The RSS chief’s call does not go well with his own assertion that everybody in India is Hindu
CHOOSING one’s religion is a fundamental social and legal right of citizens, as guaranteed by the Indian Constitution. However, certain organisations that operate under the guise of religion often fail to acknowledge this.
Dr Mohan Bhagwat, the Sarsanghachalak of RSS, presents a contradictory stance. On the one hand, he asserts that all people residing in India are Hindus. On the other hand, he voices concern over a declining Hindu population, attributing it to conversions to Islam and Christianity. He has even suggested that Hindu couples should have three children to counter this perceived demographic shift. This is inconsistent: how can everyone be Hindu, while simultaneously calling for “Ghar Wapsi” (homecoming or reconversion) to Hinduism?
Studies consistently show that the genetic structure of all communities in India is remarkably similar. In terms of population genetics, this similarity is not an indicator of one’s religion. Rather, it reflects the impact of historical global migrations on India’s diverse population. Therefore, shared DNA cannot be used as an argument for individuals to abandon their religion of inheritance or choice and merge into the majority religious community.
Conversion Myths
The argument that Islam spread across India solely “on the strength of the sword of kings” is historically unsound. The first Muslim communities in India, for instance, developed on the Malabar Coast in Kerala. This occurred without royal coercion, as there was no Muslim ruler in Kerala until Tipu Sultan annexed it in the 15th century. In fact, the Cheramaan Juma Mosque, one of India’s earliest, was established as far back as the 7th century.
While some conversions to Islam may have later occurred due to coercion or allurements, a significant number were driven by a desire to escape the oppressive caste system. It was often the humanistic approach of Sufi saints, rather than kings, that influenced many conversions. As Swami Vivekananda observed, Islam arrived as a liberatory force for lower castes in India. The notion that victorious Muslim kings frequently granted mercy to defeated Hindu kings only if they accepted Islam represents a minuscule fraction of conversions.
To suggest that conversion merely signifies a change in “method of worship” for converts is a distortion of truth. Muslims possess distinct places of worship, pilgrimage, holy books, and a unique identity. Furthermore, the claims of current Hindutva ideologues contradict the views of Hindutva’s progenitor, Savarkar, who explicitly viewed Muslims as a separate nation.
As far as Christianity is concerned, it was introduced in India in 52 CE with St. Thomas setting up churches on the Malabar Coast. Today, the share of Christians in the total population is a mere 2.3 per cent (Census 2011). Their work in remote Adivasis areas helped, to some extent, in some conversions, but the overall share of 2.3 per cent in a period of close to two millennia does not show use of any allurement or force. Surely some small denominations within the Christian religion do claim that they want to convert, but the major denominations do not convert unless the person opts voluntarily for this.
Roots of Ghar Wapsi
As communal politics in India took root, the Arya Samaj initially tried to convert Muslims to Hinduism. Arya Samaj started a campaign called ‘Shuddhi’. At the same time, Tablighi Jamat started Tanzim (organisation) and Tablighi (propaganda/religious proselytisation) movement in North India. Shuddhi held that those who converted to Islam had become impure and needed to be brought back to their original fold after performing purification rituals. Tanzim regarded that some Muslims have forgotten Islamic norms, and they need to be taught adherence to the basic tenets.
The present Ghar Wapsi campaign was started four decades ago, mainly in Adivasi/Dalit areas. This was also done in the slums. In Adivasi areas, religious rituals, like giving a bath in hot springs along with the performance of havans (Hindu rituals) was done, after which they declared that the person had become a Hindu. One example of this came to light in Vednagar, Agra, in 2014. Some 350 Muslim pavement dwellers, who were primarily rag pickers and destitute, were told to take a bath first. The promise was that they would be given BPL cards and ration cards. When they reached the venue, they were made to participate in a havan and then were declared to be Hindus. The event was organised by Bajrang Dal and Hindu Jan Jagruti Samit, both affiliated to RSS.
The poor sections amongst Muslims and Christians are being targeted like this.
To address the issue, several states have introduced ‘Freedom of Religion’ Acts, which ensure that people can’t choose their religion. In many of these laws, one needs permission from the district collectors to convert. Many pastors and priests have been beaten up on the charge of doing conversion work. On the eve of Christmas, many vendors selling Christmas ware were beaten up on the charge of doing conversion work. On the pretext of conversion, the most horrific act was that of the burning alive of Australian Christian missionary Pastor Graham Staines and his two minor sons in Keonjhar, Odisha.
Kerala Story 2
Bringing the ‘Ghar Wapsi’ into focus is a revival of a divisive game being played by communal organisations and their affiliates. ‘Ghar Wapsi’ is a forcible conversion through intimidation. Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind’sMaulana Arshad Madani strongly condemned this view, saying they were Muslims and will remain Muslims. On similar lines, the campaign against the so-called ‘love jihad’ has gained traction. In this connection, the trailer of Kerala Story 2, a very communal film, suggests that there was an organised attempt to promote Muslim youth to woo Hindu girls for marriage and conversion. In Kerala, this was investigated by the police and found to be fictitious. The trailer shows all this in a very distorted and hateful manner. This Kerala Story 2 is yet another film made for propaganda purposes and its crudity is despicable. Like the Kerala Story, this is also based on imaginary data, far from reality. The Hadiya (Akhila, who converted to Islam) case showed how fake the narrative of the allurement of Hindu girls by Muslim youth is. She maintained that the conversion was her free choice.
This film will be an add-on to the divisive politics of dominating communal organisation, taking our country down towards a society where the basic principles of fraternity are violated to the core. These calls for ‘Ghar Wapsi’ and films on these lines are a total violation of the values of the Indian Constitution and the country’s ethos of syncretic culture.
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Ram Puniyani is an eminent author, activist and a former professor at IIT Mumbai. The views expressed here are the author’s personal and Clarion India does not necessarily share or subscribe to them.
