India, a nation celebrated for its diversity, is witnessing an alarming surge in hate-driven violence. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration, anti-Muslim sentiment has been on the rise for more than a decade, leading to widespread fear and division across the country. However, an unsettling new pattern has emerged: Christians, a small minority in India, are now finding themselves increasingly under attack.

Reports of churches being vandalized, worship gatherings disrupted, and Christian leaders threatened have grown in number. These incidents, although not new, have intensified as Hindu extremist groups broaden their targets. Their agenda appears to hinge on pushing a narrow vision of nationalism tied closely to majority Hindu identity, dismissing the plurality that has long defined India. For Christians, whose community makes up just about 2.3% of the nation’s vast population, the growing hostility is profoundly disturbing.

Hindu extremist groups have alleged Christians are engaged in forced conversions, a claim often devoid of evidence yet used to justify violence against the community. Christian charities, missionaries, and social workers aiming to serve remote communities through education and health initiatives are now operating under fear. In some states, laws have even been enacted to penalize religious conversions, targeting minorities under the pretense of protecting local cultures.

The impact of this escalating hate is palpable. Families avoid attending Sunday services, fearing mobs that could erupt at any moment. Congregations are shrinking, and the overall sense of safety for Christians has drastically diminished. Leaders within the community voice concerns not only for their immediate safety but for the constitutional protections that were promised to all citizens.

Why does this matter to the rest of the world? Because India’s story is not just about its own borders. It’s about the future of religious freedom in one of the world’s largest democracies. A country with such influence within the international community and a growing role on the global stage must confront its internal struggles with equality and tolerance. If discrimination and violence against minorities are left unchecked, it not only risks eroding the nation’s stability but sets a troubling example in a turbulent world.

What happens in India today may hold lessons for other countries grappling with rising extremism and division. For now, Indian Christians and other minorities await meaningful intervention and, perhaps most importantly, solidarity from the global community.