militants are misleading businesses to finance "a violent hate-campaign" against India’s religious minorities, which killed several people in recent weeks.
"Corporations will give money thinking they are [for instance] supporting underprivileged children to receive education," said GCIC National Convenor Sajan K. George in an interview with BosNewsLife. "But, the truth is that these [Hindu] organizations use the money not for [normal] education but to spread hate against Christians and to harass and kill them," he added.
In recent weeks Hindu militants reportedly attacked Christians verbally and violently, killing at least one evangelist and injuring dozens of Bible students. Hindu militants have also threatened to kill Christians in tribal regions unless they leave the region or abandon their Christian faith, church officials told BosNewsLife.
‘GODDESS’ DANCE
George said as recently as Saturday, March 6, corporations sponsored what they believed was a dance performance to raise money for under privileged children. But during the show in Bangalore, Karnataka state, it became clear that there was a hidden Hindu agenda, said the GCIC official.
"The Indian dancer, Sonal Mansingh, performed a Rhapsody to give tribute to the Hindu goddess of learning and wisdom, Saraswati," he said. The evening was organized by the Friends of Tribals Society, which is linked to the Hindu fundamentalist group Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) or ‘World Hindu Council’, BosNewsLife learned.
The GCIC, which has the backing of India’s main denominations, has urged the Government to "view these developments with due seriousness and take urgent remedial measures" to restrain businesses "from donating funds for hate," George said.
HINDU SCHOOLS
It comes amid concern within churches about the establishment of a growing number of Hindu militant schools, known as Ekal Vidyalayas, in tribal regions and northeastern states. Militants allegedly use these one-teacher schools to prevent conversions to Christianity and to teach hatred towards Christians.
Since anti Christian violence in 1999, the schools mushroomed throughout the country, experts say. There are an estimated 14,000 Ekal Vidyalayas in India with, with over 2,000 volunteers.
The schools are mainly funded by Indians living in the United States, BosNewsLife learned. An American website of militant group VHP has appealed to Indian expatriates to support the schools. "For one dollar-a-day or $365 per year, one Ekal Vidyalaya can be sponsored," one message said.
AMERICA INVOLVED
The Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation of America sponsored 1,250 school in the year 2001
alone, according to VHP estimates. The VHP says it wants to double the number of its branches by the year 2007, to fight conversions.
"The VHP will nearly double the number of its branches from the current 50,000 branches and set up 25,000 more one-teacher schools to cover as many as 75,000 tribal hamlets," United News of India quoted VHP’s International General Secretary, Praveen Togadia, as saying.
Togadia said the VHP would also expand the reach of its youth wing by opening an additional 50,000 unites to create what he called "strong pan-Hindu sentiments in the country."
Hindu organizations have however defended their activities, saying they do nothing more than defending the Hindu religion.
According to government figures Hindus constitute about 82 percent of India’s roughly 1.1 billion population, while Christians make up just over 2 percent. (Based in New Delhi, Journalist Vishal Arora, 32, has covered persecution and other hard hitting news stories for a variety of international and national publications. He has traveled around the country on invitation by NGOs for seminars and talks on human rights, communalism, and religious persecution. Vishal Arora can be contacted at e-mail address vishalarora_in@hotmail.com or visit his website http://www40.brinkster.com/vishalarora/ )
