Near the end of October, Nepalese President Bidhya Devi Bhandari, signed a law prohibiting Christian evangelism. This criminal code bill also puts protections in place for Hinduism, the country’s primary religion, with new constraints surrounding conversion and blasphemy.

According to the Nepali Church, the new law states that “no one should involve or encourage in conversion of religion,” with a the penalty of up to five years in prison, 50,000 rupees (around $500) or both. Nepal is technically a secular nation; however, according to NPR journalist Danielle Preiss, there was a debate within the government about whether the nation should remain secular.

Joel Carpenter, former Calvin provost and director of the Nagel Institute for the Study of World Christianity, weighed in on this issue:

“Laws like these intimidate Christians. Any ordinary attempt to share your beliefs with someone can be deemed to be an attempt to convert, and would make you susceptible to criminal charges.” Despite the challenges with the law and intense persecution, Nepali Christians have persevered and established many churches, Carpenter said.

Christianity has done very well in the lower castes of society in Nepal. According to the World Christian Database, the Christian population in Nepal has tripled in the past ten years and is now more than 370,000 people, and accounts for about 1.4 percent of the population. Although the Nepali caste system was outlawed in 2001, the rifts between groups still exist. The citizens in lower castes are finding dignity in Christianity and are beginning to seek out education and business opportunities. Once this happens, they are no longer easily exploited for cheap labor.

A similar thing is happening in India, a nation ruled by a Hindu nationalist party called the BJP. Indian Muslims and Christians are facing persecution with the burning of mosques and churches.

“[The BJP] claims that being Hindu is a basic condition for being a good Indian citizen or Nepali citizen,” Carpenter said. “Others are alien, and liable to foreign control.” Pastors report being beaten then arrested for inciting violence. The Evangelical Fellowship of India is reporting harassment at church festivals, a rise in incidents of sexual assault and several other crimes spurred by the difference of religion.

“Christians in the U.S. are largely ignorant of these problems,” said Carpenter. “…American Christians and other champions of human rights need to publicize these problems and press the government to do its part to uphold international standards of human rights, including the freedom of religious belief and practice, including the freedom to propagate one’s faith and the freedom to change one’s faith.”

These ideals can be found within the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was approved by the United Nations and signed by the government of India. Grand Rapids-based nonprofit World Renew has been working in Nepal since an earthquake measuring 7.3 on the richter scale shook the country on April 25, 2015.

The disaster response team has been distributing food, blankets, hygienehygiene kits, tarps, and water filters. Long term assistanceassistance includes reconstruction, trauma counsellingcounselling, and psycho-social support. Calvin students can visit the organization’sorganization’s website to learn about how to get involved.