Nonviolent Decolonalism: In the Face of Sr. Valsa John Malamel

This paper aims to critically engage with the narrative surrounding the tragic killing of Sr. Valsa John Malamel, a Thomas Christian nun, as explored in the 2013 Wall Street Journal (WSJ) publication *Crimes against Women.* This narrative dissects the brutal killing of Sr. Valsa John Malamel, a Thomas Christian nun, in Pachhwara village, Jharkhand, India, on November 15, 2011. The paper undertakes three objectives: introducing the incident, reviewing the decolonial discourse on “religious conversion,” and re-evaluating the event, focusing on illegal mining and the nun’s leadership against it. Emphasizing Sr. Valsa John's Thomas Christian identity, rooted in pre-colonial Eastern Christian heritage, challenges narratives conflating Christianity with colonialism. This study exposes the flaws in decolonial methods targeting Indian Christians as remnants of colonialism, advocating for an Eastern perspective and a focus on gender in the study of Christianity to decolonize misguided approaches.