'There is reverse discrimination against Hindus'

[balti]

Author: T R Jawahar
Publication: Newstodaynet.com
Date: July 2, 2003
URL: http://www.newstodaynet.com/swami/0207ss1.htm

Introduction: US norms on religious freedom not acceptable: Swami Dayananda

It is a truism that sometimes it is more important how we are looked upon than how we really look. And despite India being the most open and free country in terms of religious practices, it is still being projected as a place where there is religious discrimination. Despite minorities here enjoying several special privileges that are denied to the majority, they are still complaining. It is galling. It certainly does Swami Dayananda Saraswathi, who in this third part of his interview, talks about the reverse discrimination and other such inequities that Hindus have to endure.
Q: What is the awareness and perceptions of Hinduism outside India?
Ans: Outside, if you take Americans, they do not know anything beyond America. They do not even know Canada. The great grouse of Canadians is that the Americans do not know enough about them. They do not know anything about Sanskrit, about Hinduism. Bush did not know about Vajpayee before he got elected. It was a famous, great goof-up. That is typical American. Therefore let us not think they all know. But even those who know talk only in terms of oriental religions Buddhism, Zen and such forms of meditation. And, of course, oriental food means Chinese food (laughs). But those who have studied in some detail, they admire. Psychologist Freud did not know Hindu religion, but his disciple Jung knew. He admired Hinduism. He said if Rama can cry in the forest when he lost Sita and if still Rama could be an altar of worship, that is why Hindu society is a sane society. He said the Hindu society legitimised sorrow, while other religions do not do that. And therefore those who know Hindu religion appreciate the rituals, the Ishwara concept and the scriptures. They just love it.
Q: The US government appears to have a different view on the religious freedom here...?
Ans: The US government had appointed a Commission on International Religious Freedom. This Commission is an authentic body and funded by the government. The Commission gets information from all countries and then submits a periodical report to the government and is recognised seriously by the government. Based on its report, the government of US applies pressure on those countries where, according to the Commission, there is lack of religious freedom. You'll be surprised India is among the Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) according to a new report. They cite the anti-conversion Bill of Tamilnadu and Gujarat and some Gujarat incidents as basis of their action. And they say there is no religious freedom. This is according to their own matrix of norms on the basis of which they decide 'religious freedom'. I question this matrix of theirs.

Q: What's your logic?
Ans: What is it that you say as 'religious freedom'? Is it freedom to evangelize and convert with impunity? Is it not religious freedom if somebody says you should not make such conversions, that it restricts freedom on you as you cannot practise openly your religion? If you as a religious group is persecuted by legislation as well as by society then you say there is lack of religious freedom. What is it that constitutes religious freedom? We have to give guidelines. But they have their own guidelines.
So if they can evangelize for conversions then there is religious freedom. That means if they are free enough to destroy me and if I don't question that, then there is religious freedom. If I question their actions missionary activities which are directed towards an indigenous religious tradition and aggressively at that if the religious tradition stands up to that aggression, then it is questioned as infringement upon their human rights and religious freedom. Therefore I am appealing to the government of India to appoint a Commission on religious freedom. And give the people on the Commission certain guidelines on the basis of which we decide where there is religious freedom and where there is not.
So, we ourselves can decide and give them a report. I want the government of India to appoint a Commission constituting people of different religions but working dispassionately. Let them submit a periodical report which may be made available to the United States and all other governments through the embassies. And I think they should do this. Otherwise what right have they got to say that in this country there is no religious freedom?
Q: But even the minorities in India often complain about lack of religious freedom?
We should find out the amenities and privileges of the minorities in this country. Nowhere in the world minorities enjoy such privileges. For instance, if I want to start a teachers training or nurses training college at Tiruchi I cannot. But a Christian can. All the teachers training colleges are conducted by them. The Bishop openly says that if you become a Christian, I will give you admission because it is meant for Christians. That is minorities' privilege. Amazing.
We are fighting with the government, for the same privileges given to the minorities to be given to the majority also. It is not discrimination, but reverse discrimination. The Hindus are reversely discriminated. Because of the sin of being in majority. All our endowments are under the government scrutiny. When there is property they come into picture, too. And in teachers 'appointment and admission, government interferes. In management schools also, certain quota is to be given to government. Everything government decides. But in minority schools, teachers' appointments are by the management. The government does not have any say. But again they are only government-aided schools. Minority-run government-aided schools. The teachers are paid by the government, but are appointed by the management. The nuns, fathers and priests are all paid the nuns are wedded to poverty and the money they receive are given to church for conversion work as a donation. So, it becomes a money-spinner. Government in other words is paying for the conversion work. And they say in this country there are no privileges. Opposite.
Q: You mean the majority is discriminated...?
Ans: There is a Minorities Commission already. And some fellows are travelling by planes all the time. They say: I am the president of Minorities Commission. He goes from one place to another and this is funded by the government. The clergy is given money, the madrassas are given money. Why can't we give money at least to those who go on Kailash Yatra? Why don't they give something for us also? But then if they find some money, then they will sit there as vultures. So, all the money is in the hands of the government. They decide what they want to do. Temple money they are in the hands of the government. They use it for whatever they want to use for, what they say as 'constituency development'. You know what is constituency development MLAs and MPs development. Hindus are fighting for equal rights. We want minorities' rights. That is all we want. Whatever the minorities have, yes, we want those rights.
Q: But for that to happen we may have to become real minorities...?
A: If I am in the majority, I cannot open my mouth for anything, even for dental surgery. But if you are a minority, you can do anything here.
Already, all the fellows are dancing to them. Even those who have got nothing to do with religion, Communists for instance, are dancing to their tunes, because they have got some votes. If the minorities become 30 to 40 per cent, that will be enough! It is the majority that suffers and therefore, I say, we have reverse discrimination, here in this country. It is blasphemy to say that there is no religious freedom in India.
The only place where there is religious freedom in this world is India. They can convert with impunity, they can talk about it. The Bishops can go and complain about this to Pope and they can go to the Commissioner and complain about it. They are keeping the entire media under their control. They can write against us, but we cannot even publish our articles. You know writers are complaining that most of them who are writing (on the issue) are not getting columns any more. They are not writing nowadays. You can't see their articles appearing anywhere because they are all blacklisted. Occasionally I write, and if I am a regular writer I would be blacklisted also. Once in six months or so I write, especially when there is an issue. I wrote recently because the American Commission listing India as among the countries of CPC is a serious allegation. The State should take this seriously. The Indian people should take this seriously. We don't take this seriously. That is why these people go about complaining.
Q: But that is their right... .
Ans: Bishops are complaining. Why should they complain to the Pope? Then after they complain, they release this complaint, the Papal approval of the complaint. And then the Papal message is released to the public. They say that press released it. Then, when there is a protest for this, they say that the Pope had talked privately to the Bishops. Then how did it come to the press? They thought they would get away with it and therefore released it to the press. They never thought they would get an attack from the Chief Minister of the State. She was the Head of the State. If at all Pope has got anything to say, he should send an official note to the government of India. He had no business to tell all these Bishops. They are Indian citizens. And when Bishops go and talk to Head of another State, then that is religious freedom. They go outside and paint our country in black colours. And they say they don't have freedom when they are actually allowed to talk.
You know what, the government of India should take this very very seriously. They have not taken it seriously and I have appealed directly to them.
In the presence of the Prime Minister I made an appeal. The Finance Minister was there and Murali Manohar Joshi was there. I wrote a letter to the Home Minister saying this. I went to Minister of State for Home and talked to him also. This is what I am afraid. Nobody understands.
Q: May be because they don't want to displease America?
Ans: Keeping quiet will only lead to America being more displeased. We should tell the privileges that are here for minorities and convince them. Why should we not list them? I would like you, as a press person, to get a list of all privileges of the minorities. I would like to have that. You please write, list in your paper, I would like to see listed in a paper all the privileges both minorities and I have got. And let us thrash this all over, send to all countries, we will send it to the Commissions, you send it to the Commission also. If you give me, I'll send it to American Commission. The government of India is toothless. I wonder whether it has got a vertebrae. It is slithering, it has to stand up. Now it is a 'slithering beauty'.

On Sonia's political aspirations
Q: What do you think of Sonia's bid to lead the country?
Ans: You know what, even against Indians, I have a complaint. Nehru was an Indian but did not like our culture totally. It did tell upon his attitude towards our culture and traditions. Because he was brought up in England and even here he had a British household. And there was still something Indian about him, some appreciation. But somebody like Sonia has been struggling to even learn Hindi. It is always a question whether at all it is possible for her to feel for the whole country, its culture, religion, everything. So being not born and brought up in this culture, it is very difficult for her. So I would sympathise with her. I am not against her, but I would sympathise with her. If I were her I would say, let me not get into this, because I have not really absorbed this culture. It would take centuries for that. And because of that I cannot lead the people.