Terrorism and Conversion

Terrorism and Conversion
With the recent attack on minorities in Orissa and Karnataka, Conversion has become once again a hot issue. With the recent bomb blasts in Delhi Terrorism has become a very hot issue. It is interesting to see the discussions going on in mass media. Anything and anybody can be called into question. There are different aspects to these. Let me try to see the different aspects involved in these issues.
1. After a series of attacks on the minorities in Orissa suddenly BJP and RSS leaders are saying that these violence and terrorism are there because of conversion. There was no such news reported anywhere in Orissa or Karnataka that Minorities are converting. Suddenly the Chief Minister of Karnataka is also saying the same. So conversion is made an issue to justify the Public Terrorism leashed upon the minorities. Without any provocation why sudden public terrorism upon the poor and innocent tribals in Orissa.? Even if there are forced conversions in Orissa and Karnataka, can the Chief Minister and the ruling BJP justify these open and public terrorism upon the minorities? These are criminal activities by the leaders of the ruling class. How can they bring about law and order in these states.?
2. Why do these leaders do these? They have brought about public terrorism upon Minorities, to see that they get the support of the majority fundamentalists. So they have proved this in Gujarat. So the BJP and RSS want to prove the same in Karanataka and Orissa. There is another reason also. These poor tribals were bonded laborers under the high caste land lords. Now these tribals are not ready to do such work. These high caste land lords supported by BJP and RSS are inflicting terror upon these poor innocent minorities.
3. If there is a forced conversion, it is a criminal activity and the people involved should be arrested and file case against them. But this is not the time for that. The ruling class can file false cases against innocent minorities and that become a justification for Terrorism. These cannot be done at this time particularly when the political parties are waiting for the Lok Sabha election.
4. Conversion is a right of every citizen if one is convinced of a Religion. There was no hue and cry when the great poetess Madhavikutty Amma became a muslim. If people go from one party to another by open canvassing and force almost every day , why conversion in Religious circle becomes a hot issue? We should not allow any forced conversion neither in Political circles nor in Religious circle.
5. It is true that every body in India is alarmed after seeing a series of blasts in India. We are all frightened. We do not know where these will lead to. But now the very same leaders who are legitimizing Public Terrorism are becoming the champions of POTA to stop such hidden terrorism. Here again these leaders want to use such POTA against minorities. They are not interested in stopping such hidden terrorism ,but use such occasions also to use violence upon minorities.
6. Now the question comes, are we interested in stopping all kinds of terrorism and violence.? Are we honest with this question? There are three kinds of Violence or Terrorism in Society. First one is the Structural Violence. These Globalization, and the Capitalistic Mode of Production is helping a few to become richer and richer at the expense of the vast majority who do not have the basic needs in life. This system is surviving because of police and army. Private Property Right itself is this structural violence. The life of the planet and the dependent health of the whole humanity should not be sacrificed by the greed of a few. This is the worst terrorism that exist in society. Once the education that was meant for all, is becoming a money making racket for the middle class and upper class forgetting dalits and tribals.
7. When the oppressed, the victims of such violence and terrorism reacts, we have insurgence and second violence or Terrorism. Normally the ruling class consider this only branded as Terrorism. So LTTE is a terrorist organization. 7/11 Attack in the USA was considered as Terrorism. All the series of Bomb Blasts are considered as such Terrorism. Naxalites, Maoists are all terrorists of this kind.
8. When the State wants to put down this kind of Terrorism, we find war in Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine. POTA is a weapon in the hands of the ruling class to stop Second Terrorism. All over the world we find this third violence and Terrorism.
9. Minority fundamentalism is as dangerous as Majority fundamentalism. Majority fundamentalists attempt to convert people forcefully. This can create problems to the majority fundamentalists. All these can lead to Terrorism. We cannot accept these. We have to expose these. This is true of Religious as well as Political fundamentalism. Money, Power, and short cuts are creating and strengthening such positions. Let us not forget that these powerful minority fundamentalists in one state can be the indirect cause for the majority fundamentalists to react to the innocent ones `among the minorities in another state. But let us not forget that when the Majority fundamentalists become the Ruling class, they can become fascists. This was the political fascism we saw in Nandigram. This was the Religious Fascism we saw in Gujarat.

10. Unless we stop the first Terrorism we cannot stop the second and third Terrorism. Peoples Movements are meant for that. Unless we have Social Justice we cannot stop second and third Terrorism. This is the struggle going on in Chengara, Kerala. They are trying to implement the plan of the creator. The whole planet is meant for the whole humanity not for a few. This is what the poor Dalits more than year have been sacrificing everything and stay at the Harrison Malayalam Plantations. These poor Dalits are the true believers trying to realize the plan of God. They are trying to get rid of Terrorism completely from the World. Dr. Binayak Sen has been trying to get rid of all kinds of Terorism from Chathisgsrh. So the ruling class who are saying that they would bring POTA within 100 days if they come to power, are using draconian laws to stop the work of such great leaders like Binayak Sen.
11. India is a great country with such tolerance towards all religions. We respect all religions. But this tradition is in wane. BJP and RSS do not want to remove Terrorism, but strengthen it by hook or by crook. If we want to maintain law and order in our society we need social justice in our society., equality and respect for the Minority as well as Majority.
12. If we want to maintain such tradition, we have to get rid of all kinds of prejudices, fundamentalism from our society. These fundamentalisms and Prejudices are there among all the Religions and Political Parties. Within and outside we have to become SECULAR. We should respect every human being. We have to find the BELIEF among the so called UNBELIEVERS. Also we have to find UNBELIEF among the BELIEVERS. Every body in need is our neighbor. This is the only way we can get rid of all kinds of Terrorism.
13. Let us respect every human being. Let us search for true democracy, truth and Justice. Let us honestly search for equality at all levels, put an end to the amassing of Private Property. It is a must that CHENGARA STRUGGLE SHOULD SUCCEED to put an end to the first Terrorism.
All kinds of public terrorism should be put an end.

Conclusion

Ultimately we can wipe out Terrorism and Violence through our own conversion. This means if you want to remove terrorism and violence completely, you have to pay the price for it. Right through history we see this. There is no short cut to this. This is a long process. We saw this at the time of Emergency in 1975-state terrorism. Many from the Civil Society rose to the occasion. Many were ready to go to jails. It was the second freedom struggle. Chengara Land Struggle is showing us the way. There is a need for facing external sufferings and internal sufferings. When we stand for the common good, the greedy powerful people will inflict sufferings upon us. But we can face this only if we are able to bear internal sufferings by going through conversion within. Change of our selfishness, greediness and temptations mean internal sufferings. If we purify ourselves, then only we can face the sufferings from outside. Interior suffering can be more purifying
than any other form of pain because we are forced to cope with it. We can distract ourselves and forget a sprained ankle, but when dryness, weariness, sadness, worry and fear assail us, they hound us wherever we go. Through this purification only we can face external sufferings leading us to martyrdom for the common good of the humanity and the planet. Daily trials and even physical pain are somehow outside of us, but interior pain, be it spiritual or mental, is deep within, and forces us to be patient and practice virtue. Interior trials sanctify us slowly because they have the power to change us for the better. It is in the soul, in our personality and temperament. This frees us from violence and converts us to nonviolence. This was what Martin Luther King spoke in 1963:

“Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must ever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. “Martin Luther King, 1963, “I have a dream” text. DLTK’s, Growing Together.P 3

Thomas Kocherry
thomasksa@gmailcom