By Ram Puniyani
Choosing one’s religion is a social and legal right of citizens, as per the Indian Constitution. Still, the organisations who do their politics under cover of religion do not accept this. Dr. Mohan Bhagwat, the Sarsanghachalak of RSS, keeps stating, on one hand, that all people living in this country are Hindus and, on the other hand, he says that Hindu population is declining as many of them are being converted to Islam and Christianity. He further went on to say that Hindu couples should produce three children as declining population of Hindus in the country is worrisome.
It is contradictory that you call everybody Hindu and yet you call for Ghar Wapasi into Hinduism. Many studies have shown that the genetic structure of all communities in India is similar. As far as population genetics is concerned it is no indicator of one’s religion. The fact is that global migrations took place and determine the similarity of DNA amongst different religions. Just because DNA studies reveal many similarities, it cannot become an argument for leaving one’s religion of inheritance or choice and merging into the majority religious community.
Conversion Myths
The argument that Islam in India spread on the strength of sword of kings holds no water as the first Muslim population of India developed on Malabar Coast, Kerala. This was not due to the sword of the king, as there was no Muslim king in Kerala till 15th century when Tipu Sultan annexed it. The first mosque in India came up in the 7th century itself, Cheramaan Juma Mosque. Later while few conversions to Islam might have taken place due to coercion or allurement, the major conversions to Islam took place to escape the tyranny of caste system. It was not Kings who caused conversion, but it was under the influence of humanistic approach of Sufi saints that many converted to Islam. As Swami Vivekanand pointed out Islam came as a liberatory force for the low caste in India. Many victorious Muslim kings granted mercy to defeated Hindu kings if they agreed to accept Islam. This is a miniscule number. To say that only the method of worship has changed due to conversion amongst the converts is a travesty of truth. Muslims have their own places of worship, pilgrimage, holy books and identity. The claims of current Hindutva ideologues are at odds with progenitor of Hindu Nationalism, Savarkar, for whom Muslims were a different nation.
As far as Christianity is concerned, it entered India in 52 CE with St. Thomas setting up Churches on Malabar Coast. Today their share in total population is a mere 2.3 per cent (Census 2011). Their work in remote Adivasis areas has got them come converts, but the overall share of 2.3 per cent in a period of close to two millennia does not show use of any allurement or force. Surely some small denominations amongst Christian religion do claim that they want to convert, but the major denominations do not convert unless the person opts voluntarily for this.
This story was originally published in newsclick.in. Read the full story here.
