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Christians Slam Vajpayee's Critique of Forcible Conversion
GUWAHATI, India, Aug 25 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Leaders of Christian communities slammed Saturday the Hindu-nationalist government's accusations of forcible conversions of Hindus to Christianity, news agencies reported Saturday.
They claimed Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's accusation of Christian missionaries in India of forcible conversions of Hindus threatened India's secular credentials, Agence France-Presse (AFP) said.
"Vajpayee's recent statement vilifying the Church ... has put a big question mark over India's secular nature," George Plathottam, president of the Indian Catholic Press Association, told AFP in Guwahati, capital of the northeastern state of Assam.
The prime minister's remark has reportedly created a sense of insecurity among the country's minorities and encouraged violence against religious leaders, he added.
At a meeting of the Rastriya Swayamsewak Sangh (National Volunteer Corps or the RSS), the radical Hindu group that is the parent of India's ruling Hindu-nationalist BJP party, Vajpayee praised Christian groups for their social work in deprived areas, but said some were abusing their position to attempt religious conversions.
"Some have a conversion motive, which is not proper," Vajpayee was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India, in an allusion to Christian missionaries using their influence to convert Hindus, AFP said.
Vajpayee, who is leader of the Hindu nationalist coalition BJP party, added that Christians had a right to practice and preach their religion as they wished in India.
But, the comment reportedly led to a furor in parliament with the opposition demanding an explanation from the prime minister.
The statement also drew flak from Christian organizations and minority groups in largely Hindu India.
"Christians and Muslims in India are presently under threat with radical Hindu groups, backed by the ruling BJP-led government, attacking and defaming the two minority communities," said Maulana Hamid Ahmed, a senior Muslim scholar in Guwahati.
"The BJP and its frontal groups have always been making false charges about our madrasas (Islamic religious schools) aiding and abetting anti-India activities."
Radical Hindu groups are suspicious of the Christian missionary movement, particularly in India's northeast. They accuse the Church of supporting separatist campaigns..
"There are about 2,000 Christian missionaries active in the northeast and most of them openly support separatist militants by way of moral and financial help," said Arvind Bhattacharyya, northeast India general secretary of the militant Vishwa Hindu Parishad (World Hindu Council).
"The activities of the missionaries, particularly the Baptist churches, should be kept under watch by the government for boosting secessionist campaigns and also indulging in forced conversions."
But, church leaders have rejected accusations that missionaries use incentives such as schools, healthcare and money to attract poor tribal people into accepting Christianity.
"In the 50 years since the 1951 national census, the Christian population fell to 2.34 percent from 2.8 percent and that goes to prove no conversions were taking place," said Reverend J.M. Pau, general secretary of the Council of Baptist Churches in northeast India.
The Indian premier was speaking at a function to mark the release of a book written by BJP General Secretary, Narendra Modi, on Lakshman Madhav Inamadar, a prominent leader of the RSS. The RSS is a Hindu social and cultural group which is seen as the ideological mentor of the BJP.
Vajpayee, who is regarded as the moderate face of the BJP, condemned the recent killing of four RSS workers in Tripura, northeastern India, saying the media had deliberately overlooked the incident as the victims were Hindus.
"The RSS activists had gone there to serve the people. I was sad to learn that their sacrifice went unnoticed. Had the news been about Christian missionaries, it would have been widely covered," he said.
"The media's attitude should change," he added.
Vajpayee strongly defended the RSS, which he said had been wrongly portrayed as fanning communal divisions.
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