Christianity Today reported on 25 October 2017 that the President of Nepal, Bidhya Devi Bhandari, has signed a new Criminal Code Bill into law, which establishes further
constitutional protection for Hinduism (practised by 80% of the population). The new law restricts religious conversion and the "hurting of religious sentiment" or blasphemy. According to a
Nepali Christian website called Nepal Church, reporting on 18 October 2017, a section of the new law reads:
- No one should be involved in or encourage conversion from one religion to another.
- No one should convert a person from one religion to another religion or profess their own religion and belief with similar intention by using or not using any means of attraction and by disturbing the religion or belief of any ethnic groups or community that has been practiced since ancient times.
- If found guilty; there will be punishment of five years of imprisonment and penalty of fifty thousand rupees [approximately $770 USD]. If foreigners are found guilty; they will have to be deported within seven days after completing the imprisonment.
Rolf Zeegers, persecution analyst at World Watch Research, points out that the new law was not unexpected: "When Hindu Nepal became a secular state in 2008, Christians in the country experienced a huge increase in freedom. Christianity flourished and grew rapidly - the Church tripled in size between 2008 and 2017 - to the anger of Hindu radicals who have constantly aimed at restoring restrictions to the freedom of religion ever since. Hindu radicals managed to get a restrictive Article 26 included in the country"s September 2015 Constitution, but the new law goes much further. Of course it is still too early to see what effects the new restrictions will have, but it can hardly be denied that secular Nepal is becoming more and more hostile towards non-Hindu religious minorities. The country"s Christians must watch their step."
