The Conversion Agenda

"Freedom to convert" is counterproductive as a generalized doctrine. It fails to come to terms with the complex interrelationships between self and society that make the concept of individual choice meaningful. Hence, religious conversion undermines, and in extremes would dissolve, that individual autonomy and human freedom.

Friday, September 09, 2005

Conversions disturbing communal harmony

Author: Pramod Kumar Singh
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: September 2, 2005

Religious conversions are emerging as major cause of concern for the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government. The agenda paper prepared by the Government for the National Integration Council (NIC) meet on Wednesday attributes conversions as the one of the major cause for disturbing the communal situation in the country.

The most distressing note in the current year was the alleged conversion activities during the annual religious assembly of the Immanueal Bible Institute Samiti, Kota (Rajasthan) in February 2005. According to the agenda paper, "The violence in Mangalore and other areas of Dakhina Kannada (Karnataka) during the second week of June, 2005 over alleged attempts to forcibly convert some Hindu girls by their Muslim employer and the terrorist attack on the disputed Rama Janmabhhomi and Babri Mosque at Ayodhya, had the potential to destabilise the communal situation in the country".

A large proportion of the communal incidents were sparked off by trivial events like street quarrel, old enmity, traffic incident, children playing cricket and kite flying which accounted for about 70 per cent. The next important cause of the incidents have been religious issues which accounted for 15 to 20 percent of the total incidents",

In recent years, the issue of conversion/ re-conversion has also become a major cause of communal tensions in some part of the country. Allegation pertaining to the forced conversions and re-conversions and subsequent communal tensions have surfaced from time to time.

The note prepared by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) for the just concluded NIC meet in the Capital has enumerated some sensitive incidents. "Cases in point are the recent events on the occasion of the annual religious assembly of the Emmanuel Bible Institute Samiti. The situation could have taken an ugly turn but for the prompt and effective measures taken by the district administration", it further says.

In order to deal with such situations states like Arunachal Pradesh, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat have already passed legislation to regulate conversion by coercive means or offering allurements.

As a matter of fact there were 485 communal incidents in the country till July and as per MHA records 69 persons were killed and 1317 persons suffered injuries. As a matter of fact there were 485 communal incidents in the country. However, the number of communal incidents and the number of persons killed or injured shows a declining trend over the years.

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