Bishop calls for an end to Hindu-Muslim violence, stresses "we are all Indians"

[INDIAPOSITIVE]

Mumbai (AsiaNews) - Police in Vadodara (Gujarat) arrested 140 people who took part in clashes between Hindus and Muslims over the weekend triggered by an anti-Islamic image posted on Facebook. During the unrest, two men were stabbed and more than a dozen injured.

Local authorities deployed police to stop the rioting, calling on religious leaders in both communities to intervene to calm people down. As a precautionary measure, internet and phone were blocked.

Violence in Vadodara broke out at a time when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a state visit to the United States. For nearly ten years, Modi was persona non grata after Washington revoked his visa in 2005 when he was still chief minister of Gujarat. This was motivated by charges that he had contributed to the 2002 sectarian violence between Hindus and Muslims that left at least a thousand dead, mostly Muslim.

Modi heads the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a Hindu nationalist party close to the country's more radical groups like the RSS, which has tended to be openly violent towards minorities and is pushing for a Hindu-only state.

For this reason, recent comments made by the prime minister about Indian Muslims have come as a surprise. In reaction to a statement by al-Zawahiri, Modi told CNN that al Qaeda is "doing injustice towards the Muslims of our country. If anyone thinks Indian Muslims will dance to their tune, they are delusional. Indian Muslims will live for India, they will die for India - they will not want anything bad for India".

"As a citizen of India, I welcome these statements," Mgr Thomas Dabre, bishop of Pune, told AsiaNews. "Our country is not built on any particular religious community, nor on any particular belief. Obviously, I recognise the enormous contribution Hindus have made to nation-building, for which I am deeply grateful. However, India was built by people of other religions as well: the Taj Mahal by Muslim, social reforms about equality and human dignity by Christians, outstanding national service Sikhs and Parsees, sculptures by Buddhist".

All this "should be highlighted at a time of religious intolerance and terrorism," he explained. "Only when all Indians, in particular politicians and certain radical groups, explicitly recognise the patriotism of people of all religions, India will be able to live in true peace and harmony, and protect its unity and integrity."

INDIA Bishop of Pune calls for an end to Hindu-Muslim violence, stresses "we are all Indians" - Asia News

 

[Utkarsh]

LOL....this is the same Bishop who asked Christians not to vote for BJP during the elections.

Help Asianews,
The 5th round in India's general election is set for Thursday. Mgr Thomas Dabre calls on the community in his archdiocese to vote for "candidates and parties who will take care of every citizen, [. . .] especially minorities. This is true secularism." Fearful of a victory by Hindu nationalists, the prelate notes that "No religious community has a monopoly over the nation's history and culture".


Today he is reiterating that India was not built by Hindus. but by other religious communities.

Strange how he keeps insisting about the religious difference in India, rather than seeing them all as Indians.

 

[The Unnamed]

singing a different tune now? are we troll boy/girl/yet to make up your mind ?

@Oscar @Chak Bamu @Emmie

Trolling with controversial religious stuff in India and notta post from "it".

 

[wolfschanzze]

LOL....this is the same Bishop who asked Christians not to vote for BJP during the elections.

Help Asianews,
The 5th round in India's general election is set for Thursday. Mgr Thomas Dabre calls on the community in his archdiocese to vote for "candidates and parties who will take care of every citizen, [. . .] especially minorities. This is true secularism." Fearful of a victory by Hindu nationalists, the prelate notes that "No religious community has a monopoly over the nation's history and culture".


Today he is reiterating that India was not built by Hindus. but by other religious communities.

Strange how he keeps insisting about the religious difference in India, rather than seeing them all as Indians.

Jab gaand phatti toh sab line mein aa jate hain, same here.
WTF does he mean Bharat was not built by any particular religion or belief?It was majority Sanatana Dharmics and naturally the credit goes to them.
He reduced sanatana dharma followers to service providers like sikhs and buddhist into sculpters , while raising christianity in a pedestal for social reforms about equality and human dignity subtle hints of evangelism at play.

Bharat is a hindu nation and will be Hindu Rasthra!

 

[Utkarsh]

Jab gaand phatti toh sab line mein aa jate hain, same here.
WTF does he mean Bharat was not built by any particular religion or belief?It was majority Sanatana Dharmics and naturally the credit goes to them.
He reduced sanatana dharma followers to service providers like sikhs and buddhist into sculpters , while raising christianity in a pedestal for social reforms about equality and human dignity subtle hints of evangelism at play.

Bharat is a hindu nation and will be Hindu Rasthra!

LOL. Exactly.

What is implied in that statement, is that Hinduism do not promote social reforms about equality and human dignity ....... its christianity that lifts Indians above such pagan social ills.

This is christian secularism.

 

[wolfschanzze]

LOL. Exactly.

What is implied in that statement, is that Hinduism do not promote social reforms about equality and human dignity ....... its christianity that lifts Indians above such pagan social ills.

This is christian secularism.

Yes they use clever word play and Pagan Religion bashing are agenda of Christianity.

 

[Utkarsh]

Yes they use clever word play and Pagan Religion bashing are agenda of Christianity.

That has been the standard Christian Modus operandi for the last 2000 years. It is unlikely to change now

Anyone who thinks otherwise is just naive.