The Hindu : Indian citizens in U.S. protest T.N.'s anti-conversion law

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jan 07, 2003

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Indian citizens in U.S. protest T.N.'s anti-conversion law

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI JAN. 6. The anti-conversion legislation would cause further division and legitimise violence against individuals and communities of faith, according to a group of Indian citizens living in the United States and who have organised themselves as the Concerned Citizens of India.

"Tamil Nadu should not be an example for persecution on religious grounds for the rest of India," they said in a memorandum sent to the Governor, P.S. Ramamohan Rao.

Registering their protest against the "threats to the freedom of the people," they said the legislation would contribute to tearing down of religious freedom built up over centuries.

There was the possibility that people would be deprived of their right to decide how to believe, conduct worship, or understand truth. "They will now be constricted by the interference from the courts and the police," the memorandum added.

The term relating to prevention of conversion by "force, allurement or fraudulent means" was so broadly defined that the interpretation of it might lead to unjust persecution, it pointed out. "The ordinance goes against the freedom of the people of Tamil Nadu, the Constitution of India, and international agreements to which India is a signatory," it said.

Furthermore, lack of freedom to think and act, and fear of reprisal retarded progress in every field of human endeavour. The legislation attacked the deep spiritual and moral tolerance of the country, it added.

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