AmazonSmile is a website operated by Amazon.com with the same products, prices, and shopping features as the latter the only difference being that Amazon donates 0.5% of the price of eligible purchases to a charitable organization of one’s choice.
While that may come across as a noble thing to do, Amazon lists only Christian missionary organizations that consumers can support. Some of these organizations are even problematic.
Mid India Christian Mission (MICM), is one such organization that was recently caught violating Indian visa laws, which has been exposed by Mission Kaali, an initiative that exposes Christian missionaries in India.
We have caught MID INDIA CHRISTIAN MISSION, which @amazonIN allows in their Amazon Smile program, while they do not allow Hindu NGOs in their program. Need any more confirmation that they support #ConversionMafia organisations? pic.twitter.com/nFWsan5VMj
— Mission Kaali – Say No To Conversion (@missionkaali) November 30, 2020
MICM was started by one Vijai Lall in 1969. Vijai Lall was a 2nd generation Indian Christian. It was headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA until 2011. Now it is headquartered in Fresno, California, USA. Vijai Lall’s son David Lall is now the president of MICM. David Lall’s wife Sheela is the vice president. David and Sheela’s son Vivek, who is in the US, is also part of MICM along with his white American wife.
His father Samuel Lall (changed from Prem Lall) was converted as a young boy after being raised in a Christian orphanage. The whole story is available on MICM’s History page.
MICM works primarily in Madhya Pradesh, the state where the Lall family hails from. Apart from building ‘child care homes’, built schools and training centers, they have also done church planting extensively in Madhya Pradesh. They recently posted that they have planted their 50th church in Madhya Pradesh. In all their endeavours, the just have one aim declared by themselves –“bring people to Jesus”.
MICM has partnered with Cross City church in Fresno, which has sent over American missionaries to illegally convert vulnerable people in Madhya Pradesh for which there exists video proof of one James Corrao.
There is also proof that MICM has established its presence in Udaipur, where Cross City missionaries have also gone.
Realizing that they could be kicked out by the government any day, they tell foreign missionaries not to post pictures on social media showing them baptising vulnerable people.
In their website, they give instructions to show how to support MICM through Amazon Smile. They had declared that they had earned $51 from purchases made on Amazon, but this information has been scrapped off from the page after Mission Kaali’s expose.
It should also be noted, that MICM has blocked Indian origin IP addresses from accessing their website, a move that is increasingly being employed by Christian missionaries to stay away from the radar of whistleblowers. One would need to be outside of India or use a VPN to access it.
It is clear that whatever visa people belonging to MICM hold in India, they are in violation of the terms and conditions of the visa. A tourist visa can only be used for non-business purposes, such as tourism or visiting family and friends. Even if one holds a missionary visa, the person cannot use it for proselytizing activities and can only join a missionary organization approved by the Government of India for which the organization must receive a certificate indicating it is compliant with the Foreign Contributions Regulatory Act.
With MICM openly admitting to concealing evidence that they violate the FCRA, the organization invites action to be taken against it.
Mission Kaali has now filed a complaint with the Home Ministry to take action.
Citizens can file complaints against organizations involved in illegal proselytization activities with the Ministry of Home Affairs at this link. Click here for a guide on how to file complaints against such individuals or organizations.