Religious Conversions
By Poonam I Kaushish
Religion is turning out to be a big vote spinner, as our political undatas busily churn the conversion cauldron underscoring political discourse is all about rabble rousing, spreading hatred and widening the communal divide on religious lines.
Primarily, as over the years religious conversion has become the most exploited, explosive, social and political issue reaching an alarming situation as our netagan tom-tom it. Union Home Minister Amit Shah is the latest to raise the ante promising a strict law against forced and fraudulent conversions if BJP comes to power in Maharashtra ahead of polls next week. In Jharkhand too, BJP has declared its intention to enact a similar law.
Unfortunately, instead of asking rivals what they bring to the table and their vision about India’s future all are falling prey to poll exigencies. Already five States: Rajasthan, Orissa, Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Gujarat have enacted anti-conversion laws that bar conversions but allow re-conversions to Hinduism. Jharkhand has declared its intention to enact a similar law.
Who does one fault? Given our netas are pitting Hindus against Muslims for political nirvana, creating fissiparous tendencies resulting in a communal divide. Congress accuses BJP for engineering a Hindu majoritarian communal style of politics by using tactics like attempting to electorally marginalise Muslims to patronising communal violence, especially around the emotive issue of love jihad.
The Hindutva Brigade slams its rival as ‘Muslim party’ part of the “tukde-tukde gang” which protects terrorists and is “working on Pakistan’s agenda” and belongs there. Opposition despite taking the Saffron Saangh to task over their anti-minority plank and opposing aggressive Hindutva consolidation, don’t want to be labeled “pro-Muslim.”
Even as the conversion circus continues unabated. Specially of SC-STs and poor in rural and tribal areas via enticement of gifts, cash or inter-religious marriages. In UP Chief Minister Yogi post Unlawful Conversion of Religion (Amendment) Bill, 2024 enactment raids a church, accusing members of conversion.
In Jharkhand, RSS aims to make whole blocks “Christianity free” and recently converted 53 families to Hinduism. Hindu Jagran Manch alleges Christian preachers from Bhopal and Kerala promise jobs and money to illiterate tribals’ if they practice Christianity at its ‘Changai Sabhas.’
Last month MP police arrested three Christians for trying to convert Hindus. Flush with funds from their US headquarters, many churches converted hundreds of Hindus to Christianity in Tamil Nadu.
Pertinently, 77% of new converts to Islam were Hindus and 63% women last year. Said, a VHP leader, “‘Every year over 12 lakh Hindus become either Christians or Muslims.” And where conversions have taken place, another movement called Ghar Wapsi in MP, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Gujarat and Orissa is on for reconverting tribal Christians back to Hinduism.
Fortunately, Supreme Court settled this in 1973 wherein it distinguished between right to proselytize and right to convert. Upholding the Constitutional validity on anti-conversion laws enacted by Orissa and MP in 1967-68, it ruled: “What the Constitution grants is not the right to convert another person to one’s own religion, but to transmit or spread one’s religion by an exposition of its tenders.”
The Court also observed that organized conversion was anti-secular and that respect for all religions was the essence of India’s secularism. Adding, “fraudulent and forced religious conversions a very serious issue and a very dangerous thing which may ultimately affect the security of the nation and freedom of religion and conscience of citizens.”
Undeniably, we are watching cut-throat communalism at work. Whereby, our netas have made nationalism and Hindu-Muslim vote-bank the tour de force of politics. With every leader propounding his self-serving recipe of ‘communal’ harmony harbouring the same intention: To keep their gullible vote-banks emotionally charged so that their own ulterior motives are well-served. Never mind, if the nation gets sucked into vortex of centrifugal bickerings.
Has our polity realized the ramifications of their actions? Wouldn’t it further divide people on creed lines and is antithetical to hope of narrowing India’s burgeoning religious divide, thereby unleashing a Frankenstein.
Remember, flush with funds from their US headquarters a number of church groups converted hundreds of Hindus to Christianity in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, AP, Kashmir and Karnataka by giving them money and jobs in decades post Independence. On the flip side, VHP and Bajrang Dal too established groups of armed youth, called Raksha Sena to stop conversions to Christianity.
India’s misfortune is that Hindu, Muslim and Christian fundamentalism is growing thanks to political and intellectual double-speak. Whereby, secularism has degenerated from its lofty ideal of equal respect for all religions to a cheap and diabolical strategy for creating captive religious vote-banks.
Clearly, in a milieu of competitive democracy, if caste politics ensures convergence of electoral booty, politics based on religion has better chance of polarising voters via vicious poison tongued speeches inducing raw emotions of hostility and hate. Who cares if it is destructive and stokes communal violence and sows seeds of rabid communalism.
Importantly, no quarter should be given to those who fan hatred among people and communities. Be it a Hindu ‘messiah’ or a Muslim ‘mullah’. Both are destroyers of the State, which has no religious entity. Thus, our moral angst cannot be selective but should be just, honourable
Pertinently, none of our netagan want to acknowledge they are culprits nor willing to address the crux: Conversions takes place when poor of various creed and caste pleas for dignity, self-respect and economic betterment fall on deaf ears. Alas, leaving them no recourse but to freely grab monies offered by Hindu priests, Christian missionaries or Muslim mullas for their votes.
It’s another matter that it fails to deliver them from caste-oppression. Add, to this economic lollipops —— jobs, schools, health facilities and social benefits — dignity, self-respect — one is face-to-face with instances of fraudulent conversion.
Interestingly, India is not alone Bhutan, UAE and Algeria too have anti-conversion laws. In UAE it is illegal to convert from Islam and leaving the Islamic faith is a crime punishable by death, in Algeria conversions results in 5 years imprisonment and Bhutan three.
Importantly, our leaders need to understand that by playing Hindus and Muslims against each other they are only serving their vested interests. Instead of raising the bar on public discourse, they are lowering it. Parties and fringe elements need to realize the collateral damage it causes will be permanent. Neither Lord Ram nor will Allah forgive the polity for playing havoc in its name.
In the ultimate netas need to realize a nation is primarily a fusion of minds and hearts and secondarily a geographical entity. Let’s not reduce religious conversion to vote-bank politics. Our leaders need to do a cost-benefit analysis and put a stop to converting religious gush into political slush! —— INFA