JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES, 36 ASSOCIATES BANISHED FOR NOT TAKING PART IN TRADITIONAL RITUALS

JALISCO, Mexico – Twelve members of the Jehovah’s Witnesses as well as 36 other people who associate with them in a Huichol indigenous community in the mountainous region of Jalisco, Mexico have been banished from their homes for refusing to take part in offensive traditional ritual in the community.

Miffed by the develop, some gangsters spurred on by the community invaded their homes and evicted them from their ancestral land.

“Mexican national authorities respect Huichol traditions and culture to the extent of granting this society a certain degree of autonomy.
At the request of the traditional Huichol government, enforcers violently removed our brothers from their homes, which they subsequently ransacked, stealing doors, windows, and roofs.

“Any items that were not stolen were thrown into a ditch. The brothers were then taken to a forest and told that they would be killed if they attempted to return”, the JWs said on their website.

They added that a representative from the branch office in Mexico traveled to meet those displaced to give spiritual support and to arrange for housing. Legal representatives for Jehovah’s Witnesses, they said met with the director of the Jalisco government, the human rights prosecutor, the regional prosecutor, and the director of attention for crime victims.

We gathered that thelegal authorities are now investigating these crimes.

Brother Gamaliel Camarillo, a spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses in Mexico, explains: “We are truly appalled that our fellow worshippers, who live peacefully in their community and respect local customs, have been attacked simply because they will not participate in religious rites that offend their conscience. It is hoped that the local authorities will swiftly address this religiously driven persecution,” he said, adding “we pray for our brothers who have lost their homes and belongings, and we are confident that Jehovah will continue to provide the needed assistance through his organization.—Isaiah 32:2”.