Johar all, Whatever may be the reason for such violent behaviour of people of Orissa ? Is this the way to show the reaction ?? Ultimately whatever hungama now going on here in orissa in the name of religion; the poor, tribal & dalit people are being targeted and murdered. We are all forgeting the fact that we are ALSO Human being ! ! !
Indra Govind Bhubaneswar On 8/27/08, sri venkat <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Dear Friends > > I came across this IBNlive poll regarding the recent murder and > violence in Khandamal. > > Blind faith? Fragile peace blown to bits in Orissa > > A MATTER OF FAITH: CNN-IBN panelists debate if conversions pitting Hindus > against Christians. > Religion has split Orissa and the divide is murderous. Several people have > been killed in communal clashes in Kandhamal district after the murder of a > Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader on Saturday. > > The VHP called for a statewide shutdown in the state on Monday during which > churches, prayer houses and vehicles were attacked in many places. > > The communal tension began after Swami Laxmananand Saraswati, a member of > VHP's central advisory committee, and four others were murdered by suspected > Naxals in Kandhamal district. > > Police and paramilitary forces are on guard in towns of Kandhamal district. > Section 144, which prohibits the assembly of four or more people, has been > clamped across Kandhamal. > > Saraswati was leading a campaign against cow slaughter and religious > conversion in the communally sensitive district. Rightwing Hindu groups > allege that Christians killed Saraswati because he opposed conversion. > Christian organisations reject such allegations. > > In one of the worst attacks, a Christian woman died and a priest was > severely burnt when a mob set fire to an orphanage run by Christian > missionaries in Bargarh district on Monday. > > The incident again brought shame to the state. Nine years ago, Australian > missionary Graham Staines and his two young sons were burnt alive by a Hindu > mob in Keonjhar district. > > What has caused the communal divide in Orissa? Is religion to blame or > politics? Are conversions pitting Hindus against Christians? CNN-IBN's > Sagarika Ghose asked this on Face The Nation. > > The guests on the show were: RSS spokesperson Ram Madhav, Reverend Dr > Richard Howell, general secretary of the Evangelical Fellowship of India, > and Professor Manoranjan Mohanty, of the Council for Social Development. > > Madhav was infuriated at allegations that Hindu groups were targeting > missionaries and Christians in Orissa. "The situation is quite different. > Hindus are at the receiving end. A highly respected saint was killed. There > is enough evidence to prove the complicity of Christian organisations in the > murder," he claimed. > > Howell rejected the Madhav's allegation and claimed conversion has become > an excuse to attack Christians and malign them. "The VHP gets the maximum > amount of money India than Christians. Christians have used money to serve > and empower the poor and marginalized. Not a single case has been proved > till date in the courts of forced conversion (by Christian groups)," he > said. > > The issue is not religion but poverty, said Professor Mohanty. "Kandhamal > is one of the poorest regions in the country. Seventy per cent people here > are below the poverty line; 51 per cent are tribals and 16 per cent are > Dalits," he said. > > "It is a situation of poverty and landlessness, both among Hindus and > Christians. Orissa has become the experiment ground of globalisation, > economic reforms, mega projects and Hindutva politics." > > Hindu groups are not to blame for the violence and the state is in turmoil > because of Christian missionaries, alleged Madhav. "Every conversion in > Orissa has to be registered with the local police or magistrate but no such > thing happens. Where is the chance for Hindutva politics when missionaries > are going about aggressively and alluring people," he said. > > The Sangh Parivar doesn't hate conversions as much as it does Christians, > alleged Howell. "An ideology of hatred has been propagated by some sections > of the Sangh Parivar. They don't hate Christian service; it is the very > identity of being a Christian that is hated. There are just 2.4 per cent > Christians in India and we too have contributed to the growth of the > country." > > Christians are not hated, insisted Madhav. "Every religion is respected in > this country but Christians criticise and attack Hindu religion. It this > attitude of Christians which is leading to tension in this country," he > alleged. > > The communal divide in Orissa's tribal districts is the result of poverty > and "competitive politics", said Mohanty. "The shrinking rights of tribals > over forests and land and the coming of mega projects is the economic issue > there. They are all poor there and poverty is being diverted to communalism. > It is competitive politics," he said. > > Madhav called such an analysis wrong. "There is a clear cut division > between Hindus and Christians and it is because of their (missionaries) > wrongdoing and Congress leaders. A holy person is killed and the very next > day the Congress tables a no-confidence motion against the state > government—what does it suggest? The Congress is a part of a larger > political conspiracy," he alleged. > > Howell announced Christian institutions in the country would close on > August 29 to protest against the attacks in Orissa. "I hope the civil > society wakes up before it's too late," he said. > > Madhav said Christian groups were free to shut their schools and > institutions but they must also shut "proselytization" activity. > > "Do not make this a Christian versus Hindu issue. We must go into the > sources of violence," said Mohanty. > > SMS poll on 'Are conversions pitting Hindus against Christians?' > > Yes: 91 per cent, No: 9 per cent. > > Blind faith? Fragile peace blown to bits in Orissa > > http://www.ibnlive.com/news/blind-faith-fragile-peace-blown-to-bits-in-orissa/72250-3-single.html > >
