12/06/2010 12:31
INDIA
Indian Christians mark "Dalit Liberation Day"
by Nirmala Carvalho
The Bishops' Conference of India and the National Council of Churches
try to raise awareness about the unjust situation faced by Christian
Dalits. The latter are main target of Hindu violence and are not
protected by special legislation for Dalits who belong to other
religions.
Mumbai (AsiaNews) – Christians in India marked "Dalit Liberation Day"
yesterday. The decision to organise the event was taken jointly by the
Catholic Bishops' Conference of India and the National Council of
Churches in order to raise awareness among Christians of the unjust
situation faced by Christian and Muslim Dalits. Rev Vincent, a
specialist in the field, said that Christian Dalits suffer the most
humiliation. Unlike fellow Hindu caste members, "Christian Dalits have
no legal protection and are persecuted. Most of them are segregated
and humiliated. As a community, they are denied space and social,
economic and political status within and without the Church."
The fate of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes is a very sad one.
After so many years since India's independence, they still endure
oppression and suffering. However, Christian and Muslim Dalits suffer
even more because they were denied a number of benefits included in a
1950 Presidential Order since neither Christianity nor Islam
recognises castes.
This is an anomaly since Buddhist and Jain Dalits enjoy these benefits
even though their religions do not accept castes. What is more,
Christian Dalits are not covered by the 1989 Scheduled Castes and
Scheduled Tribes Prevention of Atrocities Act 1989. Consequently, they
are subject to a rising wave of violence.
Today, the battle for Scheduled Castes status for Christian and Muslim
Dalits continues, against all hope, and despite the delays and the
denial of justice by the Union Government of India.
AsiaNews has spoken in an exclusive interview with Rev Vincent M, a
former general secretary of the National Campaign on Dalit Human
Rights, who is currently writing a thesis on Dalit theology at the
Queen's Foundation for Ecumenical Theological Education, in
Birmingham, England. Rev Vincent is currently in Madurai, Tamil Nadu.
"It is a pity that when the Indian Church is predominantly a Dalit
Church (Christian Dalits constitute around 70 per cent of all
Christians irrespective of denomination), it has to observe a day to
focus on the concerns that Dalits need to be addressed within this
Church," Rev Vincent said. "Besides facing untouchability practices,
the Christian Dalits are afflicted with all sorts of oppression and
violence."
In regards to the 1950 Presidential Order, Rev Vincent emphasised that
"Conversion does not change the lives or the inhuman status of
Christian Dalits".
On violence, Rev Vincent noted that for Hindu fundamentalist forces
"India is for Hindus. Although Hindus form 83 per cent of the total
population of India, the Fascist forces are ruthlessly opposed to
conversion of people to other faiths, especially to Christianity. For
the last two decades, large-scale violence was unleashed on Christians
as a warning to stop conversions. The worst affected are the
rural-based Christian Dalits and Christian Tribals. By comparison in
the urban areas, more than physical violence, damage is caused to
church structures or institution buildings. However, in rural areas
Hindu chauvinists unleash physical violence on top of setting fire to
prayer halls, huts and homes. Khandamal in Orissa is the most recent
large-scale example where Christian Dalits and Tribals have been
targeted by Hindu fundamentalist forces."
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