America
‘Strangers in their own land’: Dilemma of the Christians in India (George Abraham)
By
George Abraham, chairman, INOC ,USAMr. Julio Ribeiro, retired IPS officer, former police commissioner
of Mumbai and DGP of Gujarat and Punjab,
recently said the following; ‘as a Christian, suddenly, I am a stranger in my
own country’. He is merely reflecting on the recent dilemma of the Christian
community in India
since the ascendance of Mr. Narendra Modi as Prime Minister. It is indeed a sad
commentary from a distinguished public servant who has served the country with
great zeal and dedication to protect and preserve its territorial integrity
Today, scores of Indian Christians who have contributed in
so many ways towards the development of India especially in the social and
educational sectors are pained to feel the same way as Mr. Ribeiro does! As a
Christian and a member of the Diaspora, I truly share the sentiment of Mr.
Ribeiro and salute him for his fortitude in speaking out.
What exactly has happened to bring about such anxiety and
insecurity to such a small community that poses no harm to its fellow citizens?
The latest reports from India point to two more attacks targeting the Christian religious places of
worship, one at St. George Church in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra and the other at
St. Peter and Paul Church in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, along with two schools
that are managed by the churches.
These may have happened at the heel of another incident in
Nadia district in West Bengal where a 72 year old nun was gang raped by six
individuals at the Jesus and Mary
Convent School.
Reacting to the gang rape of the nun, Surendra Jain, joint secretary of the
Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) blamed the ‘Christian Culture’ for the incident. He
also justified the vandalizing of a church in Haryana and stated that these
attacks would continue if conversions do not stop.
Several churches in Delhi were vandalized and desecrated by
religious extremists in the past months including St. Sebastian Church in
Dilshad Garden which was reduced to ashes with its altar charred and Bibles
strewn all over the ground. Archbishop Anil Couto said that the arson in St.
Sebastian Church was condemnable not just because it was ann act of sacrilege
and hate against the community and its faith, but because it could happen in
the national capital which is recovering from a series of communal incidents.
Also distressing to him is the sense of police impunity that long hours were
lost, and possible evidences destroyed, before police finally came. Most of the
culprits still remain at large and the law enforcement officials seem to show
very little urgency in bringing them to justice.
These incidents are not just limited to certain parts of India but
happening across the country. The recent incident in a village in Chattisgarh
reveals the fear and insecurity of those who have embraced Christianity as
their faith. Sukhram Kashyap, a Christian from Chattisgarh, has not only seen
his church vandalized but was denied food rations from the Hindu dominated
village council and several of his friends were beaten up when they protested.
Some of his fellow worshippers were reconverted in an aggressive campaign
called ‘Ghar Wapasi’ by Hindu fundamentalists who have also banned any
Christian clergy from entering the village.
Breaking a long silence on this continuing onslaught by the
Hindutva brigade on Christians and their institutions around the country Prime
Minister Modi said the following; ‘the tradition of welcoming, respecting and
honoring all faiths is as old as India itself.’ One wonders whether
his ardent followers in BJP and RSS are
listening!
The President of Catholic Bishops Conference of India Cardinal Baselios Cleemis said that the recent attacks on churches and Christians in India have made many ‘feel that their Christian identity is being questioned and it gives a sense of sadness. It showed that not everybody had taken seriously Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s assurance to minorities’. ‘Irrespective of their faiths, anybody being attacked was an Indian citizen and it was the government’s duty to protect them’ Cardinal added.
In an interview to Karan Thapar on Headlines Today, Cardinal
Cleemis also described as “very painful and sad†the comments of RSS head Mohan
Bhagwat that Mother Teresa’s humanitarian works were driven by her motive to convert
those she served. “It was very painful and very sad to hear about Mother Teresa
whom the nation honored with Bharat Ratna,†he said.
There is no doubt that that Cardinal Cleemis spoke on behalf
of all Christians in India
that may very well include many of the faithful in the Diaspora. Although he
did not single out any organization over many of these incidents but went on to
criticize the Modi government for observing Christmas as Good Governance Day,
saying good governance should be done everyday and the Christian festival
should be respected.
One of the most astounding observations that can be made
about these attacks on minorities in India
is that there is a deafening silence on the part of the Diaspora in the US.
Hindu American Foundation, Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America, and GOPIO along
with many other organizations have decided to look the other way. Though
relatively new as immigrants to this great country, Indians continue to demand
our rightful place, justifiably so, at the table in sharing the riches and
defending our values and traditions while not tolerating any injustice that
offends our sensibilities. A huge segment of the community has indeed made
tremendous strides in this short period realizing the American dream and
integrating itself into the mainstream.
However, Christians in India who have lived there for
almost two millennia are made to feel as if they are strangers in their own
land. How a personal choice of faith that is guaranteed under the Article 25
and 26 of the Constitution of India could make or break the ‘Indian ness’ of
its citizenry is beyond the comprehension of any rational mind!
Undoubtedly, the forces of polarization and divisions have
come out of the woodwork and kept themselves busy transforming India at the expense
of the values and principles of inclusiveness and tolerance that brought the
nation together. The current Government’s dual-track policy of providing good
optics for the consumption of the global community while unleashing the
extremist forces to undo the social progress of the last 65 years, mostly under
the Congress rule, is troublesome and disheartening to most of its citizens!
President Obama in his Siri Fort speech prodded the new Government ‘India will succeed so long as it is not splintered along the lines of religious faith, as long as it is not splintered along any lines and it is unified as a nation’. It sounds prophetic and to plainly put it, unless the Prime Minister reins in these extremist elements that run amok now, his dream of ‘modern India’ could be in increasing peril!