Attacks of Christianism ..

What is happening in Orissa is all over the foreign media now. The news goes this way - the local people of two tribal districts of Orissa, are killing the Christian missionaries, burning their houses and asking them to vacate the place.

Pope has criticized it. Our prime minister calls it national shame, coming back from his trip to France.

As I just came back from a two week visit to this same locality, I am bombarded with questions and looks by my colleagues from US and other countries.

Here is the real conflict. Not sure all of you read this in the news paper this clearly :)

These two districts of tribal areas in middle Orissa is covered with thick jungle. This has been the chosen place for the missionaries to convert thousands of tribals every year to Christianism to meet there yearly quota of conversions.

Away from progress, neglected by government - its been an easy place for missionaries to spend their budget to build hospitals and english schools. If you need to be treated in the hospital, you need to be Christian. If you need an English education you need to be Christian.

Which is OK as a Win-Win.

Now, comes the real conflict. India government has quota's in jobs for the different sects of society based on cast. There is some quota for Scheduled Castes and some for Scheduled Tribes.

The idea there is to help the sects, grow up the social ladder of progress over a few generations.

Govt. also has a by-law that if the people who belong to the scheduled castes and tribes, convert to Christianism to avail schooling and other facilities, wont be able to claim jobs through that quota.

Now, that works not so much in favor of missionaries. So, they have created an infrastructure, where they convert people's religeon and divert a bit of money to local corrupt govt. to get them SC certificates so they can have the jobs from the quota too. One sect that has more representation gets the dual benefit while the other sect suffers (ST) .

And thats the root of the fight. With ST leader asking for thorough examination of caste certificates.

Story is half done so far. Enter the Mao's / Naxals / Anarchists, who rule the jungle.

They see an issue that can bring unrest to the forest region. What they do, is kill one Christian one day and kill one tribe one day. Keep the fire burning.

Missionaries have been there for decades. They all co-existed with local tribes and castes for long.

The addition of Mao's have made is poisonous.