|
INTERNATIONAL ALLIANCE AGAINST FUNDAMENTALISM Telephone: 91-11-91539526
91-11-8539526
Fax: 91-11-2256042
E-mail: sakth-@giasdla.vsnl.net.in
ALLIANCE BULLETIN-4 1 January 1999 All articles and reports given in the ALLIANCE BULLETIN can be reproduced. Please acknowledge the source: (International Alliance Against Fundamentalism)
HINDU FUNDAMENTALISTS
ATTACK CHURCHES IN INDIA
The Indian Rationalist Association strongly condemns the Viswa Hindu Parishad (VHP) for its attack and violence on Christian churches and priests. The VHP is a Hindu fundamentalist organisation which initiated the movement that demolished the 16th century mosque in Uttar Pradesh in 1992. Several Christian churches were torched and Christian congregations were attacked in the last few weeks in different parts of India by VHP activists. The Rationalists do not approve the plans of Christian missionaries and churches for the evangelisation of India. But it has to be fought from a secular platform. The Indian Rationalist Association has always criticised misutilisation of funds meant for "social service" for the propagation of Christianity, especially to lure the financially weak and the tribals. There are several complaints about forcible conversion to Christianity under the cover of NGOs working under the pretext of social service. "Such efforts are to be stopped by legal ways, not by resorting to violence", said Sanal Edamaruku, Secretary General of Indian Rationalist Association. Mr Edamaruku expressed his strong exception to the article published in the December 27 issue of "Organiser", the mouth piece of RSS, the central Hindu organisation. Commenting on the position taken by the article, that "the best protection of Indian Christians is the goodwill of the majority", Mr Edamaruku said: "In a civilized society, all minorities should have the right to maintain their belief or faith, eventhough such beliefs may be absurd. And their rights should not be dependent on the "goodwill" of the majority." He also suggested that the zealous missionaries and evangelists trying to convert people using their poverty and ignorance and the the average Christians are to be seen separately. Meantime, a three day meeting of the governing council of the VHP which began in Jaipur on 28 December 1998 has already finalised the plans to be taken up in 200 out of the 500 districts of India. Hindu "saints" will be asked to adopt each district to strengthen the VHP's activities. "We have no dearth of saints as their number is about 20,000" - a VHP spokesperson said. The campaign will "counteract the programme of Christian churches for the evangelisation of India" - said the resolution passed by the governing council of VHP. It continues: "Hindus will face the onslaught by churches with vigour and the VHP will launch a country wide campaign to counteract this assault, not only on Hindu religion, but also on the Hindu culture." -K.G.Gopal RATIONALISTS RUN HOLY MEN
OUT OF TOWN
A report from "The Australian" by Rahul Bedi
Several hundred villagers in northern India watch entralled as a long haired sadhu, or holy man, dressed in saffron robes, draws ash out of thin air, explodes huge stones with "mental power" and turns water into blood. Captivated by his supernatural deeds - an offering to the gods to bring prosperity to the village in the state of Haryana, 130 km from the national capital New Delhi, and ward off the evil eye - the simple folk want to give generously to the "divine power" facing them. But as the awe-struck audience members reach into the pockets, the holy man whips off his saffron robes to reveal himself as the local college science teacher. He then repeats his performance, except this time showing his audience how he achieved the "miracles" through sleight of hand and a few chemicals. Such events are part of the movement launched by the Indian Rationalist Association across 18 of India's 25 states to expose thousands of "godmen" who deprive village folk of large sums of money after impressing them with "supernatural acts". "Charlatans have a strong hold on villagers and exploit their fears with feats that are a matter of elementary chemistry," said spokesman Sanal Edamaruku, at the Rationalist Association headquarters in New Delhi. He said association volunteers had visited thousands of villages across the country for more than two years, demystiying "miracles" simply by telling people how they were performed. The association claimed its campaign had led to villagers in several states stoning holy men and chasing them away. Association members said standard tricks used by the holy men included setting objects alight through "mind energy", eating glass, walking on fire, piercing their flesh with a steel trident and even levitation. One trick that never fails to inspire awe is a small explosion caused by sprinkling "holy drops" on a stone, achieved all too easily by pouring water on scattered sodium crystals. Similarly, setting fire to candle and piles of dry grass through "mental power" is executed by using chemicals that ignite on exposure to sunlight. Piercing the body, on the other hand, is done with specially built tridents bent at strategic points to give the impression of deep penetration. Walking on fire, swallowing ground glass, producing ash out of air and levitation can all be executed through combination of chemicals, craftly erected apparatus and deft manipulation. "These holy men have a rudimentary knowledge of chemistry," said a Rationalist Association activist."And, with their flowing beards and flamboyant robes," he added, "they created an ambience of mystique and magic for simple rural folk, which scared them into parting with their money." The association whose membership has swelled to 86,000, was launched in the late 1940s by a clutch of scientists and intellectuals in the southern states of India. Over the years, however, it has spread across the country. All of its activists are volunteers and it is funded by donations. (Sent by Peter Hanna, Editor, The Rationalist News, Australia) ----------------------------------------------------------------------
OSAMA BIN LADEN CALLS UPON MUSLIMS
TO KILL US AND BRITISH NATIONALS
The bombing of Iraq by the USA and the UK, besides being a violation of the norms of respecting the sovereignty of nations, was a political mistake and strategic blunder. One oucome of the attack will be a world wide increase of fundamentalism. As expected, it has provoked Muslim extremists and fundamentalists and helped them to find a locus standi for their agenda of violence. As reported (on 25 December 1998 from Islamabad and Beirut), Osama bin Laden has renewed his call for attacks on America and Israel. In an interview with ABC News, he answered the charge that he is developing chemical and nuclear weapons: "If I seek to acquire such weapons, this is a religious duty." He stated: "We are confident that the Muslim nation would rid Islamic countries of the Americans and the Jews." In an interview with the London based Arabic daily "Ash Sanq al-Awsat", bin Laden called upon all Muslims to kill Americans and Britons in retaliation for the strikes on Iraq. "The British and the US people have generally supported their leaders' decision to attack Iraq. That makes everyone of their nationals war mongers whom every Muslim must fight and kill, just like the Jews in occupied Palastine", he said. The bombing of Iraq in order to punish its government and to force it to change its political stand in a tune which comes close to unconditional surrender, was a unilateral action of the USA, supported by the UK, which did not seek approval of any other States concerned, not even the binding approval of the UN Security Council. It tried to demonstrate a power, capable and willing to lead devasting blows against its enemies in any part of the world, which is not bound to justify its actions in front of the world community and against which there is no possibility of an appeal. When the acceptance of laws and norms of international interaction, which civilization has helped us to achieve, is no longer guaranteed, they feel that they got a justification to take law into their own hands. This provides hardliners like Osama bin Laden with a wide range of supporters and sympathisers. It is becoming more and more difficult to isolate hard core fundamentalists if their violent actions cannot be clearly contrasted against an established frame of internationally respected laws and norms, reflecting the spirit of co-operation and determination to solve conflicts by political and diplomatic means instead of blunt violence. The fight against fundamentalism can be successful only from the platform of civilization. -Fatima Acar, Turkey (Ms Acar is the representative of International Alliance Against Fundamentalism in Turkey) ALLIANCE AGAINST FUNDAMENTALISM
DEPLORES KIDNAPPING OF
16 TOURISTS IN YEMEN
The International Alliance Against Fundamentalism deplored the kidnapping of sixteen western tourists by Islamic fundamentalists in Yemen and called for an immediate unconditional release of all of them. The kidnappers belong to a fundamentalist group namely 'Islamic Jihad', many of whose leaders fought in Afghanistan and are believed to have connections with Egyptian Muslim radicals. The kidnapping occured on 28 December 1998 near the southern town of Mawdiyah, about 200 km south of the capital Sanaa. The hostages include twelve Britons, six of them women, two American women and two Australian men. Islamic Jihad, the fundamentalist group which has not more than 200 members, run a military camp in southern Yemen. The members of this radical group flog women for ignoring the Islamic dress code and men for selling and drinking alcohol, which is forbidden in Islam. HOLY HARVEST: CELEBRATING
TWO BLOODY MILLENNIUMS
The Catholic church's countdown to the year 2000 has started. Decisive to make ultimate use of the unique opportunity posed by the millennium's end, Pope John Paul II prepares for the great harvesting. He has issued an edict which declares the year 1999 a Holy Year and guides Catholics on the pathway to heaven. Reminding at medieval practices, which once sparked Martin Luther's Reformation, the edict includes ways of earning indulgences, which purify the soul from sins and grant a smooth transfer to heaven. Abstaining from worldly pleasures like eating, smoking and drinking etc., giving donations to charity and making pilgrimages are amongst the easy ways. The papal Bull "Incarnations Mysterium" gives detailed trade conditions for gaining the "Jubilee Indulgence." The end of the millennium is also an ideal opportunity to get accounts settled and results established in order to start with a clean sheet into the next round. John Paul II has decided to square accounts with history by imploring forgiveness for the past "errors" and injustices in the name of Christianity, including the Inquisition and the treatment of the Jews. This did, however, not stop him from beatifying Aloyzije Stepinac, arch bishop of Zagreb and collaborator of the fascist Ustasha regime in murdering hundreds of thousands orthodox Serbs and Jews during the Second World War.
For two millenniums the Catholic church has eliminated human beings in a bestialic for no other fault of them as than they have not been Catholics. The Crusades, the Thirty Year War, the extinction of the Albigensers and the Catharenes, the regime of the Holy Institutions during the Middle Ages, the elimination of Jews in the Second World War in Europe and of the orthodox Serbs in "God's Kingdom" Ustasha Croatia are the highlights in the criminal history of this organisation. Historians estimate the number of victims carefully as about 22 millions it might be far more. Most of them did not simply die, they suffered humiliation and unbearable tortures at the end. During the centuries the church developed torture techniques of unimaginable cruelty, the simple description of which is hard to bear. Moreover, there have been - and still are - all the scientists, writers and artists who have been silenced forever by the Christian Sword pending over their heads. And there have been - and still are - generations of children pressed down by the bludgeon of belief, obedience and brutal force and deformed into mental cripples. Two bloody millenniums indeed! Can the Catholic church be white washed from all this blood so easily? Can public memory remain silent when John Paul II washes his hands and says: "To Err is Human - we are sorry."? Can the reasonable and humane people in the world share the Pope's view when he announces in his traditional Christmas address a week back that we have cause to celebrate "the mystery event of the incarnation, thanks to which humanity has reached the peak of its vocation."? It is high time that we consider to unite against this institution and that we hold it responsible for its crimes and that we free civilization from its injurious influence. Two thousand years are enough. Let us fight for a future without war, murder, torture, exploitation, harassment, censorship, suppression and bad conciousness in the name of holy mysteries. -David Stone POPE PICKET '99 "American Atheists" inform us about their Pope Picket '99 Conference in St. Louis on 26/27 January 1999. Under the title "Opposing Theocracy -Standing up to the Vatican's Political Agenda for America", there will be lectures and panel discussions and a protest Action in conjunction with with Pope John Paul's planned visit to the United States. We welcome this conference and extend our best wishes. And we hope that events like this will take place everywhere where the Catholic church tries to lay its hands on freedom and self determination. THE ORIGINS OF
CHRISTIAN ERA
The Christian era which is used universally for calculating time, is generally believed to start with the year of the birth of Jesus Christ, which is called "annum domini" (year of the lord) and marks the time divide between B.C and A.D. It was one Dionysius Exiguus, a Catholic priest in Rome, got the idea of forming an era starting with the birth of Jesus Christ, which according to his calculations took place in 753 A.U.C. The new era slowly got acceptance in the country of its founder, in Italy. Only after sometime an embarassing problem was discovered: Dionysius' calculation was contradictory to some statements in the Bible. There it is written that Jesus was born while Palastine was under the reign of King Herod. But Herod died - a well established historical fact - already in 750 A.U.C., three years before the "annum domini". So the birth of Jesus had finally to be shifted to the year 5 B.C. (According to other calculations it was still one or two years later). Like the date of his birth, the whole life story of Jesus Christ, as reported in the Bible does not match with the known historical events, which strongly supports the theory that Jesus is not a historical figure, but a mythical character. The Christian Era, which made its way against several already existing eras (like the Nebonassar era, the Olympian Era, the Roman Era and the Macidonian Era), slowly spread from Italy to other countries. It reached England in 7th century and Russia in 8th century. Only about a thousand years back it got acceptance in Europe. The Portuguese brought it to India in 16th century. (Excerpted from Joseph Edamaruku, "Jesus Christ a Myth", Indian Atheist Publishers, New Delhi). The ALLIANCE BULLETIN reaches more than thousand addresses of concerned individuals, groups and journals. If you did not receive any of the first three bulletins and wish to get it, please inform K Vasudevan at the following address: sakth-@giasdla.vsnl.net.in |