‘Opposition targets government on conversion in Agra ’…
‘Bid to impose Hindutva agenda”…
This and more we heard and saw in Parliament on ‘ghar wapsi’.
According to Mayawati, ‘Secularism is part of the Constitution-they (read RSS) are violating the basic tenets, BJP has a hand in it’.
It was all pandemonium let loose in both the Houses with members dashing into the well. It seems as though some new danger has been sighted by them some danger to the Constitution and to the secular fabric of India .
Suddenly the MPs have become sensitive to upholding the Constitution when they do not even uphold the oath they take to function without fear or favor….
It seems that at least occasionally the MPs are conscious that we have a Constitution.
When the UPA government was in power the Constitution was eroded and every tenet of it dented and over ridden.
But what I cannot understand is the fact that conversions have been always forced. This was the strategy from time immemorial. Not only in India but the world over
But let us focus on India alone now.
It has been a continuous conversion business.
The invaders who came to India did not just stop with plundering the country and becoming rulers but they brought along their missionaries and their churches.
First it was the Dutch, then the Portuguese then the French and finally the English.
All these indulged in ruthless conversion through force and whatever methods possible.
The poor Indians had no other option but bend to the powerful.
This is relevant to realize that all Indians-have their ancestry in Hinduism.
St Francis Xavier used every force-fraud and even the Inquisition to convert Hindus. Those who did not fall in line had to flee or were tortured and killed. History records his barbarism and the brutality with which he dealt with the Hindus. Places of worship were raided-destroyed and his public punishment was chopping off the hand for those who followed any form of Hinduism. The pillar where these unfortunate ones were dragged and hand chopped off is called the Pillar –De- Amputation.This pillar even today exists in Old Goa . This is the reason why the victims of Francis Xavier oppose the public display of his corpse. But the Church has raised him as a saint .
That may be old history but what about the much revered Mother Theresa. Did she not use blackmail to convert?
Innocent children who were dying-the old and the infirm were baptized all under the garb of caring for them. They were not even aware of what was happening to them. They were in pain and in utter misery.
Today the church looks on innocently.
So when one says there should be no forced conversions I am flabbergasted because all conversions have some sort of a force-be it physical, psychological or social.
Allurements and enticements were used especially where there is starvation and disease and pain and hopelessness.
How did the North East States become Christians-due to their volition?
I know a Salesian priest who used to write to my husband to send money for conversion. He even revealed that ‘the priests do not go openly but through the catechist(a low level functionary of the Church) we approach the tribal people and give them money and promise other benefits’ .
So for a loaf of bread for a few rotis and for a few rupees these unfortunate ones are ready to change their religion.
Is this faith or force?
Has this changed?
Not one of the so called political leaders raised their voices against Mother Theresa’s blatant conversion business?
Where was the Constitutional norm then?
Where was secularism then?
So it is only when the Hindus engage in ‘ghar wapsi’ that our political netas become aware of the Constitution and secularism and cry themselves hoarse-They then pose as great defenders and champions of secularism. This is a fraud and an injustice. This double standard is what they always resort to.
When I was working in a village project in the outskirts of Chennai-near Mahabalipuram many of the SC families told me that they were converted by the local parish priest. This they said was for their children to get admission in a minority run institution and or to get some employment. They did not mention cash .
I am fully aware that the tactics used in Tamilnadu and Andhra Pradesh (may be in other States also of which I do not have first hand knowledge) the priests tell them plainly to continue with their Hindu names and enter in their application forms as SCs so that they get all the benefits due to the SCs but in reality they are all Christians.
So Varadan becomes Victor for the Church record but for government records he continues to be Varadan.
Take the example of Andhra \Pradesh’s former Chief Minister Rajasekaran Reddy.Many thought he was a Hindu but his first name is Samuel. These are not exception cases but the normal rule-the double deception that the Christians used. The thousands of conversions that he affected through the evangelical church of his by giving them money and luring them with other promises is well known to those in AP
But a reading of the historical data on Church history will be an eye opener for those who today think that ‘ghar wapsi’ is against the Constitution and secularism.
Where did this notion of secularism go when thousands of years conversion was only through force?
In recent times too it is covertly done. Whether some netas like it or not how does one account for the millions of other religious followers. Does it mean that on their own accord through faith and belief and enlightenment they all got converted?
Did the Muslims not convert through the sword?
Is there no love jihadi?
It is common for the Muslim/Christian to marry a Hindu and then later convert the partner to the Muslim /Christian religion.
But as far as I know the Hindus did not go in for conversion.
Today one talks of ‘ghar wapsi’-I fail to understand why this full throated Opposition.Where did this opposition go when conversions were taking place in India earlier and now only through some form of force.
The Constitution has paved the way for this business by granting Minority Rights to the Minorities. Hence right from a tender age children are segregated in Christian institutions and in Madrassas-and groomed to think that they are different from others on the basis of religion.
So we Christians think and proclaim that we have the ONE true God…Children brainwashed thus are subjected to forced-an intellectual force- where by they think in terms of differences and grow up thus in ghettos.
We have Catholic doctrine for the Catholics, Bible classes for the Christians and Ethics for the Hindus.
All this in Minority institutions which is run on government money. I do not know if other education Institutions also follows the same.
Is this secularism?
As though the Catholics and the Christians and the Muslims do not need ethics!!!
Why is it when one says that India is a Hindu country there is so much of opposition and anger-but then one says that Pakistan is a Muslim country and so are other Middle East countriesthere is no adverse reaction.
If in conversation one terms the UK/US and other European countries as Christian countries there is no objection.
Why this allergy to call India a Hindu country?
That does not mean others cannot live here and that does not mean that secularism is thrown out. It simply means that Hinduism was in India as far as memory goes-it is as old as this country. Hinduism sprung from the soil of this country and did not come from any other shores-unlike other religions. So what is the problem in calling a spade a spade?
Similarly when one talks of Hindutva the so called secularists see red.
Is it wrong or against secularism to be nationalist and a patriot?
I think it a weakness and a phobia of the so called ‘secularists’.
After all let us be honest when Jinnah wanted Pakistan the reason he gave was that the Muslims will not be able to coexist with the Hindus.So he wanted the country to be partition which was done.
Now can the Hindus not have their own ethos and their own religion and their own perception of nationalism?
What is the problem in accepting this simple truth that this in no way destroys secularism.
For that matter it is the politicians who are hell bend in destroying secularism. Why even the demand of reservation on the basis of religion is anti-secular. For the sake of vote bank politics the political leaders divide the people. We have other religious leaders even threatening the Hindus. The political leaders simply looked the other way when conversions in large numbers were taking place.
But now that the Hindus have started the ‘ghar wapsi’ they pretend to be shocked that secularism is being destroyed.
I remember some years ago in Trichirapally in Tamilnadu one of the pastors baptized even those who were not present because their names were on the list but were unable to attend the service.
It is well known that evangelical churches look for numbers and even poach on other churches members.
Foreign funds flow in depending on numbers. One has to watch a couple of channels in the TV to realize this.
The psychological blackmail that these pastors indulge in is a fraud and vulnerable people fall a prey to it.
The testimonies of cures-the revelations etc are all a fraud inflicted on a vulnerable already affected and afflicted populace.
The political netas are not worried about this.
As long as it is not Hinduism they simply look the other way.
It seems to be a sin or an aberration if one is a devote Hindu but if one is a devote Christian /Muslim then it is not frowned upon.
And that the devotedness of being a Christian/Muslim mean…even when it comes to following the anti-secular dictates of their religion like the ‘fatwa.
It is no secret that Muslim scholars keep on repeating that Islam is a peace loving religion. Is that what the world experience –see in the Islamic countries. Even another Islamic sect is not tolerated.
The World Human Rights forums do not raise their voices against the persecution, the killings the beheadings and above all the terrorism unleashed by religion.
It is only when the Hindus raise their voices and reconvert then hackles are raised that it is unconstitutional and against secularism.
This is not only a double standard but an injustice and a display of a warped perception.
Dr Mrs Hilda Raja,
Vadodara, Gujarat
COMMENT : Dr. Mrs. Hilda Raja is an octogenarian. She was, while in service, the Head of the Department of Social Sciences, Stella Maris College, Chennai. Her husband was a professor at the Loyola College, Chennai. Advancing age made them translocate to Vadodra, Gujarat, to be with their children. A wonderful Christian couple that I was privileged to have known. I cherish my meetings with them.
Bala
------------------------------
RELATED PLEASE :
RSS for re-conversion if conversion continues
16 Feb 2011
With curtains finally drawn on RSS’ three-day mega conclave at Mandla in Madhya Pradesh, the mouthpiece of the outfit has hit out at those who have been opposing re-conversion of converted tribals.
The editorial in the latest issue of Sangh’s mouthpiece, Organiser, said it must be made clear for once and all that as long as conversion takes place, anti-conversion and reconversion efforts will be made by Hindus.
“It is the duty of every Hindu to work towards protecting the religion, in order to safeguard the national unity and integrity. For, forces inimical to our country are working towards balkanising it,” it said.
Christian Missionaries had raised objection to RSS’ Narmada Mahakumbh in Mandla saying it was an effort to reconvert tribal, a claim that was vehemently refuted by the Sangh.
The mouthpiece wrote there was absolutely no reason for the Christian leaders to express fear over the Kumbh andwent on to say their fear only goes to prove that Christian leaders have been indulging in coercive and aggressive conversions unchallenged and any faint sign of resistance was giving them jitters.
Organiser wrote, “If the Christians and Muslims have a right to carry on conversion, using means foul and unethical, the Hindus have double the right to bring the converts back to their original faith.”
Maintaining that rising religious conversions were tearing into the cultural and social matrix of the country, the Organiser wrote centuries old rituals, customs and practice that helped bind the communities were being forced to be abandoned.
“The indigenous knowledge and system are being demolished to pave way for imported, western models of life, thoroughly unsuited for Indian conditions,” the edit said, adding, “While it is a fact that decades of development has bypassed these communities living in the interior rural India, coerced religious conversion are not bringing them any closed to the advantages of development”.
------------------------------
Narmada Kumbh and the manufactured evangelical protest
Editorial
February 20, 2011
The Narmada Samajik Kumbh, a purely cultural event is being politicised and demonised so much that it makes one feel as though the Hindus cannot even gather for a legitimate cause. The unwarranted protest of some Christian leaders over the Kumbh and the instant support of the Congress Party to them only confirm the long-held suspicion, that the Congress party and the UPA government are actively abetting religious conversion of tribals and adivasis.
Narmada Samajik Kumbh is the second such event being organised by the Hindu organisations, with an objective of promoting the values of our heritage and culture. In a growing atmosphere of terrorism, Maoist bloody campaign and the increasing economic, political and social inequalities, these Kumbh are organised as anchors for strengthening the fabric of the society and nationalism.
The first such Kumbh, held in 2006 in Dangs district in Gujarat was a major success, with eight lakh people affirming their commitment to the larger national cause. In this Narmada Kumbh, 10 lakh people are participating from the entire Central India region. The venue for the event from February 10-12 is Mandla, in Madhya Pradesh, along the banks of the river Narmada.
There is absolutely no reason for the Christian leaders to express ‘fear’ over this Samajik Kumbh. They have said that the Kumbh is an event for reconversion of tribals from Christianity back to the Hindu fold. Their ‘fear’ only goes to prove that they have been indulging in coercive and aggressive conversions unchallenged and any faint sign of resistance is giving them the jitters.
The point is, the Kumbh’s objective is not reconversion.
And even if it is, what right does any community have to protest? If the Christians and Muslims have a right to carry on conversions, using means foul and unethical, the Hindus have double the right to bring the converts back to their original faith.
It must be made clear once and for all that as long as conversions take place, anti-conversion and reconversion efforts will be made by the Hindus.
It is the duty of every Hindu to work towards protecting the religion, in order to safeguard the national unity and integrity. For, forces inimical to our country are working towards balkanising it.
A recently brought out book Breaking India: Western Interventions in Dravidian and Dalit Faultlines has exposed the well-entrenched network of foreign funds, NGOs and the Church, which is working overtime to divide the Hindu society vertically, horizontally and diagonally, and to create disaffection between people and lead to a Africa-like scenario, where civil war and inter-clan and inter-community clashes have reduced the continent to puzzle board pieces.
The book, a result of five years of research has used the data collected from various western embassies on the funding and the destination of these funds. While it has been known that both the West and Islamic forces have been pumping money through various channels into India for disruptive activities, this book nails the sources and the end recipients.
Under this sponsored cacophony, it has become near-impossible to hear the voices of nationalism and sanity.
Under the UPA, the situation has worsened like never before. While terrorists are given safe passage and invited for talks as state guests, the few Hindu organizations are being targeted systematically to create a fear psychosis.
Government appointments are all being made on only one criterion - that the appointees should have a minority background, bloodline or identity. The media has been completely taken over, toeing the government line or echoing the babble of the leaders of the anti-Hindu bandwagon.
For instance, Britain has always claimed to be the melting pot of cultural identities and in the name of freedom of the individual encouraged sections to operate from within that country against the interest of others, like India.
Now, in a speech delivered at the Munich Security Conference last week, British Prime Minister David Cameron said, "Multiculturalism is doomed to fail; societies need a national identity."
He bemoaned the fact that the British society had become mute and meek and did not stand up to the elements that were wrecking the national character. This situation is precisely what is developing in India, only here, it is the state that is sponsoring efforts to weaken and dilute the core identity of the nation, in the name of pluralism and diversity.
The rising religious conversions are tearing into the cultural and social matrix. The centuries old rituals, customs and practices that helped bind the communities are being forced to be abandoned.
The indigenous knowledge and system are being demolished to pave way for imported, western models of life, thoroughly unsuited for Indian conditions. The new religions spread disaffection towards the state and try to instill apathy to the political system, which would eventually isolate them from the mainstream of national politics and governance. While it is a fact that decades of development has bypassed these communities living in the interior rural India, coerced religious conversions are not bringing them any closer to the advantages of development. On the other hand, the purpose is just the opposite.
It is in this context that events like Narmada Samajik Kumbh reinforce the faith of the people in the nation, in the community and in their culture and heritage, all issues intrinsically related to the Hindu religion. These events are social pilgrimages that would go a long way in strengthening the people-to-people bonding.
No comments:
Post a Comment