And Now the Christians Speak Up…. against Intolerance
The Christian minority in India has come together in a collective from different parts of the country to express deep concern over the increasing intolerance.
THE CITIZEN BUREAU Monday, November 2, 2015
NEW DELHI: The Christian minority in India has come together in a collective from different parts of the country to express deep concern over the increasing intolerance.
The Christians were targeted by the Hindutva groups in their ‘ghar wapsi’ campaign, accusing them of conversions. Priests and nuns were attacked and churches gutted in a spate of violence across western Uttar Pradesh and neighbouring states.
The Church had expressed concern at the time. But this is a first when an assortment of individuals from the community have recorded theirprotest.
The statement reads:
“We the undersigned Indian Christians as citizens of our country India and as Christians in unequivocal terms denounce the growing intolerance in the country. We also denounce the sinister attempts to do away with reservation policy and ultimately the attempt to undermine the Constitution of India; we denounce the planned move to utilize religion for politico-economic benefits; we denounce the well orchestrated efforts to use government machinery to achieve ones evil ends; we denounce all the efforts to divide the nation into fiefdom of some elements.
We denounce all the attempts to erode scientific temper and scholarship by meddling with the education system of the country. We are in special way concerned at how the Indigenous Adivasi People in our country are being coerced to leave their traditional nature-based religious beliefs and practices and are subjected to so-called ‘ghar wapsi’ by some hindutva elements thus ushering in disharmony within their communities. Under this pretext, they are being alienated from their natural habitat and resources.
As citizens, we uphold the democratic, secular and socialist principles and practices of our mother country; we uphold the basic foundations of justice, liberty, equality and fraternity enshrined in our Constitution for all the citizens of the country; we uphold the right to freedom of different cultures, religions, ways of life, beliefs, traditions, practices, customs and orientations; we uphold the right of the citizens to live a life without any intimidation by anyone; we uphold the age old tradition of living in harmony and unity by all the citizens of this country; we uphold the value of rural reconstruction and nation building.
Further, we stand in solidarity with all victims of targeted violence against Adivasis, Dalits, Women, religious minorities and people of other orientations. We uphold freedom of expression and ways of life. We are in defence of human rights defenders and advocacy groups.
We stand in solidarity with all those from various walks of life, faiths, traditions, backgrounds, cultures, communities, professions and orientations who have raised voice against the growing intolerance in the country and call upon all the citizens to resist every move to create crisis and conflict by some vested interests.
We invite others too to stand up at this time and express concern and do whatever is needed to uphold inclusive development, peace, unity, integrity, sovereignty and harmony in our Country India.”
Citizens of India
Mr. Francis Colaso – Former DGP Karnataka
John Dayal – Member, National Integration Council, Writer and Activist
Darryl D’Monte – Journalist, Maharashtra
Dr. Walter Fernandes – Social Scientist, Guwahati
Cedric Prakash – Social Activist, Ahmadabad
A.C. Michael – Former Minority Commission Member, Govt of Delhi
Lukose Vallatharai IAS (Rtd) – Bengaluru
Philomena Fernandez – Goans in Gulf
Dolphy Dsouza – Police Reforms Watch, Mumbai
Ms. Virginia Saldanhaz- Secretary, Indian Christian Women’s Movement, Mumbai
Dr. Kochurani Abraham – Indian Women Theologians Forum, Kottayam
Managing Committee Members of the Bombay Catholic Sabha, Kalina Unit
BG Koshy – The Rainbow Forum, Bangalore
Margaret Gonsalves – ANNNI Charitable Trust, Maharashtra
Ms. Mary Alfred, International Travel House, Mumbai
Fr. Dominic Immanuel – Media Person, Delhi
Dr. Fr. Felix Raj – Principal, St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata
Aasha Ramesh – Bengaluru
Deepak Mukarji – Delhi
Clement Periera – Bengaluru
Alana Golmei – Guwahati
Ajaya Singh – Bhubaneswar
Manju Tirkey – Rourkela
Harvey Hoddings – Bengaluru
Cynthia Stephen – Bengaluru
Dominic Immanuel – Delhi
Dr. Keith D Cunha – Bengaluru
Helen Saldanha – New York
Alex Ekka – Ranchi
Marie Charmaine Lamount – Bengaluru
Rajesh M Singh – Bengaluru
Dr. Goldy George – Raipur
R. Viegas – Mumbai
Gracias C – Bengaluru
Benny Chiramel – Trivandrum
Venus Mario John – Bengaluru
Lynette Gomes – Mumbai
Sebastian Poomattam – Chattisgarh
Harry Pereira – Bengaluru
Anthony Dias – Mumbai
Santona Das – Bengaluru
Ms. M. Shimray – Manipur
A R F Viegas – Mumbai
Fredrick Francis – Bengaluru
Rebecca Kurian – Bengaluru
Angela L Viegas – Mumbai
Omena Matthan – Bengaluru
Mr. Eldred Tellis – Mumbai
Mr. Loyola Azavedo – Mumbai
Fulgence Lakra – Jashpur
Sannybhai – Surat
Mario Jason Braganza – Thane
Ms. Prasanna Thomas – Mumbai
Aloysius Irudayam – Madurai,
Joe Mattam – Vadodara
Joe Xavier – Madurai
Rosely Cheeramkunnel – Mumbai
Sr Mariola BS – Mangaloru
Velangani Sinnamuthu – Kalol, Gujart
Stan Swamy – Ranchi
A.J. Philip – Delhi
Stanley H Mark – Bengaluru
Jothi – Kolkatt
Alwyn D’Souza – Bangkok
Julius Gonsalves – Bengaluru
Dorothy D’Souza – Pune
Manu Alphonse – Chennai
Fredrick Francis – Bengaluru
Ruth D’Souza – Maharashtra
Benedict Joy – Bengaluru
R. Viegas – Mumbai
Rapheal RSM – Bengaluru
Xavier Jeyaraj – Kolkatta
William Stanley – Vizag
Lewis James – Bengaluru
Dr. Rudi Heredia – Mumbai
Bobby – Delhi
K.M. Selvaraj – Ooty
Freda Coelho – Ahmadabad
Miss Anoushka Viegas – Mumbai
Ruby – Jammu
James Pochury – Nagaland
Xavier Manjooran – Songad, Gujarat
Shanta Mathai – Bengaluru
Nithiya Sagayam – Trichy
Mr. Apem Shangh – Manipur
Premalatha Kumar – Bengaluru
Lydia Fernandez – Bengaluru
Mathai Kocuparampil – Ahmedabad
Prashant Olalekar – Lonavala
Valerian Mendonca – Belgium
Rita Puthenkalam – Bihar
Leela Jose – Kochi
Enid Fernandes – Mumbai
Antony Arulraj – New Delhi
Dinesh Braganza – Mumbai
Mathew AJ – Trichy
Rohit James Joseph – Mumbai
Sr Jessy Leena BS – Mangaloru
Velangani Sinnamuthu – Kalol, Gujart
Lynette Viegas – Lector at Our Lady of Egypt Church, Mumbai
Mrs. Praxedes Gomes – Senior Citizen, Mumbai
Sahaya Philomin Raj – Tamil Nadu
Owen Chourappa – Kohima
David Solomon – Dumka
Varkey Perekkatt – Delhi
Jacob Kujur – Pathalgaon
Lilly Pereira BS – Austria
Lourdu Raju.D.Joy – Khammam, Telangana
Hazel D’Lima – Mumbai
Dr. Pius Kizha – Kerala
Nestor J Rodrigues – Bengaluru
Samuel Kapani – Austria
Vedanayagam – Dharmapur, Tamil Nadu
Arockiasamy Arulandu
Dr. Prakash Louis – Patna
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment