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Al-Ahram Weekly 11 - 17 November 1999 Issue No. 455 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 11 - 17 November 1999 Issue No. 455
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Features Profile Travel Books Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters All in good faith?
By Gamal NkrumahForgive me, Holy Father, if I harp on once again about Westerners pontificating as to how Asian and African countries should run their domestic affairs. Yet this time I cannot stop myself, even though the focus of my fury is the Pontiff himself.
Of course, it is hard to provide any absolute moral justification for the different ways we react to the politics of religion in various parts of the world, and I'm not about to suggest I have any privilege in this respect. However, one of the canons of Western secularism is the separation of religion from politics. This is a canon the head of the Roman Catholic Church obviously does not believe in. Thus in Cuba, he castigates Fidel Castro and calls for the dismantling of Communism -- an enterprise he first got involved in in his native Poland.
It is strange that as we approach the third Christian millennium, there is little sign of fresh thinking in the Catholic church when it comes to the politics of religion. Surely the Pope understands that many wars the world over are fuelled by religious tensions? Surely he can see that much violence is instigated by political organisations masquerading as religious groups -- or is it the other way round? Yet you wouldn't know it, to listen to him. Thus, we meet him once again laying bare his preposterous plans in a country riddled with religious tensions. "Just as the first millennium saw the Cross firmly planted in the soil of Europe, and the second in that of America and Africa, so may the third Christian millennium witness a great harvest of faith on this vast and vital continent," the Pope this week told an incredulous India.
His hosts were invariably polite, but they must have been wondering what in the name of Krishna they could have done to deserve this. "Missionaries should be careful," warned the President of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, Kushabhau Thakre. According to the Catholic Directory of India, the Roman Catholic Church runs 7,570 kindergarten and nursery schools, 14,638 primary schools, 9,414 secondary schools and 480 colleges, including 63 medical colleges and six engineering ones, across the sub-continent. But the Pontiff is far from satisfied. As if religious zealotry has not caused enough trouble in the past, he is determined now to Christianise Asia -- that least Christian of all the continents.
In declaring his mission for the coming millennium, the Pope conveniently overlooked the fact that India already has a sizeable Christian population, whose members are active in all walks of life. It seems to have escaped his notice that Christians even have a high profile in the Armed Forces. There have been four Christian chiefs of staff -- two navy and one each in the army and air force -- and the current Minister of Defence, George Fernandes, is himself a Christian.
One of India's strengths is that it is a viable democracy. One of its weaknesses is that it is prone to communalism or religious strife. Proselytisation of any kind is regarded as anathema by many Hindu groups, and the Roman Catholic church in particular is widely perceived as arrogant and contemptuous. However, the Pontiff this week made it crystal-clear that evangelisation in Asia remains a priority for the Roman Catholic Church. He insisted at inter-faith meetings and open air services, that his church has a right to further missionary activities in Asia. In doing so, he managed to severely offend many of his hosts, some of whom described his comments as "an abuse of hospitality".
In a fit of gross insensitivity, Pope John Paul II's four-day visit to India was timed to coincide with the Diwali festivities marking the legendary victory of Lord Rama over the demon King Ravana in Hindu mythology. To make matters worse, last Sunday's Festival of Light was already somewhat dimmed by the tragic impact of the cyclones and attendant flooding which have devastated the eastern state of Orissa, claiming some 5,000 lives. Unofficial estimates put the figure nearer to 10,000. The usually upbeat festivities that herald the triumph of good over evil were thus markedly subdued, while the Indian media was naturally fixated on the horrors wrought by the so-called "forces of nature" and the logistical problems of disaster management. For many, covering the papal visit was nothing more than an unwelcome, and rather tasteless diversion, in a context of national tragedy.
Yet, although he had manifestly arrived at just the wrong time, the Pope still managed to insist that the freedom to practice or change one's religion should be enshrined as a basic human right. An odd request, given that the Indian Constitution already guarantees the right to "preach, practice and propagate one's religion". Not surprisingly, the papal visit attracted angry demonstrations, many of them orchestrated by the influential Vishnu Hindu Parishad, or World Hindu Council (VHP). The VHP and other groups demanded that the Pope order a moratorium on conversions. Missionaries stand accused of coercing India's poor -- some 30 per cent of the vast nation's population -- to convert to Christianity. "The Pope came to India specifically to further the Christian idea of conversion. We will not allow this to happen," thundered one angry VHP spokesman.
But representatives of India's 24 million Christians were quick to counterattack. They pointed out that the proportion of Christians in India's total population has now fallen to an all-time low of 2.4 per cent. They also argue that the Pope's visit comes at a time when violence against Christians is on the rise.
India's Christians were outraged when, shortly before the papal visit, the country's Home Minister LK Advani disclosed the amounts which Christian NGOs were receiving from foreign sponsors. Why were Christian NGOs singled out, they asked? These organisations have come under intense criticism recently for the amount of money flowing to them from the West, and their missionary activities are often looked upon with suspicion, if not outright hostility. In their defence, Christian groups argue that 95 per cent of the recipients of their largesse are non-Christian, and often the poorest of the poor -- despised untouchables and tribal people. But this argument often backfires, since it is precisely this fact that militant Hindu groups fear most, associating it with coerced conversions.
There is an underlying socio-political dynamic to the politics of conversions. Among some of the privileged Hindu castes, and especially in certain rural areas, there is growing resentment of missionary activity aimed at the underprivileged castes, tribals and untouchables. This particular fear has led to violence between Hindus and Christians already this year in the western state of Gujurat and in cyclone-stricken Orissa. Nevertheless, India's Prime Minister found time to assure the visiting Pontiff that anti-Christian groups are nothing but a "lunatic fringe".
These same groups of privileged Hindus are accused of attempting to arrest the process of upward mobility for the traditionally down-trodden -- a process which they see as facilitated by the missionaries. It is interesting in this context to note that helping the down-trodden Hutu people of Rwanda was precisely the excuse given by certain Catholic priests to justify their anti-Tutsi stance during the infamous massacres there in 1994. The Pope has skilfully portrayed himself as a man of peace, but the dubious role the church played in Rwanda casts doubt on his credentials, tarnishing the reputation of the papacy and bringing back dark memories of Vatican politics during World War II.
There seems little hope then that the Pope's Indian visit can bridge the yawning gap in perceptions and values between East and West. Many believe that the Hindutva hawks should not lose much sleep over the Pontiff's pronouncements. But then, that's besides the point. What matters is that the Pope must not be permitted to foment trouble by meddling in the domestic politics of the countries he visits.
The words of Jain guru Acharya Mahaprajna are especially pertinent. Commenting on the Papal visit, he remarked, "Religious leaders are busier increasing the number of their followers rather than paying attention to the challenges besetting their religion."
Following his latest Indian pilgrimage, the Pope will be hard-pressed to convince not only Hindus, but the followers of other religions around the world -- especially in Asia -- that he is deliberating in good faith.
