The Hindu
Mangalore, Nov 24: Speakers at a seminar on “Is conversion a problem” here on Sunday said that the bogey of conversion has been created by vested interests and there was no truth in the reports of forced conversions.
Former judge of the High Court M.F. Saldanha, writers G.K. Govinda Rao and Sa.Ra. Abubakkar, Dalit thinker Jayan Malpe spoke at the seminar. CPI(M) activist Yashawanth Maroli presided over the programme, which was organised by Samudaya of Mangalore and Manavata Vedike.
Stating that he had spoken to several people during his fact-finding mission, Mr. Saldanha said that he had not come across any forced conversions.
Ms. Abubakkar said that forced conversion was a myth being propagated by vested interests. The speakers said there was no need for any law banning forced religious conversions.
Mr. Govinda Rao questioned the very nature of Hindu consciousness and pointed out that Dalits had been consistently and deliberately alienated. Ms. Abubakkar said that conversion was a way resorted to by the downtrodden to escape from humiliation. “Religions that do not let people live on equal terms have no right to question religious conversions,” she said.
Stating that any restrictive religion was worth rejecting Mr. Rao said that Hinduism was dividing people of its own faith and women in Hinduism were always treated like Dalits. Women were revered so long as they did not rebel, he said.
He said any religion that liberated man and lets him develop the spirit of questioning was the true religion. Founders of religions were true seekers of truth but their followers were not, Mr. Rao said. Pejawar Math seer Vishwesha Tirtha should permit Dalits to enter his math instead of visiting their colonies and treating them as human beings.
Criticising the pontiff’s reported statement that he would observe fast if there was any atrocity on Dalits, Mr. Rao said that 12 Dalits were attacked every day in India and by his own statement, the pontiff should have to go on fast every day.
Conversion was the birth right of everyone. Nobody could object if someone wanted to change his religion, he said.