Nepal: A secular constitution or not?

The general strike against the new constitution of Nepal (ABC News, 17 August 2015) led to deadly clashes with security forces. While reports focus on the breaking up of the country into six federal states, another dangerous development goes almost unnoticed. Daniel, persecution analyst for World Watch Research, explains: "While the administrative organization of the country is an important task affecting the representation of its minorities, it is the growing Hindu nationalism, fueled by sister organizations from India, which should be causing more worries. Reuters reported on August 5 that Hindu extremists were taking to the streets of Kathmandu, protesting against the notion that the constitution should be "˜secular", as Christians and other religious minorities demand. According to the protestors, the country is under threat from proselytizing Christians. They demand that the constitution declares Nepal to be a Hindu state. This would put the already neglected small Christian minority under additional pressure as every word or deed bearing a Christian stamp could be interpreted as proselytizing."