CHRISTIAN SOLIDARITY WORLDWIDE
PO Box 99, New Malden, Surrey KT3 3YF
Press Release - 17th September 1999
Indian
Christian Leaders Warn against Funding
Hindu Militancy
India's Christian leaders claim
that foreign funds emanating from Non
Resident Indians (NRIs) as
well as a variety of western agencies and
individuals, including funds
from aid money donated by the EU, are being
used to fund Hindu extremism
in India.
In a press statement, the All
India Christian Council (AICC), which
represents all major Christian
agencies and organisations in India, states
that there is enough evidence
to prove that substantial amounts of foreign
funds have been used for the
training of Hindu militants believed to be
behind a number atrocities
committed against members of minority
communities, mainly Christians,
in India in the last couple of years.
The president of the AICC,
Dr Joseph D'Souza, and the National
Convenor of the United Christian
Forum for Human Rights, John Dayal,
denounced the government for
its failure to curb the systematic
campaign of hatred and violence
against the Christian community in India
which has been instigated
by Hindu fundamentalist organisations such as
Sangh Parivar and Bajrang
Dal, an ally of the BJP. Over the past year,
there were over 150 incidents
of violence against Christians in India in
which a number of Christian
leaders and human rights activists have been
brutally murdered by Hindu
militants.
The press statement by the
AICC reports that whilst substantial sums of
money to promote the work
of Hindu fundamentalist organisations such
as Sangh Parivar and Bajrang
Dal have been donated by Indian NRIs living
in America, a number of American
and western agencies (listed on the
press statement), have also
given funds to these organisations which
promote hatred and violence
against members of minority communities.
The AICC released its statement
in response to claims by leaders of the
ruling BJP coalition that
Christians in India are the largest recipient of
foreign funds in the country
and that they are using these funds to
'finance conversion'.
The AICC has decried repeated statements made by
Home Minister Lal Krishnasn
Advani to this effect, and urges the people
of India not be misled by
these lies.
The AICC has urged international
funding agencies to stop financing
organisations which promote
communal hatred and have links with Hindu
fundamentalists. The
organisation also calls upon the European Union to
look more carefully at the
long term interests of the people of India, and
to allocate its grants to
agencies which will carry out development
programmes efficiently, whilst
at the same time promoting the values of
democracy, secularism, religious
freedom and social equality in society.
Christian agencies are responsible
for a major proportion of social
development and medical work
but receive only 4% of more than 800
million annual aid by the
EU to India. According to the EU-India
Enhanced Partnership Report
(1996), a total of over 15% of the EU's
overseas donations, and other
grants by the union members states, makes
India the largest recipient
of EU funds. Christian organisations,
particularly those working
for the empowerment of the low caste Dalit
community, are often considered
a threat to the religious hierarchy
system of Hinduism by high
caste Hindus.
Earlier this year, a wing of
the Hindu Fundamentalist organisation RSS,
called Vishwa Hindu Parishad
(VHP), failed to gain recognition at the
UN as 'a cultural organisation'
because of its controversial philosophy of
Hindutava. However the VHP
is a registered charity in America where it
has received funds from corporations,
local governments, individuals and
a variety of non-profit organisations
during the last 15 years. A
substantial proportions of
these funds are alleged to have been given to
VHP umbrella organisations
such as Sangh Parivar and Bajrang Dal in
India.
CSW's Dr Simon Qadri adds,
"India is the largest democracy in the
world, and one of the developing
economies with great potential for
progress. But unfortunately
the rise of Hindutava and its politics has
become an obstacle to continuing
progress. It is the responsibility of the
west to ensure that funds
donated by their governments and international
agencies are not used for
activities which erode rather than improve
social welfare".
For further information and
the details of western agencies alleged
to be funding Hindu fundamentalism
in India, contact Dr Simon
Qadri or Catherine Field at
the CSW office on 44 181 942 8810.
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