Hindu Extremists Level Spurious Accusation of ‘Conversion Racket’ in India, Sources Say Police officers beat, ridicule Christians. By Our Southern India Correspondent
HYDERABAD, India, May 9, 2018 (Morning Star News) – Christians in eastern India were worshipping on April 29 when Hindu extremists attacked and had them arrested on baseless accusations of operating a “conversion racket,” sources said.
Three of seven Christians arrested have been in jail since then, and yesterday a judge in Danapur, Bihar state, rejected their plea for bail.
Some 60 Hindu extremists stormed into the house church service where 50 Christians had gathered to worship, 19-year-old Angel Pariyar told Morning Star News.
“It was a difficult and tense moment for us,” she said. “A huge crowd surrounded our house, and they stopped us from even going inside our own house. We were made to stand outside as they called up police and reported against us, calling our worship service a ‘conversion racket.’”
The mob, members of the Hindu extremist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Bajrang Dal and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (student wing of RSS), harassed and attacked women, but when police arrived they arrested Pariyar’s parents and other Christians, she said.
Her parents, Subash Kumar and wife Sarah, along with Ravi Singh, Rajni Pradhan, Suraj Pradhan, Amit Kumar and Santoshi Devi, were taken into custody by Rupaspur police after the assault. Her parents and aunt, Rajni Pradhan, remain incarcerated.
“60 Hindu youth activists showed up at the entrance of our house and started shouting at us, ‘Why are you converting people?’ and abused my family in filthy language,” Pariyar said. “My mum told the youths that we are only worshipping in our house and asked, ‘Why are you interfering in this?’”
Pariyar’s family, of Nepalese descent, has lived in India for generations, and the assailants used highly derogatory language as they accused them of coming from Nepal to convert Indian Hindus, she said.
“They issued threats to my parents, ‘We will kidnap your daughter – we will take her away,’” Pariyar told Morning Star News. “My father told them that if they have anything against us, let that be against the parents and not children. ‘Please don’t involve children in this,’ he pleaded with them.”
She told them her grandfather served with the police in India as her father does now, and that she was proud to be Indian, she said.
“That angered them, and soon they started beating my mum and both my aunts,” she said.
The Hindu extremists continue to taunt her when she visits her father, a respected officer with the Bihar Military Police, in jail, she said.
“‘Oh! Her dad was caught drunk,’ they say and burst into laughter, and another remarks, ‘No, it is a case of robbery,’” Pariyar said. “I go there daily and pass by the same people, yet they make sure to say something demeaning to hurt me, and I quietly gather myself and move on. That few feet walk from the prison gate to the visiting room is the most burdened one. It takes lots of patience, but I will bear it all because at least I get to meet my dad daily.”
Her 10-year-old brother does not know where his mother and father are, she said.
“I wake him up, get him ready for school, complete the house chores, visit dad at Danapur sub-jail, pick up my brother from school and get back home,” she said. “This has been my routine for the past 10 days.”
Pariyar told Morning Star News that she appeases her brother by telling him that their parents have gone to a prayer meeting.
“He would say, ‘Okay,’ but come back again and would ask me over and over, ‘When will they be back home?’ But I have no answer.”
She requested prayers for the release of her parents and aunt.
“My mum and aunt are kept in the women’s cell, and their rules are very strict,” Pariyar said. “They don’t allow us to meet the inmates. I am glad that I at least get to meet my papa daily.”
Furious, Uncooperative Police
At the Rupaspur police station, the station house officer initially said only that the Christians were accused of “anti-social activities.”
“We received a complaint that the Christian couple are involved in anti-social activities and hence have apprehended them,” Dipak Kumar told Morning Star News.
Asked what exactly the anti-social activities were, Kumar became furious.
“They are abusing Hindu gods and goddesses and are forcefully converting people,” he said.
Asked what kind of “force” they were using, Kumar said, “I filed the FIR [First Information Report] already. No more questions on this.”
He declined to provide a copy of the FIR or disclose the details in it.
Christian advocacy groups flooded the police station in Rupaspur with calls asking him to reveal grounds for the arrest and charges against the Christians, but Kumar remained adamant that “he will drag the Christians to court,” sources said.
Attorney Nisha Singh rushed to the police station to initiate the bail procedure, only to have Kumar refuse to begin the process, Singh said.
“I was accompanied by two other lawyers, but the SHO [Kumar] was very uncooperative,” she said. “There was severe pressure on him by the RSS, Bajrang Dal and ABVP groups.”
He did not allow application for bail, let the families know reasons for the arrest, or issue a copy of the FIR, the attorney said.
“At last he looked at me in rage and said, ‘I filed the charge sheet – see you in court!” Singh told Morning Star News.
The Judicial Magistrate of First Class, Danapur, rejected the plea for bail by the three Christians still in jail on Tuesday morning (May 8). The Hindu mob, led by Nagesh Singh and Deepak Singh, chanted “Jai Sri Ram [Hail Lord Ram]” after the court announced that it rejected bail, Pariyar said.
Attorney Sagar Suman, along with Singh defending the Christians, said police violated procedure as outlined in the Criminal Procedure Code.
“It is the duty of the government to look into the matter, investigate it properly and only then an FIR must be registered,” Suman said. “But in this case, it is simply a matter of hijacking someone’s privacy and violating their constitutional right of freedom to practice a religion of their choice.”
The Indian Constitution grants the fundamental right to practice, profess and propagate one’s faith under Article 25, and that was what Subash Kumar, his family and others were doing within their house, the attorney told Morning Star News.
“All of a sudden the extremist forces forcefully intruded on their privacy, without any permission they entered their house by force, and instead of filing a case against them, the police filed a case against the minority alleging that they [Christians] are spreading ‘communal hatred,’” he said. “It is completely an abuse of the process of law by the police and the lower court.”
A police source who requested anonymity said a local politician is exerting intense pressure to mobilize Hindu extremists.
“There is severe pressure from an elected representative from the area who is now a central minister in [Prime Minister Narendra] Modi’s government,” the source told Morning Star News. “He backs up the youth, encourages them to attack Christians and funds their activities. He just wants to create some sensation, this is their way of expressing loyalty to the BJP [Bharatiya Janata Party].”
Abused in Custody
Ravi Singh, nephew of Subash Kumar, told Morning Star News that police had mistreated the Christians while in custody.
SHO Kumar was irritated that so many advocates called asking what was happening, said Ravi Singh, who spent an entire day in police custody.
“He was scolding my uncle, mocking him, saying, ‘Calls are coming from all over India for you today. Even I want to see who can set you free from here.’”
SHO Kumar was doing everything a responsible police officer would not do, he said.
“My mother, Santoshi Devi, was seated on a chair, and the SHO pulled the chair away, and she fell down,” Singh said. “Not just that, Kumar thrashed my uncle, Subash Kumar, several times while he continued ridiculing and mocking him for being a Christian.”
By 8 p.m. the attorney could get only four of the arrested Christians released on bail: Ravi Singh, Suraj Pradhan, Amit Kumar and Santoshi Devi, attorney Nisha Singh told Morning Star News.
A counter-FIR was filed against the assailants only after the judge rejected the bail plea submitted by the Christians.
Fake News
Pariyar said local newspapers published false statements by Hindu extremists that a non-profit her mother heads, the Prerna Foundation Trust, was converting Hindus to Christianity.
“Nobody tried to contact us to find out the truth,” she said. “It is not true; my mother only works for women’s empowerment. She never mixed religion with her work.”
The foundation has been successful in forming self-help groups and micro-enterprises that provide employment to women in Bihar, she added.
Pariyar said that the smile on her jailed father’s face gives her hope.
“My papa always told us that following Christ is not an easy path and that we need to be ready for everything,” she said. “Now I can recall him telling us, ‘There will be suffering, oppression, but we must stand for Christ. Christ, and Christ alone.’”
The hostile tone of the National Democratic Alliance government, led by the Hindu nationalist BJP, against non-Hindus, has emboldened Hindu extremists in several parts of the country to attack Christians since Modi took power in May 2014, religious rights advocates say.
India ranked 11th on Christian support organization Open Doors’ 2018 World Watch List of countries where Christians experience the most persecution.
If you would like to help persecuted Christians, visit http://morningstarnews.org/resources/aid-agencies/ for a list of organizations that can orient you on how to get involved.
If you or your organization would like to help enable Morning Star News to continue raising awareness of persecuted Christians worldwide with original-content reporting, please consider collaborating at https://morningstarnews.org/donate/?
Photo: (From left) Rajni Pradhan and couple Sarah and Subash Kumar, after appearing in court two days after their arrest. (Morning Star News)
###
© 2018 Morning Star News. Articles/photos may be reprinted with credit to Morning Star News. https://morningstarnews.org
Tweet: https://twitter.com/morningstarnewz/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MorningStarNews
Newsletter del 05/09/2018:
Proposta Film: Lion, film drammatico
Proposta libri: La Spia, Paulo Coehlo
Perché Dio non ha guarito mamma?
Sinodo giovani, approvato l’Instrumentum laboris.
“Con il diavolo non si dialoga, è un cane rabbioso che morde”
Galleria Foto: Incontro del Papa con i Neocatecumeni
Chi ha creato il bene e il male?
Il ministero nella Chiesa: problematica
“La vita va tutelata dal concepimento al naturale tramonto”
The Military Of Nigeria Rescues Over One Thousand Girls From Sex Slavery Under Islamic Jihadists
2018-05-07 18:51:07-04
Posted in FeaturedMedia
By Theodore Shoebat The military of Nigeria just recently rescued over a thousand girls from sex slaver under Islamic jihadists. As we read in one report from CNN: The Nigerian army said Monday it had rescued more than 1,000 Boko Haram captives in Borno state, northeastern Nigeria. The hostages consisted mainly of women and children, […]
Pagans Take Eight Year Old Girl, They Take Turns Raping Her Before Slaughtering Her
2018-05-07 19:22:48-04
Posted in FeaturedMedia
By Theodore Shoebat Pagans in India gang raped and murdered an eight year old girl. As we read in a report from CNN: A second teenage girl is reported to have been raped and set on fire in the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand, just days after a 16-year-old was similarly attacked in the same […]
Major Nazi Event Takes Place In Ukraine
2018-05-07 19:39:42-04
Posted in FeaturedMedia
By Theodore Shoebat A major Nazi event just recently took place in Ukraine. According to a report from Ukrainian media: In Kiev, the club “Bingo” hosted a rock concert, which included, among others, people of neo-Nazi views and with the attributes of the Third Reich. Many were wearing shirts with swastikas and Nazi tattoos. Among other […]
Major Israeli Politician Says That Israel Will “Liquidate” Syrian President Bashar Assad
2018-05-07 20:19:23-04
Posted in FeaturedMedia
By Theodore Shoebat A major Israeli politician, Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz, said that Israel will “liquidate” Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. As if Syria has not been destabilized enough, Israel now wants to make it an even bigger war zone. As we read in one report from RT: Israel will “liquidate” Syrian President Bashar Assad and […]
Judaism — Satan’s Great Deception
2018-05-08 03:45:16-04
Posted in FeaturedMedia
By Theodore Shoebat Judaism is one of Satan’s great deceptions: We Are About To Enter A New World War, A Blood Bath Is About To Commence As The Empire Of The Antichrist Will Rise Up. This Is Why I Wrote The Book, Christianity Is At War, The Most Exhaustive Study Ever Done On Christian Warfare. […]
2018-05-08 14:43:16-04
Posted in FeaturedGeneral
By Theodore Shoebat The government of Russia is now warning that Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Iran deal will have destructive consequences. As we read in one report from the Hill: Russia on Tuesday warned that a U.S. withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal would spark “harmful consequences.” Reuters reported that Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov […]
Former Major Officials In Israeli Politics Oppose Trump’s Withdrawal From The Iran Deal
2018-05-08 15:00:10-04
Posted in FeaturedMedia
By Theodore Shoebat Former officials of major political positions in Israel, are expressing their opposition to Trump’s withdrawal from the Iran deal. As we read in a report from ABC: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is an outspoken opponent of the Iran nuclear deal, but some in Israel’s government and security establishment see it as a least-bad option […]
Iran Declares That It Will Intensify Its Nuclear Activities Upon Trump Ditching The Iran Deal
2018-05-08 15:22:42-04
Posted in FeaturedMedia
By Theodore Shoebat Iran declared last night that if Trump ditches the Iran deal that it will intensify its nuclear activities. According to a report from USA Today: The Iran nuclear agreement could remain in place even if President Trump withdraws the United States from the deal, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Monday. If other participants in […]
Syrian Government Declares That The Syrian Military Just Shot Down Two Israeli Missiles
2018-05-08 18:30:45-04
Posted in FeaturedMedia
By Theodore Shoebat The Syrian government declared that the the Syrian military just shot down two Israeli missiles. As we read in a report from the Guardian: Syrian air defences downed two Israeli missiles near Damascus, state media reported, after explosions were heard at a military base south of the capital. The report arrived soon […]
Syrian Report: Israel Just Attacked Syria With Missile Fire
2018-05-08 18:49:20-04
Posted in FeaturedMedia
By Theodore Shoebat A Syrian report affirms that Israel just attacked Syria with missile fire. As we read in a report from the Chicago Tribune: Syrian state-run media is reporting an Israeli attack near the capital Damascus, saying Syrian air defenses shot down two missiles. The official news agency SANA says Tuesday night’s attack occurred […]
Texas Town Elects Cross-Dressing Homosexual Soldier For Their Mayor- America is Done
2018-05-09 11:40:04-04
Posted in FeaturedGeneral
The small Texas town of Del Rio has just elected a cross-dressing homosexual soldier for mayor: The old saying “everything is big in Texas,” now applies to inclusion ― at least in one border town. On Saturday, 62 percent of voters in Del Rio ― located about 110 miles west of San Antonio ― elected […]
2018-05-09 11:59:15-04
Posted in FeaturedGeneral
The famous “conservative” magazine National Review recently published an article saying that conservatives need to “compromise” on “transgenders” in order to “preserve social order”: I doubt that many Americans would disagree that the country’s conversation about gay rights is far more mature and considered than it was two decades ago. Today, there exists broad understanding […]
Major Israeli Government Official Boasts That Assad’s Blood Will Be Spilt
2018-05-09 17:38:25-04
Posted in FeaturedGeneral
By Theodore Shoebat So Israel is in the conspiracy to further destabilize Syria and to increase the intensity towards the prospects of major war, and it is using Iran as the excuse. As we read in a report from the Jerusalem Post: On April 9, an air strike killed seven Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps members […]
The Military Of Nigeria Rescues Over One Thousand Girls From Sex Slavery Under Islamic Jihadists
2018-05-07 18:51:07-04
Posted in FeaturedMedia
By Theodore Shoebat The military of Nigeria just recently rescued over a thousand girls from sex slaver under Islamic jihadists. As we read in one report from CNN: The Nigerian army said Monday it had rescued more than 1,000 Boko Haram captives in Borno state, northeastern Nigeria. The hostages consisted mainly of women and children, […]
Pagans Take Eight Year Old Girl, They Take Turns Raping Her Before Slaughtering Her
2018-05-07 19:22:48-04
Posted in FeaturedMedia
By Theodore Shoebat Pagans in India gang raped and murdered an eight year old girl. As we read in a report from CNN: A second teenage girl is reported to have been raped and set on fire in the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand, just days after a 16-year-old was similarly attacked in the same […]
Major Nazi Event Takes Place In Ukraine
2018-05-07 19:39:42-04
Posted in FeaturedMedia
By Theodore Shoebat A major Nazi event just recently took place in Ukraine. According to a report from Ukrainian media: In Kiev, the club “Bingo” hosted a rock concert, which included, among others, people of neo-Nazi views and with the attributes of the Third Reich. Many were wearing shirts with swastikas and Nazi tattoos. Among other […]
Major Israeli Politician Says That Israel Will “Liquidate” Syrian President Bashar Assad
2018-05-07 20:19:23-04
Posted in FeaturedMedia
By Theodore Shoebat A major Israeli politician, Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz, said that Israel will “liquidate” Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. As if Syria has not been destabilized enough, Israel now wants to make it an even bigger war zone. As we read in one report from RT: Israel will “liquidate” Syrian President Bashar Assad and […]
Judaism — Satan’s Great Deception
2018-05-08 03:45:16-04
Posted in FeaturedMedia
By Theodore Shoebat Judaism is one of Satan’s great deceptions: We Are About To Enter A New World War, A Blood Bath Is About To Commence As The Empire Of The Antichrist Will Rise Up. This Is Why I Wrote The Book, Christianity Is At War, The Most Exhaustive Study Ever Done On Christian Warfare. […]
2018-05-08 14:43:16-04
Posted in FeaturedGeneral
By Theodore Shoebat The government of Russia is now warning that Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Iran deal will have destructive consequences. As we read in one report from the Hill: Russia on Tuesday warned that a U.S. withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal would spark “harmful consequences.” Reuters reported that Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov […]
Former Major Officials In Israeli Politics Oppose Trump’s Withdrawal From The Iran Deal
Posted in FeaturedMedia
By Theodore Shoebat Former officials of major political positions in Israel, are expressing their opposition to Trump’s withdrawal from the Iran deal. As we read in a report from ABC: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is an outspoken opponent of the Iran nuclear deal, but some in Israel’s government and security establishment see it as a least-bad option […]
Iran Declares That It Will Intensify Its Nuclear Activities Upon Trump Ditching The Iran Deal
2018-05-08 15:22:42-04
Posted in FeaturedMedia
By Theodore Shoebat Iran declared last night that if Trump ditches the Iran deal that it will intensify its nuclear activities. According to a report from USA Today: The Iran nuclear agreement could remain in place even if President Trump withdraws the United States from the deal, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Monday. If other participants in […]
Syrian Government Declares That The Syrian Military Just Shot Down Two Israeli Missiles
2018-05-08 18:30:45-04
Posted in FeaturedMedia
By Theodore Shoebat The Syrian government declared that the the Syrian military just shot down two Israeli missiles. As we read in a report from the Guardian: Syrian air defences downed two Israeli missiles near Damascus, state media reported, after explosions were heard at a military base south of the capital. The report arrived soon […]
Syrian Report: Israel Just Attacked Syria With Missile Fire
Posted in FeaturedMedia
By Theodore Shoebat A Syrian report affirms that Israel just attacked Syria with missile fire. As we read in a report from the Chicago Tribune: Syrian state-run media is reporting an Israeli attack near the capital Damascus, saying Syrian air defenses shot down two missiles. The official news agency SANA says Tuesday night’s attack occurred […]
Texas Town Elects Cross-Dressing Homosexual Soldier For Their Mayor- America is Done
2018-05-09 11:40:04-04
Posted in FeaturedGeneral
The small Texas town of Del Rio has just elected a cross-dressing homosexual soldier for mayor: The old saying “everything is big in Texas,” now applies to inclusion ― at least in one border town. On Saturday, 62 percent of voters in Del Rio ― located about 110 miles west of San Antonio ― elected […]
Posted in FeaturedGeneral
The famous “conservative” magazine National Review recently published an article saying that conservatives need to “compromise” on “transgenders” in order to “preserve social order”: I doubt that many Americans would disagree that the country’s conversation about gay rights is far more mature and considered than it was two decades ago. Today, there exists broad understanding […]
Major Israeli Government Official Boasts That Assad’s Blood Will Be Spilt
Posted in FeaturedGeneral
By Theodore Shoebat So Israel is in the conspiracy to further destabilize Syria and to increase the intensity towards the prospects of major war, and it is using Iran as the excuse. As we read in a report from the Jerusalem Post: On April 9, an air strike killed seven Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps members […]
Please use this link to forward to a friend (we really appreciate it), do not use your email client to forward, as they may inadvertently unsubscribe you.
Iran: Lawmakers burn US flag in Parliament while screaming “Death to America!”
By Robert Spencer on May 09, 2018 04:02 pm
Because they’re so peaceful, you see, and their peaceful aspirations have been thwarted. Of course, they were chanting “Death to America” while the deal was in force, so there is no change here. They’re just employing the usual Islamic supremacist tactic of intimidation, which seems unlikely to work with President Trump. “Iran’s top leader, lawmakers […]Read in browser »
Iran-backed Yemeni Shi’ites fire two missiles at Saudi capital
By Robert Spencer on May 09, 2018 03:54 pm
The Iranian mullahs signaling their belligerence yet again. But even when the Iran deal was in force, they were doing this, so there really is no difference. “Yemen rebels fire two missiles at Saudi capital: coalition,” AFP, May 9, 2018: Riyadh (AFP) – Two ballistic missiles were fired at the Saudi capital Riyadh on Wednesday, […]
Read in browser »
Sweden: study finds vast majority of gang rape convicts are Muslim migrants
By Christine Douglass-Williams on May 09, 2018 02:30 pm
Weeks after a Swedish mainstream newspaper conducted a study finding that migrants make up the majority of those convicted for gang rape, a second Swedish title has revealed another study revealing the same results…..many experts were not shocked that migrants were so overrepresented in gang rape cases. The rape and sexual enslavement of infidel women […]
Read in browser »
Indonesia: Muslim inmates murder five cops in prison where Jakarta’s ex-governor is held for “blasphemy”
By Robert Spencer on May 09, 2018 01:00 pm
Prisons the world over are hotbeds of jihadi recruitment and training. This kind of thing is bound to happen. “‘Militant’ inmates kill five police in prison where Jakarta’s ex-governor is held for blasphemy,” South China Morning Post, May 9, 2018: Five Indonesian police officers and a prisoner were killed in clashes at a high security […]
Read in browser »
Afghanistan: Muslims kill several and injure more in two jihad attacks in Kabul
By Robert Spencer on May 09, 2018 10:00 am
The Afghan forces and their U.S. allies can’t prevent this from happening even in Afghanistan’s capital. The war in Afghanistan has no purpose and no end point. President Trump should bring our troops home. “Terrorist attacks rock Afghan capital, leaving casualties,” Xinhua, May 9, 2018: KABUL, May 9 (Xinhua) — Several people were killed and […]
Read in browser »
Islamic Republic of Iran threatens harsh reprisals after US exits nuke deal
By Robert Spencer on May 09, 2018 07:59 am
Threatening war to keep us in a peace agreement? Clearly the Iranian mullahs are reliable “peace partners” indeed. “Iran Threatens Harsh Reprisals After U.S. Exits Nuclear Deal,” by Adam Kredo, Washington Free Beacon, May 8, 2018: Iranian leaders threatened harsh reprisals against the United States following President Donald Trump’s decision to abandon the landmark nuclear […]
Read in browser »
Who are the White Helmets?
By Henrik Raeder Clausen on May 09, 2018 06:38 am
When the “White Helmets” tried to recruit Roger Waters of Pink Floyd fame as a propaganda agent, the attempt not only failed, it backfired. Fans of classical rock music certainly know about Pink Floyd and their lead singer Roger Waters. So does the organization ”White Helmets,” which twice attempted to recruit Roger Waters to support […]
Read in browser »
Obama ignores facts about Iran’s nuke deal violations, says “debates in our country should be informed by facts”
By Robert Spencer on May 09, 2018 06:28 am
“The reality is clear,” Obama said. “The JCPOA is working – that is a view shared by our European allies, independent experts, and the current U.S. Secretary of Defense.” It’s also a view that has been completely exploded by the evidence that Benjamin Netanyahu just presented of Iran’s violations of the deal and attempts to […]
Read in browser »
UK singer Lily Allen reneges on her promise to house Muslim migrants in her luxury apartment
By Christine Douglass-Williams on May 09, 2018 06:21 am
Singer and pro-mass migration campaigner Lily Allen has said she does not have enough space in her luxury London flat to take in any asylum seekers despite earlier promises. The elitists who insist on open borders have their security details, and as a rule do not allow migrants into their protected domains. They enjoy expressing […]
Read in browser »
Glazov Gang: Starbucks Bows to Farrakhan and Jew-Hatred
By Jamie Glazov on May 09, 2018 04:52 am
This new edition of The Glazov Gang features Daniel Greenfield, a Shillman Fellow at the Freedom Center and editor of The Point at Frontpagemag.com. Daniel discusses Starbucks Bows to Farrakhan and Jew-Hate, unveiling how anti-Semitism is the admission fee for belonging to the Left. Don’t miss it! Subscribe to the Glazov Gang‘s YouTube Channel and […]
Read in browser »
Adolescente si sveglia “miracolosamente” prima che gli vengano staccati i supporti vitali
FOR HER
Sfregio alla vera bellezza della liturgia e della moda alla corte della papessa Rihanna (FOTO)
APPROFONDIMENTI
Quando Biglino fa il gioco delle tre carte con Paolo, Giovanni… e Marcione
CHIESA
Un’intera città in cui il Vangelo è parte della vita quotidiana
FOR HER
«Ti amo così tanto che ti voglio perdere», ogni madre è questo paradosso bello e terribile
SPIRITUALITÀ
SPIRITUALITÀ
Perché Dio non ha guarito mamma?
Se negli USA va bene uccidere i condannati a morte con sostanze vietate per gli animali
STILE DI VITA
Cinque ragioni che fanno saltare le terapie di coppia
Il detective che è stato costretto a lasciare la polizia per aver indagato su un prete pedofilo
7 cose che dovete abbandonare se volete un matrimonio felice
Come posso io, laico, aiutare la costruzione del Regno di Dio?
Li chiamano “Padri dell’Europa”… ma chi sono?
Papa Francesco: Dio mai rinnega i suoi figli. Pregate per la pace in Siria
Cari nonni, fate i biscotti coi vostri nipoti e lieviterà il loro stupore
Spalancarsi alla profondità accecante di Dio con piccoli sorsi di luce
The Beach Boys: quando Brian Wilson cercò in Dio una musica celestiale
Chiesa a prova di bambino: durante la messa è attiva la “Sala giochi”
Ideologia di genere: quando il nemico è la famiglia biologica
La “nuova” missione degli esorcisti: più diagnosi mediche, meno possessioni demoniache
Preghiera del giorno
LA FESTA DEL GIORNO
FOTO DEL GIORNO
PENSIERO DEL GIORNO
Condividi questo pensiero
Br, dalla mitraglietta al microfono. Successo per il convegno della Fondazione AN
Governo, vertice Salvini-Di Maio. Il Colle: «Hanno chiesto 24 ore per chiudere l’accordo»
Salvini ai suoi: «S’è aperto uno spiraglio con i grillini, voglio provare…»
Bossi: «Berlusconi dia via libera al governo col M5S, li terrà in scacco…»
GLI ALTRI ARTICOLI PIU’ LETTI
Spettacolare parata militare sulla Piazza Rossa di Mosca (Video e foto)
Molto rumore per nulla: annullata la sanzione al carabiniere per la bandiera
Quale luogo migliore di Salò per realizzare il “Museo del Ventennio”?
“For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land.” (Ezekiel 36:24)
Shalom Lorenzo,
When Israel’s first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion made the declaration of Israel’s independence on May 14, 1948, none of the dignitaries surrounding him in what is now Independence Hall, Tel Aviv, could sing a word of Israel’s national anthem — HaTikvah. It wasn’t that they did not know the words, but just that every person in the room could only cry.
HaTikvah, הַתִּקְוָה, means literally The Hope.
Israel’s anthem is a declaration of faith as well as a prayer.
It speaks of the continuity of Jewish life throughout the Diaspora (years of scattering throughout the nations) and the determination of a persecuted people to rebuild their homeland from nothing.
Jewish man prays as he overlooks the Temple Mount where the First and
Second Temples once stood.
HaTikvah was officially adopted as Israel’s anthem in 2004, but it had been sung unofficially for nearly 100 years prior by Jews around the world.
The lyrics are brief but poignant:
As long as within the heart
Kol od ba’le-vav p’nimah — כל עוד בלבב פנימה
The Jewish soul sings,
Nefesh Yehudi homiyah — נפש יהודי הומיה
And onward, to the East
Ulfa’atey mizrach kadimah — ולפאתי מזרח קדימה
To Zion, looks the eye –
Ayin l’Tzion tzofiyah — עין לציון צופיה
Our Hope is not yet lost,
Od lo avdah Tikvateynu — עוד לא אבדה תקותנו
The Hope that is two thousand years old:
HaTikvah bat sh-not alpayim — התקוה בת שנות אלפים
To be a free people in our land
L’hiyot am chofshi b’artzenu — להיות עם חופשי בארצנו
The land of Zion and Jerusalem.
Eretz Tzion v’Yerushalayim — ארץ ציון וירושלים
Unlike most other national anthems, which usually have a more upbeat tune, HaTikvah is in a minor key. This perhaps contributes to the emotive, reflective nature of the Israeli anthem, which lends itself to being sung on both national days of mourning and at soccer (football) matches.
When the Jewish holocaust survivors, for example, crammed like sardines onto the rough, unseaworthy vessels that attempted to reach the shores of British Palestine (Israel) in the face of the British naval blockade, the survivors would be singing HaTikvah when the old boats finally approached the shores of their ancient promised land.
In 1945, a ship called Unafraid transported Holocaust survivors from Buchenwald
concentration camp onward toward Israel, only to be told they would be arrested on
arrival. The passengers raised the flag and sang HaTikvah as they approached shore.
(YouTube capture)
Lorenzo, Bless the Jewish People, click here
The two stanzas of HaTikvah were adapted from the nine-stanza poem, Tikva-Teynu (Our Hope), written in 1877 by the young poet Naphtali Herz Imber (1856–1909) from the Kingdom of Galicia, today’s Ukraine.
The poem was subsequently adopted as an anthem by the Hovevei Zion (Lovers of Zion) movement, and later by the Zionist Movement at the First Zionist Congress hosted in Basel Switzerland in 1897.
In 2004, the Knesset (Israeli Parliament) officially declared the abbreviated version as the official anthem of Israel, incorporating only the first stanza and chorus from Imber’s poem.
Naftali Herz Imber (1856–1909) wrote the nine-stanza poem
Tikva-Teynu (Our Hope) at age 21 after the establishment of
the early Jewish settlement Petah Tikva (Gateway to Hope).
A prodigy, Imber began writing poetry at the age of 10, and
later received an award from Emperor Franz Joseph
The Lyrics of Hope
Written in the language of the Bible, and including many Biblical themes, HaTikvah also has the extra authority for Jewish people worldwide of being rooted in the holy Hebrew language, with each word of each stanza strategically placed.
Let’s consider a few of these words here:
“Our Hope—Tikvah is not yet lost.”
The word tikvah looks ahead to better times, with faith that the dream to return to Zion will eventually be fulfilled, even though many have died in the fight to be “a free people in our land.”
The saying, Tovah tikvah mi chaiym (Hope is better than life) is found in the early Zionist work, The Love of Zion, by Avraham Mapu, 1853.
The Jewish settlement of Petah Tikvah (Gateway to Hope) was founded in 1878.
It is located seven miles east of Tel Aviv with over 230,000 residents today.
(YouTube capture)
“And onward—kadimah, to the east, to Zion looks the eye.”
Today, kadimah is yelled in soccer matches for “Lets go!” and by military commanders as in “Forward March!”
When Imber wrote his poem, however, kadimah was used in a milder forward-looking sense: onward toward Jerusalem.
After the liberation of the death camps in 1945, the Jewish people decided to move forward from death and destruction, not remaining as victims; therefore, Kadimah also has to do with the faithfulness of Israel’s One True God.
He does not leave His people in exile or in trouble. He hears their cries and fulfills every one of His covenant promises.
Kadimah is from the word kedem, meaning as of old, as found in Lamentations 5:21: “Renew our days as of old (כְּקֶֽדֶם – k’kedem).”
From the same root we also have the word kadmah referring, as does the national anthem, to the East side, from Genesis 13:14:
“The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, ‘Raise your eyes now, and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward (קֵ֥דְמָה – kadmah) and westward; for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever.’”
A view of the Judean hills from Mount Herodium south of Jerusalem.
“As long as within the heart—ba’levav the Jewish soul sings”
Another tiny word in the anthem which seems insignificant is ba-levav. It is translated here as in the heart, but it actually means in the deepest place of the heart.
It is the same word used in the Bible for the most common of all Jewish prayers: the Shema, also quoted by Yeshua (Jesus) in the Brit Chadashah (New Testament):
“Hear O Israel, the LORD your God, the LORD is one. And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart (לְבָבְךָ֥ – levav-cha), with all your soul and with all your might.” (Deuteronomy 6:4–5)
The Jewish soul yearns as though it is missing something. That same yearning is expressed in Psalm 42:5,11: “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?”
Thankfully the psalmist continues: “Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him, my Salvation [Yeshua] and my God.”
Prayer at the Western (Wailing) Wall in the late 19th century (Photo by Felix
Bonfils, Israel National Archives)
Please click here to sponsor a Chapter of the Bible or Translation
And help us complete this English-Hebrew Bible to bring in a harvest of Jewish souls, as they about Yeshua (Jesus) fulfilling the prophecies.
“As long as—kol od within our hearts, the Jewish soul sings”
The little word od, by itself, has the meaning of again as in od ve od, again and again.
In other words, during all manner of seasons, for as long as there is breath in the lungs of the Jewish people, their hearts, voices, and synagogues have always pointed east (mizrach) toward the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, in prayer and expectation.
This is a unity uniquely expressed within the anthem.
Just like the determination to not give up concerning the coming of Messiah, od speaks of the unique faith of this people, God’s people.
This of course arouses so many destructive actions throughout history, including jealousy, envy and hatred. The British Mandate government briefly banned the anthem’s performance in 1919 due to Arab anti-Zionist political activity.
In 1944, Czech Jews spontaneously sang HaTikvah at the entry to the Auschwitz-Birkenau gas chamber and, as reported by a member of the Sonderkommando, were beaten by SS guards.
In a BBC recording (April 20, 1945) Jewish survivors of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camps in Germany sang HaTikvah five days after liberation, during their first synagogue Shabbat service in several years.
Women survivors of Bergen-Belsen concentration camps.
“Our Hope is not yet lost—Od lo avdah tikvateynu”
What is this hope that has not yet left?
In the original poem by Imber, Israel’s hope is simply the “ancient” hope. However, the final lyrics of HaTikvah speak of “two thousand years” of hope.
This huge time span evokes centuries of Jewish survival, keeping themselves a distinct yet scattered people who are finally realizing their hopes come to fruition as millions regather into the land of Zion once again.
But—could there be an even more distinct hope?
Is there a Hope with a capital H?
Could this Hope be something that appears as a visible manifestation of God on earth, like an Angel of the LORD (YHVH) or a pillar of fire by night in the midst of the ancient Israelites?
Yeshua and Mary, by William Hole (1846–1917)
More than two thousand years ago, someone brought great hope to the world.
This Hope did not come to us as a Gentile baby or a Christian god.
Tikvateynu (Our Hope) was born just over 2,000 years ago to a Jewish Israeli family from the line of King David.
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)
Truly, this Hope has come to the Jewish People, and He has not abandoned them (Romans 11:1).
HaTikvah is a periodic prayer of hope for “a free nation in our land, the land of Zion and Jerusalem.”
However, Jewish people throughout the world pray daily for their hope of a speedy arrival of Messiah:
“Bring speedily the offspring of Your servant David, and let Him be exalted by Your saving power, for we wait all day long for Your salvation. Blessed are You, Oh Lord, who causes Salvation to flourish.” (15th blessing of the Amidah, Standing Prayer)
They are longing for their Messiah, but why?
As a result of 2,000 years of Christianity, the Jewish people do not view Jesus as the Jewish Messiah, but as a Christian pagan god. They also see that in some denominations, this “god” has followers who worship statues of Mary, thousands of saints, and icons.
Our Messianic Prophecy Bible is different; it is being produced by a team of Messianic / Christian Ph.D. scholars as well as Orthodox Jewish Rabbis. The commentary and notes they produce will explore through the centuries the various viewpoints of the prophecies about the identity and role of the Messiah — this has never been done before!
Will you help us introduce the Jewish People to their Messiah?
“Always be prepared to articulate a defense to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But respond with gentleness and respect.” (1 Peter 3:15te it in your browser.)
uniusrei proud dhimmis kafir murtids dalit goyims 