Write Comment     |     E-Mail To a Friend     |     Facebook     |     Twitter     |     Print

Christians and Muslims meet UN official
 

Christian and Muslim groups in Gujarat have told a UN official that their government harasses them for standing up for the rights of the poor. UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders Margaret Sekaggya visited Ahmedabad Jan. 17 to hear human rights defenders from Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan states. She met the activists after meeting with state officials. Christian groups in Gujarat told the visitor that the government treats them as “second class citizens” when they try to protect the rights of tribal and dalit people.

The pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP, Indian people’s party) led by Narendra Modi has ruled Gujarat since 1995. Jesuit activist Father Cedric Prakash told the UN official that in 2004 the Gujarat government labeled him anti-national, registered a case against him and sought to seize his passport. The priest was among the few to protest when Hindu radicals attacked Muslims in 2002. Three-month long Hindu-Muslim riots killed more than 2,000 persons, mostly Muslims. “Because of my stand on human rights violations, several Church personnel and institutions are denied of what is lawfully theirs,” Father Prakash said in a written submission to the UN official.

Father Prakash now directs a human rights center in Ahmedabad and represents the Gujarat United Christian Forum for Human Rights. Suhel Tirmizi, a Muslim, said the government tried unsuccessfully to cancel the license of five lawyers who defended the 2002 riot victims. R. B. Sreekumar, the state’s former director general of police, said that the government punishes its officials who try to defend religious minorities. The Hindu official was denied promotion by the government for not toeing its line. Mallika Sarabhai, another Hindu human rights activist, said the government forced her staff to file false case against her when she moved the Supreme Court to hold Modi responsible for the 2002 anti-Muslim violence.
 

Christian Prof Heads Vatican Science Council
 

A retired professor from Switzerland has been asked to head the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, becoming the first Protestant to lead the Vatican’s science council. The Vatican press office reported Saturday the appointment of Werner Arber, a former microbiology professor from the University of Basle. Arber was born in Granichen, Switzerland, in 1929. A molecular biologist, he received the Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine in 1978 together with Hamilton Smith and Daniel Nathans, for the discovery of restriction endonucleases. The development of recombinant DNA technology is based on their work. Arber’s main scientific interests are the mechanisms that promote and that limit the spontaneous variation of genetic information in microorganisms.
 

Peace team provides relief to clash victims

Displaced Kuki tribal victims of the ethnic clashes outside a camp in Assam, India

A Church-initiated joint peace mission team is providing emergency humanitarian aid to the victims of recent ethnic clashes in Assam. “We are providing items that are most needed,” said Allen Brooks, a member of the team. Relief items include tarpaulin sheets for roofing and shelters, blankets, baby food, rice and medicine. Brooks said that since it is winter, shelter and blankets are the most essential requirements. “Other agencies are already providing food items,” he added.
About 10 people were killed on New Year’s Day amid clashes between members of the Rabha tribe in Assam and people from the Garo tribe in Meghalaya. Over 30,000 people were left homeless after 1,500 houses in 90 villages along the Assam-Meghalaya border were torched. Local authorities have established 40 camps to provide shelter for the homeless. CASA (Churches Auxiliary for Social Action), the outreach arm of 24 Protestant and Orthodox churches in India is supplying relief material to the victims. The Council of Baptist Churches in North East India (CBCNEI) yesterday sent a truck with aid supplies.
“The task is gigantic but we are trying to do the best from the limited resources we have,” said CBCNEI relief coordinator Athungo Shitiri. Missionary Sisters of Charity Sister Gale, who visited the camps to distribute clothes said, “We met people from 13 villages in one camp and we supplied them with food, clothing and especially blankets, because people are suffering from the cold.” Amrit Kumar Goldsmith, another member of the peace team, said they obtained permission from district authorities to distribute material directly to those affected. “We have 3,000 blankets, 2,000 tarpaulins, 5 tons of flattened rice and 1,000 cans of baby food,” he added. According to media reports, about 3,000 people have already returned home. Most people from the Garo tribe are Christians, mainly Baptists.

Book to remove mistrust of Christianity

Father Dominic Emmanuel

A Catholic priest has published a book aimed at dispelling “misconceptions” about Christianity held by the majority of Indians. Divine Word Father Dominic Emmanuel says Christianity, Hindutva, Conversion and FAQs will help those who want to know more about Christianity and the rationale behind the Church’s social services in the country. The 171-page book was launched at a function in New Delhi on Jan. 15, celebrating the feast of Saint Arnold Jansen, founder of the Divine Word Society. Father Victor D’Souza, vicar-general of Delhi archdiocese, gave the first copy to Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Salvatore Pennachchio.
The book, divided into ten chapters, follows a question and answer format. It tries to explain situations that have been the source of many allegations made against missioners in order to allay suspicions Indians harbor about Christianity, the writer said. The book is also useful for pastors and Christian leaders who have difficulty responding to allegations against the Church and its activities, Father Emmanuel said. Hindutva is a term used to describe a philosophy followed by right-wing Hindu groups that pushes for the creation of a Hindu theocratic state in India. These groups allege the Church’s main aim is to convert poor and gullible Hindus to Christianity using social services as a façade.

Auxiliary Bishop Franco Mulakkal of Delhi described the book as a “small spark” that will enhance the Church’s mission to spread Gospel values. Bishop Mulakkal lamented that Hindu fundamentalists have succeeded in frightening Christians in India and confined Church workers to convents and institutions. “We don’t have to live in fear since we are citizens of this country with an equal right to practice our faith,” he said. The bishop, who started several inter-faith movements in Jalandhar diocese as a priest, appealed to all religions to work together to create a peaceful and harmonious