A Dark White Zeal

It began late last month when the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant denomination in the US, brought out a booklet that alleged that over "900 million people are lost in the hopeless darkness of Hinduism worshipping 330 million gods and goddesses created by the imagination of men and women searching for a source of truth and strength." The pamphlet invited all people to join the Baptists in praying for several ‘unreached’ Hindu groups as they celebrate Diwali. "May the light of Jesus Christ break in upon the darkness which entraps those who worship gods which are not God," the 16-page booklet said. The derogatory references had Hindus up in arms against the Baptists, who’d also provoked the ire of Jewish leaders recently by calling upon people to evangelise Jews during the 10 holy days of Yom Kippur.

In an act of solidarity, Sheila Decter, regional director of the American Jewish Congress, attended a protest rally organised last week by the New England Hindus against Religious Intolerance (NEHARI) in Boston. "She told us that this is totally unacceptable and the Baptists have crossed the fine line of decency," Suresh Jain, director, NEHARI, told Outlook. "She (Decter) also said that the American Jewish Congress supports the cause of the Hindus and in the future it would go with Hindus on such issues."

The Boston protests followed similar ones in Atlanta and Houston. At the November 7 demonstrations in front of Houston’s Second Baptist Church, one of the nation’s largest, the protesters said their aim was to focus attention on the rise of religious intolerance and correct misunderstandings about Hinduism. "It’s absurd," said Jewish protester Bernard Shapiro, director of the Freeman Center for Strategic Studies. "It’s middle-ages-type stuff. I mean, in a country like America, we should be more tolerant." Noted Stanley Berly, another participant: "The Southern Baptist guidebook attempts to dehumanise Hindus as evil and foreign. Two million Hindu-Americans and all freedom-loving Americans, regardless of religion, must stop this cancer of hate from spreading."

Agrees Ajay Shah, convenor of the American Hindus against Defamation (AHAD), one of the largest advocacy groups in the US. "A booklet like the one published by the Southern Baptists leads to hatred among the followers towards those who are condemned, in this case the Hindus," Shah told Outlook over telephone from San Diego. "This needs to be stopped," he added. The AHAD, in a statement after the publication of the booklet last month had said, "The attack on the Hindu faith is nothing short of a blow to multiculturalism in the US." Since then many other protesters have condemned the Baptists’ call for mass proselytisation and called for more religious tolerance and harmony. But obviously, that is easier said than done. Early last month, the Catholics, a religious minority in the US, suffered agony after the Brooklyn Museum of Art put up - with government subsidies - an exhibition called ‘Sensation’ which included a painting of the Virgin Mary coated with elephant dung and plastered with 20 pornographic photos. The exhibition continued despite vehement protests from Catholics. Andy Martin, a Republican Presidential candidate, said in a statement that he saw the taint of anti-Catholic, anti-Christian bigotry in the exhibition. First Lady Hillary Clinton, according to published reports, too called some of the art "deeply offensive" but added that penalising and shutting down an entire museum would be a very wrong response. A report in Daily News said that Hillary shared the views of city council speaker Peter Vallone, "a devout Catholic" who attends Mass daily. Vallone called the work "repugnant" but said the museum has the right to free expression.

In the current controversy over the Baptist booklet, that same right to free expression seems to be influencing debate. In response to a question, White House spokesman Barry Toiv said the President believes in diversity and tolerance. His response came after many Hindu and Indian American organisations complained, among others, to Clinton and attorney general Janet Reno about the Baptists’ alleged proselytising campaign. The Baptists, who have since said that they hadn’t intended to offend anyone, have maintained that people have freedom of religion in the US. "That is our privilege. It is also theirs (the Hindus) to follow their religion," Wendy Norvelle, a spokesperson for Baptists, was quoted as saying by Rediff-on-the-Net. But there were many who disagreed with this contention. Said AHAD’s Shah: "They (Baptists) certainly have a constitutional right to make a statement like the one they have made, but this one smacks of hatred which might possibly lead to violence."

Suresh Gupta, president of the Durga temple in Fairfax in Virginia, agrees. He says in his letter to Clinton that while the Baptists may have the right to publish what he called derogatory material, Hindus were outraged because of the ignorant and hateful message and actions. Janardan Bhatt, a senior official of the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS), said that though the whole thing was disgusting, the HSS didn’t plan a formal protest. "By their act, they have exposed themselves and it is evident that their intention is to go in for conversion of all Hindus about which we have been warning," he says. NEHARI’s Jain says that his organisation has also written to the International Mission of the Southern Baptists Church decrying the booklet. "We are also preparing a point-by-point reply to the document. We want to give a rejoinder to the book," he says. Jain also says that he is planning to initiate a national dialogue between Hindus and Baptists. "There is nothing much we can do except educating people," he says. After all, ignorance may be bliss, but it can also be dangerous.