Related Research Articles
Dalit is a name for people belonging to the lowest stratum castes in India,previously characterised as "untouchable". Dalits were excluded from the four-fold varna system of Hinduism and were seen as forming a fifth varna,also known by the name of Panchama. Dalits now profess various religious beliefs,including Hinduism,Buddhism,Sikhism,Christianity,Islam and various other belief systems. Scheduled Castes is the official term for Dalits as per the Constitution of India.
Freedom of religion in India is a fundamental right guaranteed by Article 25-28 of the Constitution of India. Modern India came into existence in 1947 and the Indian constitution's preamble was amended in 1976 to state that India is a secular state. Supreme Court of India ruled that India was already a secular state from the time it adopted its constitution,what actually was done through this amendment is to state explicitly what was earlier contained implicitly under article 25 to 28. Every citizen of India has a right to practice and promote their religion peacefully. However,there have been numerous incidents of religious intolerance that resulted in riots and violence,notably,the 1984 Anti-Sikh Massacre in Delhi,1990 Anti-Hindu riots in Kashmir and Punjab,2002 Gujarat Riots and the 2008 Anti-Christian riots in Odisha. Some perpetrators of the 1984 Anti-Sikh Massacre in Delhi have not been brought to justice despite widespread condemnation.
Christianity is India's third-largest religion after Hinduism and Islam,just ahead of Sikhism with about 27.8 million adherents,constituting 2.3 percent of India's population. According to the written records of St Thomas Christians,Christianity was introduced to the Indian subcontinent by Thomas the Apostle,who is said to have sailed to the Malabar region in 52 AD,the present-day Kerala,India. There is a general scholarly consensus that Christian communities were firmly established off the coast of Kerala by the 6th century AD,these were Eastern Christians of the Church of the East in India,who worshipped in Syriac. As a result Malankara Nasranis have a unique Syro-Malabarese culture which includes Christianised Jewish elements with some Hindu customs and values as well. Following the discovery of the Cape route by the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama in the 15th century,Western Christians like Latin Christians and Protestants formed in the cities of Portuguese Goa and Damaon and British Bombay etc.
Events in the year 2008 in the Republic of India.
John Dayal is an Indian human rights and Christian political activist. He is a member of the National Integration Council (NIC) of India,Secretary-General of the All India Christian Council and a past president of the All India Catholic Union. He has been outspoken in opposition to communal polarisation,bigotry and the spread of hatred between religious communities.
The caste system among South Asian Christians often reflects stratification by sect,location,and the Indian caste system of their predecessors. There exists evidence to show that Christian individuals have mobility within their respective castes. But,in some cases,social inertia caused from their old traditions and biases against other castes to remain,causing caste system to persist among South Asian Christians to some extent. Christian priests,nuns,Dalits and similar groups are found in India,Pakistan,Bangladesh,and Nepal.
The Catholic Bishops' Conference of India or CBCI is the permanent association of the Catholic bishops of India. It was established in September 1944,in Chennai. The CBCI Secretariat was located in Bangalore until 1962,when it was shifted to the national capital,New Delhi. The CBCI is a member of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences.
Religious violence in India includes acts of violence by followers of one religious group against followers and institutions of another religious group,often in the form of rioting. Religious violence in India has generally involved Hindus and Muslims.
Anti-Christian violence in India is religiously-motivated violence against Christians in India. Violence against Christians has been seen by Human Rights Watch as a tactic used by the right-wing Sangh Parivar organizations to encourage and exploit communal violence to meet their political ends. The acts of violence include arson of churches,conversion of Christians by force,physical violence,sexual assaults,murders,rapes,and destruction of Christian schools,colleges,and cemeteries.
Religious violence in Odisha consists of civil unrest and riots in the remote forest region surrounding the Kandhamal district in the western parts of the Indian state of Odisha.
The Jhabua nuns rape case refers to the gang rape of four nuns in the Jhabua district of Madhya Pradesh in India on September 23,1998 by tribal men. Around 18-26 men barged their way into the Ashram where the nuns lived and ransacked the entire ashram and some of the men gang raped the nuns.
The 2008 attacks on Christians in southern Karnataka refer to the wave of attacks directed against Christian churches and prayer halls in the Indian city of Mangalore and the surrounding area of southern Karnataka in September and October 2008 by Hindu nationalist organisations,Bajrang Dal and the Sri Ram Sena. The attacks were widely perceived by Christians in southern Karnataka to be punishment from right-wing Hindu nationalist organisations because they had been outspoken about 2008 anti-Christian attacks in Orissa,and also because the New Life Fellowship Trust (NLFT),a non-denominational Christian Church,was alleged by Bajrang Dal to be responsible for forced conversions of Hindus to Christianity.
Christianity is a minority religion in Madhya Pradesh,a state of India. Hindus form the majority in the state. The Dioceses of Bhopal and of Jabalpur of the Church of North India have their seats in Madhya Pradesh. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bhopal,the Roman Catholic Diocese of Gwalior,the Roman Catholic Diocese of Indore,the Roman Catholic Diocese of Jabalpur,the Roman Catholic Diocese of Jhabua,the Roman Catholic Diocese of Khandwa,the Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Sagar the Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Satna and the Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Ujjain have their seat in the state. The Presbyterian Free Church,which is a member of the International Conference of Reformed Churches has its seat in the state. Jabalpur has Christ Church Boys Senior Secondary School.
The All India Catholic Union (AICU) represents almost 16 million Catholics in India:followers of the Latin Rite,the Syro-Malabar Catholics and the Syro-Malankara Catholics. It has 120 diocese and district units. The AICU was established in 1930.
The United Christian Forum for Human Rights (UCFHR) is an inter-denominational Christian organization in India that fights for the human rights of members of the Christian minority,mainly through protest.
Joseph D'souza is an Indian bishop,missionary,and Christian and Dalit rights activist. As of 2018,he was International President of the Dignity Freedom Network (DFN),President of the All India Christian Council (AICC),and CEO of Operation Mobilisation - India with is not affiliated with Operation Mobilisation,International. On 30 August 2014,he was consecrated as Archbishop of the Good Shepherd Church of India,and associated ministries.
Maria Emilia Menezes was President of the All India Catholic Union (AICU) from 2000 until 2004. She followed Norbert D'Souza and was succeeded by John Dayal.
Remy Denis is an Indian mathematician who was elected president of the All India Catholic Union (AICU) in September 2008,succeeding John Dayal. He was reelected at the annual general meeting of the AICU held in Mangalore in September 2010.
Peter Garnett Marbaniang was an Indian parliamentarian,legislator and academician from the state of Meghalaya. He served as a Member of the Lok Sabha from 1989 to 1996,as Speaker of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly and as a Minister in the Government of Meghalaya. He was the President of the All India Catholic Union from 1994 to 1996.
References
- 1 2 John Dayal (18 August 2008). "A Salute to the laity in India" . Retrieved 18 April 2012.
- ↑ "John Dayal elected All India Catholic Union National president". The Milli Gazette. 1–15 October 2004. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
- ↑ "Office Bearers". AICU. Archived from the original on 20 December 2012. Retrieved 18 April 2012.
- ↑ "Changes in Christian Personal Law Mooted" (PDF). Indian Express. 24 September 1992. Retrieved 18 April 2012.
- ↑ Maal D'Melle (11 November 2011). "Christians discard 'apolitical' nature" (PDF). Bombay. Retrieved 18 April 2012.
- ↑ "The Attack on Pilgrims of Pali-Naigaon Vasai Taluka Thane District, Mahashtra" (PDF). Indian People's Tribunal on Environmental and Human Rights. 1998. Retrieved 18 April 2012.
- ↑ Teesta Setalvad (April 1998). "Saffron targets People of the Cross". Communalism Combat . Sabrang Communications . Retrieved 18 April 2012.