Why Christians are up in arms

BY ASHLEY D’MELLO| IN Media Freedom | 08/10/2015
The demand for a ban on ‘Agnes of God’ reveals a new assertiveness among Christians.
ASHLEY D’MELLO explains the reasons for this phenomenon

 

The fight for maintaining space for free speech is intensifying among Christian groups in Mumbai, some of which have objected to the staging of the play, ``Agnes of God’’ while others have opposed the call for a ban.

The play was staged in Mumbai on October 6 without any untoward incident, albeit under police protection. Women’s rights activist and lawyer Flavia Agnes has taken out a memorandum signed by 70 prominent citizens, including Christians, which condemns the idea of a ban. This move is expected to gather momentum in the next few days.

The issue of a ban has agitated other cities too. A similar production in Hyderabad was stopped by a court order. Another, in Kerala, is waiting to be staged.

The play, directed by Kaizaad Kotwal and produced by his mother, Mahabanoo Modi Kotwal in Mumbai, was first staged on Broadway in 1982. Written by American playwright John Pielmeier, it tells the story of a mentally unstable nun from New York who gives birth to a baby and kills it, claiming it was a virgin birth.

The play was made into a film starring Jane Fonda and Annie Bancroft and received nominations for the Academy Awards. It was staged over 20 years ago in Mumbai without a controversy.

However, this time round, a Christian group, the Catholic Secular Forum led by Joseph Dias, led the campaign for a ban. Dias, who has led several agitations over similar issues, made public a letter from the Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) to the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh saying the play hurt Christian sentiments.

The letter said the play was `A  misinterpretation of the religious beliefs of the Christian Community, a wrong portrayal of the character of lakhs of the clergy committed to a life of celibacy and a mockery of lakhs of religious sisters working selflessly and with dedication’’.

Dias also urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maharasthra Chief Minister,Devendra Phadnavis, to ban the play but the latter declined to do so.

Are Christian groups more aggressive today?

Are Christian groups growing increasingly aggressive? During the last few years Christian groups have taken a strong stand when they felt threatened. One example is the visit by Sanal Edamaraku, President of the Rationalists Association of India, to the statue of Christ which was ‘dripping water’ at the Church of Our Lady of Valinkani, near Vile Parle in suburban Mumbai. He explained that the water was no miracle; it was merely coming out of clogged drain pipes.  

His explanation riled some Catholics in the city. The Association of Concerned Catholics filed a case against him. After going back to Delhi, he received death threats that were serious enough to make him leave for Finland where he remains to this day.

Two journalists, Naresh Fernandes and Dilip D’Souza, were roughed up in 2012 when they decided to march alongside a Christian group which was protesting against the film `Kamaal Dhamal Malamaal” which depicted a priest who was a lottery addict. Their crime was to carry placards urging Christians not to watch the movie.

The  stand-up comedy group, All India Backchod, also faced the ire of the Catholic Church over their show in Worli last December. The Association of Concerned Catholics felt that a part of the show was an insult to Jesus Christ and painted Catholic priests in a poor light. The group had to apologise to the archbishop.

Under attack from the saffron brigade and from within 

The reasons behind this Christian aggressiveness are varied. First, the community has felt under attack from Hindu extremist groups for many years now. The last 10 years has seen rising attacks on Christians, primarily in the  Khandamahals district in Orissa where over 100 Christians are reported to have died in attacks in the past eight years and where hundreds still live in shelters far from their homes because they are too scared to return. These attacks have generated a feeling that they have to assert themselves on issues which concern them in order to be heard.

This sense of being under threat has meant that Christian groups which concerned themselves only with social uplift now feel that they have to take civic action to goad the authorities to act. Issuing statements to the media over real and perceived wrongs has now become the norm.

Second, the structure of Christian organizations on the ground has also changed. The Christian clergy used to be seen as a natural spokesperson for the community. Now this traditional establishment is confronted by several groups of laypersons who are also taking up issues on behalf of Christians in Mumbai. These include the Mumbai Catholic Sabha, the Catholic Secular Forum, the Association of Concerned Catholics, and CROSS ( Catholic Residents' Organisation for Social Service). While these groups often complement one another, on occasion, they also compete.

Moreover, with the advent of globalization, the ranks of the traditional Catholic and mainstream Protestant groups have now been joined by the new evangelist groups (also known as Pentecostals) which compete with them in their social outreach programmes and also in taking up Christian issues. The newcomers are quite often aggressive in pushing their views and this has forced the older Catholic groups to become more assertive in order to stay relevant.

Add politics to this scene and it becomes even more complex. Take the example of Joseph Dias, who was earlier associated with the Youth Congress and has been an aggressive campaigner for Christian rights for two decades. He has courted controversy at times and clashed with members of the new evangelist groups. In media reports, he has been quoted as saying he plans to put up candidates for the forthcoming municipal polls.

Yet he is under fire from the liberals with people like Flavia Agnes asking, who is Joe Dias to represent the community?

Then you have Virginia Saldhana of the Indian Christian Women’s Movement who has pointed out that the issues raised in the play are relevant to Christian women and that by demanding a ban, the Church has invited attention to an issue which has been simmering for a long time.

With liberal Christians asserting themselves on the issue of freedom of speech, it is possible that a greater variety of voices might be heard from within the Christian community. 

 

The Hoot is the only not-for-profit initiative in India which does independent media monitoring.
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