-
-
Sep132008
Apathy, Activism, and The Line Between
The Christian community has typically been used to living a fairly sheltered and secluded life. The community has been largely till recently been spared the social ostracism that even elite and urbane Muslims have faced in times of communal violence and the poorer sections of the community have till recently been spared the violence that has so regularly lashed the Muslims. The result is a very obvious one: the Christian community has often lacked the institutional mechanism to deal with targeted attacks on the community it is still fumbling to press the right buttons, and apart from the response of human rights activists and bodies of clergy, the lay person’s response has been lukewarm. Indeed the Christian community is perhaps full of people guided by apathy.
Traditionally the Muslim response has been clergy driven and the over riding slogan has been that of “Islam in danger.” Whether Islam was in danger or not at these times, the power of the clergy probably was and that red flag provided certain shrillness to the protests that were driven by a sense of urgency. In contrast, the appropriate Christian response might have been that “Christianity is in danger” but mercifully, the resistance has not taken that route and it is good that it has been this way. The worst possible way to counter fundamentalism of one kind is to replace it with fundamentalism of another kind.
The Christian response to this kind of violence has thus far to be commended for not losing the moral high ground by also resorting to violence. This is especially so because in spite of the largely measured responses from the Christian clergy, in a volatile environment, there is always the danger of some lunatic fringe element shooting off some loose canon.
On the other hand, a better and more effective answer to rising tides of fundamentalism of any shade would be to try and enlarge the space of secular and liberal ideologies and by speaking up against all forms of communalism and sectarian and ethnic or region based violence – whether it affects one’s particular community or language group or not this time round. If it has, this time around… never mind this - there is always another time.
If one disagrees with this thesis, one need not look very far away for evidence. One will remember in that in the not too distant past, the Shiv Sena had as its target the Udipi restaurants dotting the Mumbai landscape. In fact, the Shiv Sena really came of age as a lumpen organization, out to vanquish the South Indians from the city’s landscape. Of course, once the Sena had carved out its identity, it promptly forgot the South Indians and more than a generation later, the Generation X Sena – has begun inventing itself by venting itself on the North Indians - the Biharis and the UP wallahs.
Martin Niemöller, the Nazi era, Christian theologian had it right, when he explained the dangers of looking out only for one’s own. His quote of war time Germany explaining the apathy of many in his generation concerned just with getting on with their lives… “First they came for the Jews…..” has become a lodestar for engagement with wider, liberal elements of civil society whose boundaries are wider than one’s own. Niemoller’s words were later elaborated ….
“When Hitler attacked the Jews I was not a Jew, therefore I was not concerned. And when Hitler attacked the Catholics, I was not a Catholic, and therefore, I was not concerned. And when Hitler attacked the unions and the industrialists, I was not a member of the unions and I was not concerned. Then Hitler attacked me and the Protestant church — and there was nobody left to be concerned.”
In a multi-cultural, multi-lingual and multi-lingual country like India, this prophecy could be fulfilled faster than one thinks. Those who sit back today, unaffected by the plight of any one else’s but their own, comforted in their ghettos could find their security shattered very soon. At the end of the day, when all our identities are stripped down to the bone; there is only one question that remains to be asked ; one that remains to be answered… are you an inclusive person—embracing every one and their culture and belief or are you an exclusive person, with your world shrinking by the day.. as you leave out more and more and more people out of the fold because they are different …. Or are you just plain apathetic … that worst sin of all? For even an excluvist person can perhaps be won over by reasoning or argument …. but an apathetic person can pass through life unmoved by all things and every thing… till his own life is shattered by a glass pane.
The views expressed in this post are those of the writer and are not necessarily endorsed by Mutiny.in
Subscribe
Submit Link
Vinod Sharma
001
10:59 am
Very well written article. Unfortunately, at the end of it, I was not able to understand who in Dutta’s views are ‘inclusive’, ‘exclusive’ and ‘apathetic’. I was also unable to figure out what exactly he meant by saying that we should “enlarge the space of secular and liberal ideologies” and speak up against all forms of communalism and sectarian and ethnic or region based violence. The context in which he said all these things would suggest that in reality he believes that only some sections of Hindus are culpable, without any justification whatsoever..
I wish he had carried out a deeper and less biased ‘on the ground’ analysis before letting his imagination fly by comparing some of them to the Nazis who had ruthlessly gone after the hapless and the innocent with a view to exterminate them!
Natarajan
002
1:09 pm
A very thought-provoking piece! Especially the quote can have a wide impact on the readers.
1conoclast
003
9:54 pm
Shantanu,
Insightful & well articulated as always.
sanjay
004
4:02 am
“When Hitler attacked the Jews I was not a Jew, therefore I was not concerned. And when Hitler attacked the Catholics, I was not a Catholic, and therefore, I was not concerned. ”
Hitler attacked the Catholics? Errr… didn’t the Catholic Pope collaborte with Hitler (a Chrisian himself) in genociding the jews, and then apologized years later? You people are really living in a cuckoo land.
Ever heard of the book “HItler’s Pope”?
http://www.amazon.com/Hitlers-Pope-Secret-History-Pius/dp/0670886939
sanjay
005
4:13 am
It seems that most of the posters have fled, leaving only some familiar bigots known for dumping on pagans and infidels.
India’s native faiths have to be saved from predatory, imported faiths whose central claim is “Our god is true, your god is false.” Such fundamentalism is not welcome in India as it is alien to Hindu ethos. These “religions” from the desert have the “camel in the tent” strategy.
A. N. Nanda
006
10:24 am
Hi Shantanu,
You hit the nail on head while you say, “a better and more effective answer to rising tides of fundamentalism of any shade would be to try and enlarge the space of secular and liberal ideologies and by speaking up against all forms of communalism and sectarian and ethnic or region based violence – whether it affects one’s particular community or language group”.
I feel we’re not speaking enough–a kind of appeasement is in the air and it is clearly evident.
Thanks
Nanda
http://ramblingnanda.blogspot.com
http://remixoforchid.blogspot.com
Utopian Thots
007
2:40 pm
Lovely post, Shantanu- just about sums up the need of the hour.
1conoclast
008
5:11 pm
sanjay…
http://mutiny.in/2008/09/16/should-we-take-up-arms/#comment-59608
and onwards from there. All just for you.
You really expect us to believe that the Pope colluded with Hitler?
If I put in some dubious proof in a book on how sarvarkar orchestrated the Partition & that jinnah was only a puppet in his hands & publish it, I guess you’ll believe me too? Good. Let me get to it.
Oh! I’m sorry, I can’t! I don’t believe in propaganda.
1conoclast
009
7:50 pm
sanjay,
You have often challenged people to prove you wrong. Here is one display for all to witness.
Giving a link to one book doesn’t prove anything.
Here are a few critiques on the book, from Jews & Christians alike:
http://www.lewrockwell.com/woods/woods48.html
http://www.amazon.com/review/product/0670886939/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt/102-3380552-9302567?%5Fencoding=UTF8&showViewpoints=1
This presenting one point of view, often unsubstantiated is what we call propaganda.
Kitaab toh bhaiya bahut log likhte hain. Kitaab toh manohar mulgaonkar ne bhi likhi thi godse ke bachaav mein. Kya kitaab likhne se sach badal jaata hai? Kya mulgaonkar recognized scholar ban jaata hai? Kitaab toh aap ne kaha tha aap bhi likhte hain.
There you go. Your attempts at painting a good man as evil, at “propaganda”, have been summarily dismissed.
The world (Jews included) continues to consider this Pope as a saviour rather than what you were trying to suggest.
You lose.
yaamyn
010
4:10 pm
Hehe.. well, Sanjay. Believe it or not, Hitler didn’t approve of Catholics either.
He didn’t like jews. He didn’t like Communists.
But I have a feeling he would have loved you. :p
R.Sajan
011
4:10 pm
Whites are superior to others. Christianity is the religion of the white British masters and American Baptist masters. Christians cannot be expected to mingle with black Indian savages and idol worshippers If any heathen dares to touch Christians, American bombs would follow..