Conflicts

between Hindus and Muslims may have begun as early as in 711 when Muslims expanded into India. They tore down Hindu temples and religious war was a fact. The conflict continues to this day and Kashmir is such an area that both India and Pakistan claim.

In our days, Christians have become targets of Hindu nationalist violence. Churches are being burned, priests murdered and nuns raped. In 2008 alone, 500 Christians were murdered, many with machetes. 50,000 people lost their homes and about 300 churches were destroyed. The persecution depends mostly on the fact that the lower castes and Dalits convert to Christianity in great numbers, which Hindu leaders feel threatened by. The Hindus accuse missionaries to lure the Dalits into Christianity. Christians are forced to return to their former religion.