Notes from North-East: Conversion at gun point?
From Buddhists allege NSCN-IM threat (emphasis added):
…“The people in Wangnong and nearby villages (in Arunachal Pradesh) have been passing sleepless nights. They are all Buddhists. An armed militant group belonging to the NSCN(IM) has ordered them to convert to Christianity,†said Ven Aggadhamma, the highest religious leader of the Buddhists in Changlang and Tirap districts.Aggadhamma said that on May 13, a group of armed men came to the village, gathered the village head and other senior members of the village and ordered them to embrace Christianity. “These persons came to the village the next day too and set a deadline of seven days to convert,†Aggadhamma told The Indian Express from Namsai in Changlang over the telephone on Thursday.
Aggadhamma immediately sent a memorandum to the state government, copies of which were also sent to the Prime Minister’s Office, Union Home Ministry, the President as well as the Minority Commission. Aggadhamma also rushed to the Assam Rifles posted in the district and ensured that patrol parties were sent out to the area.
Though the deadline to convert expired on May 21, no untoward incident has happened so far. “But the armed group have now questioned the villagers as to why they informed the Assam Rifles,†Aggadhamma said.
“Changlang and Tirap have been on the NSCN(IM) map since long. As their slogan is ‘Nagalim for Christ’, they are forcibly trying to convert the people,†the Buddhist monk said.
…The NSCN(IM) has, however, dismissed the allegation as baseless and motivated. “The NSCN believes in freedom of religion and has never ever indulged in any act of terrorising people in the name of religion. We believe in peaceful co-existence of people of different faiths,†a spokesman of the NSCN(IM) said over the telephone from Nagaland.
Image courtesy: Govt of Arunachal Pradesh
As for NSCN(IM)’s claim that it believes in “freedom of religion”, this is a quote I unearthed from an interview with NSCN(IM) founder:
Although our problem with India is national and political in nature, the issue of faith inevitably turns out, when challenged, to be the most enduring force in the ultimate analysis.
Draw your own conclusion(s). For those who are keen to read more, here is the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP) write-up on NSCN(IM).
Some of you may have read the news about a 36-feet tall statue of Jesus that was unveiled recently in Arunachal Pradesh. t is believed to be the tallest statue of Jesus Christ in India (try and imagine – if you can – the uproar had a statue of Bhagwaan ShriKrishna or Bhagwaan ShriRam was similarly installed). Arunachal Pradesh has a small Christian population – approximately 20% of its total of 1millon – but growing fast. Interestingly, the official website of the government of Arunachal Pradesh makes no mention of Christianity at all even while it talks about tribes practising Buddhism and forms of nature worship (you might be forgiven for thinking there is no Christian presence in Arunachal). Below is a picture of the statue.
Image courtesy: Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India
And finally (while on this topic), here is another “interesting” article about the spread of Christian faith from Nagaland. One person alone claims to to have helped “plant 200 churches in Arunachal Pradesh”. Comments, thoughts welcome as always.
Related Posts:
On Remittances, Media Houses and Covert Evangelism
Should we ban foreign funding of religious institutions?
and the series on Why are Christian Missionaries Targeting India?
Somewhat related: Are all religions equal?
They followed the same tactics in SriLanka & Nepal with deadly effect.
Shocked by the post! I knew its happening but not in this fashion. Those who claimed earlier on your blog that they are just doing the spiritual work of spreading the Jesus message falls flat. Thanks for one more eye opening post on this issue.
Take care!
Conversion has been a peculiar issue in India. It seems to spreading like a wild fire all over especially in tribal areas where governance is yet to be seen. Now this issue is becoming vulnerable to society at large. When the constitution promises for certain fundamental rights for religious practices, then the rule of law has to be supreme. Its certainly violates the rights of the people and needs to dealt with in proper manner.
Moreover, in the north eastern part of the country which is hilly in nature, the rule of law is hardly put into effect. And due to such demographic structure, it’s the most difficult terrain to rule. If we really want to see this part of country smiling with all its people living their lives as they want, we need to think of all in all development. No feeling is greater than self-esteem. Education, employment,other oppurtunities, socio-cultural awarenes are few of the major areas to be looked at in priority.
Like in Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, protection of religious law is applicable in Arunachal as well (which missionaries call to ban their conversion).
Northern States like Mizoram, Nagaland were barely 40% Christian when India got freedom. But then the terrorism started in the name of freedom struggle with foreign money and now we have 90% or more Christian population in these states. In more than one way, its worse than Kashmir.
The NE location is extremely strategic. The long term goal of Missionaries is to found a Christian state in NE India and then expand to adjacent countries like Burma, China, Thailand etc.
The Kachin rebels who are trying to separate country in upper Burma areas are also Christian.
As usual, Congress is weak in protecting Indigeneous people, their faith even though father of the nation, Swami Vivekananda and all top leaders oppose religious conversion.
More people converted to Christianity in Andhra Pradesh in last 6 years of YSR rule than Muslims population in 400 plus years of Nizam rule.
Good job, secular state.
Read it full
http://allafrica.com/stories/201005270077.html
Rwanda: Will the Vatican Ever Accept That Genocide is Also a Crime?
Tom Ndahiro
Extract
This was a skilful ploy to tarnish the image of the movement. It inspired fears among other missionaries and influenced public opinion, especially in Europe, which easily feels disapproval for anything called “anti-Christian.”
If the rulers of India are honest with us what hope do we have ? In Pakistan the christian would not dare convert infact the conversion in pakistan is reverse. Lot of hhindus in Pakistan have been forced to cervert to islam for safety reasons . A lot of hindus are road sweepers in Karachi who live wretched lives. Where are the hindu groups helping the tribals?
*** COMMENT EDITED ***
Interview of a Christian Evangelist in India By: Bandyopadhyay Arindam
http://www.blogs.ivarta.com/Interview-an-Evangelist-India/blog-31.htm
*** NOTE by MODERATOR ***
Pl put a link instead of copying and pasting the whole article. Thanks
how dare the terrorists threaten the culture of india,where are the hindu ,budhist national groups when u need them?.this must not be allowed to go on !
Putting this here for the record: A Competition for Converts in Arunachal Pradesh By MAX BEARAK,:
…
Implicit in the slogans for the event, which began in 2011, is the idea that this northeastern state, populated mostly by tribal people, is being stripped of its distinctive religious identity as hundreds of thousands have converted to Christianity.
Most outsiders hear about this remote Himalayan state in the context of tensions with China over repeated border incursions and blueprints to build hundreds of dams on its icy, blue rivers. But most Arunachal Pradesh residents are more concerned with adapting to a society increasingly drawn along religious rather than tribal lines.
In Itanagar’s residential neighborhoods, most households identify themselves with religious markers — a star lantern for Christians, and a white flag with a red sun, for animists. “We’re at a junction where we are dichotomizing,†said Toku Tayu Stephen, the catechist at St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Itanagar.
Hundreds of thousands in this mountainous and sparsely populated state have converted to Christianity in recent years, and the trend has accelerated exponentially over the past four decades. The 1971 census showed less than 1 percent of Arunachal Pradesh’s residents called themselves Christian, but in 2001, 19 percent of the state’s total population and 26 percent of the tribal population put themselves in that category.
While religious data for the 2011 census hasn’t been released yet, many observers say that it is likely that Christians now form a majority of the approximately 1.4 million people in the state, with some tribes almost fully converted.
Less than a decade ago, Arunachal Pradesh was the only state in India to have a majority population adhering to tribal religions.
Adding this link here for the record: Terror in the Name of Christ in Northeast
Adding this for the record: Arunachal’s Tribal Culture Fades As Fervent Proselytisation Fuels Christianity by Jaideep Mazumdar, Jun 30, 2017