Nepal Home Minister Seeks to Restrict Religious Propagation
Dear Partners in reaching the world,
There are some new directives in Nepal that are putting pressure on Christians having conferences promoting conversion. RUN Global could be affected.
On April 7, 2024, the Nepal Home Minister sent a circular to all 77 district administration offices instructing them to curb religious conversion in the country. They were also tasked with tracking foreign nationals inside the country without permits.
The Home minister stated that he was responding to complaints that were registered at the ministry. The complaints stem from reports of individuals and organizations that are holding religious conferences and orientation programs in the name of promoting religion and religious conversion.
There are also some complaints that foreign nationals were involved in religious activities in Nepal after they came and obtained a visa for other purposes.
The biggest complaint is from the Hindus. They want to stop people from converting from Hinduism to another faith. There are also some religious groups that force conversion.
Forced conversion is illegal in Nepal, but Article 26 of the constitution protects every person who has faith in a religion to be able to profess, practice, and protect their faith in accordance with his or her conviction. (SOURCE)
I am not exactly sure how forced conversion works because that certainly isn’t the way of Christ. God is the one who opens eyes and allows someone to believe.
The Nepal Christian Society's Response to the Home Minister
The Nepal Christian Society requested that the circular be cancelled. They said that the constitution of Nepal protects the religious freedoms and preaching.
“Article 26 of Article 1 of the Fundamental Rights states that every person who has faith in religion has the right to adopt and practice religion according to his/her faith. In the case of ensuring the freedom to protect, targeting a particular religious community will violate the Constitution of Nepal 2072.”
“Therefore, to ensure the rights given by the Constitution of Nepal 2072 and to ensure that the state does not spread this kind of terror just because a particular religious community practices according to its religion.”…
“We request, and we also appeal to the Government of Nepal to immediately cancel the circular issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs…”
The Nepal Christian Society Chairman also encouraged Christians in the country. “Nepali-speaking Christian congregations, brothers and sisters should not be discouraged in any way and remain accustomed to the rights under the fundamental rights of the constitution. And we sincerely appeal to you to continue your regular religious activities with prayers. You can read the complete letter here – RESPONSE
How Will This Affect RUN Global?
The people we support on the ground hold religious conferences in many districts. These conferences are for the sole purpose of training the body of Christ to be effective. They are trained to be effective in sharing their faith, baptizing converts, and making disciples. These conferences are done as a catalyst to Christians to be active in reaching their nation for Christ.
If this directive stays intact there could be more scrutiny for our Church Planting Movement (CPM) training events. This may also affect the ability for foreigners to attend and participate in these events when in country. Westerners don’t blend in too well and are easily noticed. This unwanted exposure could prevent future travel or could hinder the growth of RUN Global. Please keep us in your prayers!
You can help us with a special gift today! This gift will support CPM Training Events that are under threat from the government.
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With you to reach the world,
Mike and Su Keator and the RUN Global teams
