Rev. K.K. Alavi: The preacher Muslim extremists love to hate

Thiruvananthapuram – Manjeri in Kerala is a predominantly Muslim town and a popular Islamic pilgrimage spot. In this town, the name of The Rev. K.K. Alavi, the son of a devout Islamic cleric, sends shivers to the conservative Muslims.

Called “one of the bravest Christians in India,” Rev. Alavi has been receiving numerous death threats from Muslim fundamentalists, ever since he accepted Christ at the age of 21.

According to news sources, Muslim clerics, in their prayer meetings, mention his name as an enemy of Islam and even killers were hired by Islamic extremist groups to snuff out his life. Besides vilifying the pastor in Muslim conferences, newsletters and newspapers, Islamic outfits have also circulated audio cassettes in India and the Middle East maligning Rev. Alavi and his Christian mission. Many have also falsely filed court cases against him, charging him with crimes ranging from cheating to arms smuggling and rape.

However, undeterred, the 53–year old Rev. Alavi continues to do what he does best – preach the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Besides having written more than 20 books and tracts calling upon Muslims to understand the true essence of the teachings of Jesus, Rev. Alavi also oversees a literature program of tracts, booklets and study aides examining Islamic viewpoints on Christianity.

“Last month, a few reporters came to me warning that killers were out to take me down,”Compass Direct quoted Rev. Alavi as saying. “All my life I have had threats from fundamentalists. So I wasn’t surprised to hear this from reporters who were tipped off by a source with a radical Indian Islamic group.”

Police officials and intelligence agencies have also confirmed that certain Islamic groups are out to kill him, Compass Direct reported.

Though the Kerala High Court has sanctioned police protection for him, Rev. Alavi, who pastors an independent Lutheran church, New Hope India Mission, has shrugged aside the offer. “I can claim security from police wherever I go, but I believe if I do that I’ll lose the protection of my guardian angels,” he said. “So I’ve declined man’s support and have turned to God’s care and protection. Who can kill me if God’s with me?”

According to Rev. Alavi, the attempts on his life were made as early as 1981 when a Muslim mob attacked his house with machetes. “I ran all the way to the police station. Later I took refuge at the home of a Hindu attorney,” he recalled. In another instance, an unidentified gunman shot at his house, leaving marks on the wall that are still visible today. Even in the church he is not safe. “Once while I was speaking in a church, a man pointed a gun at me…but he had to flee when a Lutheran sister tried to talk to him,” he recalled.

“My family was shaken, but I knew the Lord would protect me,” he said.

Rev. Alavi still receives many threatening letters from militant organizations such as Tiger Force and the Islamic Front. His church has been attacked several times and the Cross destroyed.

“Now, sources have alerted me that I’m on the hit list prepared by the Muslim fundamentalist National Development Front,” he said.

Why? Because “I happened to be the first Muslim in a Muslim town who still converts Muslims in modern times,” he said. “They saw clearly that I’m a sort of a bridge for many to walk to Jesus. They could never stand the idea. Hence I happen to be their foremost enemy.”

Such are the ordeals of a pastor whose widely published testimony has inspired hundreds of Indian Muslims to turn to the path of Jesus. His life story, published in a booklet titled An End of a Search, is translated into 32 languages and circulated in many cities in southern India.