QUESTION: Two pictures we saw in the current news; India’s Prime Minister conducting the initiation of the construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya and the Turkish president in the Hagia Sophia conducting Islamic prayer with the  imam preaching with a sword repeating 481 years of history of conquest. What do you read out of the two pictures?

ANSWER: The toxic mixture of religion and politics makes religion a pseudo-religion and politics pseudo-politics. What we have seen in the recent past in almost all countries is that the political parties come to power, remain in power and cling on to power using means foul or fair and mostly foul by manipulating the emotional attachment of the people to their religion. Those countries that claim to have democratically elected governments have manipulated religious symbols, religiously emotive statements and even a perverted and sinister religious propaganda to win elections, secure power and remain in power. Sometimes an imaginary situation of threat to their religion is instilled in the minds of the people through propaganda. It is used as a tool to brainwash many of the common folk to evoke anger and hatred towards those who do not belong to their religion. Such negative emotions can be fanned up during election time and they can be translated into votes for the political party which use religion for their political ends.
What we have seen recently was the use of blatant use of religion for the political propaganda to galvanize support for the ruling dispensation whether it was in India in relation to the laying of the foundation of the Lord Ram temple in Ayodhya or the fourth transformation of the Hagia Sophia, the greatest cathedral church of the first millennium of Christian era into a mosque. The Prime Minister of India attended the religious ceremonies conducted at the laying of the foundation of the temple, obviously, not as a private devotee of Lord Ram but in his official capacity as the Prime-Minister of India. It is not that he cannot go to a temple. He could even go to this temple of Ayodhya on any day after the foundation is laid. But the fact that he chose to go on this particular day and actively participates in the religious ritual at this occasion appears to be more political than religious. In fact, the symbolism of this act of the Prime-Minister of a secular nation is loud and clear. Those who support him and his party to hold on to power and win elections would be assured that the religion in which they seek identity would be free from any external or internal threats. Further, it would prosper. It is a chilling message to those who oppose the policies of the central government and the ruling party that they are not just opposing the anti-people and anti-poor policies and programmes of the government but indirectly opposing the religion he believes in and identifies himself with. It would certainly embolden the anti-social and criminal elements in the society to attack, maim and lynch people, whom they suspect for transporting cows for slaughter or selling and eating beef, not following the caste discriminations, rules of ritual purity etc.
When religious fundamentalism and bigotry get covert and overt support from the government, those with a criminal mind-set and those have the least regard for the life of other humans find it easy to kill and destroy whom they perceive as the enemies of their religion. They create communal tension and violence before any election to unite, at least temporarily, the people of the same religion, even when they are terribly divided on caste, class and ideological differences to win the elections. We have seen this taking place in many parts of India especially in UP before the assembly and parliamentary elections. Religion is used to polarize and unite sociologically divided and mostly discriminated people in the name of one religion against the people of other religions especially minorities for winning elections. What the Prime Minister of India did in Ayodhya and the President of Turkey did in Istanbul have almost the same political agenda. They both belong to the majority religions of their countries and what they want to reap is rich dividend from their manipulation of religion to remain in power.

Pseudo-Hindutva and Semitization of Hindu Religion

The Ram Rath Yatra organized by the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) and the Hindu Nationalist affiliates of the BJP was a political and religious rally from September to October 1990 headed by Mr L.K. Advani. It was organized to improve the political clout of the BJP and eventually to secure power in the Centre and in the States manipulating Hindu religious sentiments. One religious issue that lent itself to accomplish this ambitious project was to take up the cause of building a Ram Temple in Ayodhya in the site of the Muslim Mosque Babri Masjid which was built in 1528. The Hindu religious fundamentalist groups like Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and other Sangh Parivar affiliates claimed that the Babri Mosque was built demolishing a temple which contained the birth site of Lord Ram. The Rath Yatra evoked unprecedented support of the Hindu masses and in the violence that followed polarising Hindus and Muslims 20 people were killed and the BJP made significant political gains. On December 6, 1996 the Babri Mosque was demolished and a small idol of Lord Ram was placed in a temporary temple at the site of the demolished mosque. In the Hindu-Muslim violence that was triggered by the demolition of the mosque more than 2000 people were killed and the majority of them were Muslims. The criminal act was hailed as the victory of the Hindus over the Muslims and 8 years later the BJP captured power in the Centre and in some of the States. The demolition of the Babri Masjid marked the death of real Hindu religion and in its place the BJP, the VHP, the Sangh Parivar and its affiliates have placed the idol of Pseudo-Hinduism.
While true or real Hindu religion recognizes the value of every revelation of Truth and so respects every religion and even those who do not adhere to any religious belief or even atheists, Pseudo-Hinduism is intolerant of every other religion and its religious practices, food and dress habits and everything that makes it different from their definition of Hindu manners and customs. Pseudo-Hinduism embraces fascist ideology in politics, labelling their dissenters and critics as anti-national and propagates cultural nationalism against territorial nationalism. It holds the view that end justifies the means and practices in all aspects of life claiming that in the legendary war described in Mahabharata foul means were used by the Pandavas to win the war in order to protect dharma. In the name of promoting Hindu dharma Pseudo-Hinduism tries to promote the inhuman and racist caste hierarchy and discrimination of humans based on the family or group into which she or he is born, affirm patriarchy and subjugation of women, emasculate the institutions that protect democracy, devalue the values of Constitution, polarize religions and to promote tension and enmity between majority Hindus against the members of the minority religions. Pseudo-Hinduism negates all the sublime values of Hindu religion like tolerance, openness to respect the views of others, emphasis on interiority and the worth of spiritual values over material prosperity. The Prime Minister’s participation in the rituals of laying the silver foundation brick for the building of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on August 5, 2020 on the first anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370 which gave Constitutional privileges to the Muslim dominated Jammu & Kashmir and relegating it to a Union Territory can be seen only as a powerful propaganda for Pseudo-Hinduism. It is an effort to overcome the collective inferiority complex developed from the colonial past through a symbolic victory over the Muslims who for centuries ruled the Hindus as their subjects. It is not a sign of civilizational maturity but rather a gimmick to boost the false ego of those who have no appreciation of their self-worth. In spite of various inhuman and irrational perversions that claim their origin in Hindu religion, the sublime values of Hindu religion have universal relevance and meaning. The pseudo-Hinduism is intolerant, jingoistic, divisive, anti-Hindu and anti-Indian.
The semitization of Hinduism that is symbolized by the building of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya to show that Lord Ram is historically born in this place is another perversion of Hindu Religion. The term semitization is defined as a process of any religion acquiring the characteristics of Semitic religions like Judaism, Christianity and Islam. For the Semitic religions the intervention of God in history is very important. Therefore, in the world-view of Semitic religions, time is interpreted in the linear direction and everything begins from God and ends in God. Thus, the events of history become very central to their belief. History does not repeat itself and every decision in history determines the destiny of the individual and the world. According to the Hindu religious world-view, time is cyclic and it goes on and on without beginning or end. Therefore, history is not important. The cycle of birth and rebirth continues. Therefore, what happens in history is not to be taken seriously. Everything comes and goes and comes again!
According to the Pseudo-Hindutva ideologists the enslavement and victimization of the Hindus is due to this world-view. They believe that the success of Semitic religions in conquering most part of the world is due to their world-view of giving importance to history. All the three Semitic religions claim their historical origin and have a geographical place as the symbol of their unity. Therefore, it is the belief of those who follow the ideology of Pseudo-Hindutva that like Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Mecca of the Semitic religions if Ayodhya can be set up as the birth place of Lord Ram and the temple built there as the rallying point of all Hindus then it would help their political agenda to secure and remain in political power and fulfil their dream of a Hindu-Rashtra. At the moment the Constitution of India is a block to their nefarious plans. They will use every available means to achieve their goal. The Prime Minister’s participation in the Ayodhya temple foundation ceremony is only one among them!

Re-Christening of Hagia Sophia as a Mosque

Built in 537 the Church of Hagia Sophia or the Holy Wisdom was the largest Christian Church in the Eastern Roman Empire and the Cathedral of the Patriarch of Constantinople. In 1453, almost after 10 centuries of Christian worship it was converted into a mosque by Mehmed the conqueror of Ottoman empire. In 1931 after being a mosque for about 4 centuries it was closed and in 1935 it was reopened as a museum by the secular republic of Turkey and was later recognized by the UNESCO as a world-heritage monument . In the early July 2020 the present Turkish government headed by Recep Tayyip Erdogan decreed that its status is changed from a museum to a mosque. Erdogan who came to power claiming to have secular credentials changed his position to a Muslim fundamentalist in the course of time to remain in power. He changed the Constitution to become the president of Turkey. The motives to declare Hagia Sophia as a mosque and to go there on the first day of prayer according to the Muslim religious tradition along with the Imam and other government officials are not much different from the action of the Indian Prime Minister to attend the foundation laying ceremony in Ayodhya on August 5, 2020. Religions are certainly different but the political strategy of both leaders are very similar: use religious symbols which are emotionally appealing to give the distressed people a sense of superiority over others and to secure support for the government especially when the financial situation of the country is bad and both the opposition parties and the independent agencies criticize the inefficient handling of the pandemic COVID 19 by the Turkish government.
Political leaders have only one religion: power. They use any means to secure it and keep it. They are not bothered about truth and justice. They cannot stand any opposition. They go any extent to remain in power. Playing with the emotional appeal of religion is one of the best means used by political leaders with autocratic and fascist tendencies of all times. There are so many mosques in Istanbul and there is no need for converting Hagia Sophia to a mosque. But it is not a religious need. It is a political need and a statement that the superiority or the supremacy of Islam over Christianity. Here again, it comes from a collective inferiority or superiority feeling that is manipulated by a cunning politician who knows the weakness of his people.

The Religion God wants

Political leaders of all religions manipulate the infantile religious faith of the people and deceive them through all the means available and make them believe that, that these leaders are the saviours and protectors of their religions. What the present president of the United States does in presenting himself as the champion of the Christian faith and the traditional Christian values is not much different from the manipulation of religious faith by the Prime Minister of India and the president of Turkey. Though we have reflected only on the recent manipulation of religion for political purposes by pseudo-hindutva and pseudo-islamic leaders such actions are not limited to them. In the history there are many Christian political leaders who have manipulated the religious sentiments of the Christians to secure, remain and continue in power. So too there are Jewish and other religious leaders doing the same.
Power gives more thrill to life than anything else in the world. Both religious and political leaders get power through election, appointment or through heredity. Both tend to manipulate the blind faith of the people in them. Usually they are supportive of each other. What we can see in history as well as in the recent events of Ayodhya or Istanbul is the same mutual support of politicians and religious leaders to hoodwink gullible people so as to remain in power and enslave people for their selfish ends. Only those prophets who would not let people be enslaved by any type of manipulation in the name of God and religion can challenge and bring to light their ungodly plans and activities. Genuine religious and political leadership bring harmony and concord among people of different religions, cultures, languages, ethnicities and ideologies. They are people of authority and not power. They don’t polarize people but prevent any type of division and discrimination. Those who use religion and politics to divide and discriminate, destroy harmony and kill peace are wolves in sheep’s clothing. What God requires of humans is “to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly before God” (Micah 6:8). Therefore, eternal vigilance is not only the price of democracy but also the price of genuine religion!

Jacob Parappally MSFS