http://foundationforpluralism.blogspot.com/2015/05/kancha-ilaiah-asks-is-god-democrat.html
Jesus's words, lord forgive them for they know not comes to mind on a regular basis, when I hear the intolerance from the religious right; be it Muslim, Hindu, Christian, Jewish, Buddhist and others.
Lack of conviction in one's faith breeds intolerance towards criticism, whereas firmness in faith can lead us to learn from criticism, explore the infinite wisdom and realize the strength of our faith ; a worthy feeling to have, instead of living in doubt and shooing criticism away. Unfortunately the religious right has to faith in their faith. Criticizing does not make their faith disappear.
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad, RSS, Lashkar-e-Tayaba, Talibans, Jamat -e- Islam, orthodox Jews, and a few evangelicals do not have faith in their religion and become intolerant when they hear a different point of view.
I hope the court does not entertain this case, it is silly.
Mike Ghouse
Foundation for Pluralism
# # #
Case filed against social scientist Kancha Ilaiah for asking, 'Is God a democrat?'
Vishwa Hindu Parishad activists say academician's article in a Telugu newspaper is offensive.
Ajaz Ashraf · May 31, 2015 · 08:25 pm
Photo Credit: YouTube.com
Courtesy - Scroll.in
Photo Credit: YouTube.com
Courtesy - Scroll.in
The Hyderabad police have registered a case against renowned social scientist Kancha Ilaiah, after Vishwa Hindu Parishad activists complained that an opinion piece he wrote in the Telugu newspaper Andhra Jyothi had hurt their religious sentiments.
They filed their complaint at Hyderabad’s Sultan Bazar Station was filed on
May 9, the day Ilaiah’s article titled Devudu Prajasamya Vada Kada? (Is God a
democrat?) was published.
VHP activists Pagudakula Balaswamy, Thirupathi Naik and two others accused
Ilaiah of comparing Hinduism with Islam and Christianity, insulting Hindu Gods
by comparing them to mortals, mocking their worship, and for attempting to
trigger clashes between upper and lower classes (by which they presumably meant
castes).
On the basis of their complaint, Inspector P. Shiva Shankar Rao wrote a
letter to the Senior Assistant Public Prosecutor, who advised the police to
register a case under Section 153 (A) and Section 295 (A), which empower the
authorities to act against people who commit deliberate and malicious acts
aiming at outraging religious sentiment and spreading enmity between
groups.
Case under investigation
The public prosecutor’s legal opinion led to a case being filed on May 15
against Ilaiah, the management of the Andhra Jyothi newspaper, its editor and
publisher. The case is currently under investigation, at the completion of which
a decision will be taken to whether to charge sheet them.
A police officer at the station told Scroll that Ilaiah is in the habit of
articulating provocative views in his articles, which can and do hurt the
sentiments of people. “Why does he have to make comments against practices which
are dear to people?” the officer said, declining to give his name.
The central thesis of the article is that a society’s social and political
structures are profoundly influenced by its conception of God and by its
religious beliefs.
Three conceptions of God
Ilaiah delineates three types of Gods: an Abstract God, one who is
shapeless and eternal; individuals who were prophets but were transformed into
Gods; and Gods imagined as humans. Each category conveys certain ideas through
their attributes, Ilaiah claims.
The Abstract God has democratic qualities, he contended. The first of these
characteristics, as expressed in the Bible and the Koran, is that God “has
created all human beings equal”. The second democratic character of this kind of
God is that humans are created superior to all animals (including the cow), and
“nature and its creatures have been created for food and other human
purposes”.
Both Jesus Christ and Prophet Mohammad propounded these ideas, he said.
However, in contrast to the Prophet Mohammad, Christ acquired the status of God,
as did Gautam Buddha, he writes. “Buddha and Jesus are against violence,” he
wrote. “Their teaching inspired hopes for equality across the whole human race.
Both their life stories have extended discussions on societal construction,
change in man-woman relationships, desired forms of rule and democratic
values.”
However, Ilaiah rates Jesus Christ ahead of Buddha in espousing democratic
ideals. “His fight for the freedom of Samaritans (Dalits over there), women,
Gentile men and women, slaves and prostitutes, seem to be one step ahead of the
Buddha’s democratic values,” he claimed. “He is the one who clearly stated
about the necessity of separating state and religion.”
Separating religion and state
The social scientist wrote that Christ’s teachings have helped Christian
countries to evolve democratic principles. By contrast, despite the great
emphasis in the Koran on the equality of all humans, there was no separation of
religion and state during the life of Prophet Mohammad and during the reign of
the four Caliphs. This may be why dictatorships have dominated Muslim countries,
which have feeble democratic traditions, Ilaiah suggested.
Next, Ilaiah turns to the third category – God as imagined as humans.
Though this type of Gods is found around the world, he says it is only in India
they are divided into two entities: “Vishnu and his clan of incarnations” and
“Shiva and the divine powers created around him”. The Saiva school’s impact on
contemporary India was limited, he writes. It did not really create
social-political principles. By contrast, institutions and political parties in
India have declared “spiritual and political allegiance to Vaishnavism and its
Gods”.
Ilaiah, therefore, suggests that it is more important to study the impact
of Vaishnavism on Indian society. The narratives and imagery around Rama and
Krishna, who are incarnations of Vishnu, involved violence and weaponry such as
the chakram, bow and arrow and the trishul (trident), he writes. This has a
bearing on human relations, he contends.
Caste identities
Ilaiah also alleges that these narratives contain what he calls the
“counter-democratic process”. The fact that these Gods have identities rooted in
the Kshatriya caste “has greatly helped in building an undemocratic system”, he
wrote.
The article ends with a few questions: “If the God believed by a person
doesn’t have democratic values, where will this person get those democratic
values from? In fact, shouldn’t they explain why they create such Gods who are
violent, undemocratic and anti-women?”
Ilaiah told Scroll that he was not perturbed by the case. “I am into
transforming thought,” he said. “Such pressure is expected. I am not scared. My
motive is to make the nation rethink its uncivilised conduct.”
Statement of support
He is not without his supporters. On May 27, Andhra Jyothi carried a
statement by 76 Telugu writers, intellectuals and artists backing Ilaiah. The
statement said, “Prof. Kancha Ilaiah wrote an article by describing the
democratic values and showing how negative spiritual values come in the way of
development of national economic, social and political future.”
His supporters urged his opponents to counter his arguments in articles of
their own. “Instead, in order to control Prof. Ilaiah’s ideas, some forces are
resorting to legal and coercive methods, which cannot be supported by anybody,”
the statement said.
The statement concludes, “Today, Kancha Ilaiah’s writings are making the
world think afresh. Only the communal bigots are unable to understand those
ideas.”
Ajaz Ashraf is a journalist from Delhi. His novel, The Hour Before Dawn,
published by HarperCollins, is available in bookstores.
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