Posted on 06/13/2005 10:19:38 AM PDT by kiriath_jearim
Monday, 13 June, 2005, 14:58 GMT 15:58 UK
India to deport US missionaries
By Zubair Ahmed BBC News, Mumbai
Four American missionaries have been asked to leave India for what police say is a violation of visa regulations.
The missionaries were attacked by a Hindu mob in India's western city Mumbai (Bombay) on Saturday evening during a Bible reading session.
Police said three of them were treated for bruises and cuts in a hospital.
One of the assailants was released on bail after allegedly abducting one of the missionaries who are accused of trying to convert local Hindus.
'Stern action'
Police told the BBC that the men entered India on tourist visas, but were found preaching religion.
They say two of them have already left Mumbai, and the other two are waiting to catch the next available flight.
Police say a group of local Hindus beat up the missionaries, because they angered over their attempts to convert local Hindus.
But the missionaries told the police they were only holding a Bible reading session.
Mumbai Christians have condemned the attack, and urged the police to take stern action against those involved in the attack.
Dolphy D'Souza of the Bombay Catholics Sabha has accused the police of being lenient towards those involved in the attack.
But police say they have registered a case of abduction against one of the assailants who was produced in court and released on bail after the abducted missionary reappeared on Sunday morning.
Christians are often accused of forcibly converting the poor in India by bribing them with money and jobs.
But this is denied by the Christian community, which accounts for about two percent of India's one billion population.
Six years ago, a Hindu mob burnt alive an Australian missionary and his two young sons in the eastern state of Orissa.
The man charged with their murder was sentenced to death, but last month his sentence was commuted to life imprisonment.
"were found preaching religion..."
India may be a democracy, but it's got a ways to go before it's truly free.
It's interesting though that the lefties regard the US as obsessed with religion. The comparison is pretty stark.
I didn't know you couldn't preach your religion on a tourist visa. Maybe they need a "preaching" visa and then register with the govt before they can speak of their faith. It would be interesting if the Hindu population in the US speaks up against it.
India news ping
Culture is sometimes an obstacle of democracy. This intolerance is no different from Islamists. What would have Ghandi said if he saw this incident, Indians?
Rules are rules. We should remember that just as we ask foreigners to follow our rules when here, other countries can ask our visitors over there to do the same.
The US has a separate visa for foreign religious persons to come here and be administrators or temples/mosques etc.
And if a person on tourist visa engages in that, do we deport them? Of course there is a religious visa. How else can they get overnight visas?
Yes. Today even if a foreigner has the slightest of violations, even 1 day overstay - he/she gets deported and will likely NEVER get a visa again.
That is not what I said. I am sure if you go to your nearest Hindu temple, I will find some priest or worker there who is on a tourist visa. In fact, I will ask around.
I strongly condemn this kind of behaviour of Hindus (my co-religionists) and there is absolutely no reason whatsoever to assault ordinary people on whatever grounds, religious or otherwise. And I would condemn this kind of behaviour even when its meted out to Muslims (as I have done before on this forum) irrespective of my differences with Christianity or Islam (or Christians and Muslims).
And while I strongly condemn these acts I would also contend that this has nothing to do with India's culture or democracy. Religious whackos are to be found in every religion and one cannot (and should) not condemn a whole country or a religion for the actions of a handful.
Christianity I believe is a great religion just as much as Hinduism, Buddism or Judaism and every religion has the freedom to observe their faith in India as long as they adhere to the laws of the land.
While I dont like it when people attack each other in this case I will reserve judgement until we know all the facts.
News items like these give people the wrong idea.
Its not as if there are no churches/missionaries in mumbai.
Au contraire. Find me an Indian city that doesnt have missionaries... and how many of those christians have been pressured to convert?? NONE.
And not all of these missionaries are white as snow either. They have attempted to convert me and several people I know when I lived there and thru very aggressive tactics... . I am talking money and sex. The line used was "christian girls are smarter (wink, wink) " Yes.. believe it.
At one time I was also refused admission in a famous mumbai school only because I wasnt Catholic... though they dont advertise that they discriminate.
There needs to be a full investigation of proselytising practices in India.
Is the US truely free?
A lot of missionaries I know are trained in the local languages, although I cannot speak for the ones that are involved here. BTW, why would you suspect the Southern Baptists for any wrongdoing in India? I am one although a non-practicing one. I am curious to know your reason, and I may be able to clear up your confusion.
Communal forces are everywhere. The problem with India is that you have politicians who are more than willing to incubate it for their personal privileges.
Not as free as I would like, but basic fundamental freedoms are abundant. Most importantly, people have a distaste for basic injustice and will come to help you out if you went through crap. After 9/11, a Sikh guy was killed by someone in AZ because he was confused for a Muslim. BTW, even if he was a Mislim it would still be wrong. The guy was arrested, charged with murder, and got the death penalty or life in prison. People all over AZ raised a few million dollars to compensate the family whose only source of livelihood was the guy's income. If something truly unjust ever happens to you, you would wish you are in the US because people do help you out.
normal= i.e. as is usual in India
And wondering why (there have been reports of) only Southern Baptists and not other denominations coming to India. The current incident dealt with preachers from North Carolina. Would they be Southern Baptists?
You can be "Born Again" anything, even Buddhist. That just means you found God in mid-life. But, yes the Southern Baptists would be an Evangelical church.
I can put your fear to rest. I can guarantee you that the Southern Baptist church isn't funding any insurgency anywhere. I have spent some time in the Brahmaputra valley, although I think you are talking about Nagaland and Mizoram. I have never been there, but I can assure you that they are not part of any insurgency there. If you have evidence of such things, hang them up high and noone would raise any objection. Of course, they are evangelicals and they believe in spreading the Word to as many non-Christians as possible. BTW, all non-Christians are heathens/pagans. A lot of them are also going to Israel because that is where the second coming is supposed to take place. I am not a good believer in these things, but some people feel very strongly about it.
I think the best bet for India right now is to ban these foreign missionaries completely for their own safety. They have to deal with their internal communal problems first. At the end of the day, everyone has to pick his/her own path. In a free society, people are free to choose to believe whatever religion one chooses, or chooses not to believe at all. Your choice of religion is no different from your choice of TV, radio, or washing machine. Whatever gives you the most peace of mind at cost you can afford (rites, rituals, fastings, prayers, etc), you will follow that. As such, all religions are competing in the marketplace and a free society should provide for access to all religions for the sake of its own people. When Hindus attack Christians in Bombay, they don't realize that they put Hindus in the rest of the world on the defensive for no good reason whatsoever. Also, it shows their insecurity and ultimately motivates these Evangelical groups. They believe strongly in good and evil and when they hear these stories it enforces their beliefs that there is evil in this world trying to stop the spread of the Bible.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.