Back Off Mr. Modi
Religious conversions are one of the most contentious issues in Indian politics. Some states have passed laws which attempt to make conversions allegedly based on coercion and allurement punishable by law. How they are actually perceived is a different matter all together. Now, news comes in that the Modi government in Gujarat is enacting a similar law, albeit with some changes.
As it happens in most such debates, the issue has been hijacked by fanatics on both sides. The proponents of such laws argue that the conversions take place mostly because of allurements offered by missionaries, financed as they are by rich backers in West. The opponents see it as another example of Hindu revivalism and dub it as an attack on freedom of religion. The truth of course lies somewhere in between and it is difficult to say how many conversions take place due to monetary considerations. No doubt, missionaries are most active in tribal areas or places where poverty is endemic. Also, the law does not ban conversions per se, it cannot, simply because religious freedom which includes the right to convert is one of the fundamental rights guaranteed under the constitution.
However, even if we accept that all religious conversions take place solely because of monetary considerations, does it justify such laws?
No. India is a secular country, which means there is a separation of Church and State and the State has no official religion. The state cannot promote one religion over another and it is not it’s business to see whether India remains a Hindu majority country or not.
Religion is a private affair of the individual, and by extension can be deemed a private asset. Just like an individual has the absolute right to sell off his assets, the state cannot intervene if he decides to trade in his religion for a better life. Whether the trade off is spiritual or pecuniary is immaterial and cannot be allowed to bear any influence on the actions of the state. Its intervention can only be condoned in two cases a) Where there is an element of coercion involved b) When there is a breach of contract. However, the state cannot pro-actively investigate them nor cannot it demand that such transactions be submitted to its scrutiny as a matter of routine. Of course, Hindu groups also have the right to reconvert them and no one should have any problems with that. I recognize that Hinduism is not a proselytizing religion but that is not the concern of a secular state.
Mr. Modi’s Government has hardly an exemplary record when it comes to matters of religious freedom and respecting minorities, the memories of the Gujarat riots are still fresh. He would be well advised not to indulge in such politics.
