Anti-conversion laws are not new in various states in India. (See prior posting.) But recently they have again captured the attention particularly of Christians around the world. For a while, Indian states seemed to be moving to reject or repeal these laws (see prior postings 1, 2 ). But last week, the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly amended its Freedom of Religion Act of 1968 that prevents religious conversions by force or inducement. The new law requires all parties involved in a proposed conversion to inform a magistrate one month in advance. The conversion will be permitted only if the magistrate, after investigation, is satisfied that the conversion is not under duress or by deceit.(AsiaNews.it; India News). London's Sunday Times today personalizes the impact of the new law, focusing on Christian missionaries who have been working with Dalits (untouchables) who feel that their traditional Hindu religion has treated them unfairly. It suggests that at most the problem is some missionaries who tell Indians that God will heal their illnesses. The archbishop of Bhopal seems to be one of the few Christian authorities who is not upset by the new law. (Inida eNews.) [REVISED]
Members of the U.S. Congress have also begun to take notice. On July 21, the Congressional Human Rights Caucus held a briefing on Anti-Conversion Legislation in India. One of the presenters (full text) was the The Becket Fund's Angela Wu.
