As violence erupted between many ethnic groups in Manipur the international media is relishing the great opportunity to demonize the Modi led Hindu nationalist government. First in the fray though was the European Parliament. It condemned the persecution of Christians in India. Amongst the speakers in the European Parliament were the following individuals:
Bert-Jan Ruissen from Netherlands.
He is a Protestant Christian. He said, ‘ Across India those who are not Hindu, in particular Christians are facing growing intolerance, violence, humiliation and discrimination. He added, ‘We call upon India to end Hindu extremism’. He also mentioned his trip to India to meet a member of his family who was a missionary. He observed, ‘ I saw with my own eyes how faith in God could transform individuals and societies’. In other words the Hindu faith in God was a faith in a false God. His Christian intolerance is quite clear. There are a lot of missionary organisations in India. Some of them are: Baptist Missionary Society, Medical Mission, American Mission, Danish Mission and Methodist Mission Missionaries. A UK based charity called, ‘Mission India’ lists the following reasons for an urgent need to bring the Bible to Indian’s:
1India is a country where the poor live on less than £1 a day seeking help from Idols who do not respond.
2 India is the most ‘unreached ‘ nation in the world. Imagine growing up in a town where there is not a single Believer, Bible or Church. Mission India had a total budget of £590,800 in 2022. The Christian
Missionary movements also claim several well known Hindu women converts. Pandita Ramabai Sarasvati a social reformer (1858-1922) and a convert translated the Bible in simple Marathi. Neidonuo Amgami a Christian convert (1950 to present) has been conferred Padma Shri for her peace efforts in persuading Christian Angami Nagas to give up the fight for an independent Nagaland.
The other Member of European Parliament who spoke on the situation in Manipur was Michaela Sojdrova. She is a Czech member of Christian and Democratic Union. She wanted Indian authorities to stop the violence and protect the religious minorities, particularly Christian minorities. The EU she said holds a powerful tool in trade policy. The EU trade policy she said must be integrated with Human Rights in India.
Ladidlav Llcic, a Croatian who is a member of European Christian Political Movement said,’ If we as a Christian Community can respect other faiths and identities, we must ask our partners to do the same. We will not turn our backs on persecuted Christians’.
Miriam Lexmann of Slovek Christian Democratic Movement said, ‘ Indian officials often like to boast that their country is the world’s largest democracy but intolerance and violence against religious minorities paint a different picture’
Herein lies the dilemma facing a Hindu majority India. Christian evenglists can suffer persecution silently in China and in most of the Middle East. But India in which tens of millions of Christians live freely is labelled intolerant simply because they cannot accept a Hindu majority and its values and ethos. They do not want the Hindu, ‘Majoritarianism’ and yet all the Christian countries are very much Majoritarian where Christianity is the state religion. It is the Evangelists who are the modern day Crusaders. For them non Christians are Heathens. They are the most intolerant but in a propaganda war they win. A civilisation and culture which is tens of thousands of years old and which does not speak anywhere at all of disrespecting or persecuting anyone is for some reason unable to defend itself or counter the false propaganda. There are many saints and swamis with millions of followers but while they are content with their activities the other faiths are busy converting the weak and vulnerable and showing the seeds to break up mother India. They must wake up before it is too late.
Nitin Mehta
www.nitinmehta.co.uk
22 July 2023
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