Why do radical Hindus hate Christians?
Controversial Dalit activist Udit Raj points out that widespread persecution of Christians by Hindu extremists began around 1998, when the BJP came to power. Mr Raj argues that the real reason for hatred of Christians is not conversion, but the threat that Christianity presents to Hindu social beliefs and traditions.
What worries the Sangh Parivar is not the welfare of dalits but a possible reduction in upper-caste Hindu numbers. Their prejudice is so entrenched that they are not in a position to sense the agony of those who suffer under the caste-based system. In general, Hindu believers treat the disadvantaged as sinners reaping the fruits of a past life. Thus, a leper is to be shunned; the exploitation of dalits is justified. On the contrary, a Christian finds an opportunity for spiritual fulfillment in serving the leper and healing the sick. Before they build churches, Christians normally build schools and hospitals. Why do major Hindu religious establishments involve themselves only in collecting donations and not in performing such community services?
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Unless the problems inherent to Hinduism are addressed, conversion can never be stopped. A Christian marries his or her co-religionist; a Muslim does the same. Is that possible for Hindus across caste? Are the upper castes ready to welcome reservation for their Hindu brothers? Is their society ready for inter-dining and for inter-caste marriages? Without these conditions being fulfilled, no one on earth can stop the rejection of Hinduism by the socalled lower castes.
A recent Christian initiative makes it unlikely that this clash will end soon. The Global Ecumenical Conference on Justice for Dalits held last month in Bangkok, Thailand, called on Christians around the world to fight against caste-based discrimination.
Caste-based discrimination severely affects some 260 million people worldwide, an estimated 200 million of them in India alone. In India, considered the biggest democracy in the world, these discriminated people, once labeled and treated as “untouchable” due to Brahmanic ritual traditions viewing them as “polluted” or “polluting,” now call themselves Dalits (“oppressed”, “crushed”).
Conference participants issued the Bangkok Declaration, pledging to make Dalit liberation a central mission objective.
Of the 27 million Christians in India, over 18 million are Dalits. India has implemented free education and affirmative action for Hindu, Buddhist, and Sikh Dalits, but Christian and Muslim Dalits are specifically excluded.
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