You're assuming there's something taboo with "beef, mutton or chicken". Not everyone might see it that way. And, over centuries, perspective could change too. FN
On Tuesday, 3 December 2024 at 16:23:28 UTC+5:30 Roland Francis wrote: > To ignore the religious element in Portuguese colonialism in favour of > hunger and greed would be to praise Biryani for its long grained rice and > fragrant spices while ignoring the beef, mutton or chicken in it. > > Roland Francis > 416-453-3371 <(416)%20453-3371> > > > On Mon, Dec 2, 2024 at 3:12 PM <[email protected]> wrote: > >> The Portuguese intolerance in Goa until 1961 and in Mozambique until 1974 >> had nothing to do with religion. It was hunger and greed in Portugal that >> led many people to colonize and commit crimes in the colonies. The slave >> trade is an example of this. They were not enslaved in the name of >> religion. These arguments aim to whitewash Portuguese colonial history. >> Missionary schools opened the eyes of colonized peoples in Africa. >> >> Alberto >> >> Sat, 30 Nov, 2024, 5:52 pm 'Nuno Cardoso da Silva' via Goa-Research-Net, >> <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> Unfortunate as it may be, the fact is that religion has more often been a >>> tool for violence and intolerance, than a tool for peace, love of one >>> another and tolerance. Much of what we Portuguese did wrong in our colonial >>> past was due to our fierce attachment to a particular religion. Just like >>> much of what is being done wrong today in India has to do with a fanatical >>> approach to religion by far too many people from all religious backgrounds. >>> >>> The Portuguese of the 21st century are not psychologically very >>> different from the 16th century Portuguese. The difference is that we were >>> then fiercely religious and care today very little about religion. As a >>> result we find no difficulty in fully embracing in our community Hindus >>> from India and Nepal, Muslims from Pakistan, Guinea-Bissau and Mozambique, >>> Shiites from the Ismaelite community, Orthodox Christians from Romania, the >>> Ukraine and Russia. Most of us demand only two things to accept people as >>> co-citizens: that they truly want to be part of our community and that they >>> speak Portuguese. We are in no way superior to the people of India, and I >>> have no doubt India would be as peaceful and tolerant a nation as we now >>> are, once you stop being intolerant about people's religious beliefs. One >>> may believe in God, but maybe one should stop thinking that God has any >>> preference for any religion. It's what we do which matters, not what we >>> believe in. Simple, but clearly so difficult to achieve, in Europe as well >>> as in Asia... >>> >>> Nuno Cardoso da Silva >>> >>> >>> *Sent:* Saturday, November 30, 2024 at 6:23 AM >>> *From:* "V M" <[email protected]> >>> *To:* "V M" <[email protected]> >>> *Subject:* [GRN] Manu Pillai: "There are No Heroes or Villains in >>> History" (O Heraldo, 30/11/2024) >>> >>> https://www.heraldgoa.in/cafe/manu-pillai-there-are-no-heroes-or-villains-in-history/416418 >>> >>> Religion and politics are an especially volatile mix in South Asia, >>> cleaved apart so painfully on the basis of religion in 1947, and roiled on >>> the same lines again in the 21st century, as majoritarianism surges on all >>> sides of the post-Partition borders. Here in India, the main divide remains >>> Hindu-Muslim, with painful consequences – from casual intimidation to >>> ethnic cleansing – playing out in different locations However, in recent >>> years, Sikhs and Sikhism have also been targeted as “anti-national”, and >>> Goa has experienced many silly and childish provocations about Catholics >>> and Catholicism, including recurring absurdities about who can and can’t be >>> considered Goencho Saib. >>> >>> These slurs haven’t yet added up to much, and it would be unwise to >>> overreact. However, the increasing conflation of myth and history by the >>> state is an unhealthy trend. As the distinguished political scientist >>> Niraja Gopal Jayal reminds us: “In effect, it is an attempt to construe >>> Indian citizenship as faith-based, in consonance with the idea of a Hindu >>> majoritarian nation, of which Hindus are natural citizens while Muslims, in >>> this view, properly belong to Pakistan or Bangladesh. Perfecting this >>> congruence is the object of the new project of citizenship.” >>> >>> Catholics in Goa – and Christians in India – have not been primary >>> targets in this scenario, and in fact Joseph Francis Pereira – a Pakistani >>> of Goan origin – was one of the first beneficiaries of the new Citizenship >>> Amendment Act, which allows Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Parsis, Christians and >>> Buddhists (but not Muslims) from the neighboring countries to become Indian >>> citizens if they entered before 2014. >>> >>> Yet, there are warning signs, as the senior academic Peter Ronald de >>> Souza shared in a recent column in *Indian Express*: “A few days ago, >>> during an argument (in a WhatsApp group), I was told to "go back to >>> Portugal". Not one to take such abuse without a fight, I responded and >>> asked my adversary to “go back to Afghanistan”. He was outraged. "I’m not >>> from Afghanistan," he roared. "Well, I’m not from Portugal," I said. Two >>> things come together in this brief exchange that are worth thinking about. >>> My name and his outrage. For him I was obviously the outsider and, equally >>> obviously, he was the insider. Both for him were self-evidently true. In >>> this exchange, my argumentativeness faced his righteous anger. He said he >>> was confronting me because I was evil. That we went to school together more >>> than half a century ago did not matter.” >>> >>> Palpably upset, de Souza writes “I must honestly admit I was surprised >>> at the vitriol. What began as a discussion on an Indian festival, soon >>> descended into a toxic spat watched by others who, in their silence, >>> appeared to endorse his views that it was inadmissible for me to talk about >>> things Indian, especially Indian culture. What did I know? And who was I >>> anyway? An Indian on probation! Now I know what Draupadi must have felt in >>> the assembly when she asked the custodians of dharma her question. They did >>> not answer. They remained silent.” >>> >>> “Who belongs? Who does not belong? What kind of state is being >>> re-engineered by Hindu nationalism, and where did the historical impetus >>> come from?” Precisely when it is needed most to help address these >>> questions, Manu Pillai’s lucid, brilliant new *Gods, Guns and >>> Missionaries: The Making of the Modern Hindu Identity* is an invaluable >>> primer on India’s encounter with Western colonialism, and “the context in >>> which Hindu nationalism – Hindutva, so dominant now in India – found its >>> *raison >>> d'être*. [It is] a survey of 400 years at most – a span that supplies >>> the historical setting and much of the emotional stimulus empowering >>> present-day Hinduism.” >>> >>> All serious students of Goan history are strongly urged to read Gods, >>> Guns and Missionaries for the way it begins alone, a deft and masterly >>> treatment of colonialism and conversion in the Estado da Índia. This brave >>> young author – he was born in 1990 – pulls no punches, but also refrains >>> from cheap shots. This clear-eyed, sure-footed approach is both refreshing >>> and absolutely required, because the subject is such a potent mix of >>> history, religion and politics. Here is just one passage, for flavour: “the >>> Portuguese came into everyday contact with Hindus, armed with scarce >>> knowledge but copious pre-judgement. The encounter took barely a generation >>> to turn violent. One factor was that the colonizer’s rigid religiosity had >>> grown stiffer still in reaction to the anti-Catholic Reformation occurring >>> in Europe. That is, with the emerging Protestant movement accusing the >>> Catholic church of perverting the faith, Catholic powers had a special >>> necessity to demonstrate unequivocal Christian credentials. And here, their >>> newly acquired Indian enclaves offered a parade ground, packed as they were >>> with devil-worshipping pagans.” >>> >>> To be sure, all this is familiar ground to historians, but serious >>> scholarship about these episodes is almost never knitted together, >>> understood or presented with as much panache and storytelling flair as >>> *Gods, >>> Guns and Missionaries*. Via email, Pillai told me that “history in our >>> country--and perhaps elsewhere too--is not merely a rational, academic >>> inquiry into the past. It is an emotional, political affair. My very first >>> book invited a Rs 5 crore defamation notice, so I know the risks and perils >>> involved in presenting complexities from the past. In this context, >>> historicising religious identities can provoke all kinds of responses. "The >>> truth" pales here in comparison with how people interpret history to create >>> "their truth" in the present or as groups; to find meaning by reading >>> history a certain way. This is true of all communities and identities >>> everywhere in the world. But today we are also seeing an active cultivation >>> of animosity by exacerbating elements of divergence in these narratives. >>> So, when writing a book on modern religious identity formation, yes there >>> is a fear that some of its contents can be hijacked. Similarly, one can >>> also be "cancelled" by different sides for not reinforcing their respective >>> ideological positions. One chapter in the book might annoy the Left and >>> please the Right. Another might achieve the reverse. But this is the risk >>> of doing what I do today. One can't do history if worried about reactions. >>> Even when one is aware of the risks involved in these reactions.” >>> >>> As the topic is especially relevant in this Exposition year, I asked >>> Pillai what to make of the paradox of “Saint” Francis Xavier – an >>> unstinting zealot who believed in the superiority of his faith – becoming >>> converted after death into an all-inclusive Indian holy man, who is >>> addressed by pilgrims from every religion to answer their prayers. He >>> responded thoughtfully: "We must always view historical figures in their >>> time and context. Xavier and his proselytising work stemmed from a vision >>> of the world that emerged from his cultural background, the history of his >>> part of the world, his education etc. The responses of his brown >>> interlocutors were also similarly influenced. There is also in this >>> equation the political power of the Portuguese and their own imperial >>> goals, which skewed the field in favour of one side over another. We should >>> be able to speak of this transparently while also recognising that >>> historical dynamics also evolve and change. The same Portuguese state's >>> attitudes shifted over time; the memory of Xavier and his work also >>> changed. These too are real historical processes. History is full of >>> contradictions. In the battle between "sides" today we can lose sight of >>> this. There are no heroes and villains in history. Often the same >>> characters in different contexts can look heroic or villainous, depending >>> on the prism, the location of the viewer, and so on.” >>> >>> Pillai acknowledges that it is difficult to have honest and open >>> discussions about historical-religious-political issues in India at the >>> moment, but they must occur nonetheless: “I think conversations help. >>> Remember that outside of certain political constituencies, most human >>> beings can take a sensible view of things. It is this mature, reasonable >>> tendency that must be cultivated. By reacting to others, and their setting >>> of the terms, we play into their game. Instead, we must engage in dialogue, >>> speak of Xavier the complex, sometimes "negative" figure while also >>> recognising the equally historical phenomenon of Xavier as he came to be >>> recognised and reinterpreted in these same communities, not just by >>> Catholics but also Hindus. I always say that most things in history are not >>> a case of "either/or". The word we must embrace is "and". But this is >>> admittedly easier said than done. I don't know if I have a solution other >>> than dialogue, and engagement in good faith.” >>> >>> >>> -- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>> Groups "Goa-Research-Net" group. >>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>> an email to [email protected]. >>> To view this discussion, visit >>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-research-net/CAN1wPW65jLiSwu-Zp-NFhDSLJ40Lp4Ua_5KH2urrQdBm2Lhxng%40mail.gmail.com >>> >>> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-research-net/CAN1wPW65jLiSwu-Zp-NFhDSLJ40Lp4Ua_5KH2urrQdBm2Lhxng%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >>> . >>> -- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>> Groups "Goa-Research-Net" group. >>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>> an email to [email protected]. >>> To view this discussion, visit >>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-research-net/trinity-9fad9968-f92c-46e7-9502-353eb886cd1c-1732968621731%403c-app-mailcom-bs07 >>> >>> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-research-net/trinity-9fad9968-f92c-46e7-9502-353eb886cd1c-1732968621731%403c-app-mailcom-bs07?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >>> . >>> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "Goa-Research-Net" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to >> [email protected] >> . >> To view this discussion, visit >> >> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-research-net/CAGVMO%2BuFpNRSjQWMa4W-gmJF-jQOMpktjt2Jx7rrZdMzV5--bw%40mail.gmail.com >> >> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-research-net/CAGVMO%2BuFpNRSjQWMa4W-gmJF-jQOMpktjt2Jx7rrZdMzV5--bw%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >> >> . >> >> >> ----- Fim da mensagem de Crispino Lobo <[email protected]> ----- >> >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "Goa-Research-Net" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected]. >> > To view this discussion, visit >> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-research-net/20241202095922.Horde.2PK63Txk5COycKX4L8q2U22%40mail.sapo.pt >> >> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-research-net/20241202095922.Horde.2PK63Txk5COycKX4L8q2U22%40mail.sapo.pt?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >> . >> > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Goa-Research-Net" group. 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