Despite its majority in the Lok Sabha, this government, like the previous one, is regularly getting into trouble and unable to be productive. This is partly due to the statements and actions of Narendra Modi’s allies. I wrote about one minister last week. This week there were two things that brought trouble. One was the needless statement made by a BJP MP glorifying Nathuram Godse, Gandhi’s assassin. The MP, a sadhu, who has decided to become a leader, said the fellow famous for shooting an unarmed old man was a patriot. I say it was needless because everybody knows that this is the view of the Sangh — why bring it up in public when you know it is going to halt parliament, as it of course did.
Modi was firm and made the minister eat his words in parliament. However, the other problem may not see surrender from the government. It is about religious conversions. This is an issue that has long troubled the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Usually it is Hindu conversion to Islam or to Christianity that the party is bothered by. This is even though the numbers of such conversions today are very low, and usually the conversion happens because of not belief but marriage.
This week the shoe was on the other foot and it was Muslims who were being supposedly converted in Agra, the former Mughal capital. The BBC reported that “some 250 people had attended a havan (a basic ceremony). Most residents of the slum are poor rag-pickers and many said they had been promised ration cards and other basic amenities by a local Hindu activist if they attended the event. One slum resident, Salina, said she had no idea that it was a conversion ceremony. "During the ritual, suddenly we were made to do what the priest was doing. One Muslim man was even made to hold an idol in his hand.
"After the ritual was over, the local activist told us that we had all become Hindus. We wanted to protest, but we were advised to keep quiet as we were told we would get a ration card and other amenities."
Another resident Mumtaz, however, said that no one had forced her to attend the ritual and that all those who attended had done so voluntarily.
To me it did not seem to be a major issue but the Urdu press was aghast and angry. Inquilab, one of India’s oldest and most respected Urdu papers, carried an editorial with the headline “Jhoot, dhoka aur badtareen firqa-parasti” (Lies, betrayal and sectarianism).
The opposition was immediately on the offensive in parliament. The BJP responded by saying it was also troubled by conversions and wanted a halt to them. This was, of course, not where the debate was supposed to go. But the more the opposition holds on to the matter, the more fuel the BJP will get for its original argument, that all conversions are bad and must be regulated by the state, even though this necessarily cuts against freedom of religion. For this reason, it would be unwise of the opposition to make more of this issue than is required. My friend in the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Ashok Chowgule, sent out a list of statements Gandhi himself had made on the issue, including this one: "I disbelieve in the conversion of one person by another. My effort should never be to undermine another's faith but to make him a better follower of his own faith. This implies belief in the truth of all religions and therefore respect for them. It again implies true humility, a recognition of the fact that the divine light having been vouchsafed to all religions through an imperfect medium of flesh, they must share in more or less degree the imperfection of the vehicle."
He also spoke against proselytisation, meaning actively seeking to convert people. He said: "One sordid motive violates the whole preaching. It is like drop of poison, which fouls the whole food. Therefore, I should do without any preaching at all. A rose does not need to preach. It simply spreads its fragrance. The fragrance is its own sermon ... The fragrance of religious and spiritual life is much finer and subtler than of the rose."
The Indian Constitution has settled the debate and the law is clear. Article 25 gives all Indians “freedom of conscience and free profession, practice and propagation of religion.”
India is unusual on the sub-continent in having such a liberal law on religion and the opposition should keep that in mind when it attacks the government on this issue. It should not allow a single incident to become the reason to relook at the law.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 14th, 2014.
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COMMENTS (45)
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@Rex Minor: My previous response to your comment didn't pass muster with the ET moderators. Maybe this one might. Mr. Minor, now I see why you are a "minor" Rex, not a major one. Such miserly and hateful comments can only be uttered by one without conscience or a moral compass. (And about "Rex" - you may want to reconsider that one.)
@ Rangoonwala @ Motiwala @ Kohistan wala
You, multiple dis-order personality-wala, from the idiom you use - I would place you in India. It seems you are extremely dissatisfied with your position in 'Hindu' India. Pray tell me, what is keeping you from crossing the Wagah border (can be done on foot too) to reach your promised land of milk and honey of highest 'pak' aka pure order?
If I have mis-read the signs and you already belong to the 'purest' land, how many Hindus have you met in your life to have developed such a visceral hatred for them?
I do not know how erudite you are, but at least you seem to be computer savvy, can't you pull yourself out of the morass of indoctrination you have received and see that hate begets hate.
No community is bad in its entirerity - of course there are individual rotten apples amongst the Hindus, as there are amongst other groupings, why would one want to rob the Hindus of their idiots!
But, such sweeping global statements that one reads from you - do they have a place in today's world?
I guess you have to answer for yourself.
@Rangoonwala:
We don't need any "certificates" from you about the "quality" of our democracy. If you don't like it - you can shut up or put up. We decide what we want and how we will live. We don't owe you any answers and you have no right to ask any questions.
800 million Hindus live in India and that is the national character of India. Those who don't like it can leave - especially the dirty illegals and their "secular" cockroaches in the Congress party.
@ Rex Minor:
Oh boy, you sure do hate the the Indians and the Hindus, don't you?
The flame of Havana is now being offered to all citizens of India without any discrimnation, is not a good omen since it will be followed by a very large fire ball for the Indians to collectively receive Nirwana.
Such that you now wish them a nuclear holocaust. These are extreme and extremist views. I hope the German Verfassungsschutz is keeping track of this.
One would have thought that a political asylee, having found refuge in a third country would learn from the tolerance of the host. I guess the indoctrination you received in your childhood was too strong and you are too weak a person to break free from it
I wonder what the ET's moderation policy is about. This is a Pakistani forum and clearly Hindu, Hinduism and India bashing is the order of the day. But such extreme views?
@Razzaq:
"Indians who were flooding this site and giving lectures to pakistanis on forced conversion are nowhere to be seen now."
Read the article before making comments. There was no forced conversion. Those who converted did so by their own free-will and choice. Indian law prohibits forced conversion while allowing freedom to choose one's faith.
Just face it india..You are a muslim Pakistan..you are no better than us..in fact you might even be worse because you keep deluding yourselves into thinking that you are a truly secular country.In a truly secular country a person like Modi could never come to power.
@Ali: RSS is a body of Hardline-Hindus but not of Hinduism. And, it's not in conversion business. It's interest lies in stopping Hindus from getting converted. For that, it wants to make all conversions illegal or at least strictly monitored. Current spate of staged conversions in to Hinduism is only to elicit strong reaction, if possible even extremely violent reaction, from Muslims & Christians particularly of U.P. State, so that Govt gets an excuse to issue Ordinances (that require no vote in Parliament) regulating all proselytising activities all-India. Modi has gone down to cheap levels: to needle Christians his Govt has even toyed with the idea of tinkering with Christmas holiday. No Muslim/Christian has reacted violently so far, which must have disappointed the fellows, but let these lethal lot try out such stunts (Ghar Vapasi) with Dalit Neo-Buddhists & India will be in trouble-their anger against such Hindus is ancient.
Indians who were flooding this site and giving lectures to pakistanis on forced conversion are nowhere to be seen now. Their secularism was always hollow. Now it is out in the open. It was always about Hindu supremacy and Hindu fascism for them. So next time before blabbering about Pakistan get your own house in order.
The Hindutva goons have a single point agenda and conversion is just a small part of it. they target poor muslims especially those living in slums.Offer some incentives like ration cards etc and then threaten them with physical violence. this is the gameplan. In this case people the naive people were said it would be a ration card distribution programme. Its only when they reached there they were forced to do a havan. So yes it is forced conversion. The people have already come out and said they are Muslims. But this is just one incident. The Sangh will try to repeat this again in many other areas. It is muslim groups that have to be vigilant about this activities.
Will there any sikh conversion will take place too soon i hope so...... jay hind.
Hindutvas are enemies of Hindus. Their ideology is the opposite of Hinduism. Hindutvas first bad-mouth "the Other" & then start imitating the maligned.
This conversion business seems to be the full time agenda of these semitic and abrahamic cults who are conviced they alone have the turth.to prove their point they will go to any length and even colonise nations.that is how these religions spread into central asia,austrlaia,north and south america and have in the process vanquished many civilisations but failed miserably in India,China,Korea and Japan.
The flame of Havana is now being offered to all citizens of India without any discrimnation, is not a good omen since it will be followed by a very large fire ball for the Indians to collectively receive Nirwana. One wonders how the non hindus are going to seek refuge to save themsefrlves from the avatar High priests who seek salvation. In any case they will be remembered as the victims of collateral damage.
Rex Minor
@Jamrud Khan Shinwari.:
Coming from someone whose country is known internationally as a notorious exterminating machine of Hindu, Christian and Sikh minorities, you have really stretched the bow. The author, who is known in journalistic circles as a Hindu hater who would sell his mother to get into the good books of Pakistan. He lacks credibility and plays the same record over and over again -- after all, for the pariah state of Pakistan, this must be sweet music.
@Gul Zaman Ghorgasht: The people who really had inferiority complex, have converted and living in land called Pakistan. The Indian Hindus do not have any sort of inferiority, specially people from people from across the border. It was your ancestors who converted to save their skin from Persians, Turks and Mongols.
@Rangoonwala: Wow! Coming from a person - one assumes - from a proselytizing faith and nation. Have faith in Indian democracy - stable and vibrant since 1947 - as Mr. Modi will be shown the door if the lives of the common Indian is not improved. You cannot graft alien concepts like conversions onto Hinduism or the majority of Hindus. Some Hindutva folks may be doing so in retaliation for real or perceived conversions by members of the two Abrahamic faiths. While percentage of Christians has not gone up from 1947 to 2014 despite active missionary work, that of Muslims has: From 10 percent to 15 [percent.
@Rangoonwala @Motiwala @Kohistanwala
Multiple Personality Disorder?
@Jamrud Khan Shinwari.: Please tell me about religious conversions in Pakistan and how is it that minorities who formed 20 percent of Pakistani population at the time of creation of Pakistan have been reduced to less than 3 percent of current Pakistani population! Also tell me about whether non muslims, including Ahmadis, can become Pakistani President. Look at your backyard before commenting on the situation in other countries.
@Rangoonwala: @randiwala. it is not 1200 it is 800 so please don't rise your ugly head.
@Joe: @Javelin: Hindus are forbidden to write in a Pakistani paper? See, when hindustan has people like you, well, rest assured hindus will not get anywhere. The last 1200 years are proof. You are a small minded people. And will remain hostage to your inferiority complex.
@Rangoonwala: I fail to understand why it cannot be that "the PM of Bharat present foreign dignitaries with Hindu religious texts" or why is it wrong that "PM Modi make a sacrifice to the deity Akash Bhairav before flying." Secular state does not mean that its' PM or other high officials cannot wear their religion on "their sleeves," if that is what they want to do, as long as there is freedom for all citizens and communities to practice their religion with freedom and respect. So far India has afforded all it communities, majority and minorities, with that freedom in the spirit that is enshrined in their Constitution. Fact is that in India, Muslims can practice their religion with more safety and security and in peace than in Pakistan, considering the barbaric attacks on Shia Muslims, most notably against Hazaras, and against Ahmedis in Pakistan by extremists with impunity.
I would go to the extent of saying that even this "sadhu politician" MP of India should have the freedom to praise Nathuram Godse, if that is what he truly believes, and Modi should not have compelled him to eat his words. Again, fact remains that, except for a minute fringe group of extremists, all of India reveres Mahatma Gandhi as a saintly politician and an iconic father figure.
If a non-entity type insignificant political activist or a religious zealot arranged this 'conversion ceremony' in Agra, let us not go berserk and be instigated to assign this phenomenon to all of India. I believe that is what is sensible thing to do and that is what is the essence of Aaker Patel's column.
@Joe: I do not understand why you are writing this article in Pakistani Newspaper. It’s an entirely Indian problem with no connection what so ever with Pakistan.
His full name is Aakar Ahmed Patel. Therein lies your answer! .
@C. Nandkishore: Speak for yourself only. According to you nobody in India is a full Muslim, or full Christian or full Bhuddist or a full Sikh? They are all Hindus? And live within their castes? You are very very mistaken. You should apply for a job with BJP or RSS. In the Race, Caste, Minorities And Propaganda Ministry. They will accept you. You can start in the Propaganda And Minorities Relocation department.
@a_writer:
"I may be wrong – Unlike other religions you cannot convert into Hinduism. To be a Hindu you have to be born as a Hindu. There is no such thing as a Converted Hindu."
While there is no proselytizing and conversion in Hinduism, one doesn't have to be born to be a Hindu. Anyone can become a self-proclaimed Hindu by choice and upon gaining knowledge of Hindu spiritual tents of Sanatana Dharma.
@a_writer: Not exactly - you just need to feel that you are a Hindu to be one, so formal process of assuming a new identity and a new God(s) has no scriptural sanction or ritual significance. However I believe there is now some mumbo-jumbo way of inducting converts into the fold to make them feel that they have gone through something special that is difficult to reverse.
Aakar patel understand that double standard cannot take you very far but Congress is yet to understand this.
I do not understand why you are writing this article in Pakistani Newspaper. It's an entirely Indian problem with no connection what so ever with Pakistan.
Its no reconversion but Ghar Wapsi. Long lost children of soil are relinquishing the ways of Adharma and returning to the path of Dharma. Its good for them to be honored with their Pitr and Punyabhumi's spiritual inheritance which they were forced to abandoned under the duress of unfortunate past historical events. This is the least free Bharat can do for them.
@a_writer: It was Ghar Wapsi. They were reconverting to orignals.
@a_writer:
Exception can be made for those reverting to Hinduism i.e. those originally Hindu or descendants of those who were Hindu and who converted due their poor judgment induced by monetary benefit or because their ancestors converted due to physical duress and/or pecuniary benefit offered by alien Muslim Arab, Turkish and Afghan invaders.
@a_writer: Wrong....
Many people have converted to Hinduism in the past...and out of Hinduism....and, if the time demands that people have to be converted..then, let it be..Obviously by providing them facilities and other basic amenities..
While agreeing that reconversions of Christians and Muslims is wrong I can understand the motive. Hindus are regularly converted to Islam but no one stops these conversions because of threats by Muslims the world over. The Indian national Congress used Muslims as a vote bank to remain in power and were loathe to take action against their conversions of hindus. If Muslims and Christians stop these conversions then Hindus would not have to resort to conversions. Almost all Indian Muslims are the result of former conversions. i rest my case.
Good times they are a-comin. Ache din aane wale hai..well..i think ache din aa chuke hai boss :D
"Anglo (white man) / Arab man came to our land with book in hand. He asked us to close our eyes because we was going to read something from his book. We trusted him since he was a guest and so closed our eyes. When he was done reading in alien tongue, a word of which we did not understand, we had the book and he had the land... we saw our dear ones being shipped to distant slave bazars of Macca, Baghdad, Rome and Americas," Desmond Tutu / Julius Nayrere. What Desmond and Julius did not say is this - "we got our names changed, our dress code was altered, we lost our ancestral history and so the connection to the land and the rivers on which we grew, we became rootless parasites in our own land who hated everything native and started searching identity in distant alien places" I guess this did not exactly happened to Africans but it definitely happened to other natives of Asia who were converted to alien distant faiths who started more as an Armed Legion rather than spiritual practices for individual's well being and spiritual growth.
@a_writer: Then YOU should write to the Vermillion Lord Modi. To RSS. To BJP. To Amit Shah, president of BJP. To Congress. To Sonia Ganchi. To United Nations. To Sri Rajhinduinabagsharma. Why are you here??
a_writer, you are not may be wrong. You are simply wrong.
@a_writer: Yes. Correct me. There cannot be such a thing as converted Hindu. You got to be born one. You will be converted into which caste? Caste will exist as long as Hinduism exist. And in the Indian subcontinent caste is more powerful than religion. Therefore even if you are converted to Islam, Christianity or Buddhism you belong to a caste and marry from the same caste. However in India nobody is a full Muslim or full Christian. Everybody follows rituals of Hinduism. Thus Ramzan is celebrated in the exact way as Diwali. Sweets, new dresses et al. RSS is doing a stupid thing. Trying to convert a few people here and there. In fact it should try to convert all Hindus into science. Or science to Hinduism. Ideas like maya, yoga and atheism are common to both.
We cannot allow the conversion of Muslims to Hinduism. If that means that all conversions should be banned then Muslims will strongly support such a ban. Ammar Hyder, Dubai.
If Modi can claim divinity, as he has, as an avatar. of Lord Vishnu. then there not much hope left. This is the same as Nawaz claiming to be ameerul momineen.
When there is a movement to make the Bhagvad Gita the 'National Book' of Hindustan, then, is there any doubt left that Bharat is for hindus only?? Where will the millions and millions of minorities go? Answer.....nowhere! They have a choice though, convert to hinduism or face forced conversions or dire consequences. Such as concentration camps, not far in the future.
I may be wrong - Unlike other religions you cannot convert into Hinduism. To be a Hindu you have to be born as a Hindu. There is no such thing as a Converted Hindu.
An excellent article. A sterling piece, no less. But be advised that India is no longer there. There was a long protracted death. rattle of 6 months. Exactly the time BJP has been in power. Strange. Comparisons are being to Zia's attempts to Islamise Pakistan. Same modus operandi being used by Modi. Starting with the targeting of minorities by the RSS..[BJP's twin brother] Wonder of wonders!! While Modi is innocently saying...'Who...me?'
When a yogi, an MP to boot, calls the assassin of the great Mahatma Gandhi a hero, then you know BJP is slowly throttling Hindustan. Silently killing a great nation. The sickening part is, this was done in Parliament. A sacred institution. Bharat needs to join the comity of nations. Otherwise it will be a pariah, ostracized. This Hindutva scourge is burning it's soul. Within a space of 6 months,...Bharat has turned into a religious led fascist state. With no peace in it's tortured existence.
When you have the PM of the most populous 'Democratic' country in the world, wearing his religion on his sleeve. Then things are dire. When the PM of Bharat presents foreign dignitaries with hindu religious texts, then things are not looking up. When PM Modi makes a sacrifice to the deity Akash Bhairav before flying, then it bodes bad... The Hindutva juggernaut has turn Bharat into a truly exclusive nation. Hindustan can now proudly claim final freedom from the 1200 year old shame of foreign domination. Free at last !
Kudos to Aakar Patel - this op-ed is a good example of pseudo-secular street smartness - backing away from a battle that you can't win. Conversions in India are largely achieved by dangling some kind of carrot. By creating an issue around one such incident by the majority community, you end up drawing the entire (much more widespread, yet under the media radar) disreputable practice of proselytizing based on giving benefits in both this world and the next into the public eye, which is described in Hindi as apni pair par kulhadi marna.