Spiritual leaders express distress over communal tensions in several states

MARGAO

: Spiritual leaders of six major religions in the country on Thursday expressed their deep distress regarding the recent communal tensions in Bihar, West Bengal, Rajasthan and other states in the country. They further denounced in unequivocal terms the attacks this week on three Catholic churches in Rourkela, Odisha ‘at a time when the peaceful Christian community was celebrating their feast of joy – Easter.’

They also condemned ‘all violence, lynchings and killings and requested the authorities to take strong and speedy action against those involved in anti-social acts.’ They vehemently denounced ‘the mobs that go around taking law and order into their hands and appealed that the Constitutional norms and articles be respected and implemented in letter and spirit.’ They strongly condemned ‘those who are seeking to inject the poison of hatred into our society.’ They appealed to ‘all men and women of goodwill to stand up for social harmony.’

The religious heads representing the faiths of Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Jainism, Sikhism and Buddhism such as Sushil Goswamy Maharaj, President of Bharatiya Sarva Dharama Sansad; Imam Umer Ahmed Ilyasi, Chief Imam of India and President of All India Imam Association and Imam Council of India;

Most Rev Theodore Mascarenhas

, Secretary General of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI);

Vivek Muni

, President of International Mahavir Jain Mission; Paramjeet Singh Chandok, Chairman of Bangla Sahib Gurudwara and Bhikku Sanghasena, Founder of the Mahabodhi International Meditation Centre, Ladakh publicly expressed their ‘deep worry and concern at the way the forces of hate and division are striving to polarise the Indian polity.’

They reiterated that ‘every Indian has his dignity and respect and the right to decide what one eats, to marry the person of one’s choice, to choose the education one selects and the freedom to practice whatever faith one wishes to profess.’ They further took strong exception to ‘anyone taking control of these individual decisions be it on the part of the State or by so-called cultural organisations. No one is to be categorised as anti-national or non-patriotic based on his religion, region or belongingness to a community. Our county cannot progress simply with slogans and promises. A nation can progress only when it’s people live with each other as brothers and sisters, where egoism gives place to selflessness, hate gives way to love, peace replaces violence.’

They made these remarks during the conference titled ‘Collective Action for Dialogue and Social Harmony Youth of India: Looking Forward’ jointly organised by the CBCI, Society of Pilar, Agnel Region and Bharatiya Sarva Dharama Sansad at the Ravindra Bhavan, Margao on Thursday noon on the occasion of the celebrations of the sixty years of the first institute of the Agnel region in

Bandra-Mumbai

and forty years of the educational complexes at Verna-Goa, Vashi-Mumbai and Delhi.