India (text reproduced here; link to changing page): Christian women from Orissa state, India, were attacked and humiliated for refusing to give up their faith. On February 6, Hindu extremists dragged eight women, including two 15-year-old girls, out of their homes while their husbands were at work and tried to persuade them to renounce Christianity. When the women refused, the extremists beat them, stripped them naked and forced them to walk through their villages before shaving their heads. When the attackers made further threats against them, the women and their families fled the two villages of Kilipala and Kanimul in Jagatsinghpur district. An Indian television network later interviewed the victims, who said their faith remained firm and they would not re-convert to Hinduism. Christian workers say members of several Hindu extremist groups have been actively working in the area to promote awareness of the “evils of Christianity” and that this may have led to the attacks. District officials promised to take action against the attackers, but had made no arrests at press time. (Compass Direct)