After traveling to a large Indian city to study God’s Word for several days, a group of young Christians returned to their predominantly Muslim village emboldened in their Christian faith. The youth, all of whom were related as either siblings or cousins, had come to know Jesus Christ through the witness of older relatives. After studying God’s Word, something impossible for many of their parents who cannot read, they learned firsthand the cost of following Christ in their Muslim community. But when everything seemed hopeless, the Holy Spirit led them and others to boldly stand for Jesus. False Accusations While the youth were away for Bible training, neighbors questioned their parents about where the children had gone. Soon, various rumors began to spread through the community, including allegations of sexual abuse that made their way to the ears of Islamists. As a small minority in the area, Christians must keep their faith secret. Believers often hide their Bibles, understanding that their discovery by Muslim neighbors could result in violence. “We know people from this community who have had their house burned down, been beaten, been kicked out of their home and kicked out of their family,” said Aarav, a front-line
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Insights From Cole Richards, VOM President, On Hinduism’s Impact in India The following reflection is written by Cole Richards, President of The Voice of the Martyrs. In this insightful passage, he reflects on the dangers of Hinduism and how it affects our brothers and sisters in India Hinduism is misunderstood in the United States. I am often asked how the same religion that is viewed as a source of positivity in our popular culture can produce such violent persecutors of Christians. The answer is that the seemingly peaceful and tolerant ideas that have been extracted from Hindu belief and popularized in the U.S. since the 1960s do not reflect the religion as practiced by approximately 1 billion people on the Indian subcontinent, the place of its origin and historic majority. At Hinduism’s core is the caste system, which is easily among the most oppressive and restrictive social constructs ever devised. In the West, many admire the concept of karma as the belief that if one does good, one will receive good. And reincarnation is viewed as an attractive idea of unending life. But those concepts are foreign to Hinduism as practiced in India, where the caste system traps each individual at
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On April 16, 2025, prison authorities in India’s Odisha state released one of the men who had murdered Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two young sons, Philip and Timothy, in January 1999. Mahendra Hembram, who set fire to the car in which the family was sleeping, was sentenced to life in prison in 2003 but was granted early release for good behavior. Hembram’s release was celebrated publicly by Hindu nationalist organizations such as Vishwa Hindu Parishad, who called it “a good day for us.” The convicted murderer was greeted at the gate of the prison by crowds chanting Hindu slogans and welcoming him as a hero.
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Bindi met her future husband in 2017, when her father brought a young coworker named Kande to their home in India’s Jharkhand state. Among their earliest conversations was a discussion about someone named Jesus, whom Kande was eager for Bindi to know. “He told me about his life-changing experience with Jesus and the peace he had been experiencing,” Bindi recalled. “He helped lead me to accept Jesus as my Savior.” Although Bindi’s parents held animist beliefs, they approved of their daughter’s decision to follow Christ as well as her desire to join Kande in marriage. After the wedding, the newlyweds moved into a home Kande had built in a nearby village, where they were the first — and only — Christians in the Hindu community. As they got to know their neighbors, Bindi and Kande often shared the gospel with them and prayed for those who were sick. Soon, however, their Christian faith caught the attention of village leaders. And some in the community started calling them names, eventually leading to threats of violence against the couple. “With prayer and our trust in God, we continued our journey with Jesus,” Bindi said. An Unthinkable Attack Kande served at his church
Read MoreA pastor named Hira Singh has used notoriety from being persecuted to share the gospel with even more people. In 2000, Hira Singh, who was formerly from a high-caste Hindu background, came to faith in Christ in Himachal Pradesh. This region is a North Indian state known as Dev Bhoomi (Land of Gods) and a prominent Hindu pilgrimage destination. In the early years of his Christian faith, Hira faced opposition from his family and community.
Read MoreFarooq, a former imam, is in hiding after his Christian faith was made public. For several years since his conversion to the Christian faith, Farooq has continued his teaching role in a majority-Muslim region of northern India, taking every opportunity to point his students to the Bible. When Farooq was exposed as a Christian, however, he was beaten severely and forced into hiding. Pray for Farooq and his family to find refuge and encouragement; for the safety of other Christians who have been in fellowship and ministry partnership with Farooq; and for the many students Farooq has influenced.
Read MoreChhatar Singh, a schoolteacher in India, placed his faith in Christ in 2002 and has planted churches in seven villages. In 2010, when his mother died, he refused Hindu funeral rituals for her, which turned his father against him. On Jan. 27, 2021, the police arrested Singh and three other Christians on false charges of forced conversion. They spent a month in jail; consequently, Singh was suspended from his school. In July 2024, after Singh’s father cut off his inheritance, he filed a criminal complaint against Singh of trying to convert him to Christianity.
Read MoreAshok and his wife, Nila, have spent 25 years reaching out to the small and isolated community of Himachal Pradesh, India, which is overwhelmingly Hindu. Pastor Pravin, who was among the first Christians in this area, leads a rural church there. This church faces the daily challenge of reaching villages that are ruled by chiefs associated with Hindu nationalist groups, which oppose any kind of Christian activities in the village. Through personal evangelism and Bible study, however, they are seeing hearts change.
Read MoreWhen Kashvi was visiting her Hindu sister-in-law in the hospital, sharing the gospel and praying with her, another person in the hospital heard her and called the police. Kashvi was arrested under state anti-conversion laws and spent three days in jail. While in jail, she said, she had no fear or worry. She had an opportunity to minister to a girl who had been in prison for two years. Many of the Hindu prisoners and some of the police officials also asked her to pray for them, and she was able to share the gospel with the police superintendent, who had asked her to pray for him after noticing her character and honesty.
Read MoreBasavaraj, his wife and their six children are the only believers in a village of 200 families. They faithfully share Christ among the villagers. Each family is expected to serve at the local Hindu temple. Basavaraj told the village leaders that he could not perform the idol worship because he was a follower of Christ. At a village meeting, the family again refused to perform temple duties. Basavaraj told the leaders, “Even if you kill me, we will only worship Jesus.” Villagers beat them and continue to harass and pressure the family, poisoning their rice fields, destroying their crops and vandalizing their home.
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