Articles
Banning Conversions
Dt:5/12/22
Banning Conversions
-Dr T.H.Chowdary*
The Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly passed a Bill on 30 Nov 2022 against religious conversion. This is not the first time that such bill / acts were passed in several states of India. In the 1950s, the then government of Central Provinces (CP) appointed the Js. Niyogi Committee to inquire into the large -scale conversions of tribals and other vulnerable sections of Hindu society by by different Christian missionaries by fraud, enticement, false propaganda against Hinduism and such questionable activities. In consequence of the Niyogi Committee report, the Congress government in Central Province (now Madhya Pradesh), Orissa and some other states enacted legislation against religious conversion. Now the Karnataka government is also contemplating such legislation. The problem however is in the implementation of the laws already made against conversions. For eg: in the tribal areas of Orissa about 40% of the tribals have been converted. By those that were converted according to the procedure prescribed in the anti-conversion law can be counted on fingers . Which means the laws are not being enforced. By now conversions to Christianity have reached menacing proportions in AP, Tamilnadu, Chhattisgarh, Orissa , Jharkhand and some other states despite anti-conversion laws earlier enacted.
2. In AP in some districts the conversion has been to such an extent that the converted are demanding for a separate Christian district just as in Kerala, Haryana and Punjab where Muslim majority districts are carved out of existing composite districts - Malappuram out of Malabar; Mewat out of Guwahati and Malerkotla in Punjab.
3. The fraud involved in conversion has reached menacing proportion threatening the interests of unconverted SCs . For eg: before the division , in composite state of AP, the proportion of Christian population as recorded in census bears out one of the aspects of fraud .
Christian Population in Andhra Pradesh (undivided)
|
|
Year |
||||
|
|
1971 |
1981 |
1991 |
2001 |
2011 |
|
Total population mln |
43.5 |
53.6 |
66.5 |
76.2 |
84.5 |
|
Christians mln |
1.8 |
1.43 |
1.2 |
1.1 |
1.1 |
|
% of Christian population |
4.19 |
2.68 |
1.83 |
1.44 |
1.38 |
Source: Census of India
4. The fraud is: the converted were told not to disclose the fact of conversion for any government record including the census so that even after conversion, they can get the reservations and other benefits meant for Hindu, Buddhist and Sikh SCs. Now in AP with the Chief Minister, a committed Christian who has initiated the practice of paying salaries to Pastors as for government officials out of government funds and is constructing churches through the government’s Public Works Department (PWD).The Christianization is out in the open.
5. Mahatma Gandhi, who like Dr Ambedkar is quoted with admiration for most of his views was openly critical and denunciatory of conversion by Christian missionaries . Here are some quotes:
Mahatma Gandhi on Missionaries
Presented below are some views of Mahatma Gandhi on Christians’ proselytization activities. For more, one may refer to Chapter 14: “Encounters with Mahatma Gandhi” (Pages 124 to 238) in the book, “ History of Hindu-Christian Encounters” (A D 304 to 1996) by Sitaram Goel, a Voice of India publication.
“I should stop Proselytising:
The Harijan dated May 11, 1935, published an interview given by Gandhiji to a missionary nurse before that date. The nurse asked him, “would you prevent missionaries coming to India in order to baptise?
Gandhiji replied, “If I had power and could legislate, I should certainly stop all Proselytising.
It is the cause of much avoidable conflict between class and unnecessary heart burning among the missionaries .In Hindu households the advent of a missionary had meant the disruption of the family coming in the wake of change of dress, manners, language , food and drink.
Ø Mahatma Gandhi advised the missionaries to serve the spirit of Christianity better by dropping the goal of proselytizing but continuing their philanthropic work.
Ø …” Although the missionary went to the foreign fields to win souls for Jesus, the results of his labours also meant the extension of commerce. Trade would follow the banner of the Cross, as readily as it would the Union Jack, the Stars and Stripes, or any of the other national emblems and usually it cost a good deal less.”…. (Young India of February 8, 1923)
Ø “I am sorry to have to record my opinion that it (Christian missionary work) has been disastrous. It pains me to have to say that the Christian missionaries as a body, with honourable exceptions, have actively supported a system which has impoverished, enervated and demoralised a people considered to be among the gentlest and the most civilized on earth.”. (Young India Feb 8, 1923)
Mahatma Gandhi further wrote: “…it (the missionary’s work) is not unusual to find Christianity synonymous with denationalization and Europianisation….”
Ø “In Hindu households the advent of a missionary has meant the disruption of the family coming in the wake of change of dress, manners, language, food and drink”. The nurse commented, “Is it not the old conception you are referring to? No such is now associated with proselytisation”. Gandhiji was well-informed about the missionary methods. He said, “The outward condition has perhaps changed but the inward mostly remains the same. Vilification of Hindu religion, though subdued, is there……”
Ø About the humanitarian work Gandhiji had this to say. , “ the other day a missionary descended on a famine area with money in his pocket, distributed it among the famine-stricken, converted them to his fold, took charge of their temple and demolished it. This is outrageous. The temple could not belong to the converted, and it could not belong to the Christian missionary. But this friend goes and gets it demolished at the hands of the very men who only a little while ago believed that God was there.”
6. Dr Ambedkar was also against conversion of Dalits not only to Christianity but also to Islam. In his final act of quitting from Sanatan Hindu Dharma in 1956, he exhorted the Dalits not to convert to Christianity or Islam as in either case they would lose the great and glorious heritage of India and get de-nationalized .
7. So what is necessary is not merely these laws which will not be and perhaps cannot be implemented in the face of determined fraud and political parties’ to get block votes of minorities going easy on their fraudulent actions.
8. Article-25 of the Constitution : “Freedom of conscience and free profession, practice and propagation of religion”.
(1) Subject to public order, morality and health and ……..all persons are equally entitled to freedom of conscience and the right to freely to profess, practice and propagate religion.
It is necessary to remove the word “propagate” in Art- 25 of the Constitution.
This word, propagate drew bitter criticism and denunciation from two eminent members of the Constituent Assembly Loknath Misra & K T Shah:
While speaking on this provision, Sri Loknath Misra, an eminent parliamentarian and scholar observed, “….to my mind article 19 (which became Art-25 in the final version of the constitution) is a Charter for Hindu enslavement. I do really feel that this is the most disgraceful article, the blackest part of the draft constitution. I beg to submit that I have considered and studied all the constitutional precedents and have not found anywhere, any mention of the word propaganda (propagate) as a fundamental right relating to religions…propagation of religion brought India into this unfortunate state and India had to be divided into Pakistan and India. If Islam had not come to impose its will on this land, India would have been a perfectly secular state and a homogeneous state. …if you accept religion, you must accept Hinduism as it is practised by an overwhelming majority of the people of India….”
Prof K T Shah was another eminent member of the Consembly. He too was opposed to have this fundamental right to propagate religion put in our constitution. While opposing this provision, he moved an amendment which ran, “ provided that no propaganda in favour of any one religion which is calculated to result in change of faith by the induvial affected shall be allowed in any schools or colleges or other educational institutions; in any hospital or asylum or in any other place or institution where persons of a tender age or of unsound mind or body are eligible to be exposed to undue influence from their teachers, nurses or physicians, keepers or guardian or any other person set in authority above them and which is maintained fully or partially from public revenues or is in any way aided or protected by the government of the Union or of any state or public authority therein”.
9. Besides amendment to delete the word, propagate a law should be made to make propagation of religion with a view to convert, either by individuals or groups or associations or missions, a criminal offence. (1,437 words)
END