TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: Former Union Minister Eduardo Faleiro called for a stop to all organized drives for conversion and re-conversion, while addressing a press conference Tuesday.
“They are not compatible with the freedom of religion, conscience or thought of others. They violate the Constitution of India,” he said, arguing that specific legislation such as anti-conversion laws can only promote religious intolerance and animosity, since it can be misused by the executive authorities. He said that the heads of all major religions should enter into an agreement and formulate a code of conduct to stop proselytisation.
He also wanted the Government to devote specific attention to the development of vulnerable groups such as tribals, other weaker sections and those who suffer discrimination on different grounds.
“It should counter social exclusion in particular by providing adequate access to all citizens to education, health and employment,” he said.
Religious freedom is guaranteed under Article 25 of the Constitution of India. Proselytism consists in offering material benefits, exerting pressure on people in distress or in need, or threatening with social sanctions in order to obtain religious conversions. Some missionaries of major religions such as Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Buddhism are involved in proselytism. Proselytism is not compatible with freedom of religion. However, there is no need for any specific anti conversion law and the existing legal provisions of the Indian Penal Code are sufficient to deal with proselytism. The Agra “reconversions” clearly violated the Indian Penal Code in terms of promoting enmity between different groups (Sec 153 A of the IPC) and using fraudulent means (Sec 415 of the IPC), Faleiro said.
Five States in the country (Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh) have enacted laws to regulate religious conversions. Whilst, some of these laws have been enacted more than four decades ago and numerous complaints have been filed under these laws, no one has been convicted by the Judiciary so far.
In June 1999, the Parliamentary Commission of the Council of Europe adopted a resolution which condemns proselytism and identifies steps to prevent it. However, the resolution asserts that legislation to prevent proselytism is undesirable and such legislation might interfere with the freedom of conscience and religion guaranteed by the European Convention on Human Rights. The resolution calls on all member States to ensure that “no discrimination is made between traditional religions and non-traditional religious movements”.
The Government of India is signatory to the International Covenant on Civil And Political Rights (ICCPR), the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Convention on Elimination of Racial Discrimination. ICCPR calls for respect for the religious dignity and autonomy of others.
