By M K George
Rome: One should think that Indian Christians are becoming aggressively anti-Muslim if we are to believe the media, particularly the social media. Whether it is the controversy on ‘love jihad,’ ‘benefits for minorities allegedly being swallowed by Muslims,’ or a movie made by a Muslim director with the name of Jesus and the latest controversy around a bishop’s reference to alleged ‘narcotic jihad,’ there is an evident attack on the Muslims .
This trend is particularly dangerous because it is both spiritually and politically naïve, unwise and retrograde.
Of course, one cannot forget that the Christian-Muslim animosity is nothing new. Who could ever forget the story of crusades? For that matter, it is not just between Muslims and Christians alone. Who would not know the destruction that the ongoing violence based on religion is wrecking on humanity?
According to Pew research , ‘in 2018 more than a quarter of the world’s countries experienced a high incidence of hostilities motivated by religious hatred, mob violence related to religion, terrorism, and harassment of women for violating religious codes.’ In the same year religion-related armed conflict took the greatest toll on the populations in Syria (with millions killed or displaced), Afghanistan, Nigeria, Somalia, and Yemen (with hundreds of thousands killed or displaced), and India, Iraq, Libya, Philippines, and Sudan (with tens of thousands killed or displaced).
Prevalent Islamophobia
Islamophobia understood as ‘an exaggerated fear, hatred, and hostility toward Islam and Muslims that is perpetuated by negative stereotypes resulting in bias, discrimination, and the marginalization and exclusion of Muslims from social, political, and civic life’ (Wajahat Ali et al), is not new to the world. However, 9/11 and subsequent developments have worsened the situation. Now, with the victory of Taliban forces in Afghanistan the spread of Islamophobia is likely to be far more widespread and intense.
Reasons why Christians should not be promoting Islamophobia
First and foremost, love is the Christian way. Self-immolating love, after the model of Jesus. It would be interesting for Christians across India to ask whether love really rules our responses to Islamic behaviour, which very honestly we must say, did not always remain just and human. The fact the other is doing wrong does not give us the right to do wrong.
Second, most of the Islam hatred is based on fake news. Nobody should believe all that is shared even in the print media. In a recent webinar journalist, Sagarika Ghose said that an organized industry of fake information is thriving in India. She added, ‘the Indian media is finished. Large media houses are prostrate before the powers that be.’
For Christians or for that matter for any believer to spread fake news or respond based on unverified news is contrary to the very principles of the faith that he or she follows. Truth alone should guide us. Unfortunately, there is so much untruth around that one is hard pressed for time and knowledge to distinguish the real from the fake.
Third, the world has sufficient hatred. We do not need yet another to add on to the hatred of any other, let alone Muslims. Hate speech and hate crimes have become so omnipresent that many do not even react to them. Ignoring hate speech and hate crimes are at the peril of the future of democracy.
Unfortunately, in India we have a situation where powers that be are promoting or at least closing their eyes to widespread hate speech and hate crimes of the supporters of the regime. While those in the opposition or even non-political actors are under threat of prosecution those close to the ruling regime go scot free of the crudest of hate speech and crimes.
Fourth, the naiveté of the Christian leaders who seem to pit Muslims against the combination of Christians and right wing majority is terribly depressing. It is almost as if the Christians are not able to distinguish lions in lambskin. At any point of time right wing fundamentalism is far more dangerous to democracy and the minorities than any other fundamentalist movements.
Unfortunately, the Christians who refuse to see what these so called right wing friends are doing to their own Christian brothers and sisters in other parts of the country is itself inscrutable. The Khandmal Christians and their suffering, unfortunately, have not caught the attention of the mainstream Christian community or leadership as much as the so-called love jihad, or the latest ‘narcotic jihad.’
Fifth, the saddest of realities is the sheer lack of rigorous social analysis and political education of not only the Christian faithful but also worse still of the Christian leadership. Are the real social and political issues at the local and universal levels the major talking points of Christians? Or, are they engaged in non-issues. Sometimes an ordinary Christian would feel that the leadership is talking themselves to irrelevance. There will come a time, and that too pretty soon, when no one, except the sycophantic minority, will take the church leadership seriously.
The Jesuit General Congregation 34 made a profound statement. It said, ‘to be religious is to be interreligious.’ No one can be truly religious by being antipathetic to other religions. Pope Francis remains an ardent believer in listening and dialogue. He is wants to take interreligious dialogue in new directions encouraging the dialogue of fraternity, accompaniment and journey together.
Aggressive anti-Islamic positions of Christians are not only naive but also very irreligious.
A footnote: Just in case anybody thinks, I am supporting Islamic fundamentalism and terrorism that is wrong. The primary duty of a Christian today is to fight fundamentalist and terrorist tendencies everywhere, even within one’s own home. And I strive to the best of my ability to live as a Christian.
(Father M K George is Jesuits’ regional assistant for South Asia.)
Fr.George, the anti-Muslim issue is more so in Kerala. Unlike reports, it is not an all India phenomenon.
There are facts to show that RSS is using this issue to excite the agitated Church towards harder stand on the Muslims. Should the Church play into the hands of such sinister forces. Unfortunately it is. Communally political windfall for the Sang Parivar. The undercurrents are that the Church may be wanting to avert raids by Central agencies. Thereby hangs a tale!
There is more than what meets the eye.
I do not buy the idea that Christians are against Muslims. The bitter reality is that some “fanatic church leaders” like bishops and priests are against Muslims, Hindus and people of other religions and “mislead the innocent, oppressed and voiceless Christians”. These fanatic church leaders’ thoughts, words and actions are still Pre-Vatican. This is the irony!
I gather from watching ex-Muslim Youtubers such as Jabbar Mash and Jameetha teacher and others that whatever persecution Taliban, Al Qaida, Isis, BOKO Haram and others are perpetuating on other communities are all in accordance with their book. So the society’s only hope is on large number of good Muslims to obtain peace in Kerala. Unfortunately they don’t speak up when extremists thinking gains root. Now lot of good Muslims have come out with youtube videos attacking the bishop. Unfortunately they don’t show the same enthusiasm to criticize their own. There were celebration in Kerala when Taliban took over Afghanistan. Everyone knows what Taliban stands for. Good Muslims were missing in condemning the reaction of their brethren to Taliban victory. Any condemnation was left to ex-Muslims. This is a huge problem that leads to extremists going unchallenged.
Kerala people by and large are opposed to BJP. I am afraid that this situation is being exploited by extremists to strengthen their base. “We must keep BJP out” for them translates to “let’s get more intolerant and hardliners”.
Any full blown out communal violence will affect the Muslims most in Kerala as much of retail and small businesses are in the hands of Muslims while their customers are Christians and Hindus. Who would want to destroy their market? This situation is the best hope for peace in Kerala constraining the theatre of operation for extremists to limited geographical pockets.
With 28% population share, no politicians will want to rub the Muslim community on the wrong side and very little can be expected of both UDF and LDF to do anything to take on extremists elements.
While it is not Christian to either promote or endorse Islamophobia, one should not close one’s eyes to the ground reality where the Christians are targeted in a systematic manner. And I think it is the duty of the leadership to alert the faithful against any onslaught on their community, as there have been cases where members of the Christian community were led into extremist ideologies thereby destroying their life and of their families. This is a social problem and whoever indulges in such evil practices have to be made accountable. Similarly drug menace is real in India, and it must be addressed. We are aware of what happened to the youth in Punjab and how the Government took steps to control drug abuse over there. Kerala has an illustrious history of religious harmony and the Christian community has always played a positive role in social development. And if any one from any community does something illegal or harmful to the society and its well being it must be tackled and not conveniently pushed under the carpet.
Thanks for your inputs on the subject Fr. M.K.
There has been an innate aversion or hatred among the Catholics against Muslims is pointed out by many well meaning civil society leaders from their lived in experience.
In Kolkata in certain circles similar type of feelings exist among some church leaders but not expressed as explicitly as in Kerala.
As you suggested more of Social and contextual analysis as Christian formation is needed today more than ever. We need to give some importance to the Catholic Social Teachings .
The Synod on Synodality if done well, will give the Church a needed break
Just in case I in turn am accused of malayalee phobia I must add that most of my close friends are Malayalee. My son’s godfather is a Malayalee. My daughter’s father in law is also malayalee as is my younger sister in law.
I don’t use my family name in public, especially church life, because I abhor all forms of ethnic chauvinism.
Greatly appreciate this presentation. Let me give two examples from my Malayalee friends. A religious sister sent me a message of how Muslims are unhappy in their own countries and migrate to others where they create problems. The message also claimed that Muslims were happy in India. I cautioned her for her naivete.
Another friend is looking for a groom for his daughter. The boys want one crore dowry plus gold! So where do our girls go?
Dear Editor,
I wonder if you really listened to what Bishop Kallarangat told his community at Kuravilangad church on September 8. Among other things he rightly warned his faithful, as a consciecnsicous shepherd, that cares for his sheep, to be careful of a small group of people trying to make money by destroying Catholic and Hindu girls, giving examples. The reality is well-known and yet some for the sake of popularity or other personal interests keep quiet about that. How many of the Catholic youth have become slaves the drugs and who is responsible for that? To make it a Muslim-hate speech is running away from the reality.
Dear Fr. George,
Thank you for a lucid presentation on a matter of importance.
I agree with you that Islamophobia on the part of Christians in India “is particularly dangerous because it is both spiritually and politically naïve, unwise and retrograde.”
Islamophobia is unChristian.
Well written Fr.George.Islamophobia is catching up Christians based on unsubstantiated issues like “Love Jihad” and lately “Narcotic Jihad”.Instead Love miniscule of Christians think others are hell
In Kerala chirst is a commodity to be sold , in retail and whenever possible in wholsale. He has lost his significance as a spiritual head. The so called representives of him are no more his representative s but masters of him. So things will go on until they destroy themselves and their blind followers.
Now they are mere soldiers of a POLITICAL CHESS.
The religious heads should avoid indulging in such sensitive matters and be prudent enough what they speak in public whether in the church or elsewhere. Pala bishop is becoming nowadays unreasonable.