AP Images/Manish Swarup |
Four months
after a recent convert to Christianity from Islam in eastern India’s
West Bengal state was stripped and beaten, about 50 Muslim extremists
yesterday disrupted a prayer meeting held in her home, threatening to
burn it down if she did not return to Islam, area Christians said.
The
extremists warned Selina Bibi of Motijil village in Murshidabad
district that if she did not return to Islam, then she must either leave
the area or see her house burned down. At her baptism at Believers
Church four kilometers from her home on March 29, a large crowd of
Muslim extremists disrupted the service, said a pastor identified only
as Bashir.
“I pleaded with them to let me at least finish the worship service before they attack us,” he told Compass.
When
word of her conversion to Christianity reached her village, another
extremist group from Motijil led by Jamal Shaike disrupted the service.
Shaike and the others verbally abused the Christians, and he ordered his
son who was present at the service to leave immediately, Bashir said.
The
pastor said that on April 5, two Muslim women along with members of the
extremist group summoned Selina Bibi to one of their homes and
forcefully stripped her naked.
“The radicals believe that
when any person from the Muslim community becomes Christian, they get
Christian marks on their body,” Bashir said. “When the radicals could
not find such marks, they started beating her up.”
The
Muslim extremists later gathered at the local mosque and resolved to
ostracize her until she returned to Islam. She lives only with her two
teenage sons.
Selina Bibi told Bashir that her body bore
the marks of suffering for the sake of Christ, and that she was being
treated like a criminal.
“She was not allowed to buy goods
from the store, nor was she allowed to sell any vegetables,” he said.
“They have also restricted her from procuring water from the village
well. In spite of the persecutions she constantly faces from the
radicals, she has started conducting a Bible study for ladies every
Thursday at her home.”
After the extremist threats
yesterday, study member Naseema Bibi said she and some of the other
women attending the meeting went to the Murshidabad police station to
file a complaint. Police called both parties, and they agreed in writing
to allow each other to practice their respective faiths, and that
police would prosecute any further attacks or disturbances, she said.
Burn Threat
In
Natungram, Murshidabad district, Muslim extremists held three Christian
women for an hour on July 21, threatening to beat and burn them alive
if they continued worshipping Christ, area Christians said.
Moyazan
Bibi and Aimazan Bibi of Believers Church told Compass that at 5:30
p.m. they had set out to visit a widow, Suryja Bibi, to share the
message of Christ at her invitation. As they reached her house, a large
mob of Muslim extremists led by Fakir Shaike, Sajahan Shaike, Manuwar
Shaike, Samsul Shaike, Ahamed Shaike and Jalal Shaike blocked their way,
pushed them around and verbally abused them for their faith in Christ
as they threatened them.
“The extremists called us
infidels and held us captive, threatening that they will call a public
meeting to socially boycott us,” Aimazan Bibi said. “The extremists
angrily shouted that we should not return to our homes, while they
continued to mock and push us around.”
The extremists
rushed Suryja Bibi, asking her why she invited “infidels” into her home
as they were pushing her. One of the assailants twisted her hand, the
Christian women said.
“She was injured, but by God’s grace
it was not broken,” said Bashir, founder and pastor of the Believers
Church. “They warned Suryja Bibi never to call the Christians to her
home again or leave the area and they also threatened all the villagers
with the dire consequences they will face if they attend Christian
meetings or talk to any one of them.”
Suryja Bibi tried to
file a police complaint the next day, July 22, but the local Muslim head
and other extremists stopped her, threatening to harm her, area
Christians said.
Bashir said Suryja Bibi showed interest
in hearing more about Christ, and that he met her and her daughters
Mamoota and Darju at his house church fellowship on July 19.
“Since
then, the radicals have warned them not to attend any Christian service
or talk to any Christians or else they will be burned alive,” he said.
Naseema Bibi informed Bashir of the incident by phone, and he called police, he said.
“I
also tried to call Aimazan,” he said. “At that time she could not take
my call, as some radicals were trying to snatch her mobile phone from
her.”
Moyazan Bibi said she pleaded with the assailants.
“I
asked the attackers what crime have we done for them to torture us in
this manner?” she said. “But the enraged extremists brutally pushed us
around, furiously shouting at us to convert back to Islam or face dire
consequences.”
After holding and harassing the Christian
women for about an hour, the extremists fled in fear after they learned
that Bashir had contacted the police, the women said.
The
area was still tense at press time, with Suryja Bibi and her family
unable to attend any Christian meetings as the extremists are closely
monitoring them and are prepared to pounce on them at the slightest
opportunity, Bashir said.
“We are trying to contact Suryja
Bibi, but the radicals are not allowing any Christian to contact or meet
her,” he said. “But we are praying for her safety.”
Aizama
Bibi and Moyazan Bibi, who two years ago began trusting Christ as their
Savior, told Compass that last December the extremists tried to chase
them away from the village, threatening to burn them and their houses.
They were not allowed to sell and buy in the area and were kept from
using the public bathroom and the water well.
The extremists
also burned the crops field of Aimazan’s husband, Gaffar. The Christians
reported the matter to police, and officers warned the Muslim
extremists not to disturb the Christians again.
The
Evangelical Fellowship of India last year reported that Muslim
extremists in Natungram on Nov. 28, 2010, ostracized another member of
Believers Church, keeping Chanda Bibi and her family from selling and
buying. They also warned the family to stop attending church services
and threatened to impose a fine on her if her family continued to follow
Christ.
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