INDIAN CHRISTIANS AD IN THE NY Times.

[Guest guest]

This is to introduce the various recipients of this email to each other.

Vijay Kapoor wrote: "Did you see the ad in the NY Times placed by the Indian

Christians? Has there been any reaction from our community? You should get a

copy of it from the library. It is half a page ad on page A21 of the NY

Times dated Friday, Sept. 8th. It is outrageous in tone to blackmail Hindus

and India. To my mind, we should cease this opportunity to expose these

Christian radical groups who indulge in Madison Avenue P.R. and marketing

strategies. The title of the ad beneath the Indian National Flag is 'AN OPEN

LETTER TO THE HON. ATAL BEHARI VAJPAYEE, PRIME MINISTER OF INDIA.' A vast

majority of the U.S. population is secular who do not stand for

the radical stuff of conversions. But, if we do not speak out, we let them

roll us by default. I wish we have some thing equivalent of Jewish Anti

Defamation League to confront these radical groups."

 

 

Jayant wrote: "Amercian Enterprise Institute has a resident theologian,

Michael Novak whose article in the NY Times last week practically declared

that non Semitic religions do not matter in the USA.

 

Myself: ECIT is already writing letters to the editor of NYT for the article

about Ganesha which is in addition to the above citations, and to the US

Senate Hearings about Religious Violence in India. However, ECIT cannot fund

ads in newspapers, because it is still waiting for the IRS permission to

expand its mission. Meanwhile, it can sponsor educators and be an

intellectual catalyst. But in my personal capacity and outside any

institution, I would be open to sharing part of the funding of an ad in NY

Times or other papers, to rebuttal the ad referenced above and also to point

out recent journalistic biases. However, this would have to be done by an

organization set up for political lobbying which we are not. Examples could

be as Ram Narayanan's "Lobby for India on the internet" at

http://www.indiatogether.org/us/lobby.htm, and Anti-Hindu Defamation League,

which already did good work. Maybe, one of them should organize something to

respond.

[Guest guest]

Dear friends:

 

A Hindu Anti-defamation league along the lines of the Jewish

Anti-defamation league would be a worthwhile effort. I would suggest however

that one needs to go beyond that and educate the people about India and

Hinduism. I would suggest that the following facts be brought into focus:

 

1. Under Articles 29 and 30 of the Indian constitution, Christian

institutions enjoy privileges that are denied to Hindus. Also, Christian

men, especially the the clergy, have far more legal and political rights

than they have in the West. AS A RESULT, CHRISTIAN WOMEN IN INDIA HAVE FEWER

RIGHTS THAN HINDU WOMEN.

 

2. The Pope was an honored guest in India, while proclaiming that he

and his organization do not acknowledge the spiritual right of the Hindus to

salvation without Christ. This has not let to any retaliation by the Hindus

against Christians even though Indian Christian leaders have not repudiated

the Vatican's stand.

 

3. The recent Church bombings were minor in which no lives were lost.

The recent burning of Churches in the US were far more serious. Also, the

culprits have been arrested. They have admitted that they were part of a

Pakistani plan to create sectarian turmoil in India. This was directed by

the ISI, but Church leaders continued to blame the Hindus while defending

the ISI as innocent.

 

4. There have been few protests against Pakistan even though there is

virtual genocide against Christians in that country. This shows that

Christians are protesting against India only because India tolerates them,

even though Christianity has repeatedly denied the rights of the Hindus to

salvation.

 

The problem is that Indian Christianity is still a medieval institution.

While the West has become secular humanistic and pluralistic by denying the

exclusivist claims of the church, the Indian Goverment still indulges them.

 

I wonder if many Hindus know these facts-- especially that Christianity

does not acknowledge the spiritual right of others! First we need to educate

the Hindus'

 

Sincerely,

N.S. Rajaram