Mixing Religion And Politics
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom
Jun 13, 2009
Following the mysterious killing of a Hindu leader, a group of Hindus went on a rampage against the tribal Christians whom they accused of the murder. What followed was senseless killing, wanton destruction of property and the unleashing of terror upon the hapless tribal community.
Apart from the fact that the perpetrators were Hindus and the victims were Christians, there was no indication of any religious component to the carnage. Reports indicated that it was engineered by a political group that wished to arouse sympathy among the Hindus in India ahead of national elections by creating a perception that Christian missionaries were engaging in unbridled conversions.
It was not the first time that politicians or rulers world over had tried to harness religious sentiments to achieve political ends and it will not be the last time. However those engaged in the arena of religion, such as the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) should be able to differentiate politics from religion. And the USCIRF should know that Hinduism believes in religious freedom and therefore does not even advocate proselytizing.
Religious Freedom And Hinduism
If any proof is required that Hinduism accepts the right of other religions to co-exist, it is that the electorate of India (of whom the majority are Hindus) rejected the political party that had backed the violence in Orissa and ensured that it lost bitterly in the polls.
The Vedas, which are the foundation of Hindu thought, have contradictions within it. This is not a result of lack of clarity. It is a conscious decision taken by the ancient seers to give space to views opposed to their own. The Atharva Veda, one of the four Vedas, embodies primitive cult practices that predate the Vedic period. It signifies not only an equality of but also an intermingling of Vedic and non-Vedic practices.
Today in many parts of the world, Catholics and Protestants do not pray together and Shia Muslims and Sunni Muslims do not pray together. But Shaivites and Vaishnavites pray side by side at temples. Shaivites consider Shiva to be a higher deity than Vishnu but have no problem at all in praying to Vishnu as well. Similarly Vaishnavites consider Vishnu to be a higher deity than Shiva but have no problem worshipping in temples dedicated to Shiva.
Religious freedom for Hindus goes way beyond merely allowing people of other faiths the liberty to practice their faith. Religious freedom for Hindus means participating heart and soul in the faiths of others and inviting them to participate in Hindu festivities.
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom
The violence in Orissa can be said to be a human rights problem because a deprived ethnic section of the society was turned against. It was definitely a law and order problem. But under no stretch of imagination it was a religious problem. The perpetrators, though using Hinduism as a front, were believed to only interested in securing political power for themselves. Therefore, many find it understandable that Hindus have taken offense to the proposed visit of the USCIRF to India.
Shankracharya Jayendra Saraswati of the Kanchi Peeth has condemned the visit and said, “We see the USCIRF as an intrusive mechanism of a foreign government which is interfering with the internal affairs of India.” [1] He has taken the debate to a wider political level as well.
The objective of the USCIRF is to guide U.S. Foreign Policy so that it advances freedom of religion. Religious freedom is not being repressed in India. There are more Muslims in India than in many Muslim nations. This has many saying that the issues the USCIRF needs to address are those involving national governments that are prohibiting Muslim women from wearing the hijab or prohibiting Sikh boys from wearing turbans in school.
Sources:
- [1] Sakaal Times, Sunday June 12, 2009.
