India: Nine-year-old who was raped and murdered was targeted for her faith

Please note this story contains content of a sensitive and upsetting nature. 

It is with great sadness that we tell you of our sister, Anjali Masih, who was reportedly gang-raped and killed on 5 August in Gurdaspur, Punjab, India. She was just nine years old. 

Please note this story contains content of a sensitive and upsetting nature. 

It is with great sadness that we tell you of our sister, Anjali Masih, who was reportedly gang-raped and killed on 5 August in Gurdaspur, Punjab, India. She was just nine years old. 

Anjali was playing with her friends when three men lured her away with the promise of a guava. She was then gang-raped by the men and strangled to death with a telephone wire. 

Henrietta Blyth, Open Doors’ CEO, said, “This vile targeting of an innocent little girl because of her religion is absolutely abhorrent. Sadly the rape and murder of Anjali is part of a worrying trend of increasing violence against Christians, especially converts, across India.” 

A local pastor said that since Anjali’s parents had recently become Christians he believed her murder was warning to others who might consider changing their religion to Christianity. He also reported that an increasing number of people in that area have been converting to Christianity which has resulted in much opposition and violent threats. 

According to local Christians, believers living nearby are very fearful and afraid to carry on with their daily routines, and the police are trying to play down the attack on Anjali.

This is a very difficult and uncertain time for our persecuted family in India. Recently, believers in the rural district of India’s Maharashtra state have been told that one church will be closed down every week because they have been ‘destroying’ local tradition and culture by ‘luring’ others to convert to Christianity.

Since June, over a dozen houses belonging to Christians have been attacked by local extremist groups across five villages within Gadchiroli district. 

Christians in the villages of Halwar, Tekla, Bharagad, Kospundi and Alenga have also been told that if they continue in their faith, they will be cut off from local water supplies and will no longer have access to government-subsidised food.

PLEASE PRAY:

• That God would comfort Anjali’s family and friends by His Spirit during this time
• For our brothers and sisters in India, that they would know the peace of God which transcends all understanding, and that they would be strengthened in their faith
• For justice to be done in Anjali’s case, and that God would change the hearts of her murderers and rapists to repentance. 

India is number 10 on the Open Doors World Watch List. Most persecution comes from a variety of radical Hindu groups wanting to cleanse their country. Converts from a Hindu background bear the brunt of the persecution in India and are constantly under pressure to return to Hinduism. Radical Hindu groups are increasingly enjoying impunity when they harass Muslims or Christians. At least 8 Christians were killed last year and nearly 24,000 physically assaulted. As a result, fear and uncertainty among Christians is increasing.

In partnership with local churches, Open Doors strengthens the Indian church through the distribution of Christian literature, holistic training for church leaders and church workers of all ages, livelihood and community development, adult literacy programmes, urgent aid and relief for persecuted Christians, and advocacy support.

Despite all of the ongoing trials and hardships believers are facing in India, God is at work and there is hope. In November, there is the opportunity to meet your persecuted family from India, North Korea and Egypt at our Standing Strong gathering, where you can hear their stories of courageous faith firsthand, and understand more about how God is working in environments such as these.