Anti-Conversion Bill, church surveys must be dropped

Stanley Carvalho

The Karnataka government’s proposal to introduce the Anti-Conversion Bill and conduct a survey of churches has stirred up a hornet’s nest, with Christians vehemently opposing it as an unnecessary and arbitrary move. The government of Karnataka has been deliberating on passing an anti-conversion bill, similar to that of eight other Indian States, with Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai backing the need for a strong law in the state.

In October, the Legislative Committee on Backward Classes and Minorities Welfare ordered a survey of authorized and unauthorized churches and their personnel in Karnataka.
For the record, there are about 400,000 Catholics in the Bangalore archdiocese. There are about 1.1 million Christians in all of Karnataka, according to the 2011 census. Yet Christians account for less than 2% of the state’s total population of about 61 million. Hindus make up 84% of the state’s people, while about 13% are Muslim.

At the outset, it must be pointed out that under Article 25, the Indian Constitution guarantees that “all persons are equal, entitled to freedom of conscience and the right to freely profess, practice and propagate religion subject to public order, morality and health.”
Further, Article 26 gives every religious group the right to establish and maintain institutions for religious and charitable purposes, and ensures the rights of religious communities to manage their own affairs in matters of religion.

It is not for nothing that the Christians in Karnataka and across India are crying foul at this proposed bill and survey.  The question that many are asking is: if such a survey is desirable by the government, why single out only Christians and leave out other religions?  Isn’t this discriminatory?
The Archbishop of Bengaluru, Rev. Peter Machado, was quick to raise the alarm at the proposed moves of the Karnataka government against Christians, maintaining that they infringe upon the rights of citizens and provoke communal unrest.

“The entire Christian community in Karnataka opposes the proposal in one voice and questions the need for such an exercise when sufficient laws and court directives are in place to monitor any aberration of the existing laws,” Machado said at a press conference last month. The Archbishop went on to point out that this was a futile exercise, as all relevant data is already available with the Central and State governments.  The government has the actual census figures of Christians in India since independence.  “If the allegations of rampant conversion across the State are true, why has the number not increased beyond 1.87% as per the last census figures?” asked the Archbishop.
Christians from other parts of India were also vocal in opposing Karnataka’s moves.

“The anti-conversion bill which the state proposes is discriminatory against Christians and even against Hindus, as the state believes that people will sell their souls for alleged allurements,” Archbishop John Moolachira of Guwahati was quoted as saying by the Catholic News Agency (CNA).
“If after mature thought, if one plans to change his religion, let him have that freedom. Does not the Constitution allow that?” asked Moolachira, president of the North East India Regional Bishops’ Council, a Catholic body of more than a dozen bishops.

The United Christian Forum of North East India’s spokesman, Allen Brooks, stated that what is happening in the country challenges the whole Constitution.  “I am Indian not because of my religion but because of my birth and my Constitution,” he said, adding that such measures are raked up just before crucial elections to divide people along religious lines.

Regardless of state, the contribution of the Christian community has been phenomenal, particularly in the fields of education and healthcare.  While tens of thousands of patients, irrespective of caste, creed or colour receive the best medical care from hospitals run by Christians, myriad students graduate each year from Christian schools and colleges. Has even one of these ever been influenced, compelled or coerced to change his or her religion, asks Archbishop Machado, challenging the government to prove otherwise.

It must be noted that in the past several months, there have been several attacks on churches in Bengaluru and other parts of Karnataka with cases pending in courts. Given the bogeyman of conversion and anti-religious feelings being whipped up, an anti-Conversion law could be abused by religious fundamentalists.  Moreover, surveys of Christian religious institutions may prove to be dangerous, as not only the places of worship but also the priests and nuns can be identified and unfairly targeted.

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