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Amid mounting pressure on the government to act against Bajrang Dal for anti-Christian violence in Orissa and some other states, Advani also talked about the need for restoring peace and a sense of security in the state through cooperation between the communities.
After a meeting with a delegation of Christian leaders here, he also favoured immediate initiation of a ‘sustained and sincere’ dialogue between Hindus and Christians on religious conversions.
In a joint statement issued after about two-hour meeting, Advani described the rape of a nun in Orissa as a ‘shameful crime against humanity’.
He condemned the ‘violence and vandalism that marked the attack on churches and innocent Christians in Orissa and elsewhere in the country,’ the statement said.
The Christian leaders, on their part, condemned the ‘heinous’ killing of VHP leader Swami Lakshmanananda Saraswati and his four disciples in Kandhmal in Orissa in August.
"In the meeting it was unanimously resolved that all efforts should be made to restore peace, normalcy and a sense of security in strife-torn areas with the co-operation of the governments concerned and leaders of the Hindu and Christian communities," Advani said after the meeting.
The Christian delegation comprised Archbishop of Orissa Raphael Cheenath, Archbishop of Delhi Vincent Concessao and spokesman of Delhi Catholic Archdiocese Dominic Emmanuel.
Expressing satisfaction at the decisions reached during the meeting, Archbishop Concessao said, "I am happy. This is a very good first step".
"All participants were unanimous that religious conversions or re-conversions, using coercive, fraudulent and allurement-based means or through denigration of others' faiths, are condemnable and must be stopped," Advani said.
The meeting came amid growing pressure on the government to act against Bajrang Dal, with a number of UPA coalition partners demanding a ban on the Hindu outfit.
A meeting, called at the initiative of Chidanand Saraswati of Paramarth Niketan, Rishikesh, was also attended by BJP MP Sushma Swaraj and Rajya Sabha member Chandan Mitra and Advani's political advisor Sudheendra Kulkarni.
Advani and the Christian leaders decided that the Inter-Faith Dialogue should be held ‘in the spirit of the Inter-Faith Dialogue on Conversions, organised by the Vatican in May 2006’.
Nearly 35 people have died in the violence that followed the brutal murder of Lakshmanananda Saraswati in Kandhmal district of Orissa on August 23.
The Centre has issued warnings to the state government that in case it failed to control the violence, strict action may follow.
Many churches and homes in Kandhmal were destroyed in the vandalism that followed the murder of Saraswati. Several people have reportedly taken shelter in the forests nearby to protect themselves.
Swami Chidanand offered to rebuild one of the destroyed villages in Kandhmal district in co-operation with the local church and the state government.
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Without ascertaining facts it is perhaps not prudent to comment on what actually happened on the Nun in India on 25th August 2008.Rape as an aberraton in human conduct is one of the most abominable crimes forbidden by law.The rapist should be given the stringent punishment available in the penal codes.But the news on alleged rape in Kandhmal, Orissa is shrouded with conflicting statements emanating from the Church clerics and the victim herself.Now, despite the advice by the Supreme Court she is not coming forward to co-operate with the Police who did not leave any stone unaltered to arrest the suspects. The Archbishop Raphael Chennath is afraid that the forensic test might disclose the illicit relationship between the Nun victim and the Father named Thomas Chellanthoriar. Both the Father and the Archbishop are from Keral and the alleged rape victim is from Orissa.But the truth must come to light in the larger interest of justice to the community who are slandered by such false charges
advaniji, u
kalanidhi i would like to convert to hinduism tell me what i will be brahmin,shudra,kayashta,or bhangi
After the triumph of the nuclear deal the BJP is in dire straits to bulid a vote bank ahead of the next year's polls after the failure of Ayodhya, Ram Sethu.So they are now targetting innocent Christians by raising the false bogey of "Forced Conversions" and clearly omitting the issue of forced reconversions.
The words "SHAMEFUL ACT AGAINST HUMANITY" is enough to get justice to that nun !In Democracy one can't get justice ?
it is very easy to condem violence against chirtion but when people of orrisa said that missinory convert them,violence against them
first we should understand worshipping god is ones private affair hundred percent.nobody should force anyone to worship particular god.Just because i born to a hindu father i should not be forced to follow the same religion.No sane person will force anyone to worhip any particular god. we should leave it to the concerned person.we need not go in to the history of birth of religions.
I live in USA, have seen so many time Jahovah Witness prachark came to door of the people and talk of their Church, have heard the resentment from other Christian aquatance. In India these so called member of the Church changing the demography of the population. In Orrisa the 20% conversion has started to cause killing innocents. Which proves that converting others from their faith is also crime against the humanity. People love to live in their own way of life. When they are tricked to convert obviously people get mad, the problems of Orrisa is did of Church operatives.
I am surprised how come advani said nun's rape is shameful without knowing what would have happen, I think may be she or organization set up some people , advani should find out what would have happen that day and then he can comment, shame on advani
Mr Javed you are really a perverted guy. You are a blot on society. No wonder with your background what else society can expect. God bless you.
Buddist conversion is purely based on achieving life ambition of becoming near to god, on the other hand christian conversion is for money and population based election oriented programmes. No comparison is possible.
Janney before commenting on any issue try to know what you are saying. Don't just blart something for the hack of it. Christianity is one of the great religion of the world. By this they have not taken over any country. First know what you are saying. Don't be a "Koopa Mandooka". Because it is a great religion, the books and litratures are in English. Any educated person can read it. Accepting or leaving is your option. Because on the day of judgement you will be suffering.
good job bishop ji and advani ji. it is time BJP and and the minorities talk to each other and dont let pseudo secular parties use the minorities as vote bank
The key to lasting peace between Hindus and Christians is to STOP CONVERSION. Hindus do not hate Christians, but only against the conversion tactics practised by them and the blasphemy of Hindu belief by certain christian organisations like evangelists. By converting people, they are distroying a culture like hat has happened to the Incas and Mayan culture in south America.
if mr advani really feels for orrissa he should resign right away because he is a part of terrorist sang parivar
All rapists and murderers should be put away in prisons for life or hanged as the punishment and there should be no mercy of any degree for these kind of gruesome, animalistic and heinous deeds. Christianity and Islam too have a hideously blasphemous history in India and they still continue to consider their profane activities as holy acts to relentlessly rape and twist the minds of India’s citizens and trampling its traditional cultural heritage and its rights to exist as an independent sovereign nation. Zealots and missionaries of Christianity and Islam are both a charade and in their many activities include covert operations with the prime aim to defame and throttle India as scheduled by their scheming neo-colonial masters.
All rapists and murderers should be put away in prisons for life or hanged as the punishment and there should be no mercy of any degree for these kind of gruesome, animalistic and heinous deeds. Christianity and Islam too have a hideously blasphemous history in India and they still continue to consider their profane activities as holy acts to relentlessly rape and twist the minds of India’s citizens and trampling its traditional cultural heritage and its rights to exist as an independent sovereign nation. Zealots and missionaries of Christianity and Islam are both a charade and in their many activities include covert operations with the prime aim to defame and throttle India as scheduled by their scheming neo-colonial masters.
It is unlikely the Orissa State govt would do justice in the case of persecution of Christians there. Orissa govt believes those criminals were patriots. Gandhi was not slain by Britishers. He was slain by a patriot whose ideology is the same as that of those criminals who murdered dozens of Christians in Orissa and raped a nun and torched the homes of Christians. Unless President's rule is imposed in Orissa, justice is unlikely and those criminals will get away with the dozens of murders they have committed.
Mr. Advani and the Sangh Parivar need to state clearly what they mean by 'dalogue on conversions'. First step are they talking of all conversions or only forced and fraudulent and inducement conversions. A choice decision to convert in not open to dialogue. Secondly whatever the qualification of conversions may be - forced, induced or fraudulent - these terms must be clearly defined. Most importantly the Prime minister in waiting and waiting should advise what steps the Sangh Parivar has taken against the gross indisciple within their ranks on those retards indulging in attacking and murdering Roman Catholic institutions on the pretext of 'illegal' conversions by some smaller groups which might or might not have happened.
Who is he fooling? His own party MPs go around justifying the violence in Kandhmal, while the state is being run by the coalition government of BJP-BJD. If he feels so bad why did he keep quite for such a long time. This is political posturing to show that he is a statesman. This is the same technique the BJP follows always. There own cadres kill innocents by taking law in their hands and then the top leadership will express sadness at the events.They are thinking that the Indian people are foolish not to understand this. I can't understand why the Indian Express puts such stories; it is like putting salt over wounds. This guy who goes around calling himself the PM in waiting is so 'nikkama' that even governments run by his own party don't listen to him. If can't control his own party why doesn't he resign rather than continue with this shameless face.Such people have no right to lead this nation.
Raping is a shameful crime against humanit, but distructing places of worship is holy. You trader of religion, tell your fanatic masses if there is an issue of conversion just go to the police, court, state government. You cannot justify this barbaric act by any means. You are in connivance with these guys to polarise country before election. This cannot be a co-incidence. This is a well planned strategy, my cseular countrymen do not be divided by this power hungry party. Jaihind!!!
Probe the alliance between Maoists and Archbishops, church missionaries...
That is like having a dialogue between Ravana and Krishna. No prizes for guessing who Ravana and Krishna are in this context. It is very plain.
Look who's talking. Mr Advani, you are no way going to become the PM of India by pretending to be secular. Forget it. You have such a bad character that your own party people dont respect you anymore.
I'm a Christian and totally against the practice of conversion by Christian missionaries through the denigration of Hindu religion. All liberal and open minded Indians should ask the Christian missionaries why do they want to convert Hindus living only in tribal areas(poor, illiterate, vulnerable, uninformed and gullible)? What about the Hindus in metros who are rich, educated (some even in Havard) and wealthy? Why are no conversion of Muslims of India, Saudi Arabia, UAE etc ? Christians first converted Jesus Christ from an Israeli (Asian) in to a European now they want to convert by taking advantage of the subservience fed in to the Indian mind through the British sponsored education system of India which destroyed self respect of Indians in everything Indian. Indians are taught to revere the Babylonians, the Egyptians, the Greeks and the Romans not the likes of Vyasa with 100000 verses (longest peom perhaps in the world eight times longer than Illiad and Odyssey combined)...
Johnson K:Your post proves that you are not a Christian!Christianity is all about having a relationship with the Triune God.. Jesus Christ,the Sinless One came to earth,died for you and rose again(i.e became 'sin' for you),so,that if you confess your sins and ask God to be the Lord of your life,you will be a Christian and will grow in your relationship with God.
Mr Advani, stop shedding crocodile tears, we know elections are near. You and the rest of the BJB clan have blood on your hands, blood of innocents. It would be advisable if you kept your silence.
First conversion should be banned. After that every thing will be all right automatically.