In India: Christians under siege By Basilio G. Monteiro [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Global economic convulsions, brazen terrorism attacks and all other life-and-death struggles in India and in the rest of the world provide a perfect cover to attack the vulnerable 2% of the Indian population with impunity. With all the problems and issues to be covered in the media, there is not enough space in the newspapers, nor enough time on television to cover the genocide of Christians taking place in India the land of - original harmony -- at the hands of a vociferous fraction of irrational extremists. May be there is also lack of interest to cover these events. The ever-gawking CNN and the BBC, the international media, are too afraid to cover these dastardly stories; the RSS lobby in the USA and in the UK is too powerful and highly efficient to keep off-limits any comments or reaction from the leaders of these countries. It is easy to beat up on a tiny 2% of the population, who do not have any political clout or financial muscle; besides, their religion teaches them not to engage in violence, not to retaliate, but rather to turn the other cheek and to forgive, and to forgive seventy times seven. The confusion about who is who The Catholic and mainline Protestant Churches, such as the Anglican, the Methodist, the Presbyterian, engage in social development by offering education, health and other developmental services. They do not proselytize -- convert -- the people whom they offer their services. Admittedly, they did this in the past; but, for the past half a century or so, these Churches went through a process of self-examination about how to witness and live their faith (certainly not by active proselytization); and should one on one's own volition be interested in inquiring about the Christian faith, it is one's own personal choice. These Churches -- Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican, Methodist, Presbyterian -- have promoted relentlessly, over the centuries, the common good in our country, helped to educate our best minds, formed some of the best Indian citizens, provided health and social wellbeing to millions, without asking for anything in return. They have provided shelter to millions of citizens, who would have otherwise lived like the pariah of the society. The contributions of these Churches to the greater good and the overall development of Mother India have been simply remarkable. Conversion, or reckless proselytization, has surely not been their driving force. It is important to note here that there are Christian fundamentalist churches -- usually the fringe Pentecostal Evangelical Churches -- who, with their irrational zeal, try to proselytize, rather aggressively, whomever they encounter on their path. The Pentecostal Evangelicals descend in a village, 'baptize' their 'recruits', and immediately leave the place. The Catholics and the mainstream Protestant Churches have a permanent residence in the places where they work. Their schools, churches, social work institutions are integral part of the village life. The Evangelical Protestants are so transient that it is not possible to locate their footprints. The Catholics, the Lutherans, Anglicans, Presbyterians are the ones who take the brunt of the ire of the local fanatics. Besides, the Pentecostal Evangelicals consider that Catholics are anti-Christ, who need 'conversion'. The ill-informed and already highly jaundiced groups of RSS and Bajrang Dal as well as other fanatic groups cannot and do not know to distinguish between those Christians who do not proselytize, and those who shove the Bible down people's throats. Fanatics, particularly the militants -- whether Christians, Hindus, Muslims or others -- draw their birth as well as growth charts under the shadow of an exploitative leader, who capitalizes on their ignorance and their disposition for blind servitude, which, in turn, gives them a sense of usefulness and worth. It is an old trick, which unfortunately works, to use religion to whip up nationalism; even Christians have used it in the past. The business of education: a source of tension Another reason for tension in some of these places is the 'business' of education. Christians, by and large, run first-rate educational institutions. Some individuals in local communities think that education is a good business to get into; they open schools and do not succeed. Students continue to flock to the schools run by Christians, because they and their parents realize that these schools offer a degree of excellence that helps them to build a better future for themselves. Local educational entrepreneurs find it difficult to compete with those who educate with a difference. Every year Christian schools in India, by some accounts, educate fifteen million students; and there are no fifteen million conversions to Christianity. A good number of RSS leaders have benefited from the education provided by Christian schools; why these Christian schools have not succeeded in teaching their non-Christian students who Christians are, what they do, and why they do what they do is a question to ponder. After all, an average student spends at least five years in these schools. To consider the presence and the work of Christians in India as a threat to Hinduism is laughable. Of course, as indicated above, there are some Christian groups who do engage in unsavory practices of proselytization; failure to recognize and identify these groups, and address these violent intrusions in the lives of the unsuspecting people is a blight on our glorious history of civilized society, with hospitality as its hallmark. To exploit the uninformed and the unemployed and to engage them in the destruction of the other is not good karma, nor it is a befitting dharma. For Christians and non-Christians, Jesus Christ has been and continues to be a source of inspiration to dedicate our lives "to tell the good news to the poor, to announce freedom to the prisoners, to give sight to the blind, to free everyone who suffers" (teachings of Jesus Christ). Amartya Sen, in his elegant and eloquent book, The Argumentative Indian, has brilliantly demonstrated and argued that we have a rich and glorious tradition to argue, and solve our problems with argumentation, and not to destroy and kill the other. Let us gather around the village mand and argue, and solve our problems, and understand our differences, and strive to respect them.