Regarding the US lawmakers and their ‘CONCERN’

A group of 21 lawmakers of the US has written to Naveen Patnaik the Chief Minister of Orissa expressing concern over the alleged intimidation of the Christians in the communally divided region and the possibility of the perpetrators of the violence going scot- free.
‘Given the recent experience with religiously inspired terrorism, we’re concerned that if Hindu extremists can act with impunity toward religious minorities in India, these extremists and their ideologies will begin to affect international security as well’.

It is shocking that the US senators overstepped political probity and exposed their ignorance of history facts and present reality. They have no right to address such a concern dripping letter to a CM of India. They could take their concern to world bodies if they felt a genuine concern. But the whole concern seems to be based on a lopsided perception and deeply entrenched vested interest.

If the concern for violation of  minorities’ rights was genuine then the concern cannot be selective. It should have expressed itself when the Hindu minorities are being tortured and harassed in Pakistan. Where slaying and maiming of the Hindus goes without a whimper. In Malaysia the Muslims have threatened bloodshed over the building of a Hindu temple-in Bangla Desh the Hindus are treated as second class citizens and an ethnic cleansing is on in full swing. No voice is raised against this by the lawmakers of the US neither the Human rights organizations? Bangle Desh has dared to kill many journalists and members of the Minority community. Are the lawmakers of the US and the US Commission on International Religious Freedom simply ignorant of these or they prefer to reserve their concern only for Kandhammal communal riots victims (Christians).

It is rather a travesty of truth when they term the Hindus rioters as Hindu extremists. Either the vocabulary is wrong or the meaning of these words the lawmakers are ignorant of. Hinduism does not inspire terrorism. The lawmakers are totally off the mark regarding Hinduism and its teachings and also prefer to be blind to the fact that only the religions of the Books are terror inspiring. This is proved by world history and today’s scenario of violence. If the Hindus were extremists then how come for generations they have been on the receiving end? Can these concerned law makers point out one instance when the Hindus were on the offensive? Be it Gujarat, Orissa, Malegaon it has been a backlash from a group of Hindus to avenge the onslaught on the Hindus. This is not to justify such attacks and rioting but to understand human psychology. Take the number of terrorists’ attacks all over India by the Muslims-is this not a matter of concern? They are  driven to a corner and need to fight back to survive. The Indian government with its power craze has adapted a vote bank policy leading to minority appeasement governance. No people with an iota of self respect will allow themselves to be the sacrificial goats on the altar of power.( The US law makers have forgotten the perpetrators of the dastardly horrifying demolition of the WTO)

Take for example Gujarat riots what triggered it? Why was 58 poor Kar Sevaks roasted and charred to death in closed compartments? There was no shedding of tears-no compensation and no attempt to understand the cause of the heinous crime. On the other hand the backlash which set off the communal riots in Gujarat shook the whole world- ‘concerned’ filled consciences. Modi has been blamed-the step motherly treatment meted to Modi and his government is there for people to see. The USA has refused a visa for him-That it is an insult to the people of Gujarat who elected him twice as their CM.  That a duly elected CM of
one of the Indian States was refused a visa goes to prove the deep prejudice against Modi and the State of Gujarat. The Centre has conspired with the USA in this. Otherwise it is a matter if diplomacy and Foreign affairs that the PM should have taken up the case and demanded an apology from the USA for refusing a visa to a constitutionally  elected CM of one of the States of India. This goes to prove beyond doubt the deep seated bias.

Take Kandhammal riots which found 40 dead. It would be in the cause of justice if the names of the victims are published. Among those affected were also Hindus. Though fewer in number. The Home Minister does not offer even words of condolences for those dead. Does religion differentiate the value of human lives? So it is not as though the perpetrators were Hindus and the victims of violence were Christians. It is a mob reaction to the brutal gruesome murder of a much revered 83 year old swamiji and three Hindu nuns within the Ashram in front of the terror stricken children. It is natural that there was an outrage at this and a giving vent to this brutal murder. But a mob has no rational and in the violence a nun was raped. This became the ‘blot’ and shame on India according to our Prime Minister when the European
Union expressed its ‘concern’.

What goes beyond one’s comprehension is the fact that Hindus have never been on the offensive but to  expect the Hindu outfits to silently watch the perpetration of violence and harassment against the Hindu community is absurd. The ethnic cleansing in J&K is no bother of the lawmakers of the US and of Human rights organizations. The Hindu pundits have been systematically killed and the rest driven out of their homes to refugee camps.

It is for a record of sorts that the above are mentioned. But the primary case against the lawmakers of the US is that it is none of their business. Simple courtesy would demand that they mind their own business and if their ‘concerned’ consciences are too heavy to carry then they should unload their burden through right channels. They are lawmakers and forget the process of law. They are even unaware of diplomacy and overstep their boundaries by directly writing to a CM of an Indian State.

It is also the case of the pot calling the kettle black and finally it is because these lawmakers and the Christian organization need to keep the tempo and the fake harassment against the Christians at a high decibel for two reasons:

One-because they want to proselytize since many of them believe that it is the God given command–‘go ye and baptize all the nations in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit’. This was reinforced recently by the  Pope when on Mission Sunday he called upon the Catholic Church to make every one the disciple of Jesus. But what is baffling is why the focus on India to operate this command. Why not go to China-the Mid East and why not nearer at home bring back to the church the lapsed Christians.

The second reason is finance and politics-enormous sums of money are involved in this business of proselytization. It is one of the biggest lucrative global business. Lucre and political power go hand in hand. Though the Christians are aware that Jesus said ‘you cannot serve two masters’. They conveniently forget the message conveyed through Temptations in the Desert to suit their own vested interests.

Finally it is relevant for the US commission on International Religious Affairs to note that no harassed community, no intimidated community will go a church building spree. Why not make a survey of the number of churches built in the last ten years throughout India?  It  is a myopic perception to see what you want to see simply because it suits your vested interest. One hopes that all those who have ‘concern’ will also have justice and that demands to uphold the truth-nothing but the truth.

All human life is sacred and unique-.be they Hindus or Christians/Muslims. Peace cannot prevail if Justice is hijacked in the name of the Minorities. India is a land of diverse faiths. A cradle which nurtured all faiths-a land of refuge which welcomed all peoples of other faiths when persecuted in other countries made India their home. Hence it would be unjust and far from truth to target the Hindus and make them perpetrators of intolerance and tag them as Hindu extremists. Hinduism is the oldest religion in the world and it has an inbuilt tolerance and a precept that other religions are the different paths which lead to the Paramatha. Hence they will not bulldoze other paths to create ‘One Way’, ‘One Path’.The sooner  Christians /Muslims accept this basic truth the sooner will the communal divide fall

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