Of Persecution and Discrimination in India: What Has Gone Wrong With Secular India?

The frequent and systematic targeting of religious minorities continues to plague India. Why is this happening? India is a big nation. It is not only known to the world for her size but also some other outstanding features such as the world biggest democracy and the texture of secularism. However, in recent past, life is becoming more difficult for minorities in the country. To point out one example of such is the persecution meted out to the Christians in the country. Unless this is curbed and abated it will become the order of the day.

The Index of persecution of Christians in countries worldwide 2021, India stands at 83 out of 100 which is the 4th highest in the world index. This is only the outer surface of the real thing inside. Discrimination, censorship, increased surveillance and threat, they go unreported and unnoticed.

Anti-Christian vigilantes are sweeping through villages, storming churches, burning Christian literatures, attacking schools and assaulting worshippers. In many cases, the law enforcing agencies and those in the helm of power remain quiet. This has encouraged the perpetrators to continue with their agenda.

In almost all incidents reported across the country, vigilante mobs comprising of religious extremists have seen to either barge into prayer gatherings or round up individuals that they suspect are involved in forcible religious conversions. It has become a common sight in the mainland where communal sloganeering is witnessed outside police stations, where police stand as mute spectators.

Lately, the growing intolerance towards Christians has sharply increased. According to Release partners, there has been a significant rise in the number of attacks against Christians since 2014. Why have we become so hateful? Why has it become so difficult to separate politics and religion in our country? Will the generations to come embrace what is happening today or will they hate us for creating and gifting them with the culture of hatred? Our children will soon forget what is “Unity in Diversity”, the fabric that has bind us together and for which we were proud of.

What has gone wrong with our country? Why has religion become an issue in a country that advocates secularism? What has personal faith and adherence to certain religion and faith become an issue? India as we know is not a religionless nation. Indians are religious people. People of different faith converge together as one nation, each faith community making significant contribution to make a strong India as it stands today. Nevertheless, peaceful atmosphere and peaceful coexistence of the past is fast deteriorating with one major religion suppressing the other religions with the intention to make it disappear. But this approach will only create an unrest situation in the country.

Religion, be it indigenous or faith coming into the soil should be left to personal choice. One cannot force the other to follow the religious practice of others if one is not convinced. So , the cliche “force conversion” is just a farce-it is mere jealousy and a ploy to suppress freedom of religious expression. Religion that advocates violence and persecution is nothing but against humanity.

In October 2021, there were 300 incidents meted out against Christians. This has been documented by International Christian Concern (10/22/2021). This numbers record only the obvious and the enlarged cases which made to the news. The numbers can be staggering if all the unreported incidents are documented. It speaks volume of the suffering of the Christian community. It points to the unfortunate state of affair in a country which takes pride in her achievements and contributions to the global community on the roof top as the world biggest democratic and secular country. But internally, things are not put in order which are silently tolerated and borne by the minorities.

The anti conversion bill is used to suppress and persecute Christians. It is a targeted bill. It has become a mere tool of excuse to make people of other religion to practice their faith. It has become a weapon for those those who seek to destroy the fabric of secularism. The bill only empowers and emboldens those who vent out hate. It is used as a shield for protection. The bill says, “No person shall convert or attempt to convert, either directly or otherwise any person from indigenous faith by use of force or by inducement or any fraudulent means nor shall any person abet any such conversion.” The bill has entered into wrong hands. The perpetrators and the authority are hiding behind the bill without proper interpretation. Religion must be placed within the domain of the individuals and not at the dictate of the government.

The bill has not done anything good for the country. It only empowers the majority and protects them to continue to abuse and harass the minorities. It is indeed sad that the good deeds done by Christians and other minority religions are labelled as force conversion and creating disunity. If one is free to propagate the religion of his/her choice, one should also be allowed to practice the ideals of their faith in action.

The anti minority movement has become more forceful and fueled and her agents are backed by people in power. Trying to mix politics and religion have caused the country leadership to major on minors and miss on the major issues that are confronting the nation. The major is peaceful coexistence. The major is the economy, to produce productivity and comfortable life. The major is the insecurity faced by the poor, the weak and working class. If then, where has the politics of division crept in? A country will not go far unless all are taken on board.

To speak for the Christians, the message of Christianity is love and peace. In our service to humanity, in our peaceful worship and in our advocacy for love and peace we are treated otherwise, as though we are the troublemakers. In us, the secular emblem of the country is marred with the cry of the persecuted and the blood of the martyrs. Their sufferings are less heard but their cries are becoming louder by the day.

The United Christian Forum, a human rights group has stated that “Violence and incidents instigated by such mobs in the state includes (1) physical and verbal assaults on religious leaders and members; (2) damage to and desecration of places of worship, including arson; (3) disruption of prayer services and restrictions on religious gatherings; (4) false accusations of forced and fraudulent religious conversions; (5) forced or coerced gather wapsi ceremonies; (6) refusals of permission for religious minorities to establish and run places of worship. It is deplorable that mob violence continues unchecked and unabated (UCF Report). These are just skeleton information, there are many which go unreported. This projects the untold miseries the Christians in the country are going through.

The religious minorities are part of you as much as you are part of us. But today we live in fear. Don’t we have the right to propagate our faith and practices without fear as much as you do? What has caused one group to work hard to suppress the fundamental religious rights of the minorities? If the Christians have ever worked to disintegrate the nation or spread the message of hatred tell us without demolishing the sacred places for worship and closing down our institutions. Let us work together to bury the propaganda of hatred.

Why is the authority always silent when minorities are attacked and suffer? When religion advocate hate and destruction, persecution and annihilation can the country ever co-exist together as a peace loving nation built on mutual love and trust? If a Christian is forced to renounce his or her faith isn’t that force conversion? Where do we draw the line? The people who persecute people of other faith are forcing people to pronounce the name of their god. What then, do we call that? I know many sensitive people from other religious traditions feel sad and are hurt when their own brothers and sisters of other faith suffer. But, as long as the authority remain silent and do not act upon it, things are not going to change.

When churches, schools and sacred places are vandalised and forced to close down and their worship and sacred gatherings are disturbed and locked, where is freedom of religion? The government should come out clean on this matter! Where do you expect us to run for help and protection?

How long will the minorities in the country continue to tolerate and suffer? We are cornered from all directions. Think of the ploy to take away their holy days which are intentionally ordered to disturb and disrupt. Why do the government of the day always try to fix functions and events such as public exams and elections on a Christian Sundays where the day is meant for worship for the Christians? At least let us learn to be sensitive and respect each other religious practice.

India is an ancient nation and politics is nothing new but of late, mixing politics with religious fanaticism is a new phenomenon which is catching up. It has not yielded good fruits but bad taste. For a nation to move forward, socio-regio-cultural harmony is indispensable. Peaceful-harmonious co-existence is built on respect and not on domination. Leave religion out of politics and let us work together for a country free from discrimination, suppression and persecution. Together in our differences, be it race, caste, culture or religion, we can build a strong nation free from fear.

Should we all be reminded of this?

•             Equal respect and recognition for all religions by the state.

•             No discrimination by the state on the basis of religion.

•             Non-interference in the functioning of any religion by the state.

•             No official religion in India.

•             An individual has the right to practice, propagate and profess any religion.

“Freedom to all religions and tolerance to all religion.”May this be true of the great nation India!

Rev. Dr. Zelhou Keyho

President

Nagaland Joint Christian Forum