India Naga Leaders Meet to Reaffirm Peace Accord

Leaders of the three Naga factions at the summit that reaffi rmed the Naga peace accord

. . . For this to materialize, Naga political leaders must sit down together and agree to forge a new understanding and chart a new destiny of respect and freedom,” the letter reads. “We the undersigned implore you, as a

Leaders of the three main factions in

the Northeast Indian state of Nagaland met on August 20 and 22 to “strengthen the reconciliation process” and to affi rm the peace accord that was signed in 2009 and confi rmed in September 2010. According to an email received by

the Baptist World Alliance, leaders at the meetings expressed remorse “for all the wrongs they have committed to each other and to the Naga people,” that “the past is the past,” and that they “are prepared to understand each other to work towards building a shared future.” The longstanding disputes date back

more than 50 years. Between 1992 and 2009, more than 2,330 insurgency related fatalities have been recorded in Nagaland. The meetings were convened in

Dimapur, the commercial capital of Naga- land, by the Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR), which issued a statement after the meetings were concluded. “Nagas have longed for genuine reconciliation among us,” the statement reads. “The path to Naga reconciliation remained arduous due to decades of confl icts fortifi ed between us” and we “collectively express our sincere apology to the Naga people for all the wrongs we have committed in the course of the Naga struggle.” A resolution passed by the General

Council of the BWA in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in July, commends “the continu- ing reconciliation process between the confl icting Naga groups in Northeast India and Myanmar,” and thanks “God for the persistent and courageous witness for peace by the Forum for Naga Reconciliation.” The

10 BAPTIST WORLD MAGAZINE

resolution further encourages those parties who signed the Covenant of Reconciliation “to fulfi ll its promise,” and “honors those within the world Baptist community and the larger Christian church who, through prayer and action, assisted the ministry of reconciliation among the Nagas.” A group of concerned persons, including

BWA General Secretary Neville Callam and Director of Freedom and Justice Raimundo Barreto, sent a letter in early August to the FNR urging all parties “to make the pledge to Naga Reconciliation a fulfi lled reality.

signatory of the Covenant of Reconciliation to participate in the reconciliation meet- ing of the Naga leaders facilitated by the Forum for Naga Reconciliation as early as possible. We believe your participation in the meeting is central in reaching a sustain- able reconciliation agreement among the Naga groups,” the concerned persons said. Wati Aier, principal of the Oriental Theological Seminary in Dimapur and convener of FNR, was presented with the 2011 BWA Denton and Janice Lotz Human Rights Award at the BWA meetings in Kuala Lumpur in July. Aier was recognized for helping to broker peace between the three nationalist groups in Nagaland.

Germany

How Baptists Encounter Muslims: European Mission Conference in Elstal

By Michael Kißkalt Thirty-fi ve Baptists from most

regions of the European Baptist Fed- eration (EBF) participated in the mission conference, “Baptist-Muslim Encoun- ters,” held June 7-10, 2011 in Elstal, Germany. They shared their experiences of encounters with Muslims, joined together in worship and prayer for each other and discussed their understandings of mission and dialogue. Studies about interreligious encounters in the Bible enriched the program. Within the EBF family are found

various experiences of encounters with Muslims. In many Muslim societies, Baptist Christians form minorities within the Christian minorities. They suffer from

the emigration of many church members who immigrate to Western countries. The remaining churches do not hide but engage in their societies as positively as possible. In most Muslim countries, Christians can live out their faith with a measure of religious freedom. State authorities give support and protection to Christian churches when they are attacked by extremist Muslims who fi ght for a society governed by Shar’ia law. The Egyptian participant at the

conference called for prayer that the uncertain situation in his country might lead to democracy, not allowing the conservative Muslim Brotherhood to come into power. Arab Christian churches in Israel and in the West Bank are grateful for developments in their