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_WORLD WATCH______________________________
________________Bhutan_______________
Christianity outlawed
Believers told to leave
Christians in Bhutan, who make up only 0.33 percent of the population, are facing some of the strongest opposition and persecution they have ever experienced, Christian Solidarity Worldwide reports. Fear is growing among believers, as Bhutanese Christians are being told to either leave their religion or leave the tiny Asian country—which is located between India, Nepal, and China.
Bhutan, the only Buddhist kingdom in the world, has no written constitution or bill of rights. There is no legal guarantee of freedom of religion. Buddhism is the state religion and non-Buddhists suffer political and social discrimination. Among the population of 1.8 million, about 70 percent are Lamaistic Buddhists, 24 percent are Hindu, 5 percent Muslims, 0.6 percent animist, and 0.33 percent Christians, (of whom just 500 are Catholics).
Persecution against Christians is now widespread and systematic, with crackdowns reportedly taking place in the form of village-by-village investigations. On Palm Sunday, April 8, Bhutanese authorities and police went to churches to register the names of believers. Many pastors were detained for interrogation and threatened with imprisonment. Other believers scattered for fear of being identified. The campaign started last year, when the government began sending official forms to government employees and private business owners, demanding that Christians sign agreements to comply with “rules and regulations governing the practice of religion.”
Penalties for practicing the Christian faith include denial of free education for children, of medical facilities, of career promotions, and of visas for traveling abroad.