29th May, 2007

BosNewsLife.com

A major Christian mission group in India expressed hope last week, that "thousands of Dalit Christians" and Muslims will receive the same "affirmative action benefits" as India's majority Hindu, Buddhist and Sikh religion followers after recommendations by a government advisory body.

Gospel for Asia (GFA) said it welcomed a report of the National Commission for Religious & Linguistic Minorities which suggested to the government that Dalits who choose to follow Christianity "continue to endure caste-based discrimination".

The commission recommended that Dalit Christians, Muslims and other religious minorities receive several affirmative action benefits, including ensuring that that 15 per cent of the seats in non-minority institutions would be reserved for the minority Dalits.

If the recommendations are excepted, India’s 16 million lowest-caste believers could face a better future, church observers said.

T he High Court appointed the commission to research whether Dalits who left their traditional faiths, mainly Hinduism, "faced discrimination", more than two years ago. The report was initially to be submitted after six months, but was repeatedly delayed until being finally presented earlier this month.

"This is a significant and giant step toward justice for the Dalits," said GFA president K.P. Yohannan in a statement. "If the court follows the Commission's recommendations, it will free many Dalits to choose to follow Christ. They will no longer have to fear losing their rights."

Christian groups have long argued that it is unconstitutional for the government to deny the Christian Dalits the same rights as others. GFA estimates that nearly 65 per cent of Christians in India belong to what are known as 'Scheduled Castes'. These include the Dalits who are often seen as the 'lowest caste' in India's ancient system of Hinduism.

Eurasian tribes that invaded India almost 3,000 years ago are credited with creating the caste system to prevent the melding of their own culture with that of the original inhabitants. Although the caste system was outlawed in 1950, it still maintains a stronghold on almost all of Indian society, GFA said.

"Men and women born into a Dalit family live in virtual slavery to those in the upper castes. Dalits are expected to perform the most demeaning manual labor jobs, such as cleaning sewers, and are routinely abused and even murdered without consequence," the group added.

GFA leaders in India said they have requested "prayer" of their supporters "that the case will no longer be delayed, and that the court will give the Christian Dalits the benefits they desperately need.

The Indian Supreme Court is to rule on the matter on 19th July.

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