Dear Friends
1. My new book “Matter of Equity – Freedom of Faith in Secular India” has been recently published to very good reviews in the Indian media and on the Internet – both by Christian writers and by others. The book is priced in India Hardcover at Rs 800 a copy and in the US etc at US Dollars 65, airmail free. Its Hindi version “Dharma-nishpekshita ke sangharsh” [struggles in secularism’] was published this week when I received the first copy. It will be formally released at a seminar in New Delhi later this month. This is priced at Rs 300, postage free. Both books are available from me at my email address. Postage free of course. Both books have been highlighted as the first interrogation of India’s secular claims, which so far had been critiques only from a Marxist or Muslim perspective and point of view.
2. The next book, which I am co-editing and writing with Adv Edward Arokiadoss, Treasurer of the All India Catholic Union of which I am the National President, and a leading activist from Madurai, is all but ready to go to the Printers. It is a definite documentation and reflection on the Struggle of the Dalit Christians in the Courts of Justice and Political Platforms in India. I am expecting it to be out within a few months. It will be about 400 pages including a significant appendix.
3. I am now undertaking a major project – the first definitive documentation and analysis of Persecution of Christians in India since Independence.
This will be monumental, will shatter many myths.
It is not just a narrative of individual incidents of violence. From the gang rape of Nuns in UP and Madhya Pradesh to the naked parade of Father Christudas in Dumka, Bihar [now Jharkhand} to the burning alive of the Staines family and the killing of Fr. Chrsturaj in Orissa will, of course, be recounted, the pattern analyzed, the guilty states indicted. Many important cases will be documented right to the court decision, whenever they reached a stage of justice being meted to the guilty, and those cases which never saw the light of day.
It will also look critically at the emergence of the Anti Conversion laws, the so called Freedom of Religious Acts, and will analyse the political response to it, from the Congress to the BJP
I will also review the response of various groups and stakeholders to it. The stakeholders are:
[1] The Catholic Church and its three official and other unofficial groups such as Syro Malabar, Syro Malankara, Latin, Church in Tribal area, and the Laity groups
[2] The Episcopal protestant churches – Presbyterian, CNI, CSI, Lutheran etc
[3] The evangelical and Pentecost churches and independent church groups
[4] The secular human rights groups and NGOS –n both funded through FCRA accounts and non-funded
[5] Legal fraternity and judicial structures
[6] The Indian police – IPS, Paramilitary and state police forces
[7] Legislative bodies in the states and the Parliament of India attitude to anti Christian hate and violence compared to anti-Muslim, anti-Sikh and anti-Muslim concerns; enacting of bizarre laws impacting Christianity
[8] the Prime Ministers and Presidents of India – from Nehru through Manmohan Singh and major leaders including Indira Gandhi, Vajpayee, Karunanidhi, the Marxists and Sonia Gandhi]
[9] The political discourse on conversions
[10]. The Sangh Parivar, the Islamic fundamentalists and others in the hate campaign
The Chapterization will include focus on States of Concern –
i Gujarat
ii Orissa
iii Madhya Pradesh
iv Chhattisgarh
v Rajasthan
vi Jharkhand
vii Karnataka
vii Andhra Pradesh
vii the North Eastern states
This is a major effort and requires your cooperation.
My early colleagues after I started documenting anti Christian issues on a daily basis in 1996 – and later made the first ever presentation of the Indian reality before UN organs, UK, European and US Governments and legislatures –n were men such as Samson Christian and Fr Cedric Prakash in Ahmedabad and Mr. Sajan George and Oliver D’Souza in Bangalore. Others to join early were Rev Bernard Chand Malik from the US, later joined by John Prabhudoss pioneers of FIACONA, Rev Jaswant Singha and some more. Dolphy D Souza in the Bombay Catholic Sabha and Abraham Mathai, now Vice chair of the Maharashtra Minority commission have contributed extraordinarily to the data. After Dr Joseph D Souza and others helped found the All India Christian Council, the activists have included Mr. Sam Paul, Albert Lael, Moses Parmar, Rev Kumarswamy, Rev Paricha and Madhu Chandra. The activist writers include the veteran Anto Akkara, Nirmala Carvalho and Vishal Arora. The advent of the Christian Law Association with activists such as Tehmina Ram Arora, Len, Pastor Sanjay and others have added a new dimension to documentation. Sister Mary and others have been instrumental in forming fact finding teams of some impact. Friends such as Teesta Setalvad of Communalism Combat, Shamsul Islam and Neelima Sharma of Nishant, Admirals Bhagwat and Ramdas, Ram Punyani, V B Rawat, and actor Mahesh Bhatt have been a source of strength.
I will be grateful for all detailed data – fact finding reports, news reports, photographs. Court judgments, FIRs that any of you have in your posses. My collection is extensive, but surely not complete or comprehensive.
I will wait for your response, your food wishes – and your data.
My deadline is to bring it out by Christmas.
Which means I must have all the data by end of October
I also invite advice.
I am of course honour bound to acknowledge every source, and pray with those who wish to remain anonymous
God bless you
John Dayal
New Delhi, 6 August 2007
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