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Tide Of Intolerance

Through neglect of its Christian minority, India is allowing religiously motivated violence to threaten its rise.

By Sumit Ganguly | NEWSWEEK
Published Oct 15, 2008

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  • Posted By: ergrama @ 10/24/2008 2:16:37 PM

    Comment: western world a so called christian world loosing their christian religion and getting influenced by eastern religions like hinduism and buddhism for spiritual growth and peace. christian missionaries only alternative is to go to populous countries like india and china to preach and convert to christianity for their mental peace, ego, power, money and existence. spiritually christianity only offers 10% of spiritual growth which hindus and buddhists offer. if hidus could get rid of "cast" system (which was the result of 1000 years of foreign rules and destruction of true hindu religion due to lacf money, preaching and propagatiing real esence of hinduism and real meaning of cast system and re-incarnation knowledge was discouraged, and punished by foreign rulers and their christian religious colonial powers (except by sincere and true christians). most of the christian curch leaders have (had) less knowledge of God than our socalled low cast and "untouchables". to revive hindu or indian spiritual growth reconversion of converts to hindu religion is necessary. hindus have to produce good preachers, teachers and hindu missionaries for the purpose of reconverting by peaceful means, not through violence.

  • Posted By: ergrama @ 10/21/2008 3:12:21 PM

    Comment: the fact is christian minority was (is) not neglected, but hindu majority is neglected for christian cause by the politicians both congress and bjp. hindu majority are not anti-christians, but christian minority is anti-hindu through the teaching of christian religious and political leaders, that must be challanged by hindu religious and political leaders through nonviolence means and peace. reconversion by peaceful means is one of the peaceful methods.

  • Posted By: ergrama @ 10/21/2008 12:14:50 PM

    Comment: religious violence is bad, but indian and state govt. should not give compensations for destroyed properties. this will onlky encourage religious/political/economic motivated violence. people should have respect and tolerance for each other and others' religious and political beliefs. unfortunately christian organizations are causing stir among people teaching hate and against hinduism to convert hindus to christianity through all sorts of means and illegally, which is causing anger among hindus. hindus do not convert others with different faiths, hindus respect other faiths. hindus have right to reconvert those, who were forced converted to other faiths through nonviolence and peaceful methods.. hindus need to be more evangelic to convert and recovert people of other faiths for true spiritual growth of people of india and the world.

  • Posted By: dwellingdon @ 10/17/2008 1:28:43 PM

    Comment: Its all because of Gujarat......BJP tried to gather all hindu votes and it worked out...so they are trying that in other places also...........

    • Posted By: 77.amit.j@gmail.com @ 10/18/2008 1:06:46 AM

      Comment: People figured out that the Gujarat Congress was infiltrated by secular terrorists and started voting for BJP. Given the slow speed of Indian courts we are just seeing convictions for terrorism in the 1990s, but the voters did not wait for the courts.

      --------------------------------------------------------------

      Former Gujarat minister convicted in 1993 Surat bombings

      October 04, 2008 | RSS


      Ahmedabad: Former Gujarat minister Mohammad Surti of the Congress party and ten others were found guilty Saturday in the 1993 bombings of two places in Surat.

      http://www.samachaar.in/Gujarat/Former_Gujarat_minister_convicted_in_1993_Surat_bombings_61157/

  • Posted By: dwellingdon @ 10/17/2008 1:24:05 PM

    Comment: All this happens is because of Gujarat.......BJP is trying to gather hindu votes what they tried and worked in Gujarat....

  • Posted By: dopelgangerA @ 10/17/2008 12:38:38 PM

    Comment: At what point will the United States and other nations threaten economic trade sanctions against India if it fails to begin to make a genuine good-faith effort to curb this violence? And what about sanction against trade(including purchasing of oil) against Middle Eastern oil-rich nations that discriminate against Christians, Jews, and non-believers? Are trade & commerce so precious that we will not even consider using sanctions as were used during apartheit against South Africa?

    • Posted By: 77.amit.j@gmail.com @ 10/18/2008 12:49:44 AM

      Comment: The answer to the possibility of trade and economic sanctions is that things will have to slide a long way before that is considered. To give you an indication, if you look at metrics like refugee flow, China does about 10 times worse than India and we see how eager everyone is to trade with China.

      • Posted By: ClementW @ 10/18/2008 3:13:54 PM

        Comment: There is a small but significant portion of the American population which can affect the ivestment decisions of publicly held companies. For instance, the baptist denomination is very alrge in the United States and I am sure that it has financial clout. Should they or for that matter all the evangelcal denominations decided that enough is enough, they could affect future investment in India.

        • Posted By: 77.amit.j@gmail.com @ 10/20/2008 2:17:47 AM

          Comment: USA baptists have long been involved in supporting rebellion in the state of Nagaland.

          http://www.southasiaanalysis.org/%5Cpapers13%5Cpaper1256.html

          About Nagaland - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nagaland

          ---------------------------------------------------------

          USA evangelicals do not have to go about this in a roundabout way. They are a large part of USA government agencies and they are more directly involved in sending billions of dollars for religious activities in India.

          http://mha.gov.in/fcra/annual/ar2005-06.pdf



          • Posted By: ergrama @ 10/21/2008 8:31:23 PM

            Comment: not just usa baptists, roman catholic churches too are aggressively involved in trying to make india a christian country. only solutuion to prevent this is actively reconversion to hinduism. this will help indian economy to grow.along with spiritual resugence.. but this must be in nonviolence and peaceful manner.

    • Posted By: vijay_1976 @ 10/17/2008 6:28:06 PM

      Comment: I do not think the US will or should use trade and economic sanctions against India. First, it will not work. There will always be nations that will trade with India. India's largest trade partner is no longer the US, it is China and that trade is growing every year by enormous multiples.

      Second, it is counterproductive. It will affect people against whom it was never intended.

      Third, it is wrong. The Indian government or the Constitution do not as a policy support these actions. These are pogroms planned and executed by political and social bodies that intend to gain political power in certain places in India. So the BJP as a whole may not condone this, or the Congress may not condone this en masse. But you can be sure that there are elements within all parties that incite violence to gain power. To impose sanctions on tha basis of this is inherently wrong.

      Fourth, history has shown that nations- especially large ones like India, China and Russia- need to be engaged rather than pushed around. They will not allow themselves to be pushed around; and the US will simply lose any and all leverage they have in negotiations with these nations! It is bad negotiation.

      The US must keep applying pressure consistently and they must apply it strategically. Deny all visas to people in power who tacitly, implicitly or explicitly support this. Find out organizations in the US that support these movements ideologically or financially and investigate them- if there is proof that they have contributed to organizations on the watchlist for violence, freeze their assets, outlaw them. Ensure that the theme of protescting minoritites comes up each time a high powered official travels on behalf of the US government to India. Constant pressure will enable action.

      Finally, young educated Indians in the US live in coccoons of Indian communities, largely insulated by unbiased thinking about communal prejudice and hatred. Start programs to reach these people with thoughts of egalitarianism; especially the fact that we can disagree on faith, ideology, etc without being enemies. To an Indian, his religion is like his mother- and when it is violated, he resents it. This thinking needs refinement.

      • Posted By: 77.amit.j@gmail.com @ 10/18/2008 12:55:26 AM

        Comment: Those young Indians living in the US don't have the vote in India. You will have better luck opening a dialog with us middle class Indians on the way to Vegas.

        http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1198931

  • Posted By: 77.amit.j@gmail.com @ 10/17/2008 10:13:13 AM

    Comment: @abey: This is not correct. A pro Hindu party did not rule in India until 1996 and even that was in coalition with other political parties.

    What is happening is that the younger generation is finding that some of the policies advocated by the BJP and the writers of the Indian constitution regarding limits on religious freedom on the lines of France (for e.g. the ban on obvious religious symbols like Sikh turbans) and USA (for e.g. the ban on polygamy and personal laws like Sharia) make sense.

  • Posted By: abey @ 10/17/2008 12:31:32 AM

    Comment: The truth to this lies underneath. The younger Indian generations basically ( in their hearts) are finding that there is less truth in their local beliefs but still do follow blindly because their parents did so. Indian society
    is a very conservative & only recently has a vast no. been exposed to the world (unlike the Greeks) The planned attacks organized by the pro Hindu parties is due to fear of loosing their base. Fear is the killer.
    Hindu party

  • Posted By: 77.amit.j@gmail.com @ 10/16/2008 10:13:50 PM

    Comment: What happened since then is that the Christian missionaries decided to go overboard against the Hindu missionaries. It looks like someone decided to hire the Maoists who then trained local Christians to kill the Swami and start the latest round of violence.

    http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/oct/17orissa.htm

    ------------------------------------------

    On a longer time scale I would trace this current round of religious disagreement to 1999 when the Pope visited India and -

    "boldly proclaimed Jesus Christ as humanity's "only savior" and called upon the church to bring Christianity to Asia during the third millennium."

    to which the VHP responded -

    "We accept the challenge of their spreading Christianity in Asia. They will not be able to do it in India"

    Basically what we have is a battle for supremacy between two religious fundamentalist organizations.

    -------------------------------------------

    The point Sumit's article makes is rather ludicrous. When confronted with such forces no amount of public shaming can work with voters. It did not work with American voters who voted in Republicans and it will not work with Indian voters who are voting in the BJP.

  • Posted By: johndsilva @ 10/16/2008 7:35:30 PM

    Comment: I am very much distressed to read about the persecution of christians in my birth country, India. Last year I returned to my native place, Mangalore for a visit. I was impressed by the harmony that was existsted between all cultures and religions. But this September, I heard, hordes of rioters went from churches to churches in a looting & destroying spree. What happened within a matter of few months? Temples and mosques are coming up everywhere in Europe and Americas to cater to the needs of devotees, whereas churches are shutting down. In Atlanta, Hindus have built worlds Largest temple with the blessings of the governments. Here in Quebec, the secular provincial government has imposed ethics and religious curriculum across Quebec schools, including private ones, in order to cultivate tolerence among the citizens. This was prompted just because a small municipality adopted a resolution in jest, to ban hijabs in public places. I urge local, state and central governments in India to take some drastic actions to eradicate intolerance and cultivate harmony among all the people. I thank Mr. Ganguly for exposing the evil of intolerance that is prevelent in the governments of India.
    John D'Silva
    Montreal, Quebec, Canada

  • Posted By: Akmatic @ 10/16/2008 4:46:01 PM

    Comment: Honestly, if you???re a Christian living in India, you need to find a way to move to a more civilized country b/c outside of the call centers, parts of the capital and a few of the other Tourist spots near airports; the rest of the country is a totally unorganized, backwards & lawless dump.

    They still have a Caste (read: slave system) in place???how much more uncivilized you can get without going back to BC times? There???s absolutely no reason for people to be alarmed or shocked that these people were killed b/c of their religious beliefs.

    • Posted By: stholas @ 10/17/2008 4:28:10 PM

      Comment: Some more ignorant BS. Seriously, I am concerned that some view India as a Hindu terrorist nation. A white woman by the name of Sonia is the president of the most powerful party in the country. Seriously people, stop typecasting. By your logic, the Southern Baptists in America are nothing but a bunch of crusading war mongers. Cuts both ways, doesn't it?

    • Posted By: emmarcee @ 10/16/2008 7:00:43 PM

      Comment: Please!, I see your concern. But understand that Indian Christian is first Indian and then Christian. He does not see west as the final destination. A little improvement in life is good enough for most of the people. Yuo don't need everything in the world. What people need is peace of mind.

  • Posted By: vijay_1976 @ 10/16/2008 4:34:55 PM

    Comment: Voices from Orissa:
    http://wayfaring.blogspot.com/2008/10/voices-from-orissa.html

  • Posted By: vijay_1976 @ 10/16/2008 4:34:33 PM

    Comment: Voices from Orissa:
    http://wayfaring.blogspot.com/2008/10/voices-from-orissa.html

  • Posted By: Rajaswamy @ 10/16/2008 3:41:44 PM

    Comment: The sinister campaign threatening Christians with the forfeiture of their property and the destruction of their homes if they do not renounce Christianity and become Hindus is the most chilling example of ???SCORTHED EARTH POLICY???. Who gains from this ??? These are local radical businessmen who fund VHP /Bajrang Dal who want to seize`valuable land (in these days of sky rocketing property values); by permanently seeing to that the believing Christians are uprooted from that area for good, knowing very well that Government will rehabiliate them else where. So they fan the ???Conversion Bogey???, without any proof and start massacring !!!
    Basically, this is a scenario repeated from Godhra carnage when about 2000 + Muslims were similarly slaughtered based on rumours, and whomsoever lucky Muslims were to save their lives were displaced for good in other new locations, while their ancestoral prime landed property and locations were marauded and taken for cheap by local businessmen with the conveince of sinster designs of organizations like VHP / Bajrang Dal. (to be Contd???)
    This type of ???SCORTHED EARTH POLICY??? can forgotten by the ruling governments facing general election (after making some noise), but we need to be aware that these would be the breeding grounds for real misguided youths to take to suicidal terrorism in order to take revenge !!! In Kandhamal case, the Maosits will get new recruits, VHP/Bajrang Dal will get enthusiasm to replicate this business model else where across India (i.e.killing peacefull Christians by raising conversion bogey); and their BJP political umbrella party gaining few points as 2009 general election approaches (to create hysteria alike ???Babri Masjid tragedy???).
    I am SAD to find lot of netizens,( leaving aside whatever religion we belong too), are supporting what happened in Orissa, some critizing the author of this article etc..May I ask whether these people want INDIAN DEMOCRACY to be secular and vibrant or they want India???s rise *** integration into the developed world to be at stake ??? Sorry for that, but I am an INDIAN PATRIOT on the lines of MAHATMA GANDHI !!!

    • Posted By: 77.amit.j@gmail.com @ 10/16/2008 10:25:26 PM

      Comment: A lot of us just want Indian democracy to be only as secular as the USA, France or Canada. Religions in India are given too much freedom which leads to conflict, and the only solution may be to limit religious freedom much as the USA or France have done.

      • Posted By: stholas @ 10/17/2008 4:32:30 PM

        Comment: Er.....USA has not limited relgious freedom. They just have a better law enforcement system in place, that keeps extremists at bay. They've also enjoyed freedom a lot longer than India has. Should I mention that racial equality is still a problem in America? Do you know that India ended casteism before America ended segregation? A little research people.

        • Posted By: 77.amit.j@gmail.com @ 10/18/2008 12:24:35 PM

          Comment: The USA has limited religious freedom as religious freedom is practised in India. Probably the clearest example is that USA forces all religions to follow a common code. No religion can practise its religious law. So Muslims do not have their personal law, nor Christians nor Hindus or any other religion as is the custom in India.

          Thus people in USA cannot take refuge in religious laws to defend behavior that is viewed as anti-social. As against this the situation in India is that everyone turns to their religion to defend behaviors that cause conflict such as -

          1. Polygamy
          2. Fewer rights for women
          3. Conversion activities
          4. Loud public displays of religion

  • Posted By: Rajaswamy @ 10/16/2008 3:30:35 PM

    Comment: A Soldier retiree's plans cut short by Orissa's dance of death:
    He served his country and thought he could lead a post-retirement life in the peaceful environs of his hometown Kandhamal. But little did this former Warrant Officer of the Indian Air Force (IAF) envision that he would be witness to his evangelist brother being hacked to death and his house torched in Sulesaru ??? a tiny village 22 km from G Udayagiri block in Orissa's riot-hit Kandhamal district.

    After spending 38 days in a relief camp at Hubback High School in Udayagiri, 52-year-old Bugan Digal walked to 'freedom' on October 2. Today, Digal has taken 'shelter' in his relative's home in Kolkata with his wife and daughter. "It was on August 26 afternoon that the mobs attacked Totamaha village in Raikia block where my brother Akbar Digal was an evangelist. He begged the goons to spare him, but they would have none of it. Two of them raised their swords, brought it down on his head and threw his body in the nearby tamarind field," Digal told TOI over the phone in a choked voice.

    "I was told that locals later burnt my brother's body. He was just 46 years old," Digal said.

    Recalling the sequence of violence on the night of August 25, he said: "About 500 people came to my village, attacked us and burnt houses and places of worship. My wife, daughter and I ran into the nearby jungles and we spent the whole night there. We walked 22 km to reach Udayagiri police station the next night."

  • Posted By: devajal @ 10/16/2008 3:29:03 PM

    Comment: Everyone condemns the criminal acts that have been committed and the stata and central governments are taking action. The Indian media has has not been idle and has brought information on the incidents to the attention of the Indian public and the global community. However your article condemns without presenting the facts dispassionately and inviting the readers to form their own conclusions. In this respect your article is more of an anti-Hindu tract than an article worthy of being printed in a magazine like Newsweek. I would also add that I have serious reservations on the kind of India Studies that you undertake

  • Posted By: Rajaswamy @ 10/16/2008 3:17:32 PM

    Comment: The Bajrang Dal and VHP terrorists used the death of this swami to murder and burn innocent christians, destroy their churches, schools, orphanages, leprosy homes and nursing homes and drove them to the jungles because of this LIE.

    SHAME ON THEM. They are the ones who are FORCING CONVERSION. They told Christians to CONVERT to Hinduism or die (reconversion)!

    So this proves it - the biggest terrorist are VHP and Bajrang Dal. They are COWARDS who cannot defend India against the REAL problems like defending our borders against Pakistani and Bangladeshi terrorists or even the Maoists who have CONFESSED to killing their swamy. But these Bajrang Dal cowards and terrorsts know that they will get their ass kicked right and left if they do that. So what do they do to show their power? They attacked innocent women by raping them, burning priests to death, destroying properties - COWARDS. That what they are. COWARDS. Shame on you netizens who write supporting Bajrang Dal / VHP's attrocities!!!

  • Posted By: devajal @ 10/16/2008 3:15:35 PM

    Comment: No one is proud of what is happening in Orissa today and those who have committed criminal acts should be brought to justice. However you have by the anti-Hindu tone of your article, suceeded in tarring all Hindus with the blame. Talking of Hindu zealots is as reprehensible as referring to Muslim mujahideen. The PM himself used the phrase a "national disgrace" which is more apt than your phraseology. Rather than fan the flames it would be better if you had appealed to the sense of justice and secular ideals that underpin the Indian Republic, by a dispassionate review of the incident and its antecedents. I certainly have reservations as to the kind of India Studies that you undertake.

  • Posted By: Rajaswamy @ 10/16/2008 3:11:12 PM

    Comment: KANDAMAL FORCED HINDU RECONVERSION INSTANCES: At the infamous Nuagam relief camp near Baliguda, where a nun was allegedy raped on August 25 and where today there are about 2,000 tribals bunched up around leaky tents and on ground wet from flooding, Johan Naik and four others like him stand out as the most wretched.

    "We are accursed," says Johan, rubbing his gnarled hand on his bald head. A month ago, as rampaging Hindu mobs ran through Kandhmal, looting, burning and pillaging, around 400 men converged at his house in Pirigada, a cluster of Protestant houses in Nuagam block. There, with swords unsheathed and drunk on the righteous rage of bigots, five of them gave Johan a choice. "You either embrace Hinduism or you die," he was told.

    Soon, he was dragged to the nearby Patakhanda temple and made to prostrate before the statue of a 'Godess'. Someone brought a jar of cowdung and cow's urine and forced him to gulp a bit of it. That was his purification rite and "return home" to Hinduism. And before he could actually make sense of what was happening, a young man whipped out a razor, doused his head in water and began tonsuring him.

  • Posted By: Rajaswamy @ 10/16/2008 3:00:02 PM

    Comment: Orissa is in the news yet again. Except that unlike in December 2007, the news of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati???s death is real. Nevertheless, very much like the last time, the VHP has gone berserk again. Political murders and killing of Christians and Dalits (as ???imagined murderers??? and "imagined forced converters") or vandalising churches is unacceptable to any democratic society (as in Karnataka). The violence inflicted has been meticulously planned and executed over two-three days when the Orissa government and its affiliated agencies BJP/VHP/Bajrang Dal!!!
    Poor Kandhamal Christians and Dalits have lost everything, 100+ dead and 50000+ sitting in refugee camps with only FAITH hanging on with them. Does this forced conversions, as these FASCISTS claim???

  • Posted By: Rajaswamy @ 10/16/2008 2:43:57 PM

    Comment: Caste system was invented and flourished by Brahmins and Upper Caste Hindus (who form about 15%) for centuries, to the disadvantage of 85% of the Backward / Lower Castes of the Indian population. Even today, lower castes are not allowed into Hindu temples. Of latest a lower caste Hindu was killed in Bihar state for entering a temple and provide offering to the Hindu diety!!! No wonder these FASCISTS upper class Hindus are threatened by the enligthment Christanity is facilitating to the lower castes, and hence their FASCIST agenda (i.e. presently spreading the Conversion rumours, without any proof to support)!!! SHAME ON YOU ALL WHO SUPPORT WHAT IS PRESENTLY HAPPENING IN INDIA (i.e. minorities treated as SECOND CLASS CITIZENS by FASCIST HINDU organizations, who also incidentally adore SWASTIKA symbol). The only good news is that majority of the Hindus are secular and peace loving people!!!
    But then, with general election looming in Y2009, the BJP (Hindu Nationalistic Party), wants to create a ???CONVERSION HYSTERIA???. Luckily the incidents of the past few months have already sent shock waves not only to the Indian Christians, but also to the Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs etc..of India during the last few weeks, resulting in country wide condemnation of this FASCIST behaviour !!! In such a situation, one can only pray that such dangerous designs disturbing the communal harmony of the vibrant secular Indian democracy doesnt win !!!

  • Posted By: TheWordoftheLordlives @ 10/16/2008 2:34:19 PM

    Comment: God "so loved the world (of humanity) that He gave His only begotten Son (Jesus Christ) that all who believe in Him should not perish (eternal destruction of the soul) but have everlasting life." Salvation is through Christ alone. God's Word speaks about how the way is broad for those who are headed for destruction, but narrow is the way to eternal life through Jesus Christ. There is Salvation in no other name under heaven whereby men might be saved. True Christians...those who belong to Christ and not Christians in name only are seeking to save the lost and dying in India. They are reaching out to the forgotten Dalits (lowest class) and all in India. Check out the website for Gospel For Asia (www.gfa.org). These are India's own people reaching out to the lost and dying without Christ throughout all of India. "For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God" (2 Corinthians 4:6). We are seeing this take place in India and Asia today.

  • Posted By: Rajaswamy @ 10/16/2008 2:31:51 PM

    Comment: Hindu Nationalistic Organizations (RSS, VHP, Bajrang Dal, Hindu Munnani, Ram Sena etc??? ), all of which are associated with the political party BJP, have a game plan to create Hindu nationalism to win Year 2009 elections (as they won after demolishing the Muslim Babri Masjid in an earlier general election), but this time poor Christians are targeted and BLAMED for forcible conversions without any proof (i.e.basically creating a conversion hysteria with Hindu nationalistic tone). This show the opposition party BJP does not seem to have ???any democratic political issues??? to fight the ruling party inorder to win the elections once again??? Very sad to note that minorties are made scape goat in the process.

  • Posted By: 77.amit.j@gmail.com @ 10/16/2008 2:14:49 PM

    Comment: So your claim is that is was OK to kill the Hindu Swami because he was leading an anti-conversion movement by working among the poor? By that logic it should be OK to kill Christian missionaries because they are leading conversion movements. That approach would be very secular but a violent mess.

    I am not sure if you have seen this interview of the Maoist leader where he states the Swami was killed due to pressure from Christians and that Christians are the base of his rebel group in Orissa. This interview definitely makes it seem as if the missionaries are going for political power via the gun - a system where their low percentage of adherents would not matter.

    http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/oct/05orissa1.htm

    • Posted By: Rajaswamy @ 10/16/2008 2:51:29 PM

      Comment: Your so NAIVE Sir !!! The Maoists don't have religion, do you no that first !!! You should be an ignorant person to take their word for granted !!! Unless a CBI enquiry / Judicial enquiry finds out the truth, you wil never know !!! Do you know similarly Swamijis were killed in Gujarat state, followed by massacre of 2000 Muslims, and that followed by BJP party winning the election. So please wait it goverment enquiry finds the TRUTH!!!

    • Posted By: emmarcee @ 10/16/2008 2:26:23 PM

      Comment: Yes this goonda saint "worked" among the poor by leading the "stormtroopers" shaving peoples heads, burninfg their homes and reconverting to Hindusim by threatening to rape and kill their family.

    • Posted By: emmarcee @ 10/16/2008 2:24:04 PM

      Comment: what I am saying is that this guy was no saint and these are tribal areas where Maoists have a stake. It is the common enemy the Nazi party, the Upper catse people abusing the downtrodden. I don't see why there cannot be a link between two oppressed factions especially in such a marginalized area. Who else is helping them? you? Your BJP chief minister?

  • Posted By: singh_is_king @ 10/16/2008 1:26:51 PM

    Comment: It's funny how there is such an outrage over this so called persecution of Christians by the Western world. But from 1984 - 1993 Sikhs were persecuted in India even moreso. The media said nothing then.

    So 30 Christians? What about the tens of thousands over that time period? First we massacred in the streets (oragnised by the ruling Government by the way) and then the police started coming after our youth and labeling us terrorists and killing us in fake "encounters". Look up the history of Sikh persecution in India, we are a minority as well. Barely above 2% of the population and we gave so much to the country and sacrificed for its freedom. This is how we were rewarded. What happened to us was nothing short of genocide. A few websites for more information:

    http://www.sikhgenocide.org/
    http://www.neverforget84.com/
    http://witness84.com/

    Christian missionaries are also targetting Punjab, in fact they have strategies on how to convert as many Sikhs as they can!

    • Posted By: emmarcee @ 10/16/2008 2:09:57 PM

      Comment: since you started on Sikh persecution let me tell you. Don't compare missionary preaching to full fledged terrorism Sikhs were involved in that time form Hijacking and exploding the airliner from Canada to killing Indian PM and holding miltia in a place of worship. I am just trying to make you look at somethings that you forgot to mention. India put a lot of money into the land of Punjab and once you saw abundance through your rich state and money from Canada etc, Sikhs wanted their own country. Very funny.

    • Posted By: emmarcee @ 10/16/2008 2:04:47 PM

      Comment: if you know how it is to be persecuted and you still sympathize with those persecutors, hmm that tells something about you, right? Hmm I know some kind of jealousy and hate you feel toward westerners transferred to all christians. I think it is a great thing that we have almost 30 percent Muslims in India.

    • Posted By: emmarcee @ 10/16/2008 1:43:39 PM

      Comment: Now what? you will egt soem friends with teh Nazis?

  • Posted By: 77.amit.j@gmail.com @ 10/16/2008 1:16:37 PM

    Comment: To be clear no one cares if missionaries work among people. The problem starts when they start advancing a political agenda and using violent means against the native religions. The missionaries seem to have forgotten that they can reach God simply by serving the poor.

    • Posted By: emmarcee @ 10/16/2008 2:00:44 PM

      Comment: and of course now you are working in a christian dominated country having all types of freedom to go to your temples and abuse Christianity through your riight of freedom of expression. Hindus gloat how Europeans are forgetting Christianity and turning to Hinduism to fill the spiritual void. ISKON the Hindu association runs mission to convert westerners into Hindus by chanting and hogwashing about the nonexistent Nirvana that comes out through the bottom of the spine. Nobody's abusing you because of that? Matter of faith is a very personal matter which is up to each person to decide. Don't BS about missionaries "enticing" people.

      • Posted By: 77.amit.j@gmail.com @ 10/18/2008 1:49:55 PM

        Comment: Nice try. All your BS would be justified if ISKON or other Hindu/Muslim organization were taking up the gun to foment rebellion in your country.

      • Posted By: cjsrinivas @ 10/16/2008 7:35:02 PM

        Comment: I truly believe you will eventually mend your ways and contribute to a positive message.

        I don???t know where amit.j lives, but I live here in the United States. I came here because I was tired of educational system in my country. I speak for myself when I say this, I respect every human being irrespective of their position on many difficult topics, one of which is religion and that includes you emmarcee.

        I plan on taking the high road on this one; to mock at another religion by comparing to body parts is despicable and frankly immature.

        You have something to say, say it in a polite manner, and I am more than happy to take it up with you, you want to jump into the gutter, it???s all yours to enjoy.

        • Posted By: emmarcee @ 10/17/2008 9:11:25 AM

          Comment: Where do you think the Kundalini is, Srinivas?

  • Posted By: 77.amit.j@gmail.com @ 10/16/2008 1:09:08 PM

    Comment: Since you equate Hindus with Nazis, aren't you forgetting that the Nazis were German Christians? And that the Pope Benedict XVI was a Hitler Youth member?

    • Posted By: emmarcee @ 10/16/2008 1:54:58 PM

      Comment: Nazi's theories were never christian. Even if they were born white christians, they were what they were Nazis. As you know, all Hindus are not nazis. There are plenty of Hindus in forums I come across as very critical of the Hindutwa mvt. Do you get my point.
      Secondly, google on savitri devi , the nazi priestess. You will see how Aryanism and hinduism is intermingeld. Only that Indian nazis were ashamed when Germans called them a mongrel race.
      Missionaries cannot have a political agenda (other than something spread throgh Hindu Nazi prpaganda machine), since again the Christian population is only 2.4 percent.
      and violent means? you must be out of your mind. Even the maoists themselves claimed that they killed the Goonda swami. But you know, when pushed to the edge any meek animal will bite you back. For the last 20 years this Rowdi Swami was leading an ani-conversion mission.. not really by helping people. But by threatening and abusing the recently converted making them shav etheir heads and forcefully reconvert. This is exactly why he got what he was sowing. Nazis always get that , don't they?

  • Posted By: emmarcee @ 10/16/2008 12:43:53 PM

    Comment: finally! The liberal Al Jazeera had to print somethin on this, after all the other News services published the news!. Even NYT!. One time I made one of their reporters crying about couple of homosexuals in Iraq, because there more persecution on Christians on all parts of the world including Iraq. As always wetsern world keeps their eye shut towards Christian minority countries. But anyway let me tell you something about these outfits which leads attacks on Inidan minoroties, including Muslims.
    The "Hindutwa " principle (pan_Indianism) was born into the mind of some nationlists jailed at the time of Independence struggle. Ofcourse their party father got inspiration from Nazi ideoplogy of Aryan supremacy and Hindu resurgence. Ther first leaders tried to visit Mussolini in Italy. This is the same group of Hindu Nationalist became successful in the assassination of that Great Hindu Mohan Das Gandhi. These Hindu Nationlistic outfits (RSS) were banned after this assassination of the Nation's father. Of course Nazism made its resurgence again in the last 25 years or something slowly. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is the Political wing of these Nazis. RSS is the basic ultra Hindutwa nazi group which trains their followers in Hindu temples wearing saffron clothese and kaki shorts. Bajrangdal is a recent incarnation of the storm troopers. They store their weapons in temples and bring it out in matter of minutes when the "war" is proclaimed. This is what happened in Gujarat where more than 2000 Muslims were massacared. Women raped and people burnt live. Before that these Nazis' demolished a Mosque built by First Mogul King Babur in 1500, claiming that this sits on the birthplace of their mythical godking Rama. The same group of people now claim that Indian govt cannot work on a sea channel south of India because it will disrupt a mythical bridge built by Rama a million years ago!! Just like Nazis they create issues so they can get their people together.
    Mostly the attacks against minorities happen in States controlled by their political paty BJP. Gujarat chief minister is called Indian Hitler because he was supportive of killing of 2000 Mulsims in his state. talk about democracy. His own Hindus voted him in again for a second term. His state is rich from all the money coming from all the motel industry coming from the "Patels". After the attack on Dalit (low caste) Christians in Orissa, a southern Indian state showed the signs of unrest. when mobs attacked catholic schools and missionaries. This state is ruled by a fringe majority BJP. (That was the first time BJP came into poer in southern states which are advanced in education generally)
    Americans should know their foes and friends. Do not entertain these Nazis. You should know what they are doing to minorities of these lands. Please stop the money flow to these Hindu Terrorist organizations just like they did with Islamic terrorists. it is easier in the beginning.

  • Posted By: Truth007 @ 10/16/2008 12:26:38 PM

    Comment: Before saying something he (Pope)should go to the root of the problem and not make a statement which suits him.Which religion did the tribals belong to?None.So why the hell has anybody the right to convert them?Nobody.They would have been living a peaceful life on their own till came the idiots who wanted to bring them into the MAINSTREAM.No polution,no greed no jazzy clothes and other outfits to show off nothing of the razzmatazz which is known as "progress"..Please leave them aloof a request i make to all religionists and politicians and industriywallahs.

    • Posted By: emmarcee @ 10/16/2008 12:56:22 PM

      Comment: Right to convert? Indian constitution guarantees the right of propagation of religion. Problem is that Catse system based on the authority of Brahimns still exists in India, with dalits on the lowest levels. "Tribals" are so far out most of these people cared them less than animals so they did n't put them in the four classes. So the whole India forgot about them. So what if missionaries work among them and show them light? I know, most of the upper classes don't want the dalits and tribals to get educated. This has been the curse of India. instead of attacking and killing missionaries and raping nuns, you Nazis should form organizations to help out these downtrodden people of India.
      yes most of the tribals are not even in the mainstream hinduism partly because of the aforementioned problems of Hinduism and slo becaus ethey have their own tribal gods just like any othe rtribals around the world. does not mean that they should be left in the darkness for all time!!

    • Posted By: emmarcee @ 10/16/2008 12:55:31 PM

      Comment: Right to convert? Indian constitution guarantees the right of propagation of religion. Problem is that Catse system based on the authority of Brahimns still exists in India, with dalits on the lowest levels. "Tribals" are so far out most of these people cared them less than animals so they did n't put them in the four classes. So the whole India forgot about them. So what if missionaries work among them and show them light? I know, most of the upper classes don't want the dalits and tribals to get educated. This has been the curse of India. instead of attacking and killing missionaries and raping nuns, you Nazis should form organizations to help out these downtrodden people of India.
      yes most of the tribals are not even in the mainstream hinduism partly because of the aforementioned problems of Hinduism and slo becaus ethey have their own tribal gods just like any othe rtribals around the world. does not mean that they should be left in the darkness for all time!!

    • Posted By: emmarcee @ 10/16/2008 12:53:02 PM

      Comment: Right to convert? Indian constitution guarantees the right of propagation of religion. Problem is that Catse system based on the authority of Brahimns still exists in India, with dalits on the lowest levels. "Tribals" are so far out most of these people cared them less than animals so they did n't put them in the four classes. So the whole India forgot about them. So what if missionaries work among them and show them light? I know, most of the upper classes don't want the dalits and tribals to get educated. This has been the curse of India. instead of attacking and killing missionaries and raping nuns, you Nazis should form organizations to help out these downtrodden people of India.
      yes most of the tribals are not even in the mainstream hinduism partly because of the aforementioned problems of Hinduism and slo becaus ethey have their own tribal gods just like any othe rtribals around the world. does not mean that they should be left in the darkness for all time!!

      • Posted By: cjsrinivas @ 10/16/2008 3:38:11 PM

        Comment: You want to reason it out, then lets get started.

        Right to convert: The one you are referring to is Article 25, it states, ???all persons are equally entitled to freedom of conscience and the right to freely profess, practice and propagate religion???
        The constitution was written in the true spirit of equality and freedom and that is why it is under ???Fundamental Rights??? and not under the Indian Penal Code. However, if missionaries are creating social tensions under the pretext of ???getting the poor, needy and the weak of seeing the light??? it is the responsibility of the government to step in to instruct these institutions to conduct their activities in a socially responsible manner. By that I mean instruct these institutions to realize that their activities though guaranteed by the constitution, must address their overall behavior and conduct in society, that???s where the Indian Penal Code comes in. I can quote sections of that if you want.

        Caste system: Your post oozes with anger rather than reason. You fail to recognize the dedication and sacrifice of millions of ordinary Indians who play a part in social causes whether it be for children, the elderly or women???s rights. To pour your deep rooted hatred of previous ills into verbally attacking a religion stems from your inability to look at the bigger picture and asking yourself, ???How can I help???? For that you need humility not anger.

        Tribals: Many tribals around the country were ???left alone??? so that they could continue to practice their ways and thereby protect their identity. As an Indian I take great pride in the diversity of my Nation. They were not left in the darkness for all time, as you call it.

        Question is can we do more to help, yes. In a country that continues to struggle to provide basic needs to a vast majority of its population, the need of the hour is a helping hand, not religious indoctrination of any kind. Feed the poor, educate them, provide health care, encourage means to secure loans and provide them with access to practical training, to name a few. Do it because it is the right thing to do and because you want them to see ???your very tainted light???.

        Don???t confuse your right to expression with your moral obligation of conduct in society. Be polite, and genuine, you will win a lot more hearts and minds than with anger.

        • Posted By: emmarcee @ 10/16/2008 6:58:08 PM

          Comment: srinivas, I have nothing to say. You said it: poor, sick and needy - o yes the missionaries are doing great "adharma". !!

          • Posted By: stholas @ 10/17/2008 3:34:12 PM

            Comment: Your missionaries are exploiting the poor, sick and needy. Fooling people into changing their beliefs is not the same as peacefully converting them. What the missionaries are doing, is practicing coercion. Go look up 'coercion' in the dictionary. Under no circumstance is it considered acceptable. Yes, the poor, sick and needy are in need of help. Help them for the sake of helping them, not for the sake of converting them. India is a poor country, and we are doing what we can right now. In time, we will be able to tackle poverty better. And please don't pass judgement on the Indian people. The last time someone came into our country to establish relationships with us, they stayed behind for over 200 years, and ended up exploiting us. Forgive us if we're a little paranoid, but at least we don't have a problem with a white woman running the most powerful party in the country.

  • Posted By: Truth007 @ 10/16/2008 12:26:01 PM

    Comment: Before saying something he (Pope)should go to the root of the problem and not make a statement which suits him.Which religion did the tribals belong to?None.So why the hell has anybody the right to convert them?Nobody.They would have been living a peaceful life on their own till came the idiots who wanted to bring them into the MAINSTREAM.No polution,no greed no jazzy clothes and other outfits to show off nothing of the razzmatazz which is known as "progress"..Please leave them aloof a request i make to all religionists and politicians and industriywallahs.

  • Posted By: TheWordoftheLordlives @ 10/16/2008 12:00:26 PM

    Comment: Persecution and killing of Christians is nothing new. Since the beginning of the history of the Church (true believers in Christ), persecution has always been a part of faith in Christ. However, persecution can never stop the Word of God from spreading as has been evidenced by history (Read the book of Acts in the Bible). As a matter of fact the Church becomes stronger when under intense persecution. The Word of God cannot be stopped..."My Word shall go forth and not return to Me void" God says. Jesus Himself said in the book of John 14, "I (alone) Am the Way, I (alone) Am the Truth and I (alone) Am the Life, no man comes to the Father except through Me." Acts 4:12 says, "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved."
    No matter if the nation is India, the US or any other nation on the face of the earth, God's Word will prevail even under intense persecution. Jesus said, "if they hated Me, they will hate you." God's Word also says, "they that live godly lives in Christ Jesus SHALL suffer persecution." This is more than just a political or culteral issue. Truth is under attack and it will continue until Christ returns and sets up His kingdom as "KING OF KING AND LORD OF LORDS" (Read Revelation chapter 19).
    The Word of God will continue to go forth from His people in India no matter how much God's people are persecuted.

    • Posted By: stholas @ 10/17/2008 3:35:52 PM

      Comment: Your ignorance is only matched by your arrogance.

  • Posted By: TheWordoftheLordlives @ 10/16/2008 11:50:04 AM

    Comment: It is a known fact that when Christians are killed and persecuted, that the Gospel message of Salvation in Jesus Christ spreads. The Word of God cannot be stopped by any group of people. God says, "My Word will go forth and will not return to Me void." The Word of God promises all Christians everywhere that if you seek to "live a godly life in Christ Jesus, you SHALL suffer persecution." If "Christ suffered for us, we too shall suffer persecution." The Word of God lives on in spite of man's attempts to stop the truth. Jesus said, "I (alone) AM the Way, I (alone) AM the Truth and I (alone) AM the Life." Salvation is in no other name but His. The book of Acts 4:12 says, "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved." This applies to India, the US and another other nation on the face of the earth. One day all wrongs will be made right. Christians will continue to suffer persecution, but the Word of the Lord lives on.

  • Posted By: equipindia @ 10/16/2008 11:31:51 AM

    Comment: I have not come across a single incident of someone paying somebody to convert to Christianity. I have been to several villages in deep inside many of the states. When people come across Christianity and the difference it makes compared on other religions, the tolerence, the peace and faith, they ponder on what they have been believing all the past days. They decide and leave. Also, unfortunately we still keep the cast and untouchability in our socieity. When a low cast Hindu man converts to Christianity, he is no more a low cast for below brothern in christianity so people are looking for ways to uplift themselves for their family for future. While the uppercast system is still want to push and treat them as untouchables. So this class divisiono takes its toll for someone to decide the change. Now I have several upper class non christians who became christians simply as they watched the Christian believes and faith and dealing. I am not saying all the christians are perfect. So, please leave aside the word "paying to convert" - nobody is doing that. Love thy neighbour as He loved.

  • Posted By: Indian descendent @ 10/16/2008 11:04:11 AM

    Comment: May be its time India should stop calling it a "so called" secular state and self proclaimed " largest democracy" I mean the world has witnessed the biggest massacre against a religious minority in Hyderabad in early 2000, Where people were burnt alive... their houses and businesses were burnt, women wombs were cut and fetuses were burnt to eliminate that minority... is that what we call secular democratic state?? Their state minister was found guilty of being involved in that massacre and was turned down a visa for US visit on humanitarian ground... BUT he got reelected in the following election.... I just caught the story about Hyderabad few days ago, where these riots just started again recently. And now this massacre against Christians!!!!! I mean stop fooling the world.

  • Posted By: Indian descendent @ 10/16/2008 11:02:35 AM

    Comment: May be its time India should stop calling it a "so called" secular state and self proclaimed " largest democracy" I mean the world has witnessed the biggest massacre against a religious minority in Hyderabad in early 2000, Where people were burnt alive... their houses and businesses were burnt, women wombs were cut and fetuses were burnt to eliminate that minority... is that what we call secular democratic state?? Their state minister was found guilty of being involved in that massacre and was turned down a visa for US visit on humanitarian ground... BUT he got reelected in the following election.... I just caught the story about Hyderabad few days ago, where these riots just started again recently. And now this massacre against Christians!!!!! I mean quit calling yourself a secular democratic state and stop fooling the world.

  • Posted By: arunjamal @ 10/16/2008 10:46:12 AM

    Comment: Wow. I can't believe what I'm reading in some of these comments! Suggesting that paying a poor person to convert is the same as burning a person alive is a stretch, don't you think! Another post says if someone in America wrote an article saying negative things about somebody's religion that the nation would be in a furor. That person must not live in America! People criticize and make fun of anything and everything, all the time. Very little furor results. To think that you have a right to murder someone because they criticize your faith is the problem.

    Even if some of these supposed missionaries are paying poor people to convert, so what? It's their money and their life. The poor have a right to do as they please. Why should the ruling castes have a right to control these poor people?

    Get over it. There's massive reform coming to India and some of these archaic ideas are crashing down.

    • Posted By: stholas @ 10/17/2008 3:41:40 PM

      Comment: Dude, get off your self-righteous ass. It isn't the same. No one is condoning the murder of anyone, let alone missionaries. But the Christian movement is a very dangerous movement, and they spare no effort in the spread of their propaganda. Their brainwashing tactics are despicable at best, so let's tackle the problem at the root. The Christian missionaries need to stop their ridiculous practices as well.

    • Posted By: emmarcee @ 10/16/2008 2:19:48 PM

      Comment: listen , it is very foolish to say that they hand out money and convert? can't you see it is just propaganda? What is the use of that anyway? I know how it works. Ask any person in USA who has gone to missionary work anywhere in the world? Does anyone covery for 10 dollars?

  • Posted By: Omnius @ 10/16/2008 10:23:29 AM

    Comment: Maybe it's about time that christians learn to stop sticking their noses into other people's religions. It's about time for them to stop trying to pervert people to their perverted religion! It's Karma Baby as the Hindu's do unto christians what the christians have done to every other religion over the past 1,500 years. Being a nontheist I cringe thinking how many people on this planet are so dumbed down by religions of all flavors.

    What a wonderful planet this could be if people got intelligent and outgrew their infantile obsession over their imaginary friend, god. So many wars, so many people killed needlessly over history because of religion and which god is the best god of war. We're heading into another Dark Ages unless people around the world throw off the shackles of religion and head to the light of reason, logic and science!

    • Posted By: emmarcee @ 10/16/2008 2:20:52 PM

      Comment: ofcourse a newsweek subscriber!!

  • Posted By: Proud_Hindu @ 10/16/2008 9:58:40 AM

    Comment: Hindus are doing the right thing in defending their religion , Christian Missionaries are paying money to poor people to convert , if they want to help the poor just help them , why make them believe in so called Jesus Christ

    • Posted By: gotohorse @ 10/16/2008 11:19:18 AM

      Comment: So this justifies killing people, HOW? I'm sure someone of your primitive view would also say honor kills are justified, etc.

      I hope you don't live in the US we have enough people here who aren't embracing the democratic , law based constitution as it is.

      • Posted By: stholas @ 10/17/2008 3:42:53 PM

        Comment: Dude, get off your self-righteous ass. It isn't the same. No one is condoning the murder of anyone, let alone missionaries. But the Christian movement is a very dangerous movement, and they spare no effort in the spread of their propaganda. Their brainwashing tactics are despicable at best, so let's tackle the problem at the root. The Christian missionaries need to stop their ridiculous practices as well.

  • Posted By: Proud_Hindu @ 10/16/2008 9:57:15 AM

    Comment: Hindus are right in defending their religion , if these Christians want to help why dont they help people without converting them to christianity ? The westerners dont even know how these christian missionaries convert people there , they pay them money , and try to expolit their poverty , they tell them to convert to Christianity and they offer money in return , Hindus are absolutely doing the correct thing in defending their religion

    • Posted By: sdsdfdf @ 10/17/2008 12:39:46 PM

      Comment: It is non-sense. One can not proud just to cling to one religen. All religion teaches moral, ethics, pricilples in life. It doest matter one follows Hinduism or Muslim or christian. The people who converts their religion in India are poor, socially and economically backward, suffer from getting employment, good food, health and education. This is fundamental requirement in human life. It is shame if government or any other social organization does not address the issue. Clinging to one religion will not yield bread and butter. If one religion is provding those and asking to convert the religion, it is perfetcly fine, after all food, health, education is more more important than a religion.

  • Posted By: eagle575 @ 10/16/2008 9:42:21 AM

    Comment: hmmm given newsweeks intolerance of Christians - and unbridled support of islamoterrorists - i can only imagine the thrill on your editorial staff.

  • Posted By: mdshams00 @ 10/16/2008 9:35:07 AM

    Comment: Bharat mata is crying for her chidren!! Also the the children of Mother india becoming a little rascal undder the
    patronisation of uncle and now the chidren are fighting with cousines!!

  • Posted By: medicjon @ 10/16/2008 8:29:53 AM

    Comment: Here is an excerpt of a first hand account from India. The entire text is too long for this comment space. You can read more about it at http://www.goodnewsindia.org/ and clicking on the "Urgent Prayer Request link.

    ...We have never seen anything like this. We knew that Orissa was the most resistant and hostile State in India as far as the Gospel is concerned. And we brushed off the continuous threats and harassment we faced as we went about His work. But
    none of our staff imagined that they would see this kind of carnage....And it seems to be totally under the radar of the Western Media ....Let me explain.... A militant Hindu priest and 4 of his attendants, who were zealously going around the villages of Orissa and "reconverting" people bac k to Hinduism, were gunned down by unknown assailants in Central Orissa last weekend. Immediately the Christians were blamed. The cry rose up..."Kill the Christians!" And the horror began.... In the past 4 days, we have first hand witness to hundreds of churches being blown up or burned and many, many...

  • Posted By: medicjon @ 10/16/2008 8:25:54 AM

    Comment: Here is part of a first hand account from Christians in India. The entire text is too long but you can read it at http://www.goodnewsindia.org/. Click on the "Urgent Prayer Request" link to read the whole account.

    ...We have never seen anything like this. We knew that Orissa was the most resistant and hostile State in India as far as the Gospel is concerned. And we brushed off the continuous threats and harassment we faced as we went about His work. But
    none of our staff imagined that they would see this kind of carnage....And it seems to be totally under the radar of the Western Media ....Let me explain.... A militant Hindu priest and 4 of his attendants, who were zealously going around the villages of Orissa and "reconverting" people bac k to Hinduism, were gunned down by unknown assailants in Central Orissa last weekend. Immediately the Christians were blamed. The cry rose up..."Kill the Christians!" And the horror began.... In the past 4 days, we have first hand witness to hundreds of churches being blown up or burned and many, many...

  • Posted By: Guest173 @ 10/16/2008 7:59:30 AM

    Comment: There is a great christian missionary outreach ministry Gospel for Asia that sends native born Indians to evangelize in India (their own people). I highly recommend any christian who would like to help support these many low caste neglected people with Bible tools, please look into Gospel for Asia, they give free books and information to learn how to help Indian Christians in evangelizing and helping the poor in India. www.gfa.org

  • Posted By: sumitisleo @ 10/16/2008 7:58:18 AM

    Comment: Mr. Khan seems a Paki... jealous of HINDU RATE OF GROWTH of INDIA... As for the author, i must tell him that there is nothing which can stop GROWTH of INDIA. b4 writing some biased views one shud look deeply and honestly into the matter. Converting Poor and uneducated tribals and lower caste people by luring them with money, and other facilities is the biggest voilence against them. b4 writing i suppose the author shud have read comments posted in any of the news in any Indian Media web site, where he wud ve seen that almost 90% of the comments while denouncing the voilence show apathy and hate towards actions of christans.
    Every1 shud understand that India is a democracy for all. there are other minorities also like Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis etc but they never face any problem in modern India. The question is why only Muslims and Christians face Hindu ire. the reason is simple... Hindus are only retaliating... they are paing them back in same coin. they are retaliating the voilence meted out to Hindus namely Terrorism my Muslims and Spiritual Terrorism by Christans. I must clarify here that not all muslims are terrorists. in fact there is a very thin minority of this class among muslims. the only prob with muslims is that even 2day for most of them ISLAM comes first and INDIA comes second. ...

    • Posted By: ASH1KHAN @ 10/16/2008 8:12:25 AM

      Comment: Actually Born and Raised American and Proud of it.

      I don't have to say much. let history speak for itself. All i ask is for the world to do their own research into Hinduism and everyone will ascertin the truth for themselves.

      • Posted By: stholas @ 10/17/2008 4:04:53 PM

        Comment: Hmmm...I suppose supporting human rights movements in Bangladesh and Tibet are evil acts?

  • Posted By: ASH1KHAN @ 10/16/2008 6:38:56 AM

    Comment: And the US Government just signed a "Nuclear" Deal with India. Guess what is going to happen when these Hindu Extremists get their hands on nuclear weapons?

    When is the world going to wake up? We have Multi-National corporations investing hundred's of billions of Dollars into India (which is a Hindu Majority) which in reality and if history is any guide is an intolerant religion. Where the status of a person is dicated by the Color of their skin. The lighter the color of your skin, the higher up an individual is considered.

    Wake up people!

  • Posted By: agnstheflow @ 10/16/2008 5:20:50 AM

    Comment: I am amazed MSN did this article....usually Christian persecution is hidden in the secular media. I am impressed. Of course anything to make religion as a whole look bad might be the real motive.

    http://www.persecution.com

    I expected to see all Hindu's here commenting though.
    http://www.gotquestions.org/Hindu-Christian.html

    I have a friend there doing charity work and we pray for her safety everyday.



  • Posted By: empyrius @ 10/16/2008 3:29:25 AM

    Comment: Why are Christians in India anyway . . .; oooo, that is right, the Jewel of the Crown eh. That darn white man's burden is sure an onerous load eh.

    • Posted By: RandyHiggins @ 10/16/2008 1:47:35 PM

      Comment: St. Thomas was in India when the British Isles were part of the Roman Empire and the people thought bulls and mountains were holy, just like Hindus. Exactly how he got there is a bit of a mystery, but there have been Christians in India for a very long time.

    • Posted By: yanfu39 @ 10/16/2008 5:36:59 AM

      Comment: actually a lot of evangelism is done by ethnic Indians. I would say that if we, as a free society, truly believe in free speech, then we all need to get off our high horse and stop creating the perception that it's ok to speak freely in one place but not another.

  • Posted By: empyrius @ 10/16/2008 3:27:31 AM

    Comment: Why are there Christians in India anyway . . .: oooo, that is right, the Jewel of the Crown. The good old white man's burden is surely an onerous load eh . . .

  • Posted By: 92253549 @ 10/16/2008 3:10:01 AM

    Comment: Part-5:

    Christians throughout the ages have strived on the concept of persecution and as a brought up Catholic, I remember feeling bad about all those martyred saints of Christianity . Christians in India like to say that they are only two per cent and can do no harm. But it is a sham: in the Tamil Nadu coastal belt from Chennai to Kanyakumari, there must be now 10 per cent Christians posttsunami and the same may be true in other parts of south India.
    My heart goes out to Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa who took a courageous stand against unethical Christian conversions, but is now under pressure from the Centre.
    The BJP, having learnt from bitter experience that the Congress has no qualm in invoking President???s rule under fallacious pretexts in states which are ruled by non-Congress governments is in a quandary: it must show some action against militant Hindu groups while remaining true to itself.
    This is why Yeddyurappa took some action against Hindu groups while saying that his government will not tolerate forcible conversions and will take stringent action against missionaries involved in conversions.
    And ultimately, the blame must fall on Hindus: they are 800 million in India, the overwhelming majority; they have the brains, they have the money and they have the power. But either their intellectual and political class sides with the minorities, out of fear, inferiority complex imbedded by the British or just sheer crass political opportunism, or the bigger mass is indifferent inert, selfish, un-civic conscious. Every Hindu is the inheritor of the only surviving spiritual knowledge which at the moment is under a concerted attack by Christian missionaries, Americanisation, Marxism and Islamic fundamentalism.


    • Posted By: Ron Paul For Pope @ 10/16/2008 8:18:17 AM

      Comment: 9225349 -

      Well said. God bless you. Peace to the Christians, and the Muslims. But peace also to the Hindus, whom every other religion treats like dirt.

      And agnstheflow -- you could not have paid him (or her) a higher compliment.

    • Posted By: agnstheflow @ 10/16/2008 4:53:20 AM

      Comment: Spoken from a true Hindu's perspective.