News that the Intelligence Bureau is a keeping a tab on the number of churches that have come up in Assam and on Christian leaders is disturbing to say the least. Christians form the third largest group in Assam after Hindus and Muslims. Since the BJP has come to power in Assam, madrassahs have been abolished on the plea that they were not actually educating the youth but indoctrinating them into terrorist activities. The Muslims could not fight back against this onslaught on their right to establish educational institutions of which madrassahs are one. A madrassah is a school, college or university attached to a mosque. The word madrassah has derived a negative connotation ever since some came under the scanner for indoctrinating people towards a Muslim ideological position of waging war against all ‘kafirs’ (non-believers) which Muslims claim is an edict of the Koran.
India is a multi-cultural and multi-religious country, although Islam and Christianity were both brought to this country by religious preachers from other countries. As long as these two faiths practise their religious tenets and do not infringe into the domain of other faiths, there is no reason to see them as a threat. To allege that any religion or faith is engaged in anti-national activities and that the people who have embraced such faith are more loyal to the leadership of those faith leaders such as the Pope in Rome and the Islamic Middle-Eastern countries than to their own country, is unfounded. But the BJP has been harping on this issue ever since it came to power in 2014. People found carrying beef have been lynched because the cow is sacred to Hindus. For the tribals of the North Eastern states, irrespective of their faiths, beef is a staple source of protein and a part of their diet. The BJP has to reconcile itself to this reality if it claims to be a truly inclusive national party.
Since 2014 and even before that churches in central and northern India have been vandalised. The latest vandalism of a church including the image of the new born baby Jesus was desecrated in Mysore, Karnataka. There are also allegations about forced conversion and there are serious attempts to get Christian converts to return to the Hindu fold. If Christian missionaries had engaged in forced conversion all the students that are educated in such missionary schools would have been converted. But there has never been any such coercion at any time. So where do these allegations spring from? If Christian churches and leaders are involved in charity work and their charity cuts across faiths and if people who experience that charity volitionally accept Christianity, can that be called forced conversion? Its time for church leaders to speak in one voice instead of cowering in fear.
