No Legislation against Conversion
This has reference to the editorial entitled, "Wanted: Anti-conversion Law" (The Sentinel, February 17). You have suggested that the States of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Tripura should pass anti-conversion laws with stringent penal provisions. Your esteemed daily has been giving expression to diverse views of people who think their viewpoint is right and want to convert others to their viewpoint. May I hope that you will agree with me that it is the same with spiritual and religious ideas that one shares with others?
I can understand your difficulty in agreeing with me on what is ethical and unethical in the matter of conversions. When people can change their convictions on social, economic or political matters, should they not have the same freedom on religious matters too? I do not think it is possible for the government or for anyone else to pry into the inner thoughts or motives of a person who changes his views on any matter - be it social, economic, political or religious. It will do us good to recall that the fundamental freedom of expression that all Indians enjoy today originated in the religious sphere. It was much later that this freedom was extended to secular life. Besides, conversion is not purely a process of rational argument. A lot of people hold in to their religious beliefs not out of conviction but out of habit as in the cases of nominal Hindus, Muslims and Christians. There should, therefore, be no legislation whatsoever against religious conversions.
As a Christian from an Assamese Muslim freedom fighter's family (incidentally, I am the son of Maulana M Tayyebulla), I condemn unethical conversions, but defend the right to religious freedom. I strongly oppose any anti-conversion Bill or law for the simple reason that it would indubitably be used to curb religious freedom and target Christians as has happened in the recent past.
Omar Luther King, Pitampura, Delhi-110 034. _______________________________________________ Assam mailing list [email protected] http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/mailman/listinfo/assam
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