One of the most tragic developments of the Christmas season of 2025 was the spate of targeted attacks, vandalism, and intimidation faced by Christians across India, allegedly carried out by elements affiliated with the Sangh Parivar. These incidents shocked freedom-loving people around the world and raised serious concerns about the state of religious liberty in the country.
The duplicity of the BJP government was starkly on display when Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended a Christmas prayer service at the Cathedral Church of the Redemption in New Delhi, even as such acts of violence and intimidation were being orchestrated elsewhere by his ideological faithful. The Prime Minister’s appearance at the service appeared less an act of solidarity and more a carefully crafted publicity gesture aimed at the international audience.
His continued silence in the face of these attacks has emboldened those seeking to normalize hatred, undermine India’s pluralistic traditions, and marginalize a community that has made immense contributions to the nation’s social, educational, and economic development. Christianity in India is not a colonial import but a faith with a rich and continuous presence dating back to A.D. 52. Yet today, the actions and rhetoric emanating from Modi and his ideological cohort suggest a deliberate attempt not merely to erase Christmas from public life, but to push Christians out of visible civic space altogether, systematically marginalizing them and constraining their role and influence in Indian society at large.
Prior to the Christmas Day attacks, BJP governments at both the Centre and in several states had undertaken a series of provocative actions that lend credence to the pattern of events that followed. In 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared December 25 as “Good Governance Day,” a move widely perceived as an attempt to dilute the public recognition of Christmas. More recently, in Uttar Pradesh, schools were kept open on December 25, 2025, to commemorate the birth centenary of Atal Bihari Vajpayee rather than observe Christmas as a holiday. Such measures reflect a growing hostility toward Christianity and a deliberate effort to marginalize its public presence.
Under the current BJP government, Chhattisgarh has emerged as a testing ground for policies aimed at suppressing Christian life. Christian families have been denied even the most basic right to bury their dead, an egregious illustration of entrenched discrimination and communal hostility. Credible reports indicate that local councils in districts such as Kanker and Sukma have passed resolutions, or exerted intense social pressure, to prevent Christians from residing in villages or freely practicing their faith. Against this backdrop, it is hardly surprising that masked men were able to enter Magneto Mall in Raipur and vandalize Christmas decorations, including trees and other festive displays, with apparent impunity.
The targeted cancellation and non-renewal of FCRA licenses for thousands of Christian NGOs constitutes another grave assault on a community that runs mission hospitals, schools, and colleges, plays a vital role in disaster relief, and contributes enormously to charitable work nationwide. In many cases, authorities freeze FCRA bank accounts even before inquiries are concluded, preventing hospitals from purchasing medicines, schools from paying staff, and charities from providing food and essential services often without any proven wrongdoing.
The delayed issuance of a visa to prominent American Christian leader Rev. Franklin Graham, issued only after the scheduled event had passed, is another troubling example of how India treats Christian leaders from the West. For more than a decade, India has routinely deported American Christian visitors, alleging missionary intent. Those associated with churches or Christian charities are often instructed to apply for missionary visas, yet nearly all such applications are rejected, effectively barring Christian engagement.
And yet, we celebrated every Christmas remembering a Christ marked by simplicity and humility—born not in the luxury of a palace but in a manger. He was welcomed by the lowly and soon faced the threat of violence from the powerful. From its very beginning, the Christmas story has been intertwined with suffering, displacement, and quiet courage: God fully immersed in humanity, yet revealing a divine gift to the world.
Across the globe today, countless Christians mark this sacred season amid untold suffering and persecution. In many parts of the Middle East, Asia, and Africa, professing the Christian faith invites harassment, imprisonment, or even death. Churches are burned or shuttered, Bibles are confiscated or destroyed, and families are displaced or torn apart simply for confessing the name of Christ.
Across Europe, the persistent threat of Islamic terrorism has further stifled public celebrations, from France to Germany and Austria. A continent rich in Christian heritage appeared to have surrendered its traditions under mounting security concerns. In Germany, Christmas markets are ringed with concrete barriers and guarded by heavily armed police. In Salzburg, Austria, the famed Christmas market was monitored by extensive surveillance systems and round-the-clock security personnel. In Paris, authorities canceled Christmas–New Year celebrations along the Champs-Élysées this year out of fear of potential violence.
Chinese Communist authorities have been reportedly raiding homes and makeshift churches during the Christmas season, arresting hundreds of believers and subjecting them to interrogation, sanctions, or imprisonment. Prominent clergy have been detained alongside ordinary worshippers. Official government statements describe these actions as routine law enforcement against illegal gatherings or unauthorized communications, while human rights and religious freedom organizations characterize them as systematic persecution of faith communities.
In Nigeria, genocide against Christians is being perpetrated by Islamist militias. Rapes, mutilations, and murders occur with alarming regularity. The attacks on Christians in northern Nigeria are not isolated incidents but part of a brutal daily reality. Villages are burned, people are killed or kidnapped, and countless survivors are displaced with little protection or hope for peace. It is estimated that at least 125,000 Christians have been killed over the past decade, yet the world remains largely silent in the face of this continuing tragedy.
Syria, once known as a cradle of Christianity, now faces the grim possibility of erasing what remains of its Christian heritage. A former terrorist leader, once carrying a multi-million-dollar bounty, now presides over the new Islamic order. The questionable policies of the United States, supporting extremist factions such as the Al-Nusra Front and facilitating the fall of the Assad regime, have had dire consequences for religious minorities. The bombing of the Mar Elias Greek Orthodox Church near Damascus and other targeted killings point to a bleak future for Christians, who have become collateral damage in broader geopolitical calculations.
Despite these trials and tribulations, Christian faith has never depended on safety or privilege. The earliest believers worshipped in catacombs and homes, sustained not by power but by hope. The persecuted Church today stands firmly in that same tradition, bearing witness through endurance, forgiveness, and an unshakable belief that light shines brightest in darkness.
For those of us who were fortunate to celebrate Christmas freely in 2025, this season calls us to remembrance and responsibility. Our response must go beyond sentiment, beyond candlelight and carols, toward prayer, advocacy, compassion, and a refusal to grow indifferent to injustice. Christmas proclaims that the Light has come into the world, and though darkness may resist it with violence and fear, it will not overcome it. That is the enduring hope of Christmas and the quiet strength of the persecuted Church.
(George Abraham is a former Chief Technology Officer, United Nations. He is Vice Chair of IOCUSA. He can be reached at gta777@gmail.com)
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