The Abductions

In February 2019, suspected Arakan Army (AA) militants, a separatist group largely comprised of Rakhine-Buddhists, abducted a Christian pastor in Buthidaung, a township located in Myanmar’s conflict-ridden Rakhine State. According to the victim’s wife, armed militants surrounded the pastor’s house, saying their commander wanted to talk to him. However, when he left the residence, he was tied up and abducted. At the time of writing, the victim has not been heard from, and AA militants have issued no ransom demands to date.  

Suspected AA militants also abducted, and subsequently murdered, another Christian pastor in January in Sittwe, Rakhine State. A group of five armed AA militants similarly lured the victim out of his residence, saying their commander wanted to talk to him. Security forces recovered his body, along with those of several other civilians kidnapped by militants, in February 2019.

Both victims were local nationals representing major international Christian charities and missionary organisations. The victim from Buthidaung represented the Barnabus Fund, an international and interdenominational aid agency based in the UK. The victim from Sittwe was affiliated with Gospel for Asia, a Christian non-profit organisation based in the US. The AA is currently engaged in an ongoing military offensive against the Myanmar military, known as the Tatmadaw, which has displaced thousands of residents. The militants reportedly targeted the pastors because they were engaged in missionary and charity work on behalf of those displaced by the conflict, with militants accusing the missionaries of trying to convert Buddhist refugees. These cases demonstrate the growing threat of targeted kidnappings and murder faced by individuals engaged in missionary and religious charity work in the region.

Religious Nationalism and Repression

It is not just in conflict zones in Myanmar where Christian missionaries and religious charity workers are at increased risk. According to a January 2019 report by Open Doors, a Christian activist organisation, persecution targeting Christians has increased dramatically in Asia since 2014, with one in three Asian Christians polled by the group saying they have been targeted or discriminated against on religious grounds. Other organisations, including the Pew Research Center, Freedom House, and Amnesty International, have also noted decreased overall religious freedom in many Asian countries. 

In many cases, governments’ ideological opposition to religious beliefs, most notably in authoritarian countries, is the primary driver of persecution. However, another key driver is resurgent religious nationalism at the societal level in many democratic Asian countries with dominant religious majorities. In such cases, local governments often implicitly support exclusionary religious nationalism as a means of garnering electoral support, and are often wary of directly acting against nationalist groups for fear of alienating religious majorities. Consequently, many non-state actors, such as vigilante groups, are able to operate with relative impunity.

India is a prominent example of this trend. Due to a rise in Hindu nationalism, persecution of religious minorities increased dramatically in India in recent years. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has allegedly given its tacit support to this persecution. Resurgent religious nationalism in India has seen an increase in attacks on religious minorities, including Christians. Attacks are often linked to so-called cow vigilantism, in which extremist Hindu vigilante groups attack religious minorities over their consumption of beef. Cows are sacred animals in Hinduism. 

Rising religious nationalism has gone hand-in-hand with an increase in the number of abductions targeting Christians in India, especially individuals engaged in missionary and religious charity work. Recent victims include pastors, who are often targeted for performing conversions to Christianity, which are socially and politically controversial both in India and other Asian countries. 

With the increase in religious nationalism in multiple Asian countries, including India and Myanmar, the frequency of abductions and attacks targeting missionaries and charity workers will continue to rise. International missionary organisations and religious charities are, therefore, advised to closely monitor developments in the region to ensure their members remain safe.

Case Studies

China. In December 2018, Chinese authorities detained over 100 Christians, including a prominent pastor and legal scholar, over allegations they were “subverting state power.”

India. In October 2018, a group of Hindu nationalist vigilantes abducted a pastor over allegations that he was attempting to convert an elderly woman. Local police rescued the victim after the suspects’ vehicle was stopped at a checkpoint.

India. In June 2018, a group of armed men, allegedly Hindu nationalists, abducted and sexually assaulted five female Christian missionaries over allegations they were converting Hindus.

Sri Lanka. In October 2018, suspected Sinhalese Buddhist nationalists kidnapped and tortured a pastor in Colombo.

North Korea. In August 2017, North Korean authorities released a Canadian pastor who had been detained in the country for two years.

Malaysia. In February 2017, a prominent local pastor was abducted in Petaling Jaya. The victim remains unaccounted for. Authorities said Islamist militants were responsible. However, the victim’s family accused security force personnel of being complicit in the abduction.

Myanmar. In October 2018, the United Wa State Army (UWSA), a predominantly Wa separatist group, detained over 100 Christians, including pastors and missionaries.