Evangelical Christians in rural villages of southern Mexico have suffered persecution for decades.
For many years, their suffering went unnoticed except by persecution watchdog groups like Christian Solidarity Worldwide, International Christian Concern (ICC), Open Doors, and Voice of the Martyrs.
But the Protestants’ plight finally is getting some high-profile attention.
In what ICC called a “historic first,” 13 U.S. lawmakers on the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission sent a letter to Mexico’s attorney general, Arely Gonzalez, calling for prosecution of religious freedom violators.
In villages in four Mexican states, syncretists or “traditionalist” Catholics, who have blended Catholicism with their indigenous pagan practices, have persecuted evangelicals at least since the 1970s, said ICC advocacy director Isaac Six, who noted more than 150 instances of persecution just in recent years.
Christians have been fired, driven into exile, and even imprisoned for years under false charges — especially in Chiapas, said Emily Fuentes, a spokeswoman for Open Doors. “Traditionalists” view their blended tribal and Catholic beliefs, rituals and superstitions as part of their cultural identity, which is why they perceive evangelicalism as a threat, she said.
The persecution often starts out small, such as cutting off electricity or water supplies over a dispute such as paying into the village fund for religious festivals, Six said. Festival rituals often contain alcohol or drug use, prompting some evangelicals to refuse to participate, he added. Sometimes disagreements escalate to threats or violence.
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SOURCE: Baptist Press
Julia A. Seymour/WORLD News Service
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