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Christianity in Manipur

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St. Joseph's Cathedral, Imphal
Majority religions in Manipur—Christian in blue, Hindu in orange, Muslim in green

Christianity is the second largest religion in Manipur, a state in Northeast India, according to 2011 census. The tribal communities, Kukis and Nagas are overwhelmingly Christian, along with their kindred communities in the neighbouring states.[a] The dominant Meitei community has only small numbers of Christians, but Meitei groups claim Christianity to be a threat.[1][2] At the start of the 2023–2024 Manipur violence, Meitei mobs burned down 200–300 churches in the Imphal Valley belonging to all communities, and prohibited pastors from rebuilding them.[3][4][5]

Early missionaries

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Rev Willian Pettigrew guess (1902) - first missionary to the Kingdom of Manipur

Christianity in Manipur can traced back to an Anglican named William Pettigrew,[6] who lived in India when Surchandra Singh was the maharaja of Manipur. Pettigrew, who was born in Edinburgh and educated in London, applied to work with the Arthington Aborigines Mission in India and travelled to Bengal in 1890. He worked for two years in Dhaka and Silchar. In 1891, Pettigrew applied for permission to work in Manipur, but this was not granted until 1894. He worked for a time as a teacher in Imphal, teaching the children of government civil servants and soon afterwards opened a school for boys in Manipuri and established a permanent mission station there.[7]

Origins

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The first Meitei to convert to Christianity is debated. It is traditionally believed that Angom Porom Singh of Phayeng was the first to be converted in around 1896, but another tradition says that Ningol Kaboklei met a Christian missionary in Sylhet (presently in Bangladesh) and converted to Christianity in around 1893, a few years prior to the arrival of William Pettigrew.[8][9]

In December 1912, Porom Singh became the headmaster of a school at Ukhrul, where his teaching responsibilities included preaching the gospel. He was one of only seven Christians who stood by Pettigrew. At the outbreak of the First World War, he helped Pettigrew raise a labour corps, later becoming a corps leader and an interpreter.[10]

Followers

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Phungyo Baptist Church along with its members

Protestants (mostly Baptist) outnumber Catholics in Manipur.[11] A Manipur Baptist Convention exists. The Reformed Presbyterian Church North-East India Synod has its seat in Manipur.[12] The Presbyterian Church in India and the Church of Christ are present in the state, too.[13][14] The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Imphal has its seat in the state. The Manipur Section of the Seventh-day Adventist Church has about forty congregations.[15] The All Manipur Christian Organisation (AMCO) exists.[16]

Demography

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Religion in Manipur (2011)[17]

  Hinduism (41.4%)
  Christianity (41.3%)
  Islam (8.40%)
  Other religion (8.9%)
Historical Christian Population in Manipur
YearPop.±%
1901 45—    
1911 132+193.3%
1921 4,050+2968.2%
1931 10,401+156.8%
1941 25,727+147.4%
1951 68,394+165.8%
1961 152,043+122.3%
1971 279,243+83.7%
1981 421,702+51.0%
1991 626,669+48.6%
2001 857,285+36.8%
2011 1,179,043+37.5%
Source: Centre for Policy Studies[18]

As per the 2011 census, there are 1,179,043 Christians in Manipur, making up 41.3 percent of the population.[19] Of these, 1,119,719 people are in the hill districts,[b] where they make up 92 percent of population. The valley districts[c] have 59,324 Christians, making up 3.6 percent of the population.[19]

Manipur's tribal communities are overwhelmingly Christian. With the exception of Kabui Nagas (who are 90 percent Christian), all other tribes have 97 or 98 percent Christianity. Thus the Christians in the valley districts would also be mostly tribals (56,913 in the 2011 census).[20][d] The remaining 2,000–3,000 people would belong to the non-tribal communities including the Meiteis.[e]

Tribes

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Percentage of Christians in the Scheduled Tribes:[21]

Tribe Christians Percent
Thadou 211,272 97.85%
Tangkhul 175,200 98.11%
Poumai 126,092 98.99%
Kabui 93,416 89.90%
Mao 92,602 99.21%
Kacha Naga 64,357 97.28%
Paite 54,815 98.69%
Hmar 47,804 98.82%
Vaiphei 42,224 98.29%
Kuki 27,784 98.03%
Maram 27,221 98.90%
Maring 25,858 97.86%
Zou 23,718 97.63%
Anal 23,107 98.29%
Gangte 16,859 98.14%
Kom 14,345 98.74%

Persecution and violence

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During the past seven decades, Hindu nationalist organisations have demanded the revival of the indigenous faiths of tribal communities in Northeast India. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has also demanded that the Scheduled Tribe status of tribals should be revoked unless they return to their indigenous faiths or Hinduism.[22]

It was reported that the Meiteis were alarmed by the rapid rise of Christianity in Manipur in recent years. Claims were made that there was a 62% increase of Christians in the state between 2001 and 2011, and that the valley districts saw a jump of 15%.[22][f] In recent decades, the Meiteis aimed to revive the traditional religion called Sanamahism, and many Meitei Hindus started adopting it. Pressure was brought on Meitei Christians as well to convert to Sanamahism. The Meitei activists organisations Arambai Tenggol and Meitei Leepun instrumental in applying this pressure, as well as the leadership of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).[22] According to Meitei pastors, the terms of conversion for Meitei Christians required them to personally burn the Bible, remove all Christian symbols from their homes, and sign a legal affidavit declaring their conversion to Sanamahism.[22]

There were various points of tension between the Meitei Christians and non-Christians in the months prior to May 2023. A rally held by Meitei Christian MLA Paonam Brojen Singh came in for criticism because he is alleged to have admired tribal Christians for their recent progress and claimed that Meiteis were being held back by their "old religion". After the ethnic violence started in May 2023, a mob of several thousand people attacked his house.[22]

The 2023 ethnic violence started on 3 May at the border between Kuki-dominated Churachandpur district and Meitei-dominated Bishnupur district, soon after a tribal solidarity march held by tribals against a Meitei demand for Scheduled Tribe status.[23] The first victim of the violence was a pastor from Torbung–Kangvai area called Haopu Kipgen, who was bludgeoned to death.[24] The violence spread to Churachandpur Town and the Imphal City on the same day, and to the rest of Imphal Valley quickly afterwards. A very large number of churches (estimates ranging from 200 to 300) were burnt down by Meitei mobs in the next few days.[3][4] The Catholic Archbishop of Imphal Dominic Lumon has said that 249 churches were burnt down in 36 hours.[25][26] While he claimed that all these churches belonged to Meitei Christians, it was not corroborated by others. Congress leader Bhakta Charan Das said 18 churches belonging to the Meitei community and 2 churches belonging to the Naga community were destroyed, while the others were of unspecified affiliation.[27] Many of the destroyed churches are believed to have served multiple communities.[28] Some of the pastors had to flee under the cover of darkness to escape death.[28]

After this initial spurt of destruction, the Christians in the valley appear to have been extensively persecuted. A pastor said that a mob forcefully entered his home and burned all Christian texts, including the Bible. Most pastors were found to be too afraid to speak to journalists. Some were beaten up. Some had fled the state. Others were forced to convert to Sanamahism.[22]

There were also attempts to downplay the role of extremist Sanamahi groups and push the blame on to the Kuki people. The Meitei Christian Churches Council issued a press statement claiming that all the destruction of Meitei Christian properties was carried out by the Kukis. But the Archbishop denied it, saying there was no evidence for the claim.[22] Philem Rohan Singh, a celebrity cyclist who emerged as a Meitei Christian leader after the violence, claimed that the Kukis had burnt down Meitei Christian churches in the Kuki-dominated districts, giving a list of such churches. Again this was denied by the Archbishop as well as journalists who verified that many of those churches were still standing unharmed.[22][29][30] Rohan Singh also claimed that an agreement had been reached with Arambai Tenggol and Meitei Leepun to resume church services in the valley. However the displaced pastors did not believe the claim saying he could have said under threats.[22]

There were also efforts to paint the Manipur violence as a purely ethnic clash, with no religious angle. The BJP quoted Cardinal Oswald Gracias, the Archbishop of Bombay, as stating this.[31] However, Archbishop Lumon took a firm stand in an interview with Karan Thapar, pointing out the attacks on Meitei Christian churches and pastors.[32] The British Foreign Secretary David Cameron made a similar point in the House of Lords, based a report by David Campanale.[33] The Meitei groups continue to make the claim.[34]

List of denominations

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Sources:[35][36][37][38]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Neighbouring Nagaland has 88 percent Christian population, as does Mizoram.
  2. ^ The hill districts in 2011 were Senapati, Tamenglong, Churachandpur, Ukhrul and Chandel.
  3. ^ The valley districts in 2011 were Bishnupur, Thoubal, Imphal East and Imphal West. (The Jiribam subdivision was included in the Imphal East district.)
  4. ^ There are 28,205 Nagas, 20,618 Kuki-Zo people and 6,590 Old Kiki/Naga people living in the valley districts.[20]
  5. ^ Estimates of 300,000 (3 lakh) Meitei Christians given by some journalists[1][2] are not supported by the census data. The number is closer to 3,000.
  6. ^ The census data shows only an increase of 37% and the increase in valley districts could be partly attributed to the migration of tribal Christians into the valley.

References

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  1. ^ a b Saikia, Arunabh (31 May 2023). "Caught in the middle of Manipur's ethnic conflict, Meiteis who follow Christianity". Scroll.in.
  2. ^ a b Sitlhou, Makepeace; Kuthar, Greeshma (27 December 2023). "While the conflict has been ethnic in nature, there has been an underlying communal element to the violence". New Lines Magazine.
  3. ^ a b Churches and homes attacked and set ablaze in India violence, Sky News, 4 May 2023.
  4. ^ a b Ziya Us Salam, Christian groups, alarmed by church attacks in Manipur, urge Centre to start talks, The Hindu, 5 May 2023. "While the Kukis and other tribals in the districts close to Imphal are the main targets as a community, the churches targeted include those of the Christians in the Meitei community."
  5. ^ Aman Gupta, Manipur: Archbishop claims 249 churches burnt in 36 hours, says, 'collapse of constitutional machinery', Mint, 19 June 2023. "249 churches belonging to Meitei Christians in Manipur have been destroyed within 36 hours, with some pastors told not to rebuild them, according to the Archbishop of Imphal."
  6. ^ Naresh, Huirem (10 May 2019). "Reverend William Pettigrew and Modern Education in Manipur - Imphal Times". www.imphaltimes.com. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  7. ^ "Papers of William Pettigew". Archives Hub, JISC, UK. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  8. ^ Chandra, Madhu (12 June 2021). "Theological Scholars of Manipur Commemorate Saroj Nalini Arambam, First Theologian and First Woman BA, MA". Imphal Review of Arts and Politics.
  9. ^ "Angom Porom Singh remembered". The Sangai Express. 4 January 2022.
  10. ^ Khongsai, Doulet (2018). "THE IMPORTANCE OF CHAKPA COMMUNITY IN RELATION TO THE ORIGIN OF CHRISTIANITY IN MANIPUR". Commers Arts Science - International Research Journal (CASIRJ).
  11. ^ "Manipur". Metro Church of God. Archived from the original on 22 March 2012.
  12. ^ "Churches in Membership". The International Conference of Reformed Churches. Archived from the original on 17 July 2012.
  13. ^ India (in Dutch), Luisterend Dienen, archived from the original on 22 March 2012
  14. ^ Silbano Garcia, II. (17 November 2013). "Manipur – Directory of the churches of Christ". Church-of-christ.org. Archived from the original on 15 July 2012.
  15. ^ "Manipur Conference". Seventh Day Adventist Church. Archived from the original on 14 December 2013. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
  16. ^ "Golias-editions.fr" (in French). Golias-editions.fr. 28 May 2010. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
  17. ^ "Table C-01 Population by religious community: Manipur". Census of India. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India. 2011. Archived from the original on 9 February 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  18. ^ "The Christianisation of the Northeast" (PDF). Centre for Policy Studies. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 April 2018.
  19. ^ a b "Indian Census 2011". Census Department, Government of India. Archived from the original on 13 September 2015.
  20. ^ a b A-11 Appendix: District wise scheduled tribe population (Appendix), Manipur - 2011, Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, Government of India, 2011, PC11_A11a-14
  21. ^ Christianity among the Scheduled Tribes of the Northeast: Mizoram, Manipur and Nagaland, Centre for Policy Studies, 18 October 2016, archived from the original on 13 February 2017
  22. ^ a b c d e f g h i Sitlhou, Makepeace; Kuthar, Greeshma (27 December 2023). "While the conflict has been ethnic in nature, there has been an underlying communal element to the violence". New Lines Magazine.
  23. ^ Yudhajit Shankar Das, Manipur violence: State is burning, but what is the decades-old fuel behind the fire, India Today, 4 May 2023. Updated 8 May 2023.
  24. ^ Lien Chongloi, Dispelling Some Misleading Claims About the Violence in Manipur, The Wire, 27 May 2023.
  25. ^ Archbishop of Imphal claims 249 churches burnt in Manipur: ‘Religious attack carried out’, The Indian Express, 18 June 2023.
  26. ^ Greeshma Kuthar (31 July 2023), "Fire and Blood: How the BJP is enabling ethnic cleansing in Manipur", The Caravan
  27. ^ Vijaita Singh, Ten Kuki MLAs from Manipur demand 'separate administration', The Hindu, 12 May 2023.
  28. ^ a b Shilshi, John S. (2024), The Incredible Journey, Blue Rose Publishers, p. 110
  29. ^ Surinder Kaur, Meitei Christians Caught in Middle of Manipur Violence, Christianity Today, 30 May 2023.
  30. ^ Karan Thapar, 249 Meitei Churches in Valley Burnt Not By Kukis But May Be By Tenggol, Leepun: Archbishop of Imphal, The Wire, via Youtube, 1 August 2023.
  31. ^ Kumar Shakti Shekhar, Manipur violence is a tribal conflict, not a religious one: BJP quotes Christian priest, The Times of India, 28 July 2023.
  32. ^ Shilshi, John S. (2024), The Incredible Journey, Blue Rose Publishers, p. 112
  33. ^ Naomi Canton, ‘There is a clear religious part’ to strife in Manipur: UK ex-PM David Cameron, The Times of India, 18 April 2024. "Campanale's report, which TOI has seen, written in June 2023, states: 'It is to be noted that if the conflict is explained by citing ethnic or economic disputes between valley people and tribals from the hills, account still needs to be given as to why churches among both were destroyed. There is a clear religious dimension.'"
  34. ^ Guru Aribam Naocha, Ongoing violence not a religious conflict, calls for peace and unity: Chennai Manipuri Community, Imphal Times, 23 September 2023.
  35. ^ World Christian Encyclopedia, Second edition, 2001 Volume 1, pp. 369–370.
  36. ^ "Imphal The Pentecostal Mission Church | The Pentecostal Mission Church in Imphal, Manipur - WowCity.com". In.wowcity.com. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
  37. ^ "Kuki Kahi Kakipah E". Archived from the original on 13 August 2013. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
  38. ^ "Manipur Baptist Convention | CBCNEI".
  39. ^ "MELC at a Glance". 15 February 2015. Archived from the original on 7 May 2018. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  40. ^ MELC INDIA - Manipur Evangelical Lutheran Church, India Archived 10 March 2019 at the Wayback Machine (formerly known as Zomi Christian Church)
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