'Accounts frozen': Mother Teresa's charity continues to be targeted amidst Xmas festival

By Fr Cedric Prakash SJ*
A very effective strategy of fascists and dictators from time immemorial is to denigrate, demonize, divide and destroy the other. This is particularly true where the 'other' are those who dissent , those who do selfless work which they are unable to do or simply those they are unable to deal with.
The past few weeks in India have seen several examples of how these fascists have been using every possible deed from their violent and dirty bag of tricks to terrorise minorities of the country!
The Christians of India have always been a 'soft target'; in their ascent to power since the late 1990s the BJP and their ilk in the Sangh Parivar have systematically targeted the community in different ways and all over the country.
The 'bogey' of forced conversion, the desecration of sacred objects, the attacks on Christians and their places of worship and institutions, the myriad threats, intimidation and harassments, the spreading of canard- are all part of a wider game plan to polarize the majority community and put Christians in bad light!
This past month -- particularly, the days before and on Christmas day -- have seen a surge of this orchestrated campaign against the Christians in several parts of the country and very specially in states ruled by the BJP.
The Missionaries of Charity (MCs -- the Sisters and Brothers Congregations founded by Mother Teresa) are highup at the receiving end of this viciousness and vilification.
Mother Teresa and her legacy which is continued selflessly today embody the highest of Christian Charity -- reaching out to the dying destitute, the poorest of the poor, the orphan and widow, the unloved and rejected , the lost, the lonely, the last and least - irrespective of one's religious belief.

This past month, particularly the days before and on Christmas day, have seen a surge of this orchestrated campaign against Christians

False cases are now foisted on the Sisters like that of 'conversion'; besides, latest reports say that the foreign accounts of the MCs have also been frozen.
Very sad indeed!

The MCs care for thousands of the rejected of India: day, in and day out, without counting the cost. Stopping the flow of funds to the MCs, in simple terms, means depriving the poorest of the poor in India- humans whom no one cares for- the basic humanitarian need of shelter and food, not to mention the acceptance, warmth and love which they desperately need and which the Sisters and Brothers give them so ungrudgingly.
The Government must reconsider this terrible decision and restore the good name and work of the MCs; if there are any laxities or shortcomings the MCs must be helped to rectify/ address them; and above all, to ensure that those who are cared for in the MC institutions are not deprived of this basic humanitarian assistance!
The good work of the MCs is there for all to see!
Women and men from all walks of life need to come out in the open -- visibly and vocally -- to stop what is happening to the MCs!
Finally, in adherence to the Constitution of India, every form of denigration and demonization of the Christians in India must stop immediately and unconditionally and those responsible for these heinous crimes must be brought to book without further delay!
---
*Human rights activist based in Ahmedabad

Comments

bernard kohn said…

we have so very far to go, towards a really tolerant and "understanding" society...
will we ever get there..?
To tear down is so easy and in the "leading" newspapers..., not a word, nor in the government for that matter....

December 28, 2021

Importance of Bangladesh for India amidst 'growing might' of China in South Asia

By Samara Ashrat* The basic key factor behind the geopolitical importance of Bangladesh is its geographical location. The country shares land borders with Myanmar and India. Due to its geographical position, Bangladesh is a natural link between South Asia and Southeast Asia. The country is also a vital geopolitical ally to India, in that it has the potential to facilitate greater integration between Northeast India and Mainland India. Not only that, due to its open access to the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh has become significant to both China and the US.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Our Representative Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

'BBC film shows only tip of iceberg': Sanjiv Bhatt's daughter speaks at top US press club

By Our Representative The United States' premier journalists' organisation, the National Press Club (NPC), has come down heavily on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for recent "attacks on journalists in India." Speaking at the screening of an episode of the BBC documentary “India: The Modi Question,” banned in India, in the club premises, NPC President Eileen O’Reilly said, “Since Modi came to power we have watched with frustration and disappointment as his regime has suppressed the rights of its citizens to a free and independent news media."

Regional political dynamics 'leading to' institutional violence in SAARC University

By Sandeep Pandey* South Asian University is a university set up in Delhi by member countries of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation – India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Afghanistan and Maldives – which is open to students from all these countries. However, as SAARC is receiving little attention these days because of regional political dynamics, it appears as if SAU has lost significance too. Because of the hiatus in peace process between India and Pakistan, the Board of Governors of this University is dysfunctional.

Natural farming: Hamirpur leads the way to 'huge improvement' in nutrition, livelihood

By Bharat Dogra* Santosh is a dedicated farmer who along with his wife Chunni Devi worked very hard in recent months to convert a small patch of unproductive land into a lush green, multi-layer vegetable garden. This has ensured year-round supply of organically grown vegetables to his family as well as fetched several thousand rupees in cash sales.

Over-stressed? As Naveen Patnaik turns frail, Odisha 'moves closer' to leadership crisis

By Sudhansu R Das Not a single leader in Odisha is visible in the horizon who can replace Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. He has ruled Odisha for nearly two and half decades. His father, Biju Patnaik, had built Odisha; he was a daring pilot who saved the life of Indonesia’s Prime Minister Sjahrir and President Sukarno when the Dutch army blocked their exit.

Hillary Clinton, Al Gore, Ban Ki-moon, others ask Bangladesh PM to 'protect' Yunus

Counterview Desk A campaign has been launched to support Bangladesh-based economist, micro-finance guru and Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, seeking signatures from citizens across the globe in order to “protect” his work, life and safety.

Electricity sharing opens up new window for India’s eastern neighbourhood engagement

By Sufian Asif* Today, challenges like climate change, pandemics, energy reliance, economic crisis, and many more are concerning us. No nation can overcome these obstacles without the assistance and collaboration of other nations. Most importantly, many of these problems have international repercussions. South Asia is facing much more difficulty when compared to other regions. In South Asia, we have some regional organizations, but they are ineffective.

'Vulgar display of wealth': Govt of India using G20 presidency for political, electoral gains

Counterview Desk Seeking endorsement for a public statement on India's G20 Presidency, several people’s movements, trade unions and other civil society groups have come together to say that not only will G20 and its priorities “will worsen economic, social and climate crisis”, already, India’s presidency is being used “for vulgar display of pomp & for electoral gains.”

Search This Blog