i seek help from wherever i can get it

[Guest guest]

Dear Believers of the Resurrection and Last Judgment,

 

i have received a lengthy 'difficult' email from a SY and have sat

on it for days. It will be answered in bits and pieces but the

identity of the sender kept strictly confidential.

 

i want to again remind that all inquiries, unless circumstances

demand, will always be posted on this public forum. (identity will

always be protected.) It will serve little if readers require a

private answer to common, collective problems. Moreover, others can

contribute wherever necessary to heal those less fortunate.

 

We SYs must strive to be as transparent as possible and apply the

sobering balm of self-criticism for personal growth. Sweeping

past/present problems afflicting SYs or Sahaja Yoga under the carpet

of the local collective, and pretending everything is all right is

anathema to my adherence to Truth. Nothing must retard the evolution

of the Maha Yoga of the great Adi Shakti Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi.

Only by exposing the negativity and putting thoughtless collective

attention on it will we begin to comprehend the powers we possess to

eradicate it. But don't get me wrong. i am talking of

the " thoughtless state " which few SYs really possess.

 

So, this is part of the email i am talking about. The rest will

follow in bits and pieces. Please respond.

 

jagbir

 

----------------------------

 

" Much before i was into SY some pandit who saw my horoscope said

that due to some planetary alignment (which i don't remember by

name or virtue) was there so therefore i would be something of an

atheist ( i don't know the correct spelling i think it means

someone who does not believe in god). i don't know how true is

that.

 

This week in SY collective they played one of SM's tape and she said

the few reasons why ppl. are dishonest in Sy are etc etc and one of

those was something abut the nakshatra you were born in - becoz of

that something happens to ur kundalini etc - it hit me because i

always have so many doubts - its like i want to connect - oh! how i

envy those who can just bow down in full faith...somehow there's

something holding me back...and i don't even know what its is ..

 

i seek help - because all i know is that going SY way is the right

way... but somehow there's something holding me back - i seek

help from wherever i can get it.... The below questions may not be

seen as " correct " , they may even offend (hope not though!) - all i

know is that I am finally writing them all down - rather than just

trying to fight them all off in my head 24/7/365. i don't know if

its right - all i know is that its an effort...to make it thru' - to

connect like rest of SY's do.

 

------------------------

[Guest guest]

shriadishakti , " jagbir singh "

<adishakti_org> wrote:

> Dear Believers of the Resurrection and Last Judgment,

>

> i have received a lengthy 'difficult' email from a SY and have sat

> on it for days. It will be answered in bits and pieces but the

> identity of the sender kept strictly confidential.

>

> i want to again remind that all inquiries, unless circumstances

> demand, will always be posted on this public forum. (identity will

> always be protected.) It will serve little if readers require a

> private answer to common, collective problems. Moreover, others

> can contribute wherever necessary to heal those less fortunate.

>

> We SYs must strive to be as transparent as possible and apply the

> sobering balm of self-criticism for personal growth. Sweeping

> past/present problems afflicting SYs or Sahaja Yoga under the

> carpet of the local collective, and pretending everything is all

> right is anathema to my adherence to Truth. Nothing must retard

> the evolution of the Maha Yoga of the great Adi Shakti Shri Mataji

> Nirmala Devi. Only by exposing the negativity and putting

> thoughtless collective attention on it will we begin to comprehend

> the powers we possess to eradicate it. But don't get me wrong. i

> am talking of the " thoughtless state " which few SYs really possess.

>

> So, this is part of the email i am talking about. The rest will

> follow in bits and pieces. Please respond.

>

> jagbir

>

> ----------------------------

>

> " Much before i was into SY some pandit who saw my horoscope said

> that due to some planetary alignment (which i don't remember by

> name or virtue) was there so therefore i would be something of an

> atheist ( i don't know the correct spelling i think it means

> someone who does not believe in god). i don't know how true is

> that.

>

> This week in SY collective they played one of SM's tape and she

> said the few reasons why ppl. are dishonest in Sy are etc etc and

> one of those was something abut the nakshatra you were born in -

> becoz of that something happens to ur kundalini etc - it hit me

> because i always have so many doubts - its like i want to connect -

> oh! how i envy those who can just bow down in full faith...somehow

> there's something holding me back...and i don't even know what its

> is ..

>

> i seek help - because all i know is that going SY way is the right

> way... but somehow there's something holding me back - i seek

> help from wherever i can get it.... The below questions may not be

> seen as " correct " , they may even offend (hope not though!) - all i

> know is that I am finally writing them all down - rather than just

> trying to fight them all off in my head 24/7/365. i don't know if

> its right - all i know is that its an effort...to make it thru' -

> to connect like rest of SY's do.

>

 

" Now you all know that you have no karmas left. It's all finished.

And now you are beautiful new people. The blossoming time has

brought you as fruits now. So dont pay attention to yourself, to you

maladies, to your troubles. And things will improve, definitely. "

 

Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi

 

 

" Whenever incarnations came, great and auspicious works were done.

But now the time has come in which that work will be done, which is

the most auspicious work ever done, thereby, you also will be the

doers of auspiciousness and will realise the Spirit residing within

you. This is the ever great work of Sahaja Yoga and the

incarnations. It should inspire the entire society. In this great

eternal life, when shadows of Kali-Yoga are enveloping the whole

universe, your torches should burn high, and in their light you may

attain auspiciousness, Joy and prosperity. It is necessary, for

this, to keep your lamps clean, you should wash your sins and past

deeds.

 

Your past deeds are washed along with your ego. Karmas are done by

your ego. You must have observed that after coming to Sahaja Yoga,

you can very easily see your ego (Ahankar) and how it works. In

Sahaja Yoga also, you come across many temptations and in that when

your ego dominates, you forget whether you have to go to Sahaja Yoga

or Sahaja Yoga is to come to you. Many people when they surrender to

their ego, turn their backs to Sahaja Yoga expecting Sahaja Yoga to

follow them. So long as your ego is enveloping, you cannot have the

glimpse of your Spirit.

 

But it is useless to fight with your ego. In Sahaja Yoga you do not

have to fight with your ego, but you have just to see because your

attention is itself awakened. Your ego cools down by just seeing, as

your attention is enlightened and in that light you witness the play

of your ego and laugh at it, and laugh at the ideas given by your

ego. As you start seeing yourself, your ego starts getting deflated

and as your ego is deflated you rise in your light.

 

Sahaja Yoga is a very subtle process. Few people know that it is a

very subtle process. Sushumna Nadi is extremely small, extremely

thin, exactly at the centre of Brahma Nadi, reason is man's

attachment to his karmas. That extremely subtle channel Brahma Nadi

is loaded with sin and dirty things and thereby gets so much

narrowed, that very thin fibre of Kundalini could pass through it.

Imagine that Kundalini is like an enlightened rope made of small

fibres. Its very thin fibre could pass through Brahma Nadi. This is

the condition.

 

You have all seen that this is a very subtle, very deep process.

Most of you have seen Kundalini's movements and pulsations. She

tries to make, somehow a small opening at the bottom, so that it

becomes possible to pass at least one strand through the extremely

narrow passage of Brahma Nadi and with that very subtle strand She

pierces the Brahmarandhra. Initially this happening takes place very

easily in most of the people. But She again coils down due to the

pressure of the burden and then they even forget that the

peace, serenity and cool vibrations etc. which they had once

received are no more with them. They are shocked when they see in

the light that these things are embodied in themselves. Then they

get scared and become suspicious.

 

Man's intellect comes up with many doubts. The first doubt which is

very common, is 'Who is Mataji' ? This is the first question. I want

to tell you that you can not understand Me so long as the eyes of

your Spirit are not open, and you should not even make efforts to

understand. First you open the eye of your Spirit. "

 

Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi

 

 

 

" Then, after Christ there were people who would not accept Christ,

like Jews. So they said that we will not accept Christ and 'we must

suffer because we must suffer for God.' Even now Christians believe

nonsensically that we should suffer. Now, I would say Indians also

believe that we have to suffer, but they also know that Mahavishnu

is going to come and when He comes, He will have power to suck our

Karmas and we don't have to suffer. Actually that is what happens

when Christ is awakened within you, He sucks your Karmas, he sucks

your ego and super ego. He sucks your Karmas, your pupas, (sins)

your conditioning and that is how you become free. This is a very

important point which people must know. That, that was the great job

He did.. was to establish Himself at the Agnya Chakra to suck these

two things. And when He sucks these two, when He sucks these, then

we are above our Karmas, our sins and our papas.

 

So we don't have to worry about sins, pupas and all that. But these

people we should say, those who came to this earth, as missionaries,

who came down to India to preach Christianity, had no idea of

Mahavishnu nor they had any idea of Christ. They came with a gun in

one hand and Bible in the other. And we stupid Indians also did not

know any value of our heritage, and we just said 'all right, let us

become Christians so that they give us good jobs.' And that is how

all the job oriented, all sorts of people became Christians. But

actually, they should have told that Mahavishnu is born. If they had

read anything of the Devi Bhagvat and had told that Mahavishnu is

born, then people would have given up this idea that you have to

suffer for your Karmas. So Indians are still thinking that we have

to still suffer for our Karmas, we should fast, we should walk and

we should hang ourselves by the nearest tree all the time. This is

not needed. What you have to do, is to just wait for the moment when

the Agnya Chakra will be opened. Keep in the centre. As Buddha has

said keep in the centre. And then when the Kundalini rises all this

whatever is accumulated, will be sucked in and you can get your

Moksha. This was the simple thing to be done. Instead of that we

Indians believe we must suffer, we must go into fast. "

 

Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi

 

 

 

" If you read Gita now from this angle, you'll be amazed to find

that everywhere He is like a witness, describing everything whatever

He sees. And He will tell you how this witness state has helped Him

to understand also human beings.

 

He is the man who was not, we should say, such a big businessman.

Because first He told you how to become Sthita Pragnya: Sthita

Pragnya is the one who is in a witness state. If you see all these

verses on Sthita Pragnya, is nothing but a person who is in a

witness state, how he lives, how he is happy, how he looks at

things. It's interesting, very interesting. First He describes

that, not like sharp people who will describe first the bad things.

But He starts with the best, then He goes down to other things and

tells you that what are the three aspects.

 

The first He talks about karma and many people get stuck at that

point, that: " Whatever karmas we are doing, we'll get the

Punyas out of it. " But He didn't say that. If you know Him,

then you will know He never meant that. What he says is

that: " Whatever karmas you have to do, you can do it, but leave

the results to the Divine Power. " Results are from the Divine

Power. Now maybe that some people think that they have got money

because they have done good karmas and start doing all kinds of bad

karmas with that money.

 

He didn't say that! He said: " Leave the results to the Divine

Power " because Divine Power knows best what is good for you. And

so, if you think you have done something good, you have served

somewhere to the poor, you have done something really good for the

women or anything, the result of that, you leave it at the feet of

the Divine Power. It means that you don't built up an ego for

whatever you have done. "

 

Shri Mataji Nirmala

[Guest guest]

shriadishakti , " jagbir singh "

<adishakti_org> wrote:

> Dear Believers of the Resurrection and Last Judgment,

>

> i have received a lengthy 'difficult' email from a SY and have sat

> on it for days. It will be answered in bits and pieces but the

> identity of the sender kept strictly confidential.

>

> i want to again remind that all inquiries, unless circumstances

> demand, will always be posted on this public forum. (identity will

> always be protected.) It will serve little if readers require a

> private answer to common, collective problems. Moreover, others

> can contribute wherever necessary to heal those less fortunate.

>

> We SYs must strive to be as transparent as possible and apply the

> sobering balm of self-criticism for personal growth. Sweeping

> past/present problems afflicting SYs or Sahaja Yoga under the

> carpet of the local collective, and pretending everything is all

> right is anathema to my adherence to Truth. Nothing must retard

> the evolution of the Maha Yoga of the great Adi Shakti Shri Mataji

> Nirmala Devi. Only by exposing the negativity and putting

> thoughtless collective attention on it will we begin to comprehend

> the powers we possess to eradicate it. But don't get me wrong. i

> am talking of the " thoughtless state " which few SYs really possess.

>

> So, this is part of the email i am talking about. The rest will

> follow in bits and pieces. Please respond.

>

> jagbir

>

> ----------------------------

>

 

 

This is just some info…

 

Way back in 95' i think i had an attack by what i think could be a

bhoot. (some far relative of mine – some aunty stayed at our home

and later on we found she used to visit some tantric guru all the

time)..my left heart was hurting so much i couldnt breathe/laugh

properly, i couldnt even move my left arm upwards without

hurting..... that time i didnt know anything about SY or even evil

negativity neither did I belive it much, so i kept visiting doctors

till i got tired of medications and just gave up..then it subsided

only to retun now & then.

 

Also in May 2002 my Grandmother (Dadi) died - and the morning she

passed away I was sleeping at about 5.30 am when it felt like

someone just grabbed both my arms and pulled me up…I woke up- saw

nobody..and went back to sleep and it happened again, and I woke-up

and again went back to sleep …when it happened for 3rd time I got

really scared and stayed awake. She had cut off ties with my dad &

mom and hence we were not on speaking terms for the last few years

of her life.

 

After that it was hell…I could hardly sleep even for one night

because everytime I fell asleep I would be woken up…sometimes

someone shaking my leg or arm…sometimes someone pulling off my

blanket so I'd wake up freezing cold. i kept praying to god for

all this to stop but it continued.

 

Finally in desperation in July 2002, I visited a " spiritualist " (a

lady in india) and she said that since 7 years i was under some

bhoot etc etc and did some rituals and said that now it was driven

out of me blah blah blah...and since i was so fed up of the whole

thing i was happy.

 

Only to keep going back to her & say something is still wrong – I

still get disturbed by someone at night...she just gave me some

black thread for that ( which I threw away after joining SY).

 

After I joined SY in Oct 2002, all this stopped. Iam eternally

gratefull to Shri Mataji for that.

 

Well so much for some info…

 

Right now, honestly I don't know if iam still having anything

evil/negative/bhoot in me..as I guess these things can happen

again……reason I suspect is that..:-

 

1- sometimes even sitting alone my agnya charka " spins " for a

few seconds and stops. Of course sometimes its other charkas

spinning..like swdishtan or nabhi or heart. Mostly i still have

this terrible pain in my left heart that comes & goes.

 

2- Sometimes when iam out with family/friends like at a café, or

sitting in car, sometimes my agnya charka spins for a few seconds

and stops…why is this?

 

3- This is more substantial…and I hope you wont get offended

because that's not my intention. Maybe after so many years of

getting frustrated not only by family but by all these bhootish

things which made me cry all night because I couldn't even sleep

no matter how tired I was…I was being woken up…

 

I started to get angry at god…I don't know if this anger is

from me or something evil in me…like when I pray to God a voice

in my ead goes " what has god done for u…u pray all time and

still all these (unjust) things happen to u…if that's how it

going to be then what's the point of praying to God?

 

Why didn't God protect me when I was suffering was only a small

child…how could God just sit there quietly and let it happen…

how could God let some tantric lady put bhoot in me. God knows

everything…I was innocent then why didn't he protect me? Why

did he just watch me suffer for 7 yrs? Why did he let my health go

so bad? He wants complete dedication but how can I do so when I

hurting physically, emotionally and mentally? Even after coming to

SY for one year why hasn't my health got cured? If there are

miracles why doesn't this happen to me? "

 

IF GOD REALLY WANTS ME TO BECOME A GOOD SY THEN WHY DID HE LET ME BE

BORN IN THAT " ATHESIT " NAKSHATRA?? HOW CAN I FIGHT OFF THESE

PLANETS??

 

Even doing meditation is like a hurdle …like when I close my

eyes…I pray to Mataji…pls. give me bhakti & shakti…help

me become a better sahaj yogi…help me control my thoughts,

forgive me for all the wrong things I say/do/think and suddenly in

my head a voice goes off…. " whats all this? Who is shri

mataji…is she genuine…etc etc..and I struggle with that

voice…I say YES SHE IS GOD, SHE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN MY

LIFE…I WOULDN'T BE ALIVE IF IT WASN'T FOR HER… "

 

And the stupid voice says " oh yeah..yeah yeah…nothing will

happen to your life…why meditate…just live ur life " and I

struggle " NO…THE MOST IMPORTANT THING I HAVE TO DO

EVERYDAY… MORE IMP. THAN BREATHING IS MEDITATION.. " and the

voice goes on to say really bad things…and I have literally

closed my ears with my hands and said " STOP STOP SHUT UP AND GET

OUT OF ME "

 

I pray to mataji to make all this stop and sometimes it doesn't

…after which I apologise to mataji and say If I continue

meditation more negative things will come out of me. i rather be

punished for not meditating than be punished for saying all these

bad things…you know MA that I don't want to…I want to

continue meditating… but I cant…pls. help me…pls. rid me

of whatever this is inside me…just take it and throw it out and

don't let it come near me again…

 

I don't know if this is me…the scarred/hurt something inside

me talking or something evil inside that I need to get rid of…and

whatever it is I don't know how to correct it. i am in a catch-22

situation where I cant live without meditation and same time I

cannot do it properly.

 

i request MA not to get angry with me..i tell her pls. give me time,

forgiveness, mercy and HELP ME…I have the will…pls. help me

in the way.

 

i am honestly feeling so embarrassed to just bare all my

" negative " stuff…but I guess it has to happen. After all

I should be looking inwards and trying to correct myself.

[Guest guest]

> shriadishakti , "jagbir singh"> <adishakti_org> wrote:> > Dear Believers of the Resurrection and Last Judgment,> >> > i have received a lengthy 'difficult' email from a SY and have > > sat on it for days. It will be answered in bits and pieces but > > the identity of the sender kept strictly confidential. . . .> >> >> > jagbir> >> > ----------------------------> >> > > This is just some info…> > Way back in 95' i think i had an attack by what i think could > be a bhoot. (some far relative of mine – some aunty stayed at > our home and later on we found she used to visit some tantric > guru all the time)..my left heart was hurting so much i couldnt > breathe/laugh properly, i

couldnt even move my left arm > upwards without hurting..... that time i didnt know anything > about SY or even evil negativity neither did I belive it much, so i > kept visiting doctors till i got tired of medications and just gave > up..then it subsided only to retun now & then.> > Also in May 2002 my Grandmother (Dadi) died - and the > morning she passed away I was sleeping at about 5.30 am > when it felt like someone just grabbed both my arms and pulled> me up…I woke up- saw nobody..and went back to sleep and it > happened again, and I woke- up and again went back to sleep > …when it happened for 3rd time I got really scared and stayed > awake. She had cut off ties with my dad & mom and hence we > were not on speaking terms for the last few years of her life.> > After that it was hell…I could hardly sleep

even for one night > because everytime I fell asleep I would be woken > up…sometimes someone shaking my leg or arm…sometimes > someone pulling off my blanket so I'd wake up freezing cold. i > kept praying to god for all this to stop but it continued.> > Finally in desperation in July 2002, I visited a "spiritualist" > (a lady in india) and she said that since 7 years i was under > some bhoot etc etc and did some rituals and said that now it > was driven out of me blah blah blah...and since i was so fed up > of the whole thing i was happy.> > Only to keep going back to her & say something is still wrong > – I still get disturbed by someone at night...she just gave me > some black thread for that ( which I threw away after joining > SY).> > After I joined SY in Oct 2002, all this stopped. I am eternally > grateful to Shri Mataji for that.> i believe your sad story and the circumstances prevailing that caused much pain and suffering. i also believe the attacks by the 'dead' as my own experiences in 1976 by the enraged ghost of a murdered Chinese millionaire, whose mansion i was unwittingly guarding on a 24/7 basis, will always live in my memory. (He was angry since i had the gall to sleep in the master bedroom with my wife, instead of the servant's quarters provided.)So first try to understand what Shri Mataji has revealed about these tantric gurus and how

they operate since you were a victim by mere association with your aunty who visited these horrible gurus. This speech was given by Shri Mataji at London, U.K., on May 24, 1981 and is titled Subconscious, Supraconscious And Our Correct Foundations And Ideals.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi is His Ruh sent to explain and announce the Resurrection (Al Qiyamah) to all humankind, as promised in the Qur'an.

 

"We have two types of people inIndia known as mantrikas andtantrikas. The mantrikas are those peoplewho go to the funerals andcemeteries and they try to capturethe dead spirits. These deadspirits are of the sly type. Thesesly spirits are the so-called socialworkers or busy-bodies trying tohelp others. They are in thecategory of Chaturvarnas orVishudras, the people who believein serving others. They appear tobe good people because they wantto serve other people and helpothers. And that is why they do not want to die and want to stay around the Earth plane. One could call this a servant class. They are absolutely servile. They like to be whipped, beaten and be ill-treated. They are another extreme. They enjoy a horrid type of existence — they are masochists. All such dead people are around us and they

are left-sided bhoots, that is, very timid and clinging. These mantrikas get hold of such dead people and tell them todo this work or that work, control this or go there. And thesebhoots feel very happy about it, as they are servile. So, ifsomeone is suffering from a mental problem, for example, ifsomeone of his has died then he gets a mental push-back intothe collective subconscious and gets possessed. Such peoplego to the mantrikas and these mantrikas tell the dead spirits thatthey have been troubling this man for a long time and you shouldleave this man. So they remove this dead spirit and put another dead spirit in itsplace and tell the first spirit that he can get another body to goto. These mantrikas are the mediators or liaison-officers. Theycatch hold of these spirits and remove them from one person andput them into some other person. So the first person is 'cured.'For example, there was a lady

whose husband used to drinkquite a lot. She went to one of the lady Mantrikas who said shewill cure her husband but the lady must pay Rs 100 for that. Soshe put a dead spirit on this man by which the bhoot of thedrunkard on him was removed. So this man gave up drinking buthe started going to races. Then she solved that problem byremoving the 'races bhoot' and put another one by which hestarted going to dirty women. . . .This weakness is there within such people, that is why they areeasily possessed. Otherwise it does not happen. Only if you areweak in mind and have weaknesses for such things, then thesedead spirits can catch hold of you."You did pray to god for all the attacks to stop but they continued.i can assure that the 'god' you prayed to is not God Almighty.(This will perhaps help you comprehend as to why the 'god' of thereligious masses is deaf and indifferent to all their cries for help.)Then

you joined SY and God helped you get rid of those attacks.You are now eternally grateful to Shri Mataji.But from the tone of your email i can see that you still have notrecovered fully. You seem to be quite angry with God -- who didhelp you after becoming a devotee of His Shakti, Shri MatajiNirmala Devi -- for not solving the pressing problems of humanity.But you must first slowly absorb this post before proceedingfurther. In the meantime find as much information on "humility" aspossible. i mean you must go deep into this subject as it willlessen God's burden.jagbir

 

www.adishakti.org | www.al-qiyamah.org | contact us

[Guest guest]

shriadishakti , jagbir singh

<adishakti_org> wrote:

>

>

> You did pray to god for all the attacks to stop but they continued.

> i can assure that the 'god' you prayed to is not God Almighty.

> (This will perhaps help you comprehend as to why the 'god' of the

> religious masses is deaf and indifferent to all their cries for

> help.) Then you joined SY and God helped you get rid of those

> attacks. You are now eternally grateful to Shri Mataji.

>

>

 

The 25 September 1975 Shri Mataji was gracious enough to send me a

letter in which She very clearly exposed my inconsistencies, how

precarious my position was and what I should do to muster positivity

within myself instead of siding with negativity. I take here the

liberty of quoting a few lines of this extraordinary letter which

saved my (spiritual) life for the second time:

 

" Now the Time has come to tell you that Sahaja Yoga cannot work

unless and until you completely surrender to Me, without any

questioning. This Me means Mataji Nirmala Devi who resides on the

Sahasrara of the Virata. This is the Absolute Truth whether you like

it or not, whether your ego and super-ego accept it or not. I am

sorry I have to confess it. " (Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi)

 

If I take upon myself to publish these sacred lines which were not

meant for the public it is because of their overriding significance:

 

" Grégoire! You perhaps do not realize that all the Deities who

reside in you and who are controlled in your Sahasrara are not at

all interested in people who are not completely surrendered to Me. I

do not know how to convince them. They only look after those who

take My name and accept that I am the Adi Shakti. This is the only

way you can progress. What can I do? Even the people who are cured

by Me have to keep the protocol otherwise the Deities sleep, and

they go back to their previous position.

 

So far I have not said this to anyone because I thought there was no

need. Those who were wise realized it and those who were foolish

have lost their chance in Sahaja Yoga. " (Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi)

 

I was stunned! I somehow realized at once what these lines were

meant to carry. I saw clearly that if this assertion of Shri

Mataji's real identity was not true the whole of Sahaja Yoga

would fall apart. If this assertion was true the seekers of the

whole world could be saved, I too. The Golden Age would start. . . .

 

It dawned upon me that the answer to one single question was

providing answers to all other questions. And the question was:

" Who is Shri Mataji? " The answer to it makes the difference

between mystical sand castles and Reality; between salvation and

doom for all of us. In it lies the key to the process of collective

emancipation. Since the reception of this letter my only goal has

been and still is to further penetrate the mystery of Shri

Mataji's incarnation on this earth . . .

 

Grégoire Kalbermatten

Vienna, Austria 5-6-1983

Nirmala Yoga Vol. 13, Jan - Feb 1983

 

shriadishakti/message/1097

[Guest guest]

shriadishakti , jagbir singh

<adishakti_org> wrote:

>

>

> You did pray to god for all the attacks to stop but they continued.

> i can assure that the 'god' you prayed to is not God Almighty.

> (This will perhaps help you comprehend as to why the 'god' of the

> religious masses is deaf and indifferent to all their cries for

> help.) Then you joined SY and God helped you get rid of those

> attacks. You are now eternally grateful to Shri Mataji.

>

>

 

" The religious devotee who finds satisfaction in ordinary prayer

must necessarily visit some temple or church either to praise and

propitiate or to obtain assistance from its Deity, or to seek

consolation from some holy figure contained within its holy

precincts, whereas the devotee who achieves satisfaction through

meditation has no need to do this. He finds it sufficient to retire

within himself and discovers his heart is already a holy place

inhabited by the Deity. He replaces the material image he once

worshipped in a temple by the mental image which he now worships

within his mind. He substitutes his own heart for the stone, his own

spirit for the sculpture and his own thought for the priest.

Meditation, is therefore, superior in the sense that the man who is

able to practise it necessarily possesses a higher mental capacity

because he does not depend on material things or replaces it. He can

carry his object or place of concentration as a mental image or

concept wherever he goes. He finds that spoken prayer is but a

parable and that in the holy silence of humble contemplation there

arise a wordless orison that needs no uttered speech. The ethical

results of successful attainment are also important. The man ceases

to sacrifice his sheep and cattle or their equivalent on priestly

altars and begins to sacrifice a greater or lesser part of his

excessive materialism, his unbalanced activities, and his own short-

sighted pursuit of physical pleasures on the altar of his own

heart. "

 

Paul Brunton, Ph.D., The Hidden Teaching Beyond Yoga

[Guest guest]

shriadishakti , jagbir singh

<adishakti_org> wrote:

>

>

> You did pray to god for all the attacks to stop but they continued.

> i can assure that the 'god' you prayed to is not God Almighty.

> (This will perhaps help you comprehend as to why the 'god' of the

> religious masses is deaf and indifferent to all their cries for

> help.) Then you joined SY and God helped you get rid of those

> attacks. You are now eternally grateful to Shri Mataji.

>

>

 

" Meditation in its pure spiritual essence is a supreme art, the

art of all arts. This is true for two important reasons. First,

meditation is the art of all arts because it is the inspirational

root of all original creations in art. Whether in poetry or

painting, music or song, sculpture or architecture, at the source of

all creative expression lies the act of meditative communion with

Being. Through such communion, new values are revealed; new

significant forms are disclosed; new peaks of emotion are attained.

New dimensions of existence are unveiled.. Art at its best is a

spontaneous expression of new forms and values, but it owes its

inspiration to meditation.

 

Second, meditation is the art of all arts because it lays the

foundation for the highest of all arts, namely, the art of living in

tune with the eternal. Life at its best is the art of expressing in

action and human relations such eternal values as truth, beauty,

righteousness, and love. Meditation is the technique of communion

with the realm of eternal value. It is the source of inspiration for

creative living. . . .

 

Meditation increasingly deepens self-awareness. In expressing the

inner self, artists express different levels of their psyche. They

may express inner frustration, anger, hatred, and violence. Of

course, in the very process of recognizing and expressing such

negative emotions, they often largely transcend them. As they

advance further in meditative self-awareness, they begin to grasp

the inmost purifying center of their being. A new higher self, the

divine child within them, is born on the most level of their

consciousness. At this point their art expression also undergoes a

profound transformation. What they create acquires a new quality. It

carries the power to kindle the light of awareness in the heart of

others. As a symbol of the artists' inward illumination, their

art inspires others. . . .

 

Meditation in its full fruition brings humans face to face with

Being, the ultimate ground of all existence. This is the ultimate

goal of meditation. As spiritual seekers encounter Being, the

meaning of life and evolution is fully revealed. Seekers gain

unerring insights into the purpose of their own existence in the

world. They become aware of their own personal mission and

destiny. . . .

 

When meditation reaches its crowning fulfillment in unveiling the

essence of Being, life in the world takes on a divine meaning and

significance. The entire universe stands transfigured, shining with

the light of Being. As the mind beholds the cosmic spectacle, it is

aware of the Self as the creative center of Being. The great master

minds of history such as Buddha and Christ, Krishna and Lao-Tzu,

Moses and Mohammad, Ramakrishna and Aurobindo, were masters of

meditation. As an all-out search for Being, meditation led them to

luminous contact with Being. At the heart of their enlightenment was

an awareness of that historic mission. Each of them performed his

mission to perfection as an illumined center of Being. "

 

Dr. H. Chaudhuri, The Essence of Spiritual Philosophy,

Thorsons Publishing Group, UK, 1990, p. 137-41.

[Guest guest]

shriadishakti , jagbir singh

<adishakti_org> wrote:

>

>

> You did pray to god for all the attacks to stop but they continued.

> i can assure that the 'god' you prayed to is not God Almighty.

> (This will perhaps help you comprehend as to why the 'god' of the

> religious masses is deaf and indifferent to all their cries for

> help.) Then you joined SY and God helped you get rid of those

> attacks. You are now eternally grateful to Shri Mataji.

>

>

 

" These prophets were not unique; they were men as you or I. They

were great Yogis. They had gained this superconsciousness, and you

and I can get the same. The very fact that one man ever reaches that

state, proves that it is possible for every man to do so. Not only

is it possible, but every man must eventually get to that stage, and

that is religion.

 

Religions of the world have become lifeless mockeries . . . If there

is ever to be a universal religion, it must be one which will have

no location in place or time, which will be infinite like the God it

will preach, and whose sun will shine upon the followers of Krishna

and Christ, on saints and sinners alike; which will not be Brahmanic

or Buddhist, Christian or Mohammedan, but the sum total of all

these, and still have infinite pace for development; which in its

catholicity will embrace in its finite arms, and find a place for

every human being, from the lowest groveling savage not far removed

from the brute, to the highest man towering by the virtues of his

head and heart above humanity, making society stand in awe of him

and doubt his human nature. It will be a religion which will have no

place for persecution or intolerance in its polity, which will

recognize divinity in every man and woman, and whose whole scope,

whose whole force, will be centred on aiding humanity to realise its

own true, divine nature. "

 

Swami Vivekananda, My India: The India Eternal,

The Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, Calcutta, 1993 p. 119

[Guest guest]

shriadishakti , jagbir singh

<adishakti_org> wrote:

>

>

> You did pray to god for all the attacks to stop but they continued.

> i can assure that the 'god' you prayed to is not God Almighty.

> (This will perhaps help you comprehend as to why the 'god' of the

> religious masses is deaf and indifferent to all their cries for

> help.) Then you joined SY and God helped you get rid of those

> attacks. You are now eternally grateful to Shri Mataji.

>

>

 

U.N. Report Of The Special Rapporteur On Religious Intolerance

" Report of the Special Rapporteur on religious intolerance

Economic

and Social Council Distr.

 

GENERAL E/CN.4/1995/91

22 December 1994

ENGLISH

Original: CHINESE/ENGLISH/FRENCH

 

COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS

Fifty-first session Item 22 of the provisional agenda

 

IMPLEMENTATION of THE DECLARATION ON THE ELIMINATION of ALL FORMS of

INTOLERANCE AND of DISCRIMINATION BASED ON RELIGION OR BELIEF

 

Report submitted by Mr. Abdelfattah Amor, Special Rapporteur, in

accordance with Commission on Human Rights resolution 1994/18 . . .

 

INTRODUCTION

 

1. At its forty-second session, the Commission on Human Rights

decided, in resolution 1986/20 of 10 March 1986, to appoint for one

year a special rapporteur to examine incidents and governmental

actions in all parts of the world inconsistent with the provisions

of the Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance

and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief, and to recommend

remedial measures for such situations.

2. In accordance with the terms of that resolution, the Special

Rapporteur submitted his first report to the Commission at its forty-

third session (E/CN.4/1987/35). His mandate was extended for one

year by resolution 1987/15 of 4 March 1987, at the same session of

the Commission.

3. From 1988 onwards, the Special Rapporteur has submitted yearly

reports to the Commission (E/CN.4/1988/45 and Add.1; E/CN.4/1989/44;

E/CN.4/1990/46; E/CN.4/1991/56; E/CN.4/1992/52; E/CN.4/1993/62 and

Add.1 and Corr.1). In its resolutions 1988/55, 1990/27 and 1992/17,

the Commission twice decided to extend the Special Rapporteur's

mandate for two years, and then for a further three years, until

1995.

4. After the resignation of Mr. d'Almeida Ribeiro, the Chairman of

the Commission appointed Mr. Abdelfattah Amor as Special Rapporteur.

The latter submitted his report (E/CN.4/1994/79) to the Commission

on Human Rights at its fiftieth session.

5. In chapter I of this report, the Special Rapporteur recalls the

terms of his mandate and their interpretation and describes the

working methods he used.

6. Chapter II contains allegations transmitted in 1994 to 49

Governments regarding situations which in the Special Rapporteur's

view departed from the provisions of the Declaration, as well as the

observations formulated in that respect by Governments.

7. Chapter III contains the report of the Special Rapporteur's visit

to China from 21 to 30 November 1994.

8. Lastly, chapter IV contains conclusions and recommendations,

based on an analysis of the information available regarding the

numerous infringements of the rights set out in the Declaration

during the period covered by this report and on the study of

measures which could contribute to preventing intolerance and

discrimination based on religion or belief.

 

I. MANDATE AND WORKING METHODS of THE SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR

 

9. The Special Rapporteur has followed his working method of

transmitting to Governments summaries of allegations sent to him and

appearing, prima facie, to represent infringements of or impediments

to the exercise of the right to freedom of thought, conscience and

religion.

 

The Special Rapporteur noted that some of the allegations

transmitted to the Governments concerned mentioned various forms of

harassment, arbitrary arrest and detention, torture or ill-treatment

suffered by the victims of religious intolerance, as well as

attempts on their lives. In addition, some of the reports received

referred to the desecration, or even the destruction, of religious

sanctuaries or property and cemeteries.

 

This state of affairs prompted the Special Rapporteur to ask some

Governments specific and concrete questions, particularly when the

allegations made against them contained descriptions of specific

cases of individuals persecuted on the basis of their religion or

beliefs, or of places of worship which had been damaged. These

questions were in many cases accompanied by requests for legislative

and other relevant texts.

 

In some cases, having been notified in good time of serious

allegations, concerning amongst others harassment, arbitrary

detention and attempts on people's lives, the Special Rapporteur

decided to resort to the urgent appeal procedure. . . .

 

In 1994, the Special Rapporteur addressed specific requests for

information to 49 Governments, in accordance with paragraph 13 of

resolution 1994/18, in which the Commission encouraged the Special

Rapporteur to continue to examine incidents and governmental actions

in all parts of the world that are incompatible with the provisions

of the Declaration and to recommend appropriate remedial measures.

In those communications, the Special Rapporteur, inter alia,

requested the views and comments of the Governments concerned in

order to ascertain whether they had taken or were contemplating, in

accordance with paragraph 7 of the above-mentioned resolution,

" all appropriate measures to combat hatred, intolerance and acts

of violence, including those motivated by religious extremism, and

to encourage understanding, tolerance and respect in matters

relating to freedom of religion or belief " , with due regard for

internationally established standards of religious freedom.

 

In this connection, urgent appeals were addressed to five States:

Bangladesh, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Iraq, Pakistan and Saudi

Arabia. The Special Rapporteur received a reply to his appeal to

Bangladesh but is still awaiting replies from the Governments of the

other four States concerned.

 

 

Afghanistan

 

In a communication of 18 August 1994 addressed to the Afghan

Government, the Special Rapporteur transmitted the following

information:

 

" According to the information received, in September 1993 the

draft constitutional principles prepared under the auspices of

President Rabbani declared the Hanafi rite (Sunnite) to be the

Islamic basis of the State. The Shiite Muslim community is said to

have strongly opposed the draft principles and the Shi'a Wahdata

militia are reported to have riposted by attacking the Sunnite

forces of Abdul Rasul Sayyaf.

 

Non-Muslims are allegedly forbidden to proselytize.

 

The Special Rapporteur was informed that, following the destruction

of the Ayodhya mosque in India in December 1992, extreme religious

violence broke out against Hindu and Sikh communities, particularly

in urban areas.

 

Acts of vandalism are said to have been committed against 'zairat's,

shrines of Sufi Muslim orders' and pre-Islamic funerary 'totems' in

Nuristan. "

 

 

Albania

 

In a communication of 31 August 1994 addressed to the Albanian

Government, the Special Rapporteur transmitted the following

information:

 

" According to the information transmitted, although the Albanian

Government has recognized the right of the Greek minority to

practise its Orthodox religion, no progress has been made in

returning the religious property confiscated from the Greek

community under the former regime.

 

Moreover, it is reported that four bishops appointed by the

Ecumenical Patriarchate to help Archbishop Anastasios restore the

Orthodox Church in Albania were refused entry to Albanian territory

on the grounds that they were not nationals, when this nationality

requirement could not be met since all religious activity by the

Greek minority was seriously affected for 45 years.

 

The Special Rapporteur has also been informed that Orthodox priests

have allegedly been subjected to pressure by the authorities to

conduct their liturgy in Albanian rather than in Greek. "

 

 

Algeria

 

In a communication of 18 August 1994 addressed to the Algerian

Government, the Special Rapporteur transmitted the following

information:

 

" The Special Rapporteur is concerned by the tragic upsurge in

murders carried out by armed groups of Islamist militants, who are

reportedly continuing to kill civilians and targeting a larger and

larger proportion of the population. They are even said to be

stepping up their campaign of violent attacks directed against

civilians. It is alleged that women, journalists, judges, doctors

and intellectuals, among others, have been killed, wounded, abducted

or threatened, while others who have escaped death are living in

constant fear.

 

It is reported that communiqués signed by the Islamic Armed Group

(GIA) call for 'enemies of Islam', and particularly journalists,

intellectuals, women and foreigners, to be killed and that

journalists are continuing to pay a very heavy price. The Special

Rapporteur has been informed of the following alleged cases:

In September 1993, Saad Bakhataoui, an unemployed journalist, was

targeted by four Islamists and Abderrahmane Chergou, an employee of

Hebdo libéré, had his throat slit;

 

In October 1993, Djamal Bouhidel, a photographer, was murdered at

Blida; Mustapha Abad, formerly acting director of television, was

murdered by a shot in the head; and Smaïl Yefsah, a television

journalist, was stabbed outside his home and then shot to death;

In February 1994, Olivier Quemener, a French journalist, was

murdered in the Algiers Kasbah while on a reporting assignment and

his colleague, Scott Allan White, was seriously wounded;

In March 1994, Majid Yasef, a cameraman working for Hebdo

libéré, was shot down and three other persons, including the

magazine's editor, were wounded.

 

Intellectuals are reportedly fleeing the country in order to shield

themselves from extremism and avoid being murdered like Youssef

Sebti (a poet), Ahmed Asselah (Director of the Higher Fine Arts

Academy), Abdelkader Allouala (a playwright), Djilali Belkhenchir

(Vice-Chairman of the Committee against Torture) and Salah Djebaili

(Rector of the Bab-Ezzouar University of Science and Technology).

It is further alleged that women are being threatened so as to make

them respect the Islamic dress code and that a growing number of

women have been killed in attacks by Islamists. Katia Benghana, a 17-

year-old high school student, is said to have been shot to death at

Blida on 28 February 1994 after being threatened for failing to wear

the hijab (Islamic scarf).

 

Foreigners, as one of the Islamists' main targets, have allegedly

been forced to leave the country. At least 12 French nationals are

reported to have been killed, including 2 members of religious

orders in Algiers on 8 May 1994, namely Hélène Saint-Raymond,

Little Sister of the Assumption, and Henri Vergès, a Marist

brother.

 

It is alleged that 12 Croatian and Bosnian workers of the Catholic

faith were murdered in the Tamezguida region on 14 December 1993 and

that 7 Russian nationals have been murdered since October 1993,

while other foreign nationals have been killed and/or permanently

threatened.

 

According to some reports, not a day goes by without murders,

attacks, abductions, destruction of public property, citizens going

into hiding to escape threats, intelligentsia leaving the country,

etc. A veritable spiral of violence, terror and serious human rights

violations caused by the Islamists is said to have seized all

sectors of Algerian society. " . . .

 

 

Saudi Arabia

 

In a communication of 18 August 1994 addressed to the Saudi

Government, the Special Rapporteur transmitted the following

information:

 

" The Special Rapporteur has been informed that, since 1990,

hundreds of men, women and children have been arrested and

imprisoned, the majority of them without charge or trial, simply for

the peaceful expression of their religious beliefs.

 

During the past few years, a policy of discrimination against

religious minorities, and against Christians and Shiite Muslims in

particular, is said to have been gradually introduced.

 

The Christians reportedly have no place of public worship and the

foreigners can practise their religion only in private. According to

the information received, Christians participating in private

religious gatherings must always do so secretly and be on the alert.

Often persons have allegedly been arrested because they were in

possession of religious objects such as rosaries, crosses, images of

Jesus Christ or the Bible. In addition, it is allegedly strictly

forbidden by law to publish or distribute any document deemed

incompatible with the Wahabbi interpretation of Islam. These

prohibitions have all allegedly been applied with increased rigour

since 1990.

 

The Special Rapporteur has received reports on the following cases:

 

— On 10 and 12 February 1992, 29 people, including 7 children,

were allegedly arrested by Shurta (police) officers and members of

the Committee for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice,

while they were at a meeting in the centre of Riyadh. The majority

of them were Indians from Kerala and they were listening to a sermon

by someone known as Mr. Ranjan. The 29 individuals were allegedly

detained briefly and then expelled. Mr. Ranjan was reportedly ill-

treated during his interrogation;

 

— Early in November 1992, members of the Committee for the

Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice reportedly raided the

meeting place of the Brotherhood of the Good Pastor at Al-Karj Road

in Riyadh. At least two Filipinos, Florance Madriago and Roque

Atilon, were reportedly arrested. They were accused of having

organized a religious group and were reportedly sentenced to two

years' imprisonment;

 

— In addition to the case of Mr. Michael Cornelius Michael (see

report E/CN.4/1994/79), the Special Rapporteur has been informed

that in 1993, Mr. Franklin Lomboy, a Filipino citizen employed by

Saudi Airlines, was allegedly arrested in Khamir Muchayt, because of

his Christian faith.

 

With regard to the Shiite Muslims, they allegedly cannot distribute

any books dealing with Shiism. On various occasions, also, the

Council of Ulemas (experts in Islamic law) has allegedly issued

fatwas (legal opinions) that were offensive to the Shiite Muslims.

In some school text books, the Shiites are reportedly referred to as

rafidha (dissenters). Over the past few years, there have allegedly

been attempts to force Shiites to convert to Wahhabism. All Shiite

religious activities are said to be closely monitored and generally

prohibited. Moreover, some Shiites who allegedly criticized the

official policy towards their community are said to be regularly

arrested, detained and ill-treated.

 

According to the information received, scores of husseiniyyas (small

mosques) have allegedly been destroyed or closed or their

construction stopped. No building permits have allegedly been

granted for that kind of building with the result that dwelling-

houses have reportedly been converted into husseiniyyas. However,

the authorities allegedly close or demolish them.

 

The Special Rapporteur has been informed of the following case:

— On 18 January 1993, police officers of al Mabahith al Amma

(Criminal Investigation Department) allegedly raided the home of

Abdullah al Marhoun in Al Qatif, alleging that his house was being

used as a husseiniyya. Abdullah al Marhoun was reportedly evicted

from his home and seals were placed upon the doors. Hussein Salch

Abdul Jabbar, the contractor who reportedly built the house was said

to have been arrested and briefly detained for questioning.

According to some reports, there is interference with the religious

practices of the Shiites.

 

In February 1993, Sayyid Munir al Khabbag, a well-known scholar in

the Shiite community in the Eastern Province, was allegedly

interrogated by officers of the al Mababit al Amma and ordered to

restrict the number of sermons which he normally preached in the

mosques of the Province.

 

The public use of the turba (holy soil) during prayer is allegedly

prohibited. Anyone who disobeys this prohibition could be harassed

and his turba confiscated. Books and other documents on non-Wahhabi

beliefs, and in particular those favourable to Shiite Islam, are

allegedly prohibited. The Ministry of Information reportedly has

special responsibility for censoring books, magazines, newspapers

and audio and video cassettes. Article 7 (a) of the 1982 Press and

Publications Code reportedly prohibits the publication or

distribution of any material which challenges 'the origins of Islam

and its tolerant Shariah, or is harmful to public morals'. In

practice, this provision is allegedly interpreted in a manner that

permits censorship of any religious document not consistent with the

Wahhabi interpretation of Islam. For example, all the works of the

distinguished Saudi scholar, Sheikh Hassan Mussa al Saffar, have

allegedly been banned even though they deal chiefly with cultural

and religious matters. His book entitled al Huriyya wal Taadudiyya

fil Islam (Freedom and Pluralism in Islam) was allegedly banned in

1990.

 

Several persons have allegedly been arrested, imprisoned and

tortured because they were found in possession of books and material

about the Shiite faith. On 11 August 1988, Muhammad Jaafar Al Sheikh

was allegedly arrested in Damman for having, according to some

sources, printed Shiite prayer books at a local printing shop. In

another case, Ali Ahmad al Shihab was reportedly arrested at the

border with Bahrain and accused of smuggling in 17 copies of 2

books, one of which was a Shiite prayer book. The books were burnt

before the investigation and trial. The court of Summary

Jurisdiction, which allegedly tried the case, reportedly condemned

Ali al Shihab to 8 months' imprisonment and 180 lashes.

 

Some of the text books for use in Saudi schools reportedly make

disparaging references to religious beliefs other than Wahhabi and

to Shiite beliefs in particular. One such book, which clearly refers

to Shiite religious practices, is said to contain the following

passage:

 

'... many people do not respect the bans ... and therefore fall into

polytheism. They have built mosques and mausoleums which they have

made into places of pilgrimage and where they engage in polytheistic

practices involving sacrifices and entreaties.'

 

The book entitled Al Thagafa al Islamiyya (Islamic Culture), which

is included in the curriculum of the King Abdul Aziz University of

Jeddah, is more explicit. In a chapter entitled 'The foundations of

the Shia Ithna Ashariyya', it is stated that 'some of them (the

Shiites) have questioned the validity of the Koran and rejected it'.

The Special Rapporteur has received reports of teachers trying to

intimidate and coerce their Shiite pupils into converting to

Wahhabism. Muhammad Ahmad al Rabii, 16 years of age, a secondary

school pupil in al Awamiya, after a discussion with his teacher of

religion, was reportedly threatened with failing his examination.

The same teacher was reported to have contacted him afterwards and

told him that he would pass the examination if he converted to

Wahhabism. Many Shiite pupils and their families have reportedly

complained to the highest education authorities.

 

In recent years, a number of legal opinions tending to discredit

Shiism and delivered by Wahhabi scholars have reportedly been

officially approved. The fact that many Wahhabi followers regard

these opinions as authoritative further disturbs the Shiite

community. On 30 September 1990, on the question whether it was

right to eat the meat from an animal killed by a Shiite butcher,

Sheikh Abdullah bin Abdul Rahman bin Jabreen, who was then a member

of the assembly of experts in Islamic law, was reported to have

delivered the following legal opinion:

 

'Slaughter by a Shiite butcher is illegal and consumption of the

meat thus obtained is unlawful. The majority of Shiites are

polytheistic because they always invoke Ali (the cousin and the son-

in-law of the Prophet) both in times of difficulty and in times of

prosperity ... This is a serious demonstration of polytheism and a

renunciation of Islam, deserving of death ...'.

 

Other legal opinions by Sheik Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah bin Baz,

President of the Experts in Islamic Law, have reportedly declared

that the Shiites (or al Rafidha, as they are called in official

religious terminology) are polytheists and apostates. Legal opinion

No. 2008 allegedly states that, since Shiites are polytheists, they

cannot be permitted to marry Sunnite women. Legal opinion No. 1661

is said to contain an identical statement.

 

The Special Rapporteur has also been informed that the Iraqi

refugees in the Rafha camp, in the north of the country, are

subjected to restrictions on their religious freedom. The occupants

of this camp have reportedly been split up according to their

religious beliefs, with the Sunnites being separated from the

Shiites. In 1994, a document written by Sheikh Abu Bakr Jaber al

Jagain, entitled Hadhihi Nasihati Ila Kul Shii (Advice to all

Shiites), which claimed that the Shiites were apostates and should

be converted to Sunnite Islam, was said to have been circulated in

the camp. On 10 August 1990, a former refugee from the Rafha camp

allegedly stated that the security agents guarding the camp insulted

the Shiites, called them apostates and trampled on their holy soil.

That situation of religious discrimination allegedly continued

throughout 1993.

 

In addition to the religious discrimination against the Christian

and Shiite minorities, the Special Rapporteur was informed of the

severe measures taken against any form of peaceful dissent by

Islamic groups. On 12 May 1993, the Committee to Defend Legitimate

Rights (CDLR), which had been formed on 3 May by recognized and

respected Islamic figures, including six Islamic jurists and

university professors, was allegedly denounced as a violation of

Islamic law and banned by the Council of Senior Scholars. On 13 May,

the founders of the CDLR were allegedly dismissed from their

government posts and the offices of two lawyers in private practice

were allegedly closed by royal order. Dr. Muhammed al Mas'ari, a

CDLR spokesman and a physics professor at King Saud University, was

reportedly arrested on 15 May for disobeying an order prohibiting

the communication of any information on the CDLR to the foreign

press. Lawyers sympathetic to the CDLR were allegedly also penalized

by having their offices closed. One of them, Sulaiman al Rushudi was

allegedly arrested. Sixty university professors close to the CDLR

were said to have been dismissed from their posts and/or forbidden

to travel.

 

According to reports received, an Indian journalist, Sivaramy

Balaram, was arrested on 11 July 1993 for having published, in a

paper called Arab News, a comic strip in which the central character

doubted the existence of God and in the end discovered that he

existed. "

 

In an urgent appeal of 12 September 1994 addressed to the Saudi

Government, the Special Rapporteur transmitted the following

information:

 

" According to the information I received, Mr. Sherif Fahmy Ishak

would have been arrested and detained since the beginning of August

for possessing Christian pictures and the Holy Bible in his house in

Riyadh. I would be most grateful to the Government of Saudi Arabia

for its views and comments on the allegation I have received " . . .

 

 

Bangladesh

 

In an urgent appeal dated 3 August 1994, the Special Rapporteur

transmitted the following comments to the Government of Bangladesh:

 

" According to information received by the Special Rapporteur, Ms.

Taslima Nasrin, writer, would be the victim of persecutions by

religious extremists and has been forced into hiding.

 

The Special Rapporteur would like to express his deep concern and

would be grateful if your Government would provide him with any

relevant information as well as with its views and observations. "

On 4 August 1994, the Permanent Mission of the People's Republic of

Bangladesh to the United Nations Office at Geneva transmitted the

following information concerning the above allegations to the

Special Rapporteur:

 

" I have the honour ... to state that the information received by

you about Ms. Taslima Nasreen is not correct. In fact, Ms. Nasreen,

who had been hiding since 4 June 1994 following the issuance of a

warrant of arrest against her, surrendered before the High Court on

3 August 1994 and was granted bail. "

 

In a communication dated 23 August 1994 to the Government of

Bangladesh, the Special Rapporteur transmitted the following

information:

 

" According to the information received, religious minorities,

mainly Hindu, Christian and Buddhist, have been the victims of acts

of religious intolerance, committed mainly by Muslim extremists.

In addition to the incidents of December 1992 affecting the Hindu

community (report E/CN.4/1994/79, para. 36), the Special Rapporteur

was informed that in June 1993 Muslim extremists again reportedly

committed acts of violence against Hindus at Rajahadi and allegedly

caused the destruction of the Rath Jatra festival. In July 1993, a

Procession in celebration of Lord Krishna's Birthday was allegedly

also violently attacked by Muslim extremists, and hundreds of Hindus

were injured. In August 1993, 14 Hindu students are said to have

protested against these attacks in an attempt to demand justice, but

were imprisoned by the police.

 

The Muslim extremists were reportedly also responsible for serious

attacks on non-Muslim religious minorities, including murders,

abductions, rape, looting, extortion and destruction of property,

and threats to make them leave the country.

 

It was alleged that a policy of discrimination was being used

against those minorities, in particular with regard to public

employment.

 

The Special Rapporteur was also informed that the writer, Mrs.

Taslima Nasrin had been accused of blasphemy and sentenced to death

in October 1993 by a group known as the " Council of the soldiers

of Islam " from the north-eastern town of Sylhet. Mrs. Nasrin is

said to have received serious threats on account of her novel Lajjya

(Shame) which depicts the situation of a Hindu family forced by

Muslim neighbours to leave Bangladesh following the destruction of

the Babri Mosque in India.

 

The extremist group has allegedly offered $1,250 for the killing of

the writer and her work is reported to have been officially banned

by the authorities. Mrs. Nasrin had already allegedly received death

threats from the 'Council of the soldiers of Islam' on 23 September

1993 and reportedly requested protection from the Khaka police and

the authorities. Since she was unable to obtain satisfaction, she is

said to have appealed on 6 October 1993 to the Chief Metropolitan

Magistrate, who granted her a protection order. According to

information received, in May 1994 a Muslim dignitary, Moulana Amini,

issued a second fatwa against Mrs. Nasrin, accusing her of having

stated in an interview published in the Indian newspaper The

Statesman of 9 May that the Koran should be revised completely with

respect to women's rights. Moulana Amini reportedly declared that

the writer's statement was even more 'filthy' than that of Salman

Rushdie in The Satanic Verses. He is also said to have demanded the

arrest and execution of Mrs. Nasrin.

 

Azharul Islman, the leader of an Islamic political party, is also

said to have accused the author of being 'an apostate appointed by

the imperialist forces to vilify Islam'. At least 5,000 members of

the Jamaiat Islamic party are reported to have demonstrated in Dhaka

with banners demanding that all blasphemers of Islam should be

hanged. The party leaders allegedly threatened the authorities with

causing disturbances if Mrs. Nasrin were not arrested.

 

Mrs. Nasrin is reported to have stated that her remarks had been

incorrectly reported, and to have written to the Indian newspaper

The Statesman on 11 May to confirm that she had not expressed the

view that the Koran should be modified. Following publication of

this confirmation and its reproduction in a number of newspapers in

Bangladesh, Mrs. Nasrin reiterated her position to the newspapers on

18 May, explaining that, in referring to modification of the Shariah

with a view to ensuring equality of the sexes, she had made no

suggestion that the Koran should be revised.

 

On 3 June at least 3,000 Muslim extremists are reported to have

carried out a protest and called for the killing of Mrs. Nasrin. The

fundamentalist party Jamaat-e-Islam's daily newspaper Sangram

allegedly reported that members of 'Towhidi Jagrata Janata' ('Rising

Faithful') had warned that they would kill Mrs. Nasrin if they found

her. Members of the Nationalist Party of Bangladesh are also said to

have called for punishment of the writer.

 

According to some reports, the chief of the Motijheel police station

in Dhaka filed a complaint against Mrs. Nasrin on behalf of the

State under section 295 A of the Criminal Code, which provides for a

maximum sentence of two years' imprisonment and a fine

for 'deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage the religious

feelings of any class or citizen by insulting its religious

beliefs'. As a result, the Metropolitan Magistrate reportedly issued

an arrest warrant. According to the information received, Ms.

Nasrin, fearing persecution by religious extremists, was allegedly

obliged to go abroad. " . . .

 

 

Canada

 

In a communication dated 20 October 1994, the Special Rapporteur

transmitted the following comments to the Government of Canada:

 

" According to the information received, Paul William Roberts, an

English writer and expert on Islam, was reportedly stabbed at his

home on 12 May 1994, the day his novel, The Palace of Fears, was

published. Two days before the attack, his publishers, Random House,

received two letters accusing him of blasphemy for having included

quotations from the Koran in his book alongside references to sex

and blasphemy. He is reported to be hiding following this attempt to

kill him. " . . .

 

 

Egypt

 

In a communication dated 21 October 1994 addressed to the Government

of Egypt, the Special Rapporteur transmitted the following

allegations:

 

" The Special Rapporteur has been informed that acts of violence

committed by Islamic fundamentalist groups have greatly increased in

number. They allegedly committed 137 assassinations in the course of

1993, the main targets being representatives of the State, the

national security forces, Egyptian Coptic Christians and foreigners.

Since March 1992, more than 138 policemen have reportedly been

killed by Muslim extremists. On 13 May 1994, for example, three

policemen are reported to have been killed and another injured in

the region of Asyut in Upper Egypt. In 1993, at least 26 civilians

were allegedly killed in bomb attacks by extremists, who also

claimed to have carried out the attempted assassinations of Prime

Minister Atef Sedky, in November 1993, the Minister of the Interior,

Hassan Al-Alfi, in August 1993, Army General Othman Shahine in Cairo

in July 1993 and the Minister of Information, Safwat Al-Scherif, in

April 1993, as well as the assassinations of Abdel Halim Ghobara,

Qena Governorate Deputy Director of Security, Brigadier-General in

August 1993 and Mohamed Abdel Latif El-Shimi, Asyut Governorate

Deputy Director of Security, Brigadier-General, in April 1993.

The Copts are said to be regular victims of violence, attacks and

killings (dozens of killings were reported for 1992-1993). The

Rapporteur was informed of the following cases: on 3 January 1993, a

Coptic church was allegedly burnt down at Dairut. Next day, in the

same town, a Coptic share-cropper is reported to have been murdered

and a Coptic pharmacist seriously injured. In September 1993, a

Coptic jeweller was allegedly murdered and robbed of his gold. In

April 1993, at Asyut, Muslim extremists reportedly tried to kill a

Coptic writer, Shehata Guirgis. Two young Copts, Adil Bushra Agab

(22 years of age) and Rafiq Atif Ibrahim (20 years of age) are

reported to have been murdered in the streets of the town of Meir on

26 February and on 1 March 1994, in an attack by Muslim

fundamentalists on the Monastery of the Virgin in the province of

Asyut, a priest, a monk and three visitors are reported to have lost

their lives while three other persons were seriously injured. The

priests are apparently regularly subjected to threats and demands

for money by Muslim fundamentalist groups.

 

The military personnel assigned to protect the Coptic churches in

the Governorate of Asyut and Al-Minya in Upper Egypt were reportedly

withdrawn following numerous fatal attacks on the soldiers by the

Muslim fundamentalists of the Al-Gamaa Al-Islamiya movement. The

Copts would seem to be in an unsafe position, but the necessary

preventive measures have not always been enacted or implemented, any

more than have proceedings against the perpetrators of the

violations.

 

Pastor Williams (35 years of age), a member of the Assemblies of God

of Izbit-al-Sabh, was allegedly subjected to three unsuccessful

attacks by Muslim extremists, on 8 August 1993, 30 November 1993 and

22 March 1994. These repeated attacks seem to show that Pastor

Williams has been targeted to be killed at all costs.

 

Religious extremism is also reported to be manifest in schools,

despite the directive of the Ministry of Education. In some schools,

Christian and Muslim children have allegedly been separated and have

no common activities. In others, Christians are said to be subjected

to constant victimization and pressure. In March 1993, the two-week

expulsion of four pupils from a secondary school for playing a

cassette containing anti-Christian comments in class reportedly

caused anti-Christian riots and petrol-bomb attacks on the local

church, in which at least 52 Christians were injured.

 

The public education curricula are also allegedly discriminatory in

so far as Christian pupils are obliged to memorize verses of the

Koran as part of their Arabic studies. The Copts also seem to be the

object of discrimination regarding admission to the State medical

schools. Similar discrimination is allegedly also found in public

sector jobs such as the police, the army and other government

institutions.

 

The Coptic church is reportedly the object of discriminatory

practices such as delays in the issue of permits to build or restore

places of worship. The Government reportedly arbitrarily confiscated

the land of a Coptic church for the use of the Ministry of Islamic

Affairs. An Egyptian administrative court apparently decided in 1989

that this land should be returned to the Coptic church. However,

this decision has not to date been acted on.

 

The Special Rapporteur was also informed that, while freedom to

change one's religion was not explicitly condemned by law, article

98 f of the Penal Code was sometimes invoked in punishing the

conversion of Muslims. This article prohibits any act

which 'dishonours or shows contempt for a holy place or a religious

sect with the intention of undermining national unity and public

order'. Egyptian courts have reportedly upheld the principle that

Muslims cannot change their identity document in order to record

their conversion to another religion. As a result, married men who

are no longer Muslims must register their children as Muslims. In

addition, the pressures exerted by the family and society allegedly

make it practically impossible for a Muslim to convert to another

religion. Cases brought to the Rapporteur's attention can be

summarized as follows: in February 1993, four Christian foreigners

are reported to have been detained for more than two months, and

then expelled on 10 May 1993 for proselytizing Muslims; an Egyptian

Christian, Abdul Hamid Adel Nafa, aged 25, who was arrested along

with the four foreigners, was allegedly accused of proselytism but

was not released. After being placed initially in the psychiatric

ward of the Abasseya Hospital, Cairo, he has apparently been held in

the Al Khana institution for the mentally ill since August 1993.

In October 1992, Hanaan Rahman Assofti, aged 26, who had renounced

Islam for Christianity, was allegedly arrested by State Security

officers at Cairo Airport when leaving to meet her fiancé abroad.

She is reported to have been placed by the police under the

surveillance of her parents who were made responsible for bringing

her back to Islam. Hanaan Rahman

 

Assofti was allegedly placed in confinement, threatened with death

by members of her family and subjected to an intensive programme of

religious re-education to make her abjure Christianity.

The Special Rapporteur has been informed that the Egyptian writer,

Alaa Hamed, who was sentenced in 1990 to eight years' rigorous

imprisonment (the sentence was not executed because it was not

ratified by the Prime Minister) for having written a book entitled

Distance in the Mind of a Man, was reportedly sentenced a second

time in 1992 by the Court of Public Morals to one year in prison for

a book called The Mattress, which was printed, but never published,

and is reportedly regarded as blasphemous.

 

Mr. Hamed is reported to have appealed to the High Court. He was

dismissed from his job in July 1994 on the grounds that The Mattress

reflects his opinions, which are incompatible with his obligations

as an official of the Income Tax Department, especially as he is

constantly with his female colleagues and deals with the public.

Mr. Hamed is accused of 'showing contempt for Islam by describing a

love scene which takes place on a prayer rug'. Mr. Hamed

states: 'What I write has nothing to do with religion. Writing is a

creative act. Religion is a relationship between the individual and

God'. "

 

 

United Arab Emirates

 

In a communication dated 5 September 1994, addressed to the

Government of the United Arab Emirates, the Special Rapporteur

transmitted the following information:

 

" According to information received, Shiite Muslims in the Emirate

of Ras al-Khaimah are not allowed to have their own mosque. In

addition, the Emirate of Dubai is said to have placed private

mosques under the control of the 'Department of Islamic Affairs and

Endowments' which, if true, would result in that Department having a

bigger say in the appointment of preachers. Non-Muslims would be

unable to proselytize in public or distribute religious literature.

The following cases, briefly summarized here, have been brought to

the Special Rapporteur's attention:

 

In 1993, a British Christian was reportedly arrested and sentenced

to six months' imprisonment for proselytizing;

 

In 1992, Mr. Vasudevan Pillai, an Indian writer and Director of the

University of Calicut School of Theatre, was reportedly sentenced in

absentia to six years' imprisonment by the Sharjah civil court for

blasphemy. He was convicted on the grounds that he had written a

play based on a work by Safdar Hashemi and entitled 'Ants that Feast

on Corpses', although Mr. Pillai apparently denies translating the

work in question. The play allegedly depicts ants feeding on the

bodies of Christ, Marx and Mohamed and a Christian, Marxist and

Muslim who bury and eat the bodies. The play is also said to

question what Christ, Marx and Mohamed actually did for the world.

Ten Indians who put on a production of the play on 28 May 1992 at

the Indian Social Centre as part of the theatre festival organized

by the 'Kerala Art Lovers Association' are said to have received the

same sentence as Mr. Pillai, to be followed by deportation.

Following an appeal in 1993, 2 of the 10 Indians subject to

deportation reportedly had their sentences increased to 10

years. "

 

 

Ethiopia

 

In a communication dated 5 September 1994, addressed to the

Ethiopian Government, the Special Rapporteur transmitted the

following comments:

 

" According to the information received, there have been serious

violations of religious freedom in Ethiopia.

 

Protestant churches are reported to have been subjected to

violations committed by members of the Orthodox Church.

During the first half of 1992, a young Protestant of the Mekane

Jesus Church was reported to have been killed and several hundred

others to have been wounded. In the provinces of Wollega and Kefa,

24 Lutheran churches were allegedly set on fire and other religious

buildings ransacked. The Orthodox Church is alleged to have been

responsible for all these acts.

 

In 1992, in central Berthane, members of the Orthodox Church are

alleged to have committed acts of violence against members of the

Pentecostal Church. At Gojam, a group of young members of the

Orthodox Church are reported to have attacked an Evangelical Church

member, putting out an eye. At Alamatta, in the Wallo region, a

Pentecostal couple are said to have had to be married in a prison,

under police protection, after Orthodox followers had chased and

beaten the guests. At Debre Birhan, young Orthodox followers are

reported to have beaten and stabbed Pentecostals and to have

destroyed their houses and belongings. At Wolbareg, in the Gurage

area, Orthodox followers are said to have prevented Evangelicals

from burying their dead in the cemetery beside their church so that

they were forced to travel to Addis Ababa, 50 kilometres distant, in

order to perform the burials. Orthodox Church members are also

reported to have violated the tomb of an Evangelical Christian in

the cemetery of Debre Zeit on 8 December 1992.

 

According to certain reports, in late 1993 a number of attacks were

made on the Orthodox Church and particularly on Patriarch Abune

Paulos. These incidents appear to have involved armed attacks with

bombs as well as interruptions of religious services. "

 

 

Russian Federation

 

In a communication dated 21 October 1994, addressed to the

Government of the Russian Federation, the Special Rapporteur

transmitted the following allegations:

 

" The Special Rapporteur has been informed of the existence of

restrictive bills relating to religion. These texts reportedly

violate the rights of religious minorities. They are said to give

priority to the Orthodox Church in respect of the restitution of

land and assets confiscated under the old regime and to limit access

to property for foreign religious groups. "

 

 

Ghana

 

In a communication dated 5 September 1994, addressed to the

Government of Ghana, the Special Rapporteur transmitted the

following comments:

 

" According to certain reports, conflicts of an ethnic and

religious character that occurred in the north of the country in

February 1994 caused the death of at least 1,000 people. The clashes

are said to have involved mainly representatives of the Dagomba and

Nunumba ethnic groups, on the one hand, and the Konkomba on the

other. Many villages are reported to have been set on fire and their

fleeing inhabitants pursued as far as Tamale. The Catholic church is

reported to have been attacked, with Islamized Dagombas suspecting

the Catholics of helping the Konkombas.

 

Furthermore, foreign missionaries are reported to have encountered

difficulties in obtaining visas and residence permits. " . . .

 

 

India

 

In a communication dated 5 September 1994, addressed to the

Government of India, the Special Rapporteur transmitted the

following comments:

 

" According to the information received, relations between Hindus

and Muslims continue to be strained since the attack on and

destruction of the Babri Mosque in Ayodhya on 6 December 1992

(E/CN.4/1994/79, para. 55). Concerning the serious inter-community

disturbances, in Bombay in particular, in January 1993, which were

reported in the communication of 10 November 1993 addressed to the

Indian Government, the Special Rapporteur received additional

information indicating that at least 550 people were killed and

2,500 injured. Certain persons are reported to have been stoned to

death and/or burned alive. According to a report by the 'Indian

People's Human Rights Tribunal' published in August 1993, these

events were part of an organized crime perpetrated by communalists

in cooperation with the police. The report states that the police

either stood by and watched or supported the Hindu attackers.

According to numerous reports, most of the victims were Muslims.

Furthermore, on 12 March 1993 numerous bomb attacks were reported in

Bombay, in particular against tourist hotels and markets, killing at

least 250 people. Police investigations are said to have found one

Muslim family to be responsible, but the reason for the attack is

not clear. In Maharashtra, the police reportedly conducted large-

scale indiscriminate raids among all Muslims who might have been

involved in the Bombay attack.

 

Cases of serious violations in Kashmir and Jammu and the Punjab have

also been referred to the Special Rapporteur.

 

In Kashmir and Jammu, Muslim extremists are said to be continuing

their persecution of the Hindu minority. They are said to have

attacked Hindu pilgrims near Anantnag on 3 August 1993, killing one

person and injuring 23 others. On 14 August, the extremists

allegedly stopped a bus and killed 16 Hindu civilians. They are also

said to have killed a Hindu leader. On 15 September, they planted a

bomb in a Hindu temple, killing one person and injuring eight

others.

 

According to the information received, most of the Muslims in

Kashmir are caught between the violent actions of the Muslim

extremists and those of the security forces taken against any

insurrection and even against civilians.

 

In the Punjab, a Sikh religious leader, Gurev Singh Kaonke, is said

to be missing since 2 January 1993.

 

Regarding the Christians, there is said to be no national

legislation prohibiting proselytism by Indian Christians. However,

the laws of some States discourage Christians from practising

openly. Resident foreign missionaries are generally able to renew

their visas, but since the mid-1960s, entry for new resident

missionaries is denied. A certain increase in conversions among the

tribes continues to create tensions, and foreign Christian

missionaries are said to be denied entry permits for the States in

the north-east. "

 

In response to the above-mentioned allegation, the Permanent Mission

of India transmitted the following information to the Special

Rapporteur on 17 November 1994:

 

" 1. I write with reference to your letter No. G/S0 214 (56-8)

dated 5 September 1994. In this communication you made some general

observations and pointed out some specific cases of alleged

religious intolerance and discrimination against religious

minorities in India. I wish to clarify that the allegations

contained in the above-mentioned communication do not conform to the

facts.

 

2. The Indian people are heirs to an ancient tradition of tolerance

and respect for different religions and faiths. It is for this

reason that India is home to so many differing linguistic and

religious groups. India is the birthplace of four major religions

—

Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism. Christianity, Islam,

Zoroastrianism and Judaism came to India and made it their home. We

are proud to count among our nationals nearly every major religious

denomination, including their sects and sub-sects. Even non-

believers enjoy equal rights with all others in India. Over 90

million Muslims have been born since 1947. Likewise other religious

minorities exist in tens of millions.

 

3. The very Preamble to the Indian Constitution declares India to be

a 'Secular, Democratic Republic and to secure to all its

citizens ... liberty of thought, expression, belief, faith and

worship'. To underscore the right to freedom of religion, this and

associated rights are deliberately placed in the Chapter on

Fundamental Rights. These rights enshrined in the Constitution are

justiciable before an independent judiciary. This has been further

reinforced by the establishment of a Minorities Commission in 1978

to safeguard the interest of other minorities. These Commissions

monitor the safeguards available under the Constitution and the

legal framework for the protection of minorities, make

recommendations to improve implementation of these safeguards, keep

under constant review policy pursued by the Union of the State

Governments with respect to minorities to look into specific

complaints regarding deprivation of rights and safeguards of

minorities such as where appropriate additional legal and welfare

measures for minorities, make periodical reports to the Government

etc.

 

4. Despite the efforts of the Government, explicit provisions of the

Constitution and the fact that our people, by and large, have a

secular outlook, incidents of communal violence have occurred

occasionally. In considering such developments, however, we should

not fail to make a distinction between cases where incidents have

occurred for reasons beyond the control of Governments and those

instigated and abetted by the Governments themselves. States should

be judged not by acts of extremism committed by individuals, groups

and segments of society, but by their philosophy and practice of

religious tolerance and their treatment of minorities. The speed and

effectiveness with which Governments take remedial action to correct

any such wrongs is a measure of the religious tolerance of and the

position of minorities in that society and polity.

 

5. The observations that the relations between Hindus and Muslims

continue to be strained as a result of the destruction of the Babri

Mosque in Ayodhya on 6 December 1992 is a misrepresentation of the

facts. It would be appropriate to mention that since January 1993

there have been no incidents of communal tension and the Muslims and

Hindus have been living in harmony in keeping with the tradition of

Indian society. The Government of India is determined to remain

faithful to its secular commitment.

 

Babri Masjid

 

6. In our letter No. GEN/PMI/352/26/93 dated 17 December 1993 we

provided detailed background on the developments that led to the

unfortunate demolition of Babri Mosque. As stated therein, the

incident was immediately condemned in the strongest possible terms

by the highest authorities in the land and comprehensive remedial

measures were promptly instituted.

 

7. Since our earlier communication to you on this subject, the

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is an apex body for

investigation, was asked by the Government of India to carry out a

detailed investigation. Notwithstanding the fact that the mosque was

pulled down by a riotous mob of several thousand persons, making

investigations exceedingly difficult, charges were initiated before

a special court against 40 persons. The court has begun the process

of trial. Regarding the rebuilding of the mosque and a temple, the

Government of India had sought an advisory opinion from the Supreme

Court of India and would abide by the opinion of this apex judicial

body in India. The Supreme Court in its verdict of 24 October 1994

has revived title suits regarding the structure under dispute,

permitted the settlement of the dispute through negotiations, upheld

acquisition of land by the Government — except the disputed area

— ordered compensation to be paid to owners for land acquisition

and, more significantly, convicted the former Chief Minister of the

State of Uttar Pradesh, Mr. Kalyan Singh, for contempt of court for

violating its orders prohibiting the erection of a permanent

structure in the disputed area in Ayodhya in July 1992.

 

8. The rioting in some parts of India following the unfortunate

destruction of the Babri Jasjid mentioned in the annexure is the

exception rather than the norm. It was the product of communal

tension, exacerbated by inflammatory rhetoric and action from across

national frontiers, which were used by anti-social elements for

their own interest. However, to argue that any single community was

victimized is grossly incorrect. All Indians, irrespective of their

religion, suffered. Not only have comprehensive judicial inquiries

been instituted but prompt relief and rehabilitation measures have

also been taken which have entailed disbursement of 10 million

rupees. These steps are in the best traditions of India's secular

polity and in keeping with its long history of respect and tolerance

for all religions, beliefs and practices. . . .

 

 

Islamic Republic of Iran

 

In an urgent appeal dated 3 August 1994, the Special Rapporteur

transmitted the following observations to the Government of the

Islamic Republic of Iran:

 

" According to information received by the Special Rapporteur,

Rev. Tatavous (Tateos) Mikaelian, successor of the recently murdered

Bishop Haik Hovsepian-Mehr as the Chairman of the Council of

Protestant Churches and former General Secretary of the Iran Bible

Society, would have disappeared after leaving home on 29 June 1994

and would have been found murdered on 2 July. Besides Minister Mehdi

Dibaj, released on 16 January after nine years in prison, would have

disappeared on 24 June and have been discovered murdered.

The Special Rapporteur would like to express his deep concern and

would be grateful to your Government to provide him with any

relevant information as well as with its views and observations. "

In a communication dated 18 August 1994, the Special Rapporteur

transmitted the following information to the Government of the

Islamic Republic of Iran:

 

" Baha'i community

 

The Special Rapporteur has been informed that the situation of the

Baha'i community, as reported in the communication of 8 December

1993, has continued to worsen during 1994. The religious activities

of the Baha'is continue to be strictly prohibited, and the Baha'is

are being totally denied their various rights because of their

religious belief. In particular, they continue to be banned from

public office, agricultural cooperatives, institutions of higher

education and ownership of businesses, and their individual and

jointly-owned property is being confiscated and even destroyed. In

addition to the cases of execution and disappearance referred to in

the communication of 8 December 1993 addressed to the Government of

the Islamic Republic of Iran, nine Baha'is are currently imprisoned

because of their religious belief:

 

Mr. Bakhshu'llah Mithaqi, arrested at Karaj on 17 October 1985.

Mr. Kayvan Khalajabadi and Mr. Bihnam Mithaqi, arrested at

Gohardasht on 29 April 1989. On 31 August 1992, they were

arbitrarily sentenced to death by the Islamic Revolutionary Tribunal

after being held without formal charge or trial since April 1989.

Following an appeal by the two accused, the Iranian authorities

allegedly stated that their death sentence had been quashed by the

Supreme Court. However, according to some reports, on 8 December

1993 the two Baha'is were again sentenced to death by the Islamic

Revolutionary Tribunal in Tehran and filed an appeal with the

Supreme Court.

Mr. Husayn Ishraqi, arrested at Isfahan on 1 April 1992.

Mr. Nijatu'llah Bihin-Ain, arrested at Isfahan in July 1992.

Mr. Husayn-Quli Rawshan-Damir, imprisoned on 27 June 1993.

Mr. Ali Latifi, arrested at Urumiyyih on 7 September 1993.

Mr. Rabiu'llah Isma'ilzadiyan, imprisoned in Tehran (date unknown).

Mr. Riyan Taid (date and place unknown).

 

According to certain reports, in late December 1993 in Tehran,

Ayatollah Abdolakrim Mousavi Ardebili, in a public sermon to his

congregation, cited a nineteenth century Muslim clergyman, Saeed-al-

Ulama Baboli, as follows: 'For a long time I have been occupied here

with day-to-day issues. I am engaged in Baha'i-killing.' This sermon

was also broadcast on Radio Tehran.

 

Iranian Jewish community

 

The Special Rapporteur has been informed that Mr. Feizollah

Mekhubad, a 78-year-old member of the Iranian Jewish community, has

been executed. He was allegedly arrested two years ago for 'the

crime of association with zionism' and sentenced to death. The

sentence was then commuted to three years' imprisonment. After two

years in prison, Mr. Mekhubad was executed on 25 February 1994

without trial or explanation. According to some reports, he was

tortured before being executed.

 

Members of various Christian Churches

 

The Special Rapporteur has been informed that a campaign against

Christians has been stepped up in recent months. It has allegedly

led to a whole series of persecutions, arrests, imprisonments and

torture of Iranian Christians, particularly Muslims who had

converted to Christianity and pastors and parishioners of

Evangelical churches working with them.

 

According to information received, in June 1993 the Iranian

authorities asked the representatives of the Christian Churches to

sign statements to the effect that they would not attempt to convert

Muslims, and, since August 1993, documents binding them to ban

converted Muslims from Christian services and to avoid using Farsi

during services. Any conversion of Muslims to Christianity carries

the death penalty.

 

A number of churches, in particular Evangelical churches, have been

forced to stop conducting services, and since February 1990, the

Iranian Bible Society has not been allowed to open. The selling of

Bibles is prohibited, and 20,000 copies of the New Testament in

Persian confiscated in September 1991 have still not been returned.

There is said to be discrimination against Christians in public

service, and the Christian religion is reported to be denigrated,

particularly in the State schools' religious instruction classes.

The Special Rapporteur has learned that Bishop Haik Hovsepian-Mehr,

President of the Council of Protestant Churches and General

Superintendent of the Churches of the Assemblies of God in Iran,

disappeared on 19 January 1994 after leaving his home to meet

someone at Mehrabad airport in Tehran. According to some reports,

Bishop Hovsepian was taken to a government office. On 30 January

1994, the police told Bishop Hovsepian's family that his body had

been found, riddled with knife wounds, on 20 January 1994, on the

old Shemran road in the Tehran suburbs. They stated that the

victim's body had already been buried and his family was only able

to identify him through a photograph. The Bishop, who was aged 49,

was married and had four children. He had conducted a successful

international campaign to obtain the release of Reverend Mehdi

Debbaj and distributed a report on violations of religious freedom

in Iran. He had also refused to sign a statement, required by the

Ministry of Islamic Guidance, indicating, in his capacity as a

Christian in the Islamic Republic of Iran, that Christians were able

to exercise all constitutional rights. Bishop Hovsepian's murder is

reportedly linked to the latter events.

 

The Special Rapporteur has also received information to the effect

that Reverend Tatavous (Tateos) Mikaelian, successor to Bishop Haid

Hovesepian Mehr as President of the Council of Protestant Churches

and former Secretary-General of the Iranian Bible Society,

disappeared after leaving home on 29 June. His body was reportedly

identified in a city morgue on 2 July 1994 by his son. He had been

shot three times in the head.

 

According to the information received, Reverend Mehdi Debbaj (cited

in document E/CN.4/1992/52), a former Muslim who converted to

Christianity and was sentenced to death for apostasy and imprisoned

without trial for nine years, was released on 16 January on

condition that he remained available for further investigations if

necessary. However, the charge against him was not withdrawn, and

fresh accusations of 'religious espionage' and defamation of

Ayatollah Knomeini were made against him. His wife also reportedly

received threats of stoning to death if she did not agree to recant

her faith. Under coercion she divorced her husband and married a

Muslim extremist. Her four children were taken in care by the

church, where they remain. Reverend Mehdi Debbaj allegedly

disappeared on 24 June 1994. According to information received,

Reverend Mehdi Debbaj, along with a group of Christian believers,

had left Tehran on 20 June, to attend a Christian retreat in Karaj.

Four days later, he reportedly left on his own to return to Tehran

to join his family in celebrating the birthday of his daughter and

was found murdered on 5 July 1994.

 

The situation of Reverend Edmond and of Mr. Mohamad Sepehr, a Muslim

who converted to Christianity, described in the communication sent

to the Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran on 8

December 1993, remains unchanged.

 

Others

 

The Special Rapporteur has received information to the effect that

an Iranian writer, Mr. Ali Akbar Saïdi Sirjani, was arrested in

mid-March 1994 by the Iranian police and officially charged in April

with several serious offences, namely, drug trafficking, links with

counter-revolutionary elements, receiving large sums of money from

such groups, relations with a group of officers of the former regime

linked to the Savak and homosexuality. Under Iranian law, each

charge would be sufficient for the writer to be sentenced to death.

According to the information received, Mr. Saïdi Sirjani has been

wrongfully accused and has in recent years been violently attacked,

in particular in certain Iranian newspapers, because of his

writings, which are perceived as being anti-Islamic. " . . .

 

 

Iraq

 

In an urgent appeal dated 3 August 1994, the Special Rapporteur

transmitted the following observations to the Government of Iraq:

 

" According to information received by the Special Rapporteur, on

21 July 1994, Hujjat al-Islam Sayyed Mohamed Taghi al Khoei, the son

of the late Grand Ayatollah al Khoei and the General Secretary of

the al Khoei Foundation would have been killed while travelling home

from a visit in Kerbala accompanied by his brother-in-law, Amin

Khalkhali and his six-year-old nephew.

 

The three passengers and the driver of their car would have been

killed. The car would have been totally burned and the bodies

mutilated on the highway linking Kerbala and Najaf.

The Special Rapporteur would like to express his deep concern and

would be grateful to your Government to provide him with any

relevant information as well as with its view and observations. "

In a communication dated 5 October 1994, the Special Rapporteur

transmitted the following allegations to the Government of Iraq:

 

" According to information received, the Assyro-Chaldeans and the

Shiite Muslim community are subjected to numerous acts of religious

intolerance.

 

The Assyro-Chaldeans

 

It is reported that Bishop Margigiz of Baghdad suspended a young 36-

year-old priest, Emmanuel Yuhanna residing at Dohuk and working for

the Eastern Assyrian (Nestorian) Church at Mansouriya, in April

1994. The latter was allegedly informed of this measure on his

return from a journey abroad for medical reasons, the official

explanation given being his unauthorized absence from the parish.

However, according to some reports, Bishop Margigiz was compelled to

take this disciplinary measure under pressure from State officials.

 

The Shiite Muslim community

 

The Special Rapporteur has been informed of the death of Muhammad

Taqi al-Khoei, son of the late Grand Ayatollah al-Khoei and

Secretary-General of the al-Khoei Foundation. The latter was

travelling in the company of his brother-in-law Amin Khalkhali, his

six-year-old nephew and his chauffeur. On the way back from a visit

to Karbala, their car apparently crashed into an unlit lorry

blocking the motorway at around 11 p.m. The driver and the child

reportedly died instantly, while Taqi and Amin Khalkhali bled to

death, abandoned at the roadside. It is reported that an ambulance

arrived at 4 a.m. in order to remove the bodies and that, that same

morning, Government officials buried the bodies in a hurry without

any respect for rituals and notwithstanding the objections of the

deceased persons' relatives.

 

It seems that the incident of the unlit lorry blocking the road was

staged intentionally in order to kill Muhammad Taqi al-Khoei. In

recent months, Muhammad Taqi al-Khoei had reportedly been threatened

on various occasions because of his activities for the al-Khoei

Foundation abroad. One week before his death, he was allegedly

summoned to Baghdad and told that he would not be allowed to leave

Iraq for the annual meeting of the governors of the al-Khoei

Foundation. Moreover, a few hours before Muhammad Taqi's death, he

is said to have informed the al-Khoei Foundation that he would be

unable to attend the scheduled meeting and that his life was in

danger.

 

In general, it would appear that the policy conducted by the Iraqi

authorities against the Shiite Muslim community in Iraq and its

religious or cultural institutions, as reported in the communication

of 23 November 1993 addressed to the Iraqi Government

(E/CN.4/1994/79), continues to be systematically applied. In

addition to the acts of repression against Shiite Muslim clergy

(including the detention of at least 100 religious dignitaries or

theology students since March 1993), the destruction of mosques,

libraries and highly religious sites, the closure of established

seminaries and the profanation of cemeteries (mentioned in document

E/CN.4/1994/79), in 1994 hundreds of relatives of detained clergymen

were allegedly deported by force. " . . .

 

 

Kenya

 

In a communication dated 18 August 1994, the Special Rapporteur

transmitted the following observations to the Government of Kenya:

 

" The Special Rapporteur has received reports that several

incidents have caused growing tension between Muslims and Christians

and created some hostility towards foreign Protestant humanitarian

organizations. In particular, some Islamic leaders from Wajir, in

the north-east of the country, have allegedly declared a jihad (holy

war) against the Inland Africa Church and World Vision, which

support humanitarian projects in Kenya. At a press conference on 24

August 2993, 15 Muslims extremist leaders are alleged to have

declared that, if the Government did not put a stop to the

activities of the two organizations, the Muslims of the region would

do so themselves.

 

Specifically the organization World Vision was reportedly accused of

being behind the desecration of 200 copies of the Koran, which were

found in a latrine pit. World Vision reportedly denied any

involvement in that desecration but continued to be subjected to

petty annoyances by the authorities.

 

According to some reports, on 3 September 1993, a Christian pilot

was killed in the north-east of the country, when armed men attacked

a UNICEF post.

 

The Special Rapporteur has also been informed that the inter-ethnic

conflicts between the Masai and the Kikuyu have resulted in

massacres and the destruction of Catholic and Evangelical churches.

In October 1993, 500 Masai allegedly attacked some Catholic and

Evangelical places of worship in the south-west of the country and

killed 10 persons from the Kikuyu tribe. This outbreak of violence

is said to be a response to attacks, cattle-stealing and the murder

of an elderly Masai, by Kikuyu from Narok.

 

The Masai are said to have damaged a Catholic church and beaten up

some Kikuyu taking refuge there. An Evangelical church has allegedly

also been destroyed. According to the information transmitted,

Solomon Mwangi Kimemia, President of the Independent African

Pentecostal Church of the Narok region allegedly died on 19 October

1993, from injuries sustained when he was bludgeoned by Masai. On 13

October 1993, Pastor John Karamu of the Church of the Disciples of

Christ was allegedly subjected to the same ill-treatment, but

reportedly survived his injuries.

 

The Special Rapporteur has also received information that, on 13

February 1993, the police confiscated copies of a Christian

religious magazine called Watchman. On 16 February, the police

allegedly arrested the Reverend Jamlic Miano, editor of the

magazine, as well as another journalist. They were accused of

sedition and allegedly held for three weeks before being released on

bail.

 

Finally, it would appear from all these communications, that inter-

religious tension, a certain amount of insecurity, the destruction

of places of worship and threats to the life and physical integrity

of priests and pastors allegedly help to create an atmosphere of

religious intolerance and endanger the exercise of the freedom of

worship. "

 

 

Lebanon

 

In a communication dated 12 September 1994, the Special Rapporteur

transmitted the following information to the Government of Lebanon:

 

" The Special Rapporteur has been informed of the attack on the

Church of Our Lady of Deliverance at Zouk on 27 February 1994. The

act reportedly left 11 dead and 54 injured among the congregation

attending mass. On 13 June, Samir Geagea, former head of the

Lebanese militia and seven of his associates were reportedly charged

with involvement in the attack and the death penalty called for.

According to certain information, in 1993, two cemeteries were

desecrated, and before the Christmas holiday, the Hezbollah

reportedly made threats against Christians if they celebrated

Christmas and New Year, two traditions which that organization deems

to be neither Arab nor Muslim. "

 

 

Liberia

 

In a communication dated 18 August 1994, the Special Rapporteur

brought the following allegations to the attention of the Government

of Liberia:

 

" The Special Rapporteur has been informed that armed clashes have

allegedly engendered an atmosphere of insecurity, the destruction of

places of worship, murders of priests and pastors and the departure

of many foreign missionaries.

Cases that have been brought to the Special Rapporteur's attention

are summarized below:

 

— In April 1992, Father Seraphino Dalphont, an Italian priest,

was allegedly arrested for possession of money issued by the interim

Government and of a Catholic newsletter which was deemed seditious

literature. He was reportedly released after paying a heavy fine but

was again arrested for alleged espionage activities and held in

Gbarnga police station until mid-May, when he was released and

expelled to Côte d'Ivoire;

 

— On 20 October 1992, two Catholic nuns of American nationality

and one Liberian national employed in their convent were allegedly

killed in the nuns' vehicle near Barnesville, a Monrovia suburb. The

murderers were apparently members of the National Patriotic Front of

Liberia;

— On 23 October 1992, six soldiers of the National Patriotic

Front of Liberia allegedly raided the Barnesville convent and killed

three other American nuns.

 

The Special Rapporteur has received reports that an armed Muslim

group called the " Islamic warriors " is waging a jihad against

the Christians in Lofa County, in the north of the country. These

extremists have allegedly burned hundreds of villages and killed

many people. In June 1993, they reportedly murdered three pastors

and one minister of the Jehovah's Witnesses sect. One of them,

Thomas Korfeh, was said to have been thrown into a tank filled with

oil and had boiling water poured over his head. The Muslim

extremists then reportedly lit a fire and boiled him in public, in

order to inspire terror. The other two pastors, John Fallah and

David Saah, were disembowelled. The population was then allegedly

terrorized and humiliated in various ways. A curfew was then

declared and anyone who did not respect it was killed. In addition,

the " Islamic warriors " allegedly looted villages and stole

all the church bells, closed all Christian places of worship and

denied the congregation access to them. It was allegedly forbidden

also to walk in the street with a Bible or any other Christian book,

on pain of death. "

 

 

Malaysia

 

In a communication dated 18 August 1994, the Special Rapporteur

addressed the following comments to the Government of Malaysia:

 

" The Special Rapporteur has been informed that measures have been

taken to strengthen the anti-conversion laws.

The State of Johor in southern Malaysia is reported to have adopted

in 1991 a 'law relating to the control and restriction of the

propagation of non-Islamic religions', article 4 of which provides

as follows:

 

'A person shall be deemed to have committed an offence if he or she

by persuasion, influence, compulsion or incitement, or by holding or

organizing an activity, presentation or entertainment induces or

incites a Muslim to become an adept, member or supporter of a non-

Islamic religion.'

 

Under this law a fine of $4,000 and a four-year prison sentence may

be imposed.

 

According to reports received, in the towns of Johor, Bahru, Mukim,

Plentong and Pasir Guolang, Christians encounter considerable

difficulty in obtaining permits for the construction of places of

worship. The local authorities are said to refuse or postpone the

issue of permits. The following case has been brought to the

attention of the Special Rapporteur:

 

In 1993, a town council allegedly approved the construction of the

main edifice of a Catholic church. However, in August 1993,

following a public protest by the local Muslim community, the

authorities cancelled the building permit.

 

In the educational sphere, in some Christian schools education

officials are reported to have required the removal of all crosses

and Christian symbols and their replacement by a star or crescent.

The Special Rapporteur has also been informed that the Ministry of

the Interior censures the employment of certain words whose use in

the national language is restricted to Muslims and prohibited for

non-Islamic religions. The words include Allah (God) and Salat

(prayer). As a result, the sale of the Bible in Malay is allegedly

banned as it contains some of the censured words.

 

According to some reports, in the State of Kelantan the authorities

intend to introduce the laws translating " Al Hudud " , which

under the Shariah treat theft, rebellion, adultery and fornication,

false accusation of sexual offences, drunkenness and apostasy as

crimes. Although Muslims make up 7 per cent of this State's

population, the authorities are said to be attempting to introduce

laws calling for amputation of a finger or a hand for theft, 100

lashes for sexual offences and the death penalty for

apostasy. " . . .

 

 

Morocco

 

In a communication dated 18 August 1994, the Special Rapporteur sent

the following comments to the Government of Morocco:

 

" According to reports, although the Constitution guarantees

freedom of worship, in practice, only Islam, Christianity and

Judaism are said to be authorized. The Baha'is, a community of 150

to 200 persons, has reportedly not been allowed to meet or to have

public activities since 1983.

 

Moreover, according to Islamic law and tradition, renouncing the

Muslim faith is strictly forbidden and any attempt to convert a

Muslim is punishable by imprisonment. The Special Rapporteur has

been informed that, in September 1993, 19 Muslims were allegedly

arrested because they had received Christian literature from a

foreigner. One of them, Mustapha Zmamda (29 years of age), who had

become a Christian after listening to radio broadcasts from Monte

Carlo and had taken Bible-study courses by correspondence, had

refused to sign an undertaking not to receive Christian literature.

The 18 others accused are said to have signed this undertaking under

duress. Because of his refusal to sign, Mr. Zmamda was allegedly

sentenced to three years' imprisonment and was released after two

months in detention after he renounced Christianity. A Brazilian

missionary, who led Bible-study meetings which Mr. Zmamda attended,

reportedly resigned from his teaching post after his employer was

threatened with withdrawal of his licence.

 

According to reports received, the distribution of the Bible is

restricted to foreigners. " . . .

 

 

Mexico

 

In a communication dated 17 August 1994, the Special Rapporteur sent

the following information to the Government of Mexico:

 

" According to certain reports, the following cases have been

brought to the attention of the Special Rapporteur.

 

In September 1992, Morelas Madrigal Lechino, an active member of a

popular religious organization, was reportedly taken in for

questioning in Mexico City by members of the Federal District

judicial police. He was held incommunicado for two days and beaten,

threatened with death and questioned about his activities.

In mid-January 1993, a dispute between the authorities of Santiago

Asajo (State of Michoacan) and an independent evangelical group led

to the destruction of their church and the temporary arrest of three

religious leaders. Several evangelists were injured in the attack

which was allegedly carried out by a group of about 40 Catholics.

The Rose of Sharon Presbyterian church, in the south-west of Mexico

City, has reportedly been the target of attacks by unidentified

persons who have repeatedly stoned the building, breaking its

windows on 15 April 1993.

 

There have also been reports that in June 1993, some Catholics

stoned a group of 140 Baptists attending a service commemorating

their first anniversary at Saint Nicolas Guadalupe. Scores of men,

women and children were injured. The place of worship was heavily

damaged and 11 vehicles belonging to church members were said to

have been destroyed and burnt.

 

In June 1993, at least 454 members of various Protestant communities

(Presbyterians, Pentacostalists and Adventists) and Catholics of San

Juan Chamula municipality were reportedly expelled by force for

having abandoned the Chamula religion and converted to Christianity.

Anyone found reading the Bible has been threatened with expulsion

from Chamula lands. Christians who do not participate in the local

Chamula festivals are said to be marginalized and risk of stirring

up popular resentment.

 

On 6 August 1993, five Presbyterian families were reportedly

expelled from the San Juan Chamula d'Ardenza Uno community. Two

brothers, Juan and Salvador Patishtan, received notice of expulsion

and the mayor of the village threatened that they would be beaten

and killed if they attempted to return. When the families tried to

return to their homes on 19 August, they were allegedly beaten and

detained in the San Juan Chamula prison for one night.

 

On 30 January 1994, an armed man is said to have attacked 80

Protestants attending a religious service at the Bethel church in

Cerro de la Bandera, a town in the State of Durango. Cruz Salvador,

a member of the congregation was fatally wounded and Eutilia Flores

received serious injuries. The few Protestants in the region have

allegedly been persecuted because of their faith. " . . .

 

 

Nigeria

 

In a communication dated 18 August 1994, the Special Rapporteur sent

the following information to the Government of Nigeria:

 

" The Special Rapporteur has been informed that nearly 65 people

were injured in clashes between Christian and Muslim students at a

secondary school in Kano, capital of the State of Kano, on 9

February 1994. The clashes allegedly broke out after a heated

argument between extremist and moderate Muslim students about the

importance of participating in prayer.

 

The incidents allegedly occurred when a Christian student joined in

the discussion to defend one of his Muslim schoolmates who was being

accused of not performing his religious duties. . . .

 

 

Pakistan

 

In an urgent appeal dated 6 September 1994, the Special Rapporteur

transmitted the following information to the Pakistani Government:

 

" According to the information I receive, in Lahore, a group named

the 'Tehrik Tahaffuz-i-Namoos-i-Risalat' ('Movement for the

Preservation of the Sanctity of Prophethood') would have call

to 'seek out and put to death' each of those it named as

the 'greatest blasphemers of our times'. The targets would be the

chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) Asma

Jahangir and three Christian leaders, Tariq C. Qaisar, Father Julius

and J. Salik.

 

I would be most grateful to the Government of Pakistan for its views

and comments on the allegation I have received. I would also request

the Government to inform me of any measures which it has taken, or

envisages, to combat hatred and religious intolerance and to make

respect relevant international human rights instruments. " . . .

According to the information received by the Special Rapporteur,

there have also been serious violations of the right to freedom of

religion. Despite the amendments, the blasphemy laws are said to

help create a climate of religious intolerance and to promote acts

of violence affecting the Ahmadi and Christian minorities and even

Muslims.

 

 

The Ahmadi minority

 

The Special Rapporteur has been informed that the persecution of the

Ahmadi community has reportedly increased considerably since the

decision of the Supreme Court on 3 July 1993 to interpret article 20

of the Constitution of Pakistan on religious freedom as being

subject to 'Islamic law'.

 

The Ahmadi community in Lahore was reportedly attacked 13 times

between December 1993 and March 1994 by armed men, presumed to be

members of an armed Islamic group. The latest attacks resulted in 2

dead and more than 10 seriously injured, including students,

doctors, university professors and other leading persons in the

Ahmadi community. Specifically, it was reported that, on 2 February

1994, Mr. Rana Riaz Ahmad was killed by men identified by his

family. However, only two of the alleged killers identified were

reportedly questioned by the police. On 6 February 1994, Mr. Ahmad

Nasrullah, son of Mr. Hamid Nasrullah, 'Ameer' (head) of the Lahore

Ahmadi community, was reportedly found dead. No action by the police

to bring the persons responsible to justice has been reported. The

police is said to have refused to register the complaints of the

victims' families who have submitted information on the identity of

the persons responsible and on the registration number of their

vehicle. It has also been reported that the police registered a

complaint against two Ahmadis who were beaten and taken to the

police station by their aggressors. In addition, the police

reportedly does not provide any real protection for the Ahmadi

community.

 

According to information communicated to the Special Rapporteur, on

15 January 1994, complaints of blasphemy were made by the Deputy

Commissioner of Jhang (Punjab province) under article 298 C of the

Penal Code against five journalists, Noor Muhammad Saifi (aged 77),

Agha Saifullah and Qazi Munir Ahmed, respectively, chief editor,

publisher and printer of the daily newspaper Al Fazal published in

1993 and the June 1993 issue of Ansarullah.

 

The Deputy Commissioner of Jhang is said to have addressed the

following letter to the Jhang police concerning the Al Fazal

question:

 

'Proceedings against Al Fazal.

Memorandum. Please find enclosed a copy of the 2 November, 20

September, 20 and 9 October 1993 issues of Al Fazal, in which

the 'gadianis' (Ahmadis) propagated or preached their faith. By

claiming to be Muslims, they are offending the religious feelings of

Muslims. The district magistrate of Jhang considers that the guilt

of the chief editor and the publishers has been established under

the terms of article 298 C of the Penal Code. We therefore request

you to institute criminal proceedings against the chief editor'.

The charges against the monthly Ansarullah publication are

reportedly the following:

 

'The district magistrate considers that the chief editor [...] has

preached the Ahmadi faith in this publication, thereby committing an

offence under article 298 C of the Penal Code'.

Two other complaints were reportedly made on 21 January 1994 under

article 298 C and four more were made on 15 February against the

chief editor, publisher and printer of Al Fazal. The Deputy

Commissioner of Jhang is said to be the complainant in all these

cases.

 

On 7 February, the Chiniot magistrate is reported to have rejected

the requests by the five journalists for release on bail and is said

also to have charged them with blasphemy under article 295 C, an

offence which is punishable by death. The five men were reportedly

remanded in custody and imprisoned in Chiniot. Their request for

release on bail was reportedly finally accepted on 7 March and they

are said to have been released. Proceedings are currently under way

in the Rabwah Court (Punjab province).

 

 

The Christian minority

 

A number of Pakistanis who are of the Christian faith or have

converted to Christianity are reported to have been victims of the

blasphemy laws. In addition to the cases mentioned by the Special

Rapporteur in document E/CN.4/1992/52 and in the communication of 8

November 1993, i.e. those of Naimat Ahmer, Tahir Iqbal and Gul

Masih, it is reported that some 25 Christians have been accused of

blasphemy since April 1994.

 

The following cases have been drawn to the attention of the Special

Rapporteur:

 

(a) Anwar Masih, a Christian, married and father of three children,

was arrested on 2 February 1993 in Sammundri, Faisalabad (Punjab

province) following a complaint made against him by Haji Mohammad

Tayyab, the local head of Anjuman Siphal-e Sahaba (ASS). According

to the complainant, Anwar Masih is reported to have shouted angrily,

insulting Muslims and blaspheming. Mass demonstrations in Sammundri

demanded that Masih should be tried by a so-called 'special court

for speedy trial' and publicly hanged. In addition, the day after

his arrest under section 295 C of the Penal Code, strikes are

reported to have taken place in protest against him. The complainant

is said to have stated that, on 1 February 1993, Masih made

blasphemous remarks during an argument with Mohammad Aslam, a

tradesman. The latter is reported not to have made any complaint,

apparently not seeing any reason to do so in view of his friendly

relations with Masih. Aslam is said to have simply reported the

incident to members of ASS, including Tayyab, who decided to make a

complaint. Anwar Masih, who was born into a Christian family, is

said to have converted to Islam twice and then to have reverted to

the Christian faith. According to some information, Masih was a drug

addict and was considered mentally unstable by the members of his

community. According to some testimonies, Aslam and Masih both

insulted each other's religion during their argument. However, under

the blasphemy laws, only alleged attacks on Islam may be the subject

of complaint. The Special Rapporteur was also informed that Masih

was associated with local protests which related to the indication

of an individual's religion on his national identity card and which

reportedly displeased ASS. Anwar Masih is said to have rejected the

charges of blasphemy and explained that he had simply had an

argument over debts. Masih, who was initially detained at Sammundri

prison, was reportedly transferred to Faisalabad prison. ASS members

continued to organize protest demonstrations in Sammundri during the

month of February. They also threatened to burn down the Christian

areas of Sammundri (inhabited by some 20,000 Christians) unless

Masih was publicly hanged. Proceedings are reported to be still

under way.

 

(b) Sorvar Bhatti (case mentioned in the communication of 8 November

1993 is said to have been released from prison in early 1994 after

having been cleared of charges of blasphemy. According to some

information, however, Sorvar Bhatti was forced into hiding following

death threats by complainants.

 

© Chand Barkat, a 30-year-old Christian, was arrested on 8 October

1991 for blasphemy and is reported to have been acquitted in January

1993. Six Muslim witnesses reportedly admitted in court that they

had not heard Barkat blaspheme. None the less, since his release on

24 January 1994, Barkat and his family are said to have repeatedly

been the victims of harassment and intimidation by their Muslim

neighbours. In addition, local Muslim clergymen are said to have

made death threats against Barkat. The complainant, Mohammad Arif,

is also said to have established a group that has sworn to kill

Barkat.

 

(d) Habib Masih, a Christian leader in Shanhkot, Sheikhupua, near

Lahorem was arrested for blasphemy in November 1993 after an amulet

containing verses of the Koran was found on the road. Local

clergymen are reported to have announced by loudspeaker that a non-

Muslim had dishonoured the Koran and put pressure on the police,

which arrested Masih on charges of blasphemy. In addition, 5,000 to

6,000 persons reportedly besieged the police station to try to kill

Masih. Several policemen who tried to stop them were wounded. The

following day, a Muslim filed a complaint against Masih, but later

stated that he had acted under pressure. Habib Masih's wife stated

in a national newspaper, The Friday Times, that her husband had been

warned to give up his occupation (making religious amulets) or

suffer the consequences. Habib Masih was released on bail from

Sheikhupura prison, but proceedings are still under way.

 

(e) Concerning the three Christian youths, Rehmat Masih, Manzoor

Masih and Salamat Masih (aged 13), who were arrested on 11 May 1993,

detained in Gujranwala prison for blasphemy after being accused of

having written defamatory inscriptions on the walls of the mosque in

Rotto Dohran village (case referred to in the allegation of 8

November 1993, communicated to the Government of Pakistan) and then

released on bail in November 1993 (for Salamat Masih) and 12 January

1994, the Special Rapporteur has been informed that Mr. Manzoor

Masih is reported to have been killed and that Mr. Rehmat Masih, Mr.

Salamat Masih and a human rights activist, Mr. John Joseph, were

injured in a shoot-out on 5 April 1994. The three accused were

reportedly escorted by the police to their lawyer's office near the

Advocate General's Office behind the Supreme Court of Lahore. After

they had spoken with their lawyers and were leaving the office

unescorted, they were attacked by three unmasked motorcyclists who

fired at them with Kalashnikov AK 47s. The aggressors were

reportedly three Muslims from the Sepah-e-sahab Islamic Party.

According to testimonies made available to the police, they were Mr.

Imam Bux, Mr. Mohammad Akaram and Mr. Malik Sadiq. The attack was

reportedly authorized by two leaders of the Sepah-e-sahaba Islamic

Party, Master Enayat and Maulvi Muhammad Fazl-e-Haq, who was the

main complainant in the case against the three Christians, who,

according to experts, were wrongly accused. The three injured

persons, Mr. Rehmat Masih, Mr. Salamat Masih and Mr. John Joseph,

were reportedly taken to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital. Because of the

serious wounds he sustained, Mr. Rehmat Masih, who was hit by

several bullets in the head and other parts of the body, was kept in

Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, while his two companions were taken to Mayo

Hospital. Some 5,000 persons reportedly gathered for Mr. Manzoor

Masih's funeral, which took place peacefully under police

protection. Mr. Manzoor had a wife and 10 children. The police are

said to have arrested three suspects, including the main

complainant, and investigations appear to be continuing. However,

intimidation of the victims has reportedly not stopped and their

families continue to receive threats. An attempt was allegedly made

to burn down John Joseph's house.

 

(f) The Special Rapporteur was also informed that, on 13 March 1994,

the church in Jindrea village, near Lahore, was attacked by Muslims.

The clergyman of the local mosque, Imman Masjid, is said to have

organized this attack, during which several Christians were

reportedly seriously injured. The police did not arrest the persons

who committed the act and who belong to extremist groups. In May

1994 in Khara Janje village in Punjab, Muslim villagers reportedly

burned down at least 12 houses belonging to Christian families,

following the discovery of the corpse of an 18-year-old Muslim

Sheikel. Muslim villagers are reported to have stated that an 18-

year-old Christian, Safraiz, who was involved with Sheikel's sister,

killed him. Safraiz was reportedly being held in custody while the

police conducted investigations.

 

Other cases

The Special Rapporteur has been informed of the other following

cases:

 

(a) Arshad Javed, a Muslim, was reportedly sentenced to death on 9

February 1993 by the District and Sessions Court in Bahawalpur in

Punjab province for having claimed that he was Jesus Christ. He is

also reported to have been sentenced to three years' imprisonment

for having said that he had read and approved Salman Rushdie's

Satanic Verses. Arshad Javed is said to have been arrested on 14

February 1989 for having claimed at a demonstration of students

protesting against the Satanic Verses that he was Jesus Christ, that

God was his father and that judgement day would be on 21 February

1989. The demonstrators reportedly beat him and gagged him to a

police station, where he was arrested and accused of blasphemy.

Arshad Javed is in fact reported to be mentally ill. After a year's

treatment in a psychiatric hospital, he was transferred to

Bahawalpur Central Prison. Appeal proceedings before the High Court

of Lahore are said to be continuing.

 

(b) Hafij Farooq Sajjad, a Muslim, is said to have been stoned to

death by a crowd in Gujranwala (Punjab province) on 21 April 1994.

Sajjad's father is reported to be a member of the Jamaat-e-Islamic

party and Sajjad is reported to be a faithful Muslim, a hafiz-e-

Qur'an (a person who has learned the entire Koran by heart).

According to certain information, it was reported that some pages of

the Koran had been burned during a fight in Sajjad's house. A Muslim

religious leader reportedly announced by loudspeaker that a

Christian had burned the Koran and that he should be stoned to

death. Subsequently, the crowd beat Sajjad and locked him up in this

house. Shortly thereafter, the police are said to have taken him to

the police station. However, it is reported that the crowd, which

had grown larger by then, attacked the police station, stoned

Sajjad, drenched him in kerosene and burned him, probably alive. The

victim's body was then reportedly tied behind a motorbike and

dragged through the town. It is reported that the police instituted

proceedings against five persons, but none was arrested.

© In Lahore in July 1994, an extremist group called 'Tehrik

Tahaffuz-i-Namoos-i-Risalat' (Movement for the Preservation of the

Sanctity of Prophethood) reportedly distributed stickers and posters

calling for the murder, for blasphemy, of the President of the

Pakistan Human Rights Commission, Mrs. Asma Jahangir, and three

Christian leaders, Tariq C. Qaisor, Father Julius and J. Salik. "

 

 

Philippines

 

In a communication dated 5 October 1994, the Special Rapporteur

transmitted the following observation to the Government of the

Philippines:

 

" According to the information received by the Special Rapporteur,

15 Christians were killed on 8 June 1994 on Basilan Island, a part

of the Sulu Archipelago in the southern Philippines. The victims are

said to belong to a group of 36 people taken hostage by a commando

under the orders of Abu Sayyaf, the dissident Muslim fundamentalist

leader of the Moro National Liberation Front (FMLN). Father Cirilo

Nacorda, a Spanish priest, is said to be among the people still

being held. Father Cirilo Nacorda is reported to be the successor of

Father Bernardo Blanco, a Spanish priest, abducted in 1993 by the

same rebel group and held hostage for several weeks until he

escaped. It is stated that his abductors had abducted an American

Franciscan missionary in August 1992. According to the police

report, the rebels stopped a convoy of several vehicles carrying 60

or so people. They reportedly let the Muslims go, after identifying

them by making them recite a Muslim prayer. When the police were

about to catch up with them, they reportedly killed 15 of the

Christians and took away the other 21. " . . .

 

 

Rwanda

 

In a communication dated 31 August 1994, the Special Rapporteur

transmitted the following information to the Government of Rwanda:

 

" According to information received, several massacres of

clergymen have allegedly been committed in Rwanda. The following

cases have been brought to the attention of the Special Rapporteur:

 

(a) At Ruhuha, the Belgian Father André Caloone was killed on 7

April 1994 within the precincts of the parish church;

(b) At Kigali, in the district of Nyamirambo, 9 priests and 63 other

persons were murdered and grenades exploded at St. André's College

in early June 1994;

© At the Christus Centre at Kigali, three Tutsi Jesuit priests

were killed by soldiers on the morning of Thursday, 7 April. The

victims were Chrysologue Mahame, Patrick Gahigi and Innocent

Rutagambwa. Nine young African girls from the Vita et Pax Institute,

who were engaging in a spiritual retreat at that centre run by the

Jesuits in the Rwandan capital, were also killed. The same fate was

suffered by five Rwandan diocesan priests: Straton Gakwaya, Jean-

Marie Vianney Niyirema, Alfred Nzabakuran (all three from

Gikongoro), Boniface Kanyoni (a priest from the diocese of Butare)

and Juvenal Rutumbu (Ruhengeri), the Deputy Rector of the Main

Seminary at Nyakibanda.

(d) In the archdiocese of Kigali, Abbé Ananie Rugasira, a relative

of the archbishop, and novice members of the Pallottine Sisters of

Masaka and Benebikira, were murdered at Kabuga (Masaka);

(e) In the diocese of Byumba, the Catalan Father Joaquim Vallmajo, a

Spanish national, was killed by soldiers at Kageyo. Joseph Hitimana,

Fidele Mulinda, Faustin Mulindwa, Alexis Havugimana, Athanase

Nkumdabanyanga, Christian Nkiliyehe, Ladislas Muhayemungu and

Gaspard Mudashimwa were also murdered in other circumstances;

(f) In the diocese of Nyundo, the clergy was decimated. At Nyundo,

25 teachers at the Small Seminary, mainly consisting of members of

the Rwandan clergy, and a Joséphite Father were killed on 7 and 8

April. The Rwandan Abbés Augustin Ntagara, Adrien Naznana and Deo

Twagirayezu were murdered on 8 April. Three abbés in the parish of

Rambura, Spiridion Kageyo, Antoine Niyitegeka and Antoine

Habiyambere, were also killed. Other priests from the diocese of

Nyundo also lost their lives at unidentified locations, namely,

Innocent Ruberiseza and Narcisse Sebasare (from Birambo), Louis

Gasore and François Twigenza (from Muhororo), Théophile

Rutagengwa (from Muramba), Callixte Kalisa, Herman Mwambari,

Augustin Nkezabera, Alois Nzaramba, Silas Gasake, Clément

Kanyabusozo, Robert Matajyabo, Ferdinand Kerekezi, Edouard Gakwandi,

Vénuste Nsengiyumva, Thaddée Gatore, Matthias Gahinda,

Deogratias

Rwivanga, Boniface Senyenzi and Albert Gashema;

(g) In the diocese of Butare, numerous priests were murdered during

the first month of the disturbances. At Nyinawimana, Abbés

Augustin Mashyendeli and Célestin Muhayimana were killed. At

Gisagara, Abbé Tharcisse Rubingiza, a teacher of exegesis at the Main

Seminary at Nyakibanda, was murdered. At Nyanza, Abbés Matthieu

Ngirumpatse, Jean-Bosco Yilirwahandi, Innocent Nyangezi and Callixte

Uwitonze, from the diocese of Gikongoro, also lost their lives. Abbé

Segond Ntibaziga, from Gakoma, and two novices from the Benedictine

Abbey at Gihindamuayga (Fathers Gaëtan and Antoine) died at an

unidentified location. In the town of Butare, six priests were

imprisoned for unknown reasons. Three of them were killed during

their transfer to Gikongoro prison and the three others were

released on Sunday, 31 May. While passing behind the prison and the

match factory in order to avoid the check-points, Justin Furaha,

parish priest of Save, Pierre Ngoga, parish priest of Kibeho, and

Firmin Butera, parish priest of Higiro, were killed by unidentified

persons. Abbé Callixte Nkeshumpatse was murdered at Bugesera;

(h) In the diocese of Gikongoro, Father Joseph Niyomuga and the

Abbés Irenee Nyamwasa (from Mbuga), Aloys Musoni (from Cyanika)

and Pierre Canisius Milinzi (from Mushubi) were killed;

(i) In the parish of Marumba, three local priests were murdered on 7

April;

(j) At Gisenyi, Augustin Ntagara was murdered. In the parish of

Marumba, the village in which the late President Habyarimana was

born, near Gisenyi, three local priests were killed on 7 April;

(k) In the diocese of Kibungo, in the church at Rukoma, Abbé Evode

Mwanangu and a large number of Christians were killed, at the

beginning of the disturbances, while they were praying. Other

abbés were also said to have died, namely, Justin Ruterandongozi,

Michel Nsengiyum, Jean Bosco Munyaneza, Joseph Gatare and Elisée

Mpongano;

(l) In the parish of Mushubi, Antoine Rugambarara, from the Main

Seminary, was murdered together with other Christians;

(m) In the diocese of Cyangugu, the parish priest at Mibirizi was

killed in mid-May, together with Abbé Joseph Boneza;

(n) At Gisagara, Abbé Jean-Marie Vianney Rwanyabuto was said to

have been killed;

(o) At Kabgay, on 3 June 1994, Mgr. Thadolé Nsengiyumva,

Archbishop of Kigali; Mgr. Vincent Nsengiyumva, Bishop of Kabagazi

and President of the Episcopal Conference; Mgr. Joseph Rugindana,

Bishop of Byamba, and 10 priests (of whom 8 have been identified as

Mgr. Jean-Marie Vianney Rwabilinda, Vicar-General; Mgr. Innocent

Gasabwaya, former Vicar-General; Abbé Sylvestre Ndaberetse,

Diocesan Bursar; Abbé Bernard Ntamugabumwe, prefectoral

representative of Catholic teaching at Gitarama; Abbé Emmanuel

Uwimana, Rector of the Small Seminary; Abbé François Muligo,

priest at the Cathedral; Abbé Alfred Kayibanda, vicar at the

Cathedral; and Abbé Fid Le Gahonzire, almoner at Kabgayi Hospital)

were killed. "

 

The Special Rapporteur has also received information concerning

massacres committed in places of worship:

 

" (a) At Nyarubeye, thousands of Rwandans were massacred on 14

April on the premises of the local Catholic church, in the chapel,

in the prayer halls and in a convent;

(b) At Rukara, in the Catholic parish of Karumbamba, about 2,000

persons who had taken refuge there were bludgeoned to death and

hacked to pieces. Eighty corpses were found in the church. The same

scene was repeated in three other churches in the region;

© At Musha, about 1,200 persons were massacred in a church on 13

April. Armed men broke down the door, opened fire with semi-

automatic weapons and grenades and attacked the survivors with

knives, clubs and spears;

(d) In the diocese of Butare, 170 persons who had taken refuge in

the church at Ngoma were killed;

(e) At Kigali, the Church of the Holy Family was subjected to

bombardments and mortar attacks after 8,000 persons had taken refuge

there. Two persons were killed and eight others wounded by a mortar

shell. A previous attack had already left 12 dead. Seven members of

the Missionary Sisters of Africa were killed and other Dominicans

also met the same fate. At Nyamirambo, soldiers stormed the church,

forced its congregation to leave and then opened fire, killing a

large number of persons both inside and outside. At Gikondo, in

front of the church ministered to by the Pallottine Fathers, a

massacre occurred on 7 or 8 April: 61 persons were killed and 13

seriously wounded. "

 

 

Sudan

 

In a communication dated 20 October 1994, the Special Rapporteur

sent the following observations to the Government of the Sudan:

 

" According to the information received by the Special Rapporteur,

the right to freedom of religion continues to be seriously violated.

It is reported that, in the north of the country, various forms of

religious intolerance are practised against the orthodox Copt

minority (150,000 to 200,000 persons), including the closure of

churches, mass dismissals from official posts and judicial

institutions, discrimination in access to nationality and education,

the army and the media and compulsory Islamic dress of Copt women.

In the south of the country, the Government is said to be pursuing a

repressive policy against Christians through such actions as

killings, torture, prohibition against churches and Christian

institutions owning land, expulsion of Christian missionaries,

arbitrary distribution of foodstuffs and enforced conversion to

Islam in exchange for food, imposition of Islamic law and compulsory

requirement for women to dress in conformity with Islamic morality.

It is reported that, on 26 December 1993, the Government air force

bombarded Chu Kudum, targeting the Catholic Church.

 

In the Nuba Mountains, inhabited mainly by Christians, it is stated

that, in addition to the enforced displacement of tens of thousands

of civilians whose villages are said to have been deliberately

destroyed by Government forces, the Christian elite has been

systematically eliminated. Two Christians from the village of Nafia,

Mr. Yohana Ahmad Yoused and Mr. Abdulgarder Elgewser, described as

having converted to Catholicism in 1970, have reportedly been

detained and tortured. Threatened with execution if they did not

renounce Christianity, they are reported to have been forced to

recite the " Shahada " , thereby automatically becoming Muslim

according to Islamic beliefs. These two persons are said to have

been released following their forced conversion. Moreover, it is

claimed that article 126 of the new Penal Code adopted in 1991

provides for the death penalty for apostasy.

 

The Special Rapporteur has also been informed of the case: Father

Ismaël Gibriel, arrested for the first time in 1992 and released

after one and a half months in detention, who is reported to have

been imprisoned again on the grounds of allegedly supporting the

Sudanese People's Liberation Army.

 

The Sudanese Government is also said to be Islamizing education. The

1992 the General Education Regulation Act is alleged to establish

the supremacy of Islamic culture and to stipulate that Islamic

instruction and the use of the Arabic language are compulsory at all

levels of education. Further, the Minister of Education is reported

to have announced on television that all schools and their students

are required to conform to the Islamic way of life. He is also said

to have announced Parliament's confirmation of government

regulations instructing students to comply with the Islamic code of

dress. Catholic missionary schools are reported to have been forced

to close in 1992 and 1993 because of their refusal to abide by this

code.

 

This Islamization of education is further reported to have led to

the dismissal of university teaching staff and to the arrest,

detention and torture of members of the academic community. It is

claimed that the University of Khartoum is under a permanent state

of siege, that the university press is censored and that all written

material not in conformity with Islam is destroyed.

 

The media are also reported to be subject to a policy of

Islamization. Since March 1992, the weekly Christian radio programme

is said to have been suspended without explanation. In May 1992, the

editor-in-chief of Radio Juba is said to have been detained for 10

days for having announced the beatification of the Sudanese Sister

Bakhita. Publication of a column written by a Copt priest in the

Sunday edition of Soudan Moderne is said to have been suspended. "

 

 

Sri Lanka

 

In a communication dated 5 September 1994, the Special Rapporteur

sent the following observations to the Government of Sri Lanka:

 

" According to the information received, the Liberation Tigers of

Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have expelled all the Muslims from the areas in

the north of the country under their control. They are also reported

to have expropriated all the property of the Muslims and to have

threatened them with death if they try to return.

 

LTTE is also said to have severely restricted the freedom of

movement of Tamils living in the areas under their control, to have

demanded that any person wishing to travel outside those areas pay

an 'exit tax' and leave the whole of his or her property in escrow.

Furthermore, in order to ensure that such persons return, often only

one person per family is authorized to travel.

 

The Special Rapporteur has also been informed that evangelist

Christians are often subjected to manifestations of hostility and

sometimes to violence by the local Buddhist clergy and groups

opposed to activities involving the conversion of Buddhists to the

Christian religion. Some newspapers are also said to have reported

such attacks.

 

The following cases have been brought to the attention of the

Special Rapporteur and are summarized as follows:

 

(a) In 1994, an independent evangelist from a village near Colombo

is reported to have had stones thrown at his house on several

occasions. During an inquiry, a Buddhist monk complained of local

people being converted to Christianity and threatened that he would

prevent them from being buried in their village if they continued to

attend Christian meetings. The monk allegedly also incited villagers

to expel the evangelist from the village;

 

(b) In 1994 in a village near Kandy, Buddhist monks are reported to

have organized a procession to protest against the presence of a

place of worship, an established evangelist church. Furthermore, the

leaders of an evangelist prayer meeting are reported to have been

insulted and threatened by a group of 5 monks and some 20

faithful. " . . .

 

 

United Republic of Tanzania

 

In a communication dated 18 August 1994, the Special Rapporteur

transmitted the following information to the Government of Tanzania:

 

" The Special Rapporteur has been informed that, on 16 February

1994, a decree was promulgated prohibiting the Jehovah's Witnesses

from pursuing their activities and holding meetings although they

have been recognized and registered as a religious organization

since 1988.

 

According to some reports, pressure has been building up which could

endanger the religious peace in Tanzania and is a source of concern

to the Christian community. The following cases have been brought to

the attention of the Special Rapporteur and may be summarized as

follows: on Good Friday 1993, clashes occurred between Muslims and

police in Dar es Salaam, after Muslims allegedly attacked butchers'

shops selling pork. The same group reportedly asked its members to

give up their official party cards and form an Islamic party. The

Catholic bishops officially took a stand against religious calumny

and provocative acts towards other religions. "

 

 

Turkey

 

In a communication dated 5 September 1994, the Special Rapporteur

transmitted the following observations to the Government of Turkey:

 

" According to information received, the Assyro-Chaldean minority

are suffering serious violations, in particular in the area of

religious tolerance. In religious matters, their freedoms are being

curtailed and Muslim religious education is compulsory for this

Christian minority. In the monasteries, activities have been cut

back and made subject to prior supervision by the authorities. In

practice, the right to build new churches cannot be exercised. The

Assyro-Chaldeans have no schools, even at primary level, or social

institutions; they are forbidden to open their own establishments.

They are also banned from public service.

 

They are also reported to be the victims of regular attacks by armed

individuals and groups who not only rob them of their property and

abduct their daughters, but also perpetrate murder, thereby creating

an atmosphere of fear, apparently with the aim of forcing them to

leave their villages. Thus, since 1975, more than 100,000 Assyro-

Chaldeans have left the country and only 10,000 remain. . . .

 

On 18 November 1993, a 16-year-old Assyrian boy and his father were

reportedly arrested and detained for 12 days by the security

authorities. The security officers are said to have melted a plastic

cross on the skin of their chests. After their arrest, the father

and son, who are from the village of Bakisyan (Alagoz), were beaten

and tortured by officers at Dargieit police station.

 

The Assyro-Chaldean inhabitants of the village of Hassana (Kösrali

in Turkish), in south-eastern Turkey were expelled by the army in

November 1993, the Assyrian village of Bate having been razed to the

ground in October of the same year.

 

The Special Rapporteur has also been informed that evangelists are

being subjected to close surveillance and have in some cases been

arrested by the police. In July 1993, plaintiffs in a court in

Istanbul called for the imprisonment of 14 Spanish members of a

Protestant sect for having sung hymns and distributed Christian

pamphlets near a mosque during worshippers' prayers. The members of

the Protestant sect were accused of disturbing the peace and were

released on bail in August 1993.

 

The activities of the Greek and Armenian Orthodox Churches are also

reported to be under close surveillance. In addition, despite the

interest regularly expressed by the Greek Patriarchate in reopening

the seminary on the island of Halki, which was closed following its

nationalization in the 1970s, a favourable reply has not been

received from the authorities. The Armenian Church has had its land

seized by Muslim extremist groups, notably on the Princes Islands.

According to certain reports, non-Muslim minorities, primarily

Orthodox Greeks but also Orthodox Armenians and Jews, have been

confronted with the danger of losing their places of worship because

of a law transferring ownership of unused religious buildings to the

State.

 

The Special Rapporteur has also received reports that members of the

Alawi Muslim minority are suffering religious discrimination,

particularly with regard to university entrance and promotion in

their jobs. In Tunceli province, whose population is mostly made up

of Kurds and Alawis, the mosque in the centre of the capital can be

used only by Sunni employees of the central Government working in

Tunceli. "

 

Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

Geneva, Switzerland (1997)

[Guest guest]

shriadishakti , jagbir singh

<adishakti_org> wrote:

>

>

> You did pray to god for all the attacks to stop but they continued.

> i can assure that the 'god' you prayed to is not God Almighty.

> (This will perhaps help you comprehend as to why the 'god' of the

> religious masses is deaf and indifferent to all their cries for

> help.) Then you joined SY and God helped you get rid of those

> attacks. You are now eternally grateful to Shri Mataji.

>

>

 

" Middle East Overview

 

The Middle East witnessed some of the world's most horrific acts of

terrorism in 1997.

 

In November, the Egyptian Islamic extremist group al-Gama'at al-

Islamiyya (Islamic Group or IG) demonstrated that it was still

capable of carrying out devastating acts of terrorism by staging a

brutal attack that left 58 tourists and four Egyptians dead. The

attack, which occurred at Hatshepsut's Temple in Luxor, took place

in spite of the Egyptian Government's crackdown on extremist groups

that resulted in a dramatic decrease in terrorist incidents and

calls from some imprisoned al-Gama'at leaders for a truce. . . .

 

In Algeria, political violence and random killings soared toward the

end of the year, as Armed Islamic Group (GIA) members stormed

villages and towns, some no more than a few dozen kilometers from

Algiers. Killing of civilians at highway checkpoints and in outlying

towns continued on a regular basis. The Government of Algeria

publicly blamed Iran for providing support to Islamist

militants. . . .

 

Suicide bombers from the Islamic Resistance Movement (HAMAS) set off

bombs in crowded public places in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem three times

in 1997. . . .

 

The Palestinian Authority (PA) continued its efforts in cooperation

with Israeli authorities to counter the threat posed by Palestinian

terrorist groups and succeeded in 1997 in thwarting several planned

terrorist attacks. At the same time, more effort is needed by the PA

to enhance its bilateral cooperation with Israel and its unilateral

fight against terrorism.

 

In Lebanon, the security situation improved incrementally as the

government continued its efforts to expand its authority over more

of the country. Despite these efforts, large areas of the Bekaa

Valley, the southern suburbs of Beirut, and south Lebanon remain

outside the effective control of the government. Terrorist groups,

especially Hizballah and the Popular Front for the Liberation of

Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC), used these areas in 1997 to

stage attacks and engage in terrorist training.

 

In Saudi Arabia, the investigation to identify those responsible for

the June 1996 bombing of the Khubar Towers US Air Force residential

compound continued without reaching a conclusion. The bombing killed

19 US servicemen.

 

 

Algeria

 

The Government of Algeria does not face a significant threat to its

stability from Islamic extremists, but the country's domestic

terrorist problem remained among the world's worst in 1997. At least

70,000 Algerians — Islamic militants, civilians, and security

personnel — have been killed since Algerian militants began their

campaign to topple the government in 1992. . . .

 

GIA terrorist operations continued, nonetheless, against a broad

spectrum of Algerian civilians in 1997, including women and

children. The worst incident of 1997 occurred on 31 December when

more than 400 civilians were killed in Relizane, approximately 150

miles southwest of the capital. This act of violence was also the

single worst massacre since the GIA began its reign of terror in

1992. Seven foreigners were killed in acts of terrorist violence in

Algeria in 1997, bringing the total number of foreigners killed by

the GIA in Algeria since 1992 to 133. The group did not claim

responsibility for these killings, nor did it issue an official

communiqué announcing a resurgence of its violent campaign against

foreigners. It remains unclear whether the foreigners were being

specifically targeted or whether those killed were incidental

victims of violence. . . .

 

 

Bahrain

 

Bahrain continued to be plagued by arson attacks and other minor

security incidents throughout 1997, most perpetrated by domestic

dissidents. The most serious incident was an arson attack on a

commercial establishment on 13 June that resulted in the death of

four South Asian expatriates. One day later an abandoned vehicle

detonated outside the passport directorate of Bahrain's Interior

Ministry; the explosion caused no injuries. . .

 

 

Egypt

 

Reversing a trend since 1995 of decreasing death tolls, the number

of fatalities from terrorist incidents in Egypt rose in 1997 due to

a heightened level of attacks during the latter half of the year by

al-Gama'at. The group claimed responsibility for a brutal attack at

a pharaonic temple site in Luxor on 17 November that killed 58

foreign tourists and four Egyptians — the most lethal attack by

the group. The six al-Gama'at perpetrators were killed in a shootout

by police during their escape effort. Al-Gama'at claimed it intended

to take hostages in the attack in exchange for the release of Shaykh

Umar Abd al-Rahman, serving a life prison term in the United States

after being convicted in 1995 for several terrorist conspiracies.

The claim was belied, however, by surviving eyewitnesses who

reported the perpetrators took their time to execute systematically

victims trapped inside the temple.

 

The group also continued to launch attacks against police, police

informants, and Coptic Christians in southern Egypt.

 

Foreign tourists also were attacked in September by two Egyptian

gunmen who professed support for the Egyptian al-Jihad but who were

not found to be linked to an established group. Nine Germans and

their Egyptian busdriver were killed in the attack outside the

National Museum in Cairo. One of the gunmen was an escaped mental

hospital inmate who previously had killed four foreign nationals,

including a US citizen, in an attack at a restaurant in the

Semiramis Intercontinental hotel in Cairo in October 1993. . . .

 

Israel and the Occupied Territories/Palestinian Autonomous Areas

 

Israel continued in 1997 to face terrorist attacks by Palestinian

groups opposed to the peace process. HAMAS launched three deadly

suicide bombings over the year: a 21 March bombing in a Tel Aviv

cafe, killing three Israelis and wounding 48; a 30 July dual suicide

bombing in a crowded Jerusalem market, which killed 16—including

one US citizen — and wounded 178; and a 4 September triple

suicide bombing at a popular Jerusalem pedestrian mall, which killed

four Israelis and one US citizen, and wounded nearly 200. . . .

 

Numerous other serious but less spectacular attacks against Israel

and its citizens also occurred, including the 20 November murder of

an Israeli student in Jerusalem's Old City carried out by unknown

assailants. In addition, Israeli border forces stopped several

attempted terrorist infiltration from Lebanon and Jordan, including

a 4 March border crossing attempt from Lebanon in which two Israeli

soldiers were killed. . . .

 

 

Jordan

 

Despite an active counter-terrorism campaign, Jordan in 1997

continued to suffer from terrorism. A 22 September drive-by shooting

of two Israeli Embassy security guards in Amman remains unsolved. In

other violence, a Jordanian soldier on 13 March murdered seven

Israeli schoolchildren visiting a peace park. The soldier, who was

captured at the scene, was sentenced in July to life in prison.

Amman continued to maintain tight security along its border with

Israel and to interdict individuals attempting to infiltrate into

the West Bank. Jordanian security and police also continued to

monitor secular and Islamic extremists inside the country and to

detain individuals suspected of involvement in violent acts aimed at

destabilizing the government or its relations with other states.

Jordan, in early September, for instance, detained HAMAS spokesman

Ibrahim Ghawsha, a Jordanian citizen, for issuing statements

promoting anti-Israeli violence. In addition to HAMAS, several

Palestinian rejectionist groups — such as the Palestine Islamic

Jihad (PIJ), Abu Nidal organization (ANO), and the Popular and

Democratic Fronts for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP and DFLP)

— maintain a closely watched presence in Jordan.

 

 

Lebanon

 

There is no effective Lebanese Government presence in much of

southern Lebanon, where guerrilla groups are engaged in fighting in

the so-called security zone controlled by Israel and its surrogate

militia.

 

In these areas, a variety of terrorist groups continued to operate

with relative impunity, conducting terrorist training and other

operational activities. These groups include Hizballah, HAMAS, the

ANO, the PIJ, and the PFLP-GC. . . .

 

 

Saudi Arabia

 

There has been no solution to the question of responsibility for the

June 1996 bombing of the Khubar Towers housing facility near

Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. In that incident, a large truck bomb killed

19 US citizens and wounded more than 500 others. . . . "

 

 

US Government Home Page, September 4, 1998

[Guest guest]

shriadishakti , jagbir singh

<adishakti_org> wrote:

>

>

> You did pray to god for all the attacks to stop but they continued.

> i can assure that the 'god' you prayed to is not God Almighty.

> (This will perhaps help you comprehend as to why the 'god' of the

> religious masses is deaf and indifferent to all their cries for

> help.) Then you joined SY and God helped you get rid of those

> attacks. You are now eternally grateful to Shri Mataji.

>

>

 

" Judaism teaches that man has, since the disobedience of Adam and

Eve in the Garden of Eden, two inclinations in his heart: one good

and one evil. Malevolent dominance is the evil inclination of man's

heart. Christianity has developed its essential doctrine of Original

Sin: the sin of Adam and Eve entailed for all men a loss of

spiritual strengths and qualities by which they could have avoided

sin, especially sins of malevolent dominance. Islam adopted more or

less the doctrine of Judaism with some slight modifications . . .

 

The religions, therefore, installed at the heart of their individual

systems the basis for a tension and a contradiction: the absolute

perfection demanded of their adherents and the tag of absolute evil

pinned to its contrary evoked necessarily a series of revolts out of

which sprang new polarizations, each claiming — in imitation of

the original — to be the final absolute, the absolute absolute.

Jewish, Christian, and Islamic morality thus could father violent

excesses of moral passion which, of course, automatically, become

excesses of human immorality. "

 

Malachi Martin, The Encounter,

Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1970, 267.

 

 

" When we examine the modern environment of man in which Judaism,

Christianity, and Islam find themselves, it is abundantly clear that

these three religions are finished as major influences. As

predominantly systems of thought, worship, ethical inspiration and

of judgement on human affairs, they are excluded forever from human

affairs. But they will not perish overnight. They will persist in

some parts of the planet with diminishing influence, dwindling

numbers, and changing faces. They will undergo periodic petty

renaissances and sporadic revivals. They will resist the threat of

extinction as dominant mysteries with all the resources at their

power and with desperation of all the ancient experienced things at

bay and staring at death. Under this threat they may yet render

invaluable services to man. They may go protestingly. They may

depart with dignity. They will certainly pass with pathos; and their

nodding fall into eternal slumbers will needle the human mind with

nostalgia. But, as they are, their dominance is finished forever.

Their day is done . . .

 

All three made fateful and fatal choices at the one priceless moment

that history afforded them. And all three are paying the price

levied by the logic of that history. For history never forgives and

never forgets.

 

But their decadence, decomposition, and death today are about to be

the saddest part of their story. Nothing so unbecomes them as the

manner of their going. They are going because they failed to the one

thing they promised to do: explains man to man, unwrap the riddle of

his need to hate, show him he is brother at one and the same time to

tell all men and to the angels. They failed to save him from the

evil in him. "

 

Malachi Martin, The Encounter,

Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1970, p. 273.

 

 

 

" Some think of themselves as Hindus, or Muslims or Christians and

everyone thinks he is right. But there is not one Dharma from any of

these by which you become dharmic from within. Anyone can commit any

sins in the name of religion. There is no Light of Dharma. "

 

Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi

 

 

" So in the evolutionary process, if you see, when it was the job of

the Guru to establish these Dharmas into you and, by these

establishments, you were made a person who was dharmic. But, if you

see in the world, whatever is told, written down, explained

verbally, becomes a lip service. That's why we see all the religions

who preached about the same things and they all have gone in

different lines. Some are money-oriented, some are power-oriented,

some are violent and some are absolutely false. . . .

 

So once you get your realization, this is the best way and I just

thought of this, specially when I saw the situation in the world

that was coming in this Kali Yuga. I thought in this chaos, unless

and until you raise their Kundalini, Dharma cannot be established.

This, if I have done anything, I have done this, is to find out a

method, en masse giving realization, and the problem will be solved.

You don't have to tell them anything. " Don't do, don't do. " Nothing.

Just think of it. It was successful, I must say. Very successful.

Among you I find My vision being established. "

 

Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi

The Base Of Dharma, Shri Vishnu Puja,

Paris, France — July 13, 1994

[Guest guest]

shriadishakti , " jagbir singh "

<adishakti_org> wrote:

>

>

> You did pray to god for all the attacks to stop but they continued.

> i can assure that the 'god' you prayed to is not God Almighty.

> (This will perhaps help you comprehend as to why the 'god' of the

> religious masses is deaf and indifferent to all their cries for

> help.) Then you joined SY and God helped you get rid of those

> attacks. You are now eternally grateful to Shri Mataji.

>

>

 

" The central weakness of these religions today, as we pointed

out, lies in their growing irrelevancy for modern life. Once upon a

time they exercised absolute dominance, at least for their

adherents. They offered explanations which were received as

authoritative. They elaborated these explanations into socio-

political institutions where possible. Bit by bit, decade by decade,

their hold on men's minds and lives is diminishing. We find, on

careful scrutiny, that it is fundamentally their explanations which

are found wanting. They purpose a way to think and speak about man's

world which man cannot accept. He cannot accept it because in some

cases it is out of tune with what man knows as certainly as he knows

anything; and in other ceases and concepts used in the explanations

are unintelligible to modern man. If unintelligible, they are

inapplicable. They are irrelevant.

 

This lack of intelligibility and its consequent irrelevance affect

not merely peripheral elements of the religions but the very stuff

and matter out of which the religions are made. The garments are not

merely worn and outmoded. The bodies themselves are effete and aged,

beyond apparent hope of recall to youth and vigor . . . It must be

noted that very often this lack of intelligibility arises, not

precisely because the concepts are old, but because they reflect a

mentality which has been rejected by modern man, and because they no

longer correspond to the realities with which modern man must

cope . . .

 

The dominance of each religion, besides being set by common problems

outlined above, suffers from particular strains and pains of its

own. Judaism and Christianity resemble each other on many points of

pain and setback; but Judaism suffers from internal polarization,

and Christianity suffers from a prolonged insistence on being what

it need not be. Islam is apart. Still trussed and strait-jacketed in

outworn ways and inept approaches to the 20th century world, Islam's

agony is what Christianity might be between 10th and 12th centuries

A.D.: total inability even to grapple with its circumambient world.

For while Judaism and Christianity are at grips with their world but

losing steadily, Islam has never even started, and is in danger of

cultural and civilizational mummification . . .

 

To state that a concept or an idea is unintelligible, is not to

state that the reality which men have tried to express in that

concept has no validity. Our concept of God may be unintelligible.

God may, nevertheless, exist. "

 

Malachi Martin, The Encounter,

Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1970, 275-76.

 

 

 

" Even Muhammad Sahib has said that at the Time of Resurrection

your hands will speak. Exactly this happens that when you get your

Realization — when the Kundalini comes up — and She touches

the seat of God here. Immediately in your heart the reflection of

God starts emitting cool vibrations; from your hands also. When it

starts happening you are amazed that all around you feel the subtle

Power of God, the Power of His Love. what we call the All-Pervading

Brahma, what we call the Chaitanya. "

 

Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi

The Knowledge Of The Roots, Cardiff, U.K. — August 8, 1984

[Guest guest]

shriadishakti , " jagbir singh "

<adishakti_org> wrote:

>

>

> You did pray to god for all the attacks to stop but they continued.

> i can assure that the 'god' you prayed to is not God Almighty.

> (This will perhaps help you comprehend as to why the 'god' of the

> religious masses is deaf and indifferent to all their cries for

> help.) Then you joined SY and God helped you get rid of those

> attacks. You are now eternally grateful to Shri Mataji.

>

>

 

 

" Abraham, according to Christians, was a pre-Christian Christian.

According to Mohammad he was consciously and explicitly a Muslim.

The Jews naturally claim him as their own. According to Jews,

salvation is primarily in the Exodus from Egypt and the observation

of the Mosiac Law. Christians maintain that it was the beginning of

salvation and that this held until Jesus came. Then all was changed.

Exodus, Law, Promised Land, all these lost validity. Only the

sacrifice of Jesus gives salvation now; the Exodus, the Law, and the

Promised Land were mere symbols and foretaste of what Jesus brought

to men. The Muslims maintain that this was true until Mohammad came.

By that time, Christians had corrupted the Gospel, and Jesus'

sacrifice was useless. Now only Mohammad's religion and teaching can

give men salvation; both Moses and Jesus were really pre-Muslim

Muslims who failed to accomplish the God's purpose on account of

man's perversity and weakness.

 

According to Judaism, God chose the Jews and never changed his mind;

they have the true and unique revelation about man's destiny and

about God's nature; they know what Hell is, what Paradise is, what

goodness is. According to the Christians, God choose them, revealed

to them all he had originally revealed to the Jews (discontinuing

ethnic habits such as circumcision, for example), and gave them much

more besides. According to Muslims, these claims are farcical, and

blasphemous; Jews and Christians have a portion of the truth, but

God has now chosen the Muslims to whom he has revealed all he ever

revealed to Jews and Christians, in addition to much else

besides. "

 

Malachi Martin, The Encounter,

Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1970, 188-89.

 

 

" We have conditionings of our families, of our religion, of our

country. These conditionings as far as possible is to be seen

clearly that we have got it through our family. If you are born a

Christian you always will be more attached to Christ. Christ you

have never seen. You don't know whether He existed or not,

whether this Bible is true or not — but you will be attached to

Bible.

 

Now if you are a Hindu you will be more attached to Gita, or to

Vedas, or something. This creates imbalance because we must have the

same attitude towards all the religions, towards all the scriptures

— that is the sign of a saint.

 

If you ask a fanatic about another religion he'll say that is the

worst religion, his is the best. And if you ask another fanatic he

will say his is the best, the rest are the worst. That means all of

them are the worst. In a general opinion everything seems the worst.

All the fanatics are the worst, if you take a general consensus, you

see. No body will say that: " Alright, my religion is alright and at

least one, another, is alright. " Nobody! . . .

 

So here the compassion should come within you as a universal being

that, by God's grace, you have risen higher in the very real

sense of the word. It is not just you are certifying you are

Realized souls. No! You are Realized souls. No doubt! You are!

Sakshat! So as it is now you are certified by God you are Realized

souls, naturally you must change everything. No use typifying

yourself, identifying your self with something that is now you have

given up . . .

 

We should accept our position. We should accept ourselves as

Realized souls with self-esteem, and understand it as to what is our

purpose of life now. It is changed completely entirely! Once you

understand the purpose of your life innately — not outside

because I am saying all these are mental processes — but inside

you feel responsible. You have got your Realization to spread it all

over the world and emancipate the whole world. "

 

Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi

Pure Love; The Loss Of Morality,

Kundalini Puja, Cabella, Italy — June 21, 1992

 

 

" Christ has openly said that you have to know your Self. Same in

Koran. Muhammed-sahib has said, " Unless and until you know yourself,

you will not know God. " There are lots of Truths in Koran I find

left over by this Muawiya, and also in the Bible. Also in the Jews,

I find their Torah and all that has lots of Truth, but is covered by

all this kind of thinking, rationality and adjustments they have

done for their own use.

 

Actually, we have to understand that Christ never started any

exclusive religion. Never. None of them. Specially Muhammed-sahib

has talked about Abraham. He has talked about Moses. He has talked

about Christ and His Mother much more than in the Bible respected

Her. And He said there has been more than one lakhwalis, means

Realized souls before, but still Muslims are some sort of a unique

people because they call themselves Muslims. Whether they drink,

doesn't matter, whether they womanize doesn't matter; they

kill people doesn't matter. They're running after few things

which are forbidden to them, but still they are Muslims. Same with

the Christians. "

 

Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi

Christ: Conditioning And Ego,

Christmas Puja, Ganapatipule, India — December 24, 1995

[Guest guest]

shriadishakti , " jagbir singh "

<adishakti_org> wrote:

>

>

> You did pray to god for all the attacks to stop but they continued.

> i can assure that the 'god' you prayed to is not God Almighty.

> (This will perhaps help you comprehend as to why the 'god' of the

> religious masses is deaf and indifferent to all their cries for

> help.) Then you joined SY and God helped you get rid of those

> attacks. You are now eternally grateful to Shri Mataji.

>

>

 

 

 

" Christianity within its own borders has specialized in self-

crucifixion, at first to quite a minor degree during the first 1500

years of its life, when heretics and dissidents and accused witches

and sorcerers were put to death, as Jesus was. Then, with the

breakup of its unity in the 16th century, Christians devised for

each other one Hell more horrendous and tortuous than another,

indulging in a 300-year round of mutual recrimination, accusation,

denigration, and relegation by bell, book, and candle, to the

filthiest categories of human life. No branch of Christianity can be

excused from this, because all Christians have indulged in it.

No body of Christians ever answered the insults of other Christians

with Christ's answer: " Forgive them, Father, for they know not

what they do? " They all developed special vocabularies replete

with violent words such as " heresy, " " heretic, " " extirpation, "

" condemnation " , " excommunication, " " outcasts, " " unclean believers. "

" vice-mongers. " Each one devised its special defenses against

the other: social ostracism, civil war, discrimination, calumny,

legal non-existence. Rome was the Red Lady of the South. Luther was

the Pig of Germany. Protestants were the sons of vipers. Jews were

the " race of the devil. " Muslims were " benighted and

error-ridden barbarians. " No body of Christians ever tried to

conquer the world with humility and patience and love, and no body

of believers ever tried to fan the flames of faith, in the heart of

man by being authentically believers.

 

The Jews, in retaliation for their pain and their sustained exile,

contributed to the sea of hate, distrust and, in some cases,

deformation of truth. They invented multiform expressions of

contempt, condemnation, loathing, and utter rejection of Christians.

They even modified some of their traditional beliefs because the

Christians had borrowed them in their original form and, in their

repugnance from all things Christian, they wanted no resemblance to

subsist between their faith and that of the Christians. They

returned hate with hate. They, also, cannot be excused and

considered totally guiltless. They preached truth and justice, yet

they violated both in order to maintain their religion and their

Jewishness. Christians preached love but practised officially

sanctioned hate, intermingling their loveliest psalms of compassion

for their dying Savior with the expressions of extreme disgust for

the Jews. . . .

 

Muslims preached mercy and compassion, but they practised none or

very little, assigning both Christians and Jews to the lowest rung

in Allah's consideration, and historically meting out to both a

treatment which rivals any cruelties of man in known history. Down

through the ages, this procession of the crucified one has come:

formed, maintained, and augmented by Jews, Christians, and Muslims.

Each one has prayed with its armies to its god that the armies of

the opponents be destroyed. There is no palliating or explaining

away the sin of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

 

The three religions failed in another significant way. None of them

attacked slavery or race prejudice or other flagrant inhumanities of

man to man from the very beginning of their existence. The Arabs of

today sanction slavery as spontaneously as the Popes of the 19th

century sanctioned the creation of castrati choirs for Papal masses,

as readily and blindly as the Protestant ethic of the white American

sanctioned the serfdom and degradation of the Negro race until the

second half of the 20th century. Each religion has practiced the art

of climbing on the bandwagon: only when lay and secular reformers,

sometimes lacking any formal religion whatever, raised such a hue

and cry that men's consciences were stirred, did the religions begin

to turn their huge resources toward reform. The Catholic Church in

Germany and Italy acquiesced in Nazism and Fascism at least in the

earlier stages of the ideologies. Russian Orthodoxy acquiesced in

the despotism and sadism of Czarist times. Greek Orthodoxy

sanctioned the corruption of the Byzantine court and is today

bitterly nationalist in Greece's disputes with Turkey. No Protestant

Church and no Jewish Synagogue ever officially condemned and

attacked the Ku Klux Klan before 1945 in America, though individuals

did. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam have practiced the double

standard in this matter . . .

 

Thus the three religions have not been witnesses to the truth. All,

it is true, have developed an exalted vocabulary, and a very

impressive manner of announcing their own grandiose claims. All

three have excelled and excel in words, as distinct from actions.

All three have an impressive ritual and have refined psychological

approaches to man. Yet the witness of words, mere words, has never

changed men's minds, nor has mere theological subtlety helped men to

be better men. The witness of the three religions have been faulty,

at times perniciously false and erroneous. The three of them have

witnessed to the uses of hate for the love of a god. And all three

have disposed of the lives and happiness of millions of human beings

without any real feeling for human suffering or any genuine concern

for the concrete realities of life.

 

It is clear, first of all, that today all three religions lack any

authoritative note for man. They have, as yet, each one of them,

sufficient number of adherents to give the impression of continuing

strength, and this glosses over for them and for the outside world

at times their terrible weakness. For each of them, when scrutinized

closely, is blackened with sufficient failures to prevent any

thinking man from believing in them. And, above all, all three

persevere in making a claim which cannot possibly be valid and true:

that they are, each single one, the true religion.

 

Each one of them, however, hides from the ultimate test of its

validity and truth behind a wall of unknowing and expectation. All

three chorus that only the " Last Day, " when the " End "

comes, when " God " decides, will it be clear that the

" other two " and all others besides were false, and it (the

claimant) was all along the true community of the one " God. " "

 

Malachi Martin, The Encounter,

Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1970, 329-32.

 

 

 

" He Himself (Prophet Muhammad) has talked about the Resurrection

Time, " that the Resurrection Time will come when your hands will

speak and there is Asas. " He calls the Kundalini as Asas and that

resides in the triangular bone. All these things He said — He

talks of the Resurrection Day. All these things He talked and how

can they say that Muhammad didn't talk about these. He did, He

did very well but people don't want to have that; they don't

want to listen to Him; they don't want to understand Him —

because they want to use Him for their own purposes, where they want

to use for their own purposes they have their own concepts. About

Muhammad, about Christ, about Krishna, about Rama, about everyone

they have their own concepts and they want to live with that

concept. They do not want to get out of it because it is beyond. It

is beyond them to get out of these concepts because they are bound

by their ego. "

 

Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi

[Guest guest]

> shriadishakti , " jagbir singh "

> <adishakti_org> wrote:

> > Dear Believers of the Resurrection and Last Judgment,

> >

> > i have received a lengthy 'difficult' email from a SY and have

> > sat on it for days. It will be answered in bits and pieces but

> > the identity of the sender kept strictly confidential. . . .

> >

> >

> > jagbir

> >

 

>

> But from the tone of your email i can see that you still have not

> recovered fully. You seem to be quite angry with God -- who did

> help you after becoming a devotee of His Shakti, Shri Mataji

> Nirmala Devi -- for not solving the pressing problems of humanity.

> But you must first slowly absorb this post before proceeding

> further. In the meantime find as much information on " humility " as

> possible. i mean you must go deep into this subject as it will

> lessen God's burden.

>

> jagbir

>

 

 

Dear SY,

 

i think by now you must have found the meaning of humility. So here

are a few opening lines of the massive Guru Granth Sahib which, in

my opinion, cannot be surpassed in praise of God Almighty. Read it

repeatedly until it obliterates your ego into dust and destroys all

doubts and ill-feelings against Him.

 

Jai Shri Mataji,

 

jagbir

 

 

 

SHRI GURU GRANTH SAHIB: JUP (recite)

 

(Section 01 - Jup - Part 001)

 

One Universal Creator God. The Name Is Truth. Creative Being

Personified. No Fear. No Hatred. Image Of The Undying, Beyond Birth,

Self-Existent. By Guru's Grace ~

 

Chant And Meditate:

 

True In The Primal Beginning. True Throughout The Ages.

True Here And Now. O Nanak, Forever And Ever True.

By thinking, He cannot be reduced to thought, even by thinking

hundreds of thousands of times.

By remaining silent, inner silence is not obtained, even by

remaining lovingly absorbed deep within.

The hunger of the hungry is not appeased, even by piling up loads of

worldly goods.

Hundreds of thousands of clever tricks, but not even one of them

will go along with you in the end.

So how can you become truthful? And how can the veil of illusion be

torn away?

O Nanak, it is written that you shall obey the Hukam of His Command,

and walk in the Way of His Will.

By His Command, bodies are created; His Command cannot be described.

By His Command, souls come into being; by His Command, glory and

greatness are obtained.

By His Command, some are high and some are low; by His Written

Command, pain and pleasure are obtained.

Some, by His Command, are blessed and forgiven; others, by His

Command, wander aimlessly forever.

Everyone is subject to His Command; no one is beyond His Command.

O Nanak, one who understands His Command, does not speak in ego.

Some sing of His Power-who has that Power?

Some sing of His Gifts, and know His Sign and Insignia.

Some sing of His Glorious Virtues, Greatness and Beauty.

Some sing of knowledge obtained of Him, through difficult

philosophical studies.

Some sing that He fashions the body, and then again reduces it to

dust.

Some sing that He takes life away, and then again restores it.

Some sing that He seems so very far away.

 

 

(Section 01 - Jup - Part 002)

 

Some sing that He watches over us, face to face, ever-present.

There is no shortage of those who preach and teach.

Millions upon millions offer millions of sermons and stories.

The Great Giver keeps on giving, while those who receive grow weary

of receiving.

Throughout the ages, consumers consume.

The Commander, by His Command, leads us to walk on the Path.

O Nanak, He blossoms forth, Carefree and Untroubled.

True is the Master, True is His Name-speak it with infinite love.

People beg and pray, " Give to us, give to us " , and the Great Giver

gives His Gifts.

So what offering can we place before Him, by which we might see the

Darbaar of His Court?

What words can we speak to evoke His Love?

In the Amrit Vaylaa, the ambrosial hours before dawn, chant the True

Name, and contemplate His Glorious Greatness.

By the karma of past actions, the robe of this physical body is

obtained. By His Grace, the Gate of Liberation is found.

O Nanak, know this well: the True One Himself is All.

He cannot be established, He cannot be created.

He Himself is Immaculate and Pure.

Those who serve Him are honored.

O Nanak, sing of the Lord, the Treasure of Excellence.

Sing, and listen, and let your mind be filled with love.

Your pain shall be sent far away, and peace shall come to your home.

The Guru's Word is the Sound-current of the Naad; the Guru's Word is

the Wisdom of the Vedas; the Guru's Word is all-pervading.

The Guru is Shiva, the Guru is Vishnu and Brahma; the Guru is

Paarvati and Lakhshmi.

Even knowing God, I cannot describe Him; He cannot be described in

words.

The Guru has given me this one understanding:

there is only the One, the Giver of all souls.

May I never forget Him!

If I am pleasing to Him, then that is my pilgrimage and cleansing

bath. Without pleasing Him, what good are ritual cleansings?

I gaze upon all the created beings: without the karma of good

actions, what are they given to receive?

Within the mind are gems, jewels and rubies, if you listen to the

Guru's Teachings, even once.

The Guru has given me this one understanding:

there is only the One, the Giver of all souls.

May I never forget Him!

Even if you could live throughout the four ages, or even ten times

more,

and even if you were known throughout the nine continents and

followed by all,

with a good name and reputation, with praise and fame throughout the

world-

still, if the Lord does not bless you with His Glance of Grace, then

who cares? What is the use?

Among worms, you would be considered a lowly worm, and even

contemptible sinners would hold you in contempt.

O Nanak, God blesses the unworthy with virtue, and bestows virtue on

the virtuous.

No one can even imagine anyone who can bestow virtue upon Him.

Listening-the Siddhas, the spiritual teachers, the heroic warriors,

the yogic masters.

Listening-the earth, its support and the Akaashic ethers.

Listening-the oceans, the lands of the world and the nether regions

of the underworld.

Listening-Death cannot even touch you.

O Nanak, the devotees are forever in bliss.

Listening-pain and sin are erased.

Listening-Shiva, Brahma and Indra.

Listening-even foul-mouthed people praise Him.

Listening-the technology of Yoga and the secrets of the body.

Listening-the Shaastras, the Simritees and the Vedas.

O Nanak, the devotees are forever in bliss.

 

 

(Section 01 - Jup - Part 003)

 

Listening-pain and sin are erased.

Listening-truth, contentment and spiritual wisdom.

Listening-take your cleansing bath at the sixty-eight places of

pilgrimage.

Listening-reading and reciting, honor is obtained.

Listening-intuitively grasp the essence of meditation.

O Nanak, the devotees are forever in bliss.

Listening-pain and sin are erased.

Listening-dive deep into the ocean of virtue.

Listening-the Shaykhs, religious scholars, spiritual teachers and

emperors.

Listening-even the blind find the Path.

Listening-the Unreachable comes within your grasp.

O Nanak, the devotees are forever in bliss.

Listening-pain and sin are erased.

The state of the faithful cannot be described.

One who tries to describe this shall regret the attempt.

No paper, no pen, no scribe

can record the state of the faithful.

Such is the Name of the Immaculate Lord.

Only one who has faith comes to know such a state of mind.

The faithful have intuitive awareness and intelligence.

The faithful know about all worlds and realms.

The faithful shall never be struck across the face.

The faithful do not have to go with the Messenger of Death.

Such is the Name of the Immaculate Lord.

Only one who has faith comes to know such a state of mind.

The path of the faithful shall never be blocked.

The faithful shall depart with honor and fame.

The faithful do not follow empty religious rituals.

The faithful are firmly bound to the Dharma.

Such is the Name of the Immaculate Lord.

Only one who has faith comes to know such a state of mind.

The faithful find the Door of Liberation.

The faithful uplift and redeem their family and relations.

The faithful are saved, and carried across with the Sikhs of the

Guru.

The faithful, O Nanak, do not wander around begging.

Such is the Name of the Immaculate Lord.

Only one who has faith comes to know such a state of mind.

The chosen ones, the self-elect, are accepted and approved.

The chosen ones are honored in the Court of the Lord.

The chosen ones look beautiful in the courts of kings.

The chosen ones meditate single-mindedly on the Guru.

No matter how much anyone tries to explain and describe them,

the actions of the Creator cannot be counted.

The mythical bull is Dharma, the son of compassion;

this is what patiently holds the earth in its place.

One who understands this becomes truthful.

What a great load there is on the bull!

So many worlds beyond this world-so very many!

What power holds them, and supports their weight?

The names and the colors of the assorted species of beings

were all inscribed by the Ever-flowing Pen of God.

Who knows how to write this account?

Just imagine what a huge scroll it would take!

What power! What fascinating beauty!

And what gifts! Who can know their extent?

You created the vast expanse of the Universe with One Word!

Hundreds of thousands of rivers began to flow.

How can Your Creative Potency be described?

I cannot even once be a sacrifice to You.

Whatever pleases You is the only good done,

You, Eternal and Formless One!

Countless meditations, countless loves.

Countless worship services, countless austere disciplines.

Countless scriptures, and ritual recitations of the Vedas.

Countless Yogis, whose minds remain detached from the world.

 

 

(Section 01 - Jup - Part 004)

 

Countless devotees contemplate the Wisdom and Virtues of the Lord.

Countless the holy, countless the givers.

Countless heroic spiritual warriors, who bear the brunt of the

attack in battle (who with their mouths eat steel).

Countless silent sages, vibrating the String of His Love.

How can Your Creative Potency be described?

I cannot even once be a sacrifice to You.

Whatever pleases You is the only good done,

You, Eternal and Formless One.

Countless fools, blinded by ignorance.

Countless thieves and embezzlers.

Countless impose their will by force.

Countless cut-throats and ruthless killers.

Countless sinners who keep on sinning.

Countless liars, wandering lost in their lies.

Countless wretches, eating filth as their ration.

Countless slanderers, carrying the weight of their stupid mistakes

on their heads.

Nanak describes the state of the lowly.

I cannot even once be a sacrifice to You.

Whatever pleases You is the only good done,

You, Eternal and Formless One.

Countless names, countless places.

Inaccessible, unapproachable, countless celestial realms.

Even to call them countless is to carry the weight on your head.

From the Word, comes the Naam; from the Word, comes Your Praise.

From the Word, comes spiritual wisdom, singing the Songs of Your

Glory.

From the Word, come the written and spoken words and hymns.

From the Word, comes destiny, written on one's forehead.

But the One who wrote these Words of Destiny-no words are written on

His Forehead.

As He ordains, so do we receive.

The created universe is the manifestation of Your Name.

Without Your Name, there is no place at all.

How can I describe Your Creative Power?

I cannot even once be a sacrifice to You.

Whatever pleases You is the only good done,

You, Eternal and Formless One.

When the hands and the feet and the body are dirty,

water can wash away the dirt.

When the clothes are soiled and stained by urine,

soap can wash them clean.

But when the intellect is stained and polluted by sin,

it can only be cleansed by the Love of the Name.

Virtue and vice do not come by mere words;

actions repeated, over and over again, are engraved on the soul.

You shall harvest what you plant.

O Nanak, by the Hukam of God's Command, we come and go in

reincarnation.

Pilgrimages, austere discipline, compassion and charity

-these, by themselves, bring only an iota of merit.

Listening and believing with love and humility in your mind,

cleanse yourself with the Name, at the sacred shrine deep within.

All virtues are Yours, Lord, I have none at all.

Without virtue, there is no devotional worship.

I bow to the Lord of the World, to His Word, to Brahma the Creator.

He is Beautiful, True and Eternally Joyful.

What was that time, and what was that moment? What was that day, and

what was that date?

What was that season, and what was that month, when the Universe was

created?

The Pandits, the religious scholars, cannot find that time, even if

it is written in the Puraanas.

That time is not known to the Qazis, who study the Koran.

The day and the date are not known to the Yogis, nor is the month or

the season.

The Creator who created this creation-only He Himself knows.

How can we speak of Him? How can we praise Him? How can we describe

Him? How can we know Him?

 

 

(Section 01 - Jup - Part 005)

 

O Nanak, everyone speaks of Him, each one wiser than the rest.

Great is the Master, Great is His Name. Whatever happens is

according to His Will.

O Nanak, one who claims to know everything shall not be decorated in

the world hereafter.

There are nether worlds beneath nether worlds, and hundreds of

thousands of heavenly worlds above.

The Vedas say that you can search and search for them all, until you

grow weary.

The scriptures say that there are 18,000 worlds, but in reality,

there is only One Universe.

If you try to write an account of this, you will surely finish

yourself before you finish writing it.

O Nanak, call Him Great! He Himself knows Himself.

The praisers praise the Lord, but they do not obtain intuitive

understanding

-the streams and rivers flowing into the ocean do not know its

vastness.

Even kings and emperors, with mountains of property and oceans of

wealth

-these are not even equal to an ant, who does not forget God.

Endless are His Praises, endless are those who speak them.

Endless are His Actions, endless are His Gifts.

Endless is His Vision, endless is His Hearing.

His limits cannot be perceived. What is the Mystery of His Mind?

The limits of the created universe cannot be perceived.

Its limits here and beyond cannot be perceived.

Many struggle to know His limits,

but His limits cannot be found.

No one can know these limits.

The more you say about them, the more there still remains to be said.

Great is the Master, High is His Heavenly Home.

Highest of the High, above all is His Name.

Only one as Great and as High as God

can know His Lofty and Exalted State.

Only He Himself is that Great. He Himself knows Himself.

O Nanak, by His Glance of Grace, He bestows His Blessings.

His Blessings are so abundant that there can be no written account

of them.

The Great Giver does not hold back anything.

There are so many great, heroic warriors begging at the Door of the

Infinite Lord.

So many contemplate and dwell upon Him, that they cannot be counted.

So many waste away to death engaged in corruption.

So many take and take again, and then deny receiving.

So many foolish consumers keep on consuming.

So many endure distress, deprivation and constant abuse.

Even these are Your Gifts, O Great Giver!

Liberation from bondage comes only by Your Will.

No one else has any say in this.

If some fool should presume to say that he does,

he shall learn, and feel the effects of his folly.

He Himself knows, He Himself gives.

Few, very few are those who acknowledge this.

One who is blessed to sing the Praises of the Lord,

O Nanak, is the king of kings.

Priceless are His Virtues, Priceless are His Dealings.

Priceless are His Dealers, Priceless are His Treasures.

Priceless are those who come to Him, Priceless are those who buy

from Him.

Priceless is Love for Him, Priceless is absorption into Him.

Priceless is the Divine Law of Dharma, Priceless is the Divine Court

of Justice.

Priceless are the scales, priceless are the weights.

Priceless are His Blessings, Priceless is His Banner and Insignia.

Priceless is His Mercy, Priceless is His Royal Command.

Priceless, O Priceless beyond expression!

Speak of Him continually, and remain absorbed in His Love.

The Vedas and the Puraanas speak.

The scholars speak and lecture.

Brahma speaks, Indra speaks.

 

 

(Section 01 - Jup - Part 006)

 

The Gopis and Krishna speak.

Shiva speaks, the Siddhas speak.

The many created Buddhas speak.

The demons speak, the demi-gods speak.

The spiritual warriors, the heavenly beings, the silent sages, the

humble and serviceful speak.

Many speak and try to describe Him.

Many have spoken of Him over and over again, and have then arisen

and departed.

If He were to create as many again as there already are,

even then, they could not describe Him.

He is as Great as He wishes to be.

O Nanak, the True Lord knows.

If anyone presumes to describe God,

he shall be known as the greatest fool of fools!

Where is that Gate, and where is that Dwelling, in which You sit and

take care of all?

The Sound-current of the Naad vibrates there, and countless

musicians play on all sorts of instruments there.

So many Ragas, so many musicians singing there.

The praanic wind, water and fire sing; the Righteous Judge of Dharma

sings at Your Door.

Chitr and Gupt, the angels of the conscious and the subconscious who

record actions, and the Righteous Judge of Dharma who judges this

record sing.

Shiva, Brahma and the Goddess of Beauty, ever adorned, sing.

Indra, seated upon His Throne, sings with the deities at Your Door.

The Siddhas in Samaadhi sing; the Saadhus sing in contemplation.

The celibates, the fanatics, the peacefully accepting and the

fearless warriors sing.

The Pandits, the religious scholars who recite the Vedas, with the

supreme sages of all the ages, sing.

The Mohinis, the enchanting heavenly beauties who entice hearts in

this world, in paradise, and in the underworld of the subconscious

sing.

The celestial jewels created by You, and the sixty-eight holy places

of pilgrimage sing.

The brave and mighty warriors sing; the spiritual heroes and the

four sources of creation sing.

The planets, solar systems and galaxies, created and arranged by

Your Hand, sing.

They alone sing, who are pleasing to Your Will. Your devotees are

imbued with the Nectar of Your Essence.

So many others sing, they do not come to mind. O Nanak, how can I

consider them all?

That True Lord is True, Forever True, and True is His Name.

He is, and shall always be. He shall not depart, even when this

Universe which He has created departs.

He created the world, with its various colors, species of beings,

and the variety of Maya.

Having created the creation, He watches over it Himself, by His

Greatness.

He does whatever He pleases. No order can be issued to Him.

He is the King, the King of kings, the Supreme Lord and Master of

kings. Nanak remains subject to His Will.

Make contentment your ear-rings, humility your begging bowl, and

meditation the ashes you apply to your body.

Let the remembrance of death be the patched coat you wear, let the

purity of virginity be your way in the world, and let faith in the

Lord be your walking stick.

See the brotherhood of all mankind as the highest order of Yogis;

conquer your own mind, and conquer the world.

I bow to Him, I humbly bow.

The Primal One, the Pure Light, without beginning, without end.

Throughout all the ages, He is One and the Same.

Let spiritual wisdom be your food, and compassion your attendant.

The Sound-current of the Naad vibrates in each and every heart.

He Himself is the Supreme Master of all; wealth and miraculous

spiritual powers, and all other external tastes and pleasures, are

all like beads on a string.

Union with Him, and separation from Him, come by His Will. We come

to receive what is written in our destiny.

 

 

(Section 01 - Jup - Part 007)

 

I bow to Him, I humbly bow.

The Primal One, the Pure Light, without beginning, without end.

Throughout all the ages, He is One and the Same.

The One Divine Mother conceived and gave birth to the three deities.

One, the Creator of the World; One, the Sustainer; and One, the

Destroyer.

He makes things happen according to the Pleasure of His Will. Such

is His Celestial Order.

He watches over all, but none see Him. How wonderful this is!

I bow to Him, I humbly bow.

The Primal One, the Pure Light, without beginning, without end.

Throughout all the ages, He is One and the Same.

On world after world are His Seats of Authority and His Storehouses.

Whatever was put into them, was put there once and for all.

Having created the creation, the Creator Lord watches over it.

O Nanak, True is the Creation of the True Lord.

I bow to Him, I humbly bow.

The Primal One, the Pure Light, without beginning, without end.

Throughout all the ages, He is One and the Same.

If I had 100,000 tongues, and these were then multiplied twenty

times more, with each tongue,

I would repeat, hundreds of thousands of times, the Name of the One,

the Lord of the Universe.

Along this path to our Husband Lord, we climb the steps of the

ladder, and come to merge with Him.

Hearing of the etheric realms, even worms long to come back home.

O Nanak, by His Grace He is obtained. False are the boastings of the

false.

No power to speak, no power to keep silent.

No power to beg, no power to give.

No power to live, no power to die.

No power to rule, with wealth and occult mental powers.

No power to gain intuitive understanding, spiritual wisdom and

meditation.

No power to find the way to escape from the world.

He alone has the Power in His Hands. He watches over all.

O Nanak, no one is high or low.

Nights, days, weeks and seasons;

wind, water, fire and the nether regions

-in the midst of these, He established the earth as a home for

Dharma.

Upon it, He placed the various species of beings.

Their names are uncounted and endless.

By their deeds and their actions, they shall be judged.

God Himself is True, and True is His Court.

There, in perfect grace and ease, sit the self-elect, the self-

realized Saints.

They receive the Mark of Grace from the Merciful Lord.

The ripe and the unripe, the good and the bad, shall there be judged.

O Nanak, when you go home, you will see this.

This is righteous living in the realm of Dharma.

And now we speak of the realm of spiritual wisdom.

So many winds, waters and fires; so many Krishnas and Shivas.

So many Brahmas, fashioning forms of great beauty, adorned and

dressed in many colors.

So many worlds and lands for working out karma. So very many lessons

to be learned!

So many Indras, so many moons and suns, so many worlds and lands.

So many Siddhas and Buddhas, so many Yogic masters. So many

goddesses of various kinds.

So many demi-gods and demons, so many silent sages. So many oceans

of jewels.

So many ways of life, so many languages. So many dynasties of rulers.

So many intuitive people, so many selfless servants. O Nanak, His

limit has no limit!

In the realm of wisdom, spiritual wisdom reigns supreme.

The Sound-current of the Naad vibrates there, amidst the sounds and

the sights of bliss.

In the realm of humility, the Word is Beauty.

Forms of incomparable beauty are fashioned there.

These things cannot be described.

One who tries to speak of these shall regret the attempt.

The intuitive consciousness, intellect and understanding of the mind

are shaped there.

The consciousness of the spiritual warriors and the Siddhas, the

beings of spiritual perfection, are shaped there.

In the realm of karma, the Word is Power.

No one else dwells there,

except the warriors of great power, the spiritual heroes.

They are totally fulfilled, imbued with the Lord's Essence.

Myriads of Sitas are there, cool and calm in their majestic glory.

Their beauty cannot be described.

Neither death nor deception comes to those,

within whose minds the Lord abides.

The devotees of many worlds dwell there.

They celebrate; their minds are imbued with the True Lord.

In the realm of Truth, the Formless Lord abides.

Having created the creation, He watches over it. By His Glance of

Grace, He bestows happiness.

There are planets, solar systems and galaxies.

If one speaks of them, there is no limit, no end.

There are worlds upon worlds of His Creation.

As He commands, so they exist.

He watches over all, and contemplating the creation, He rejoices.

O Nanak, to describe this is as hard as steel!

Let self-control be the furnace, and patience the goldsmith.

Let understanding be the anvil, and spiritual wisdom the tools.

With the Fear of God as the bellows, fan the flames of tapa, the

body's inner heat.

In the crucible of love, melt the Nectar of the Name,

and mint the True Coin of the Shabad, the Word of God.

Such is the karma of those upon whom He has cast His Glance of Grace.

O Nanak, the Merciful Lord, by His Grace, uplifts and exalts them.

Shalok:

Air is the Guru, Water is the Father, and Earth is the Great Mother

of all.

Day and night are the two nurses, in whose lap all the world is at

play.

Good deeds and bad deeds-the record is read out in the Presence of

the Lord of Dharma.

According to their own actions, some are drawn closer, and some are

driven farther away.

Those who have meditated on the Naam, the Name of the Lord, and

departed after having worked by the sweat of their brows

-O Nanak, their faces are radiant in the Court of the Lord, and many

are saved along with them!