fall of 2019, The Reverend Peter Cook and The Reverend Gideon Jebamani were able to successfully enter India but had to go to great lengths to show that they would come for purely tourist purposes and not be part of any formal religious activity.

Our deportation sadly mirrors the daily experience of other travelers to India who may wish to visit their faith partners whether they be Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist or any other person who is perceived to threaten the extreme Hindu nationalist agenda of the Indian Government which is even opposed by many Hindus who believe the Modi Government's extremism is inconsistent with Hinduism. The daily shabby treatment of visitors art India's airports reflects deeper problems in Indian society where the government, defying the secular Indian Constitution, engages in methodical and systematic discrimination against Dalits or religious minorities. Our experience of deportation and subsequent conversations with our partners opened our eyes to the real struggles for religious freedom and human rights in India and the fear that many Dalit, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist, Muslim, and moderate Hindu Americans in the United States have for their loved ones, friends and colleagues in India. These Americans also live with the constant fear that if they speak out in the United States they will not be able to visit India again or be harassed or exiled if they do manage to visit.

The New York State Council of Churches is committed to justice and the ecumenical and interfaith enterprise which transcends all nationalist considerations and keeps people focussed on the truth that every person is created in the image of God and has the right to be able to freely practice their faith. Each person should be accorded equal rights in any country in which they dwell. The Council of Churches is resolved to work with many religious and secular partners in the US and India to help educate people about the struggles of the Indian people and to promote justice, friendship, and mutual understanding. In that spirit, we invite you to participate in monthly webinars sponsored by our partner, the Federation of Indian American Christian Organizations (FIACONA). The first webinar was held on August 17 on caste can be viewed by clicking here.


Webinar on India's Deportation of Christian Visitors and Their Visa Policies
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