The entire story of the cruelties perpetrated by the Portuguese Christians will be revealed in front of your eyes. Violence was let loose in the 16th century, with the principal aim of converting the Hindus of Goa into Christianity. To attain this aim, the naked dance of cruelty and terror was launched. This was done with the connivance of the Portuguese with the Christian missionaries. So overpowered were they with the power of conversion that they ignored even the prime principle of human rights. They found the Brahmins an obstacle in their inhuman campaign of bringing about change of heart and religion. Hence they committed the most severe atrocities on them first of all. On 6th November 1541, the Governor of Goa wrote thus to the King of Portugal, ?We should convert the leaders of the society, the Brahmins, to Christians. They will never accept this. Hence, we must invite them on the pretext of learning something from them. Once they stay behind even for two years away from their continent, then I can convert a major portion of the population, if not the entire one, into Christians.?
Another important point made in the Preliminary Notes is: ?Some Hindus, including the Brahmins, are not against the Christian religion. They had accepted followers of Christianity before the advent of the Portuguese. Innumerable signs of this are available. As an example, take the case of Mandgaon. The Archbishop states that the Hindus had helped him identify a proper site for the church. Their sympathies are undoubtedly beyond suspicion. The Pir Sahib of the Moors, the African Muslims, is situated next to the Siddheshwar Temple. What the Hindus do not accept is the concept of Christianity as preached by the missionaries. Are not the Christians aware of the kindness shown by the ancient Hindus?
A History Replete with Violence
The history of the propagation of Christianity not only in India, but the world over, is filled with incidents of violence. The proponents of Christianity did not have any qualms in resorting to rampant killing of the aborigines and natives of North America, South America and Australia. They succeeded in converting the Negroes of Africa into Christians but despite it, there was no end to their cruelties. They continued to keep the Negroes in bondage as their slaves. In the 19th century, the Negroes managed to secure freedom from slavery through formal means. Even in the modern 20th century, the followers of Jesus Christ, who was the messenger of peace, imposed two very destructive World Wars within an interval of 25 years. Who were these people? Were they not Christians? Among these was a Christian nation to make the first use of the destructive atom bomb. Even today, who holds the largest arsenal of the most destructive chemical weapon or the WMD? It is the Christian nations. To list them individually, the names are USA, England, France and Russia. It is these nations who are in need of the services of the Christian missionaries because their people, their politicians, their national leaders and officers of the defence forces are in dire need of the message of peace; it is certainly not the peace-loving Indians. Those who are already calm and peaceful have no need to be any more peaceful. The missionaries should propagate the preaching of Jesus Christ in lands where the fires of human destruction are burning. The Christian brethren of India and the missionaries should be sent there. At least their increasing activities need to be controlled. The missionaries are not coming to India to make the country rich or to discuss the superiority of its religion through its intellectuals. It is coming here to entice the poor, deprived people of India so as to separate them from the mainstream.
Adverse Results
Even if we accept that the missionaries are coming to sow the seeds of peace through the message of Jesus Christ, the recent events prove it to be contrary. They come to increase their numbers; not their faith. Once the population of the Hindus decreases, then the imperialistic designs of the Western nations, who encourage these missionaries, will succeed. They are firm in their conviction that in whichever portion, the Hindus have started decreasing in number, that part of the country has begun to seek secession from India. All of us should ponder for a moment as to how Pakistan came into being. Intellectuals in politics should be able to provide an answer to this. Some will certainly blame the British policy of ?Divide and Rule?, while some others will criticise Jinnah for his adamant attitude, while still many will point to the inconsistency in the policies of Mahatma Gandhi and the Congress. All these reasons may be correct, but the main cause has been that the population of Hindus had decreased considerably in the region now called Pakistan. Why do we find violence and secessionist activities in Nagaland? The simple reason is that the Hindu population has decreased there. Why is terrorism flourishing in Kashmir? The reason is that only 5 per cent Hindus are left there. Just try to find the reasons for the reason for the 5 per cent Hindus to live with self-respect among the 15 per cent Muslims. In my village, only 15-20 houses among the 400-500 houses belong to the Muslims. They are safe here and can freely celebrate their festivals, Id and Muharram. How is it so? This is because the Hindus are in majority here. The large population and unity among the Hindus is the foundation of the strength of our nation. Even otherwise, the Muslim identity is guaranteed here because different races, sects and religions can subsist here.
Signs of Intolerance
In Pakistan there is an Islamic sect by the name of Kadiyani, whose only crime is that its founder Ahmed Sahib considered himself to be a messenger of God. Because of this sin of the sect, they are treated as non-Muslims. Had the Hindus been in majority in Pakistan, the Kadiyanis could have lived with self-respect among them. Even the history of Christianity does not display the spirit of equality. In the Medieval Ages, the Catholic kings saw to it that the Protestant priests were burnt alive. In America no Catholic could become a President even when the population of Catholics is 24 per cent. Once in 1961, a Catholic became the President of America, but he could not even complete his term of four years as within two to two-and-a-half years, he was murdered. Subsequently any Catholic aspiring to be the President gave up all hopes. Prof. Samuel Huntington in his renowned book Who are We? feels no hitch in declaring, ?We, the Americans, are English-speaking Protestants.? It may be remembered here that Huntington is not talking about Christianity. He is referring to the Protestants. He further states, ?Ask only one question. Could America have come into existence if in the 17th and the 18th centuries, the British Protestants had not set up their colonies but the French, Spanish and Portuguese had succeeded in establishing theirs instead? The answer is ?no. Could Quebec, Mexico or Brazil have formed?? (see p. 59 of Who are We?) We Indians should ask ourselves that if the Hindus had not been in a majority here, then could India have survived? No, it would have become a Pakistan or a Bangladesh or an East Taimur.
The Show of Intellectuals
Is it not ironical that it is these progressive Hindus who are cursed for their open-mindedness? And what is more shameful is that those who curse the Hindus are Hindus themselves. They are the ones who propagate that the Hindus are tormentors. If any further proof is needed, then the article by Coomi Kapur in The Indian Express dated 25th September should be read. Without revealing any name and protecting her identity, this intellectual states that the 59 Hindu Swayamsevaks who perished in the train fire at Godhra station, had been torched by the Sangh members (she cites the example of Hitler lighting the Reichstag, German parliament, himself). She also alleges that the terrorist attack on Indian Parliament in 2001 was a plot hatched by the government of Atal Behari Vajpayee. What is more, she says the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers in America on 11 September 2001, in which thousands of lives were lost, was stage-managed by America and Israel. It is a saving grace that the terrorist attack on Marriot Hotel in Pakistan, in which 60 persons died and in which 52 were Muslims, has not been attributed to the Sangh family.
However, it is necessary to remember that henceforth the Hindus will not tolerate all this any further. The murder of Swami Lakshmanand cannot be ignored. Nor will it be tolerated that the Hindus should be driven out of Kashmir Valley. All kinds of falsehood which are being spread about Hindu Dharma and their gods are being sponsored by the Christian organisation called New Life and this will not be tolerated, nor will the mass conversions by Christians. Disturbances created through deception, enticements and pressures to increase their numbers will not be allowed.
In the Madhya Pradesh of the old and in Orissa, the then Congress governments had tried to impose control over conversions. It was considered an unlawful activity. By voicing their opposition to the law the missionaries themselves revealed their involvement in conversion activities. But now this will no longer be allowed to continue. Not because of somebody pointing it out, but because the Hindu society is aware and conscious of this issue. No one should take up the liberty of igniting the hidden pile of dynamites. The Christian missionaries and the entire Christian brethren should clearly understand that it is the Hindu society which is capable of protecting their religion, their religious places and their sacred scriptures. The Hindu society is a respecter and protector of all kinds of diversities. A government which pampers you so to win your votes cannot promise you protection. Sonia Gandhi, Mulayam Singh, Lalu Prasad Yadav, Paswan – each is greedy about your vote so as to remain in power. No political party, no government can bring about harmony by enforcing from above; only the society can do this work.
(Concluded)
Leave a Comment