Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh

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The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (abbreviated as RSS) is a radical Hindu militant and supremacist organisation active in India, which persecutes Christians.[1][2][3][4] India's founding father Mohandas K. Gandhi was assassinated in 1948 by Nathuram Godse, a Hindu extremist who was a member of this group.[2] India's ruling party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), is an ideological ally and political arm of the RSS.[5][6] The RSS is also a source of inspiration for other fundamentalist Hindu organizations.[7] It reportedly operates units in 39 countries through the Hindu diaspora, including in the United States.[8]

Ideology

M.S. Golwalkar, who headed the RSS from 1940 to 1973, identified Christians as part of India's "internal enemies" and greatly admired the Nazi Party.[9] Members of the RSS still glorify the Nazis and Adolf Hitler's concept of racial purity.[10][11] However, this does not mean that they have any antagonism towards Jews as Golwalkar admired the Jews for maintaining their, "religion, culture, and language".[12] The RSS was also strongly supportive of the creation of Israel.[13] The RSS believes that India is a homeland only for the Hindus and regards minority groups such as Christians as outsiders.[4]

Attacks against Christians

The RSS is known for its violent persecution of India's Christian minority, and has led and participated in attacks against them.[14] It has burned down and destroyed churches and desecrated the Bible on multiple occasions.[15][16] Members of this organization engage in mob attacks when targeting Christians.[17] In April 2019, a group of 200 Hindu radicals affiliated with the RSS destroyed a Catholic school and stripped the nuns who were teaching there.[17] The RSS has engaged, with the complicity of Indian authorities, in the illegal conversion of Christians to Hinduism while violating state laws.[18] The Indian prime minister Narendra Modi is a longtime member and career propagandist of the RSS.[2][9]

According to Christian organization Open Doors, persecution against Christians has increased under the Modi government, and Hindu radicals who attack Christians face little to no consequences.[19] Attacks against Indian Christians during the BJP's rule increased by over 400 percent.[5] Breitbart reported that there have been a record number of violent attacks perpetrated against Christians by Hindus, and this is due to the "Hindu nationalist agenda" of the BJP regime.[20] India was ranked as the 15th worst nation for Christians in 2017 by Open Doors USA, due to the actions of Hindu fanatics.[4][21] By 2020, Indian Christians experienced the 10th worst persecution anywhere.[22] In January 2020, RSS extremists blocked and protested against the construction of a large Jesus statue in Karnataka.[19][23]

On account of radical groups like the RSS, Open Doors USA reports intense persecution in India: "In addition to beatings, there were also 37 incidents where Christians were socially boycotted. Others, according to 34 incident reports, were forced to leave their homes. Amongst these 34 cases, 14 of the incidents forced Christians to leave their village or cities entirely. The increase in persecution incidents in India had never been so remarkable. Though the current ruling party Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) talks about unity in the country, it is considered the political wing of the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh)."[22]

Attempts to woo the Christian community

The RSS has tried to set up a Christian Wing of the organization to reach out to the Christian community in India, after many failed attempts. [24] In the state of Kerala, the RSS plan to reach out to Christians failed and did not curry favour with the Catholics living there.[25]

References

  1. ↑ https://www.news18.com/news/india/will-rss-get-a-christian-wing-sangh-parivar-renews-efforts-to-add-another-member-2023333.html
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 https://www.npr.org/2019/05/03/706808616/the-powerful-group-shaping-the-rise-of-hindu-nationalism-in-india
  3. ↑ https://www.newyorker.com/news/on-religion/the-violent-toll-of-hindu-nationalism-in-india
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 https://www.straight.com/news/1011301/gurpreet-singh-christians-under-constant-attack-modis-india
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 https://zenit.org/articles/christians-in-india-fear-rise-in-attacks-after-hindu-nationalist-bjp-election-win/
  6. ↑ RSS targets 100% turnout to ensure BJP win. Hindustan Times (10 March 2019).
  7. ↑ https://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2015/04/14/hindu-radical-calls-for-forced-sterilizations-of-christians-and-muslims-in-india/
  8. ↑ https://zeenews.india.com/news/india/from-us-to-uk-how-rss-gone-global-with-overseas-wing-hindu-swayamsevak-sangh-in-39-countries_1836942.html
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/opinion/nazi-germany-and-rss-india
  10. ↑ https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/hitlers-hindus-indias-nazi-loving-nationalists-on-the-rise-1.5628532
  11. ↑ https://www.dw.com/en/germanys-india-envoy-visits-nazi-inspired-hindu-group/a-49682304
  12. ↑ Shamsul Islam (2006). Golwalkar's We or our nationhood defined: a critique. Pharos Media & Pub.. 
  13. ↑ http://www.nhsf.org.uk/images/stories/HinduDharma/Interfaith/hinduzion.pdf
  14. ↑ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/02/16/narendra-modis-hindu-nationalism-gives-rise-vigilante-attacks/
  15. ↑ https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1218323/christian-persecution-india-hindu-nationalism-extremists-narendra-modi
  16. ↑ https://www.ozy.com/the-new-and-the-next/is-the-hindu-right-targeting-churches-again/268729/
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 https://www.breitbart.com/asia/2019/04/02/mob-hindu-radicals-strip-beat-nuns-destroy-catholic-school-india/
  18. ↑ https://www.persecution.org/2006/04/13/rss-reconverts-over-300-christians-in-orissa/
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Hindu hardliners protest massive Jesus statue in India as persecution against Christians persists. Fox News (15 January 2020).
  20. ↑ https://www.breitbart.com/asia/2020/02/17/report-india-suffers-record-number-of-violent-attacks-against-christians/
  21. ↑ https://www.opendoorsusa.org/christian-persecution/world-watch-list/
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 https://www.opendoorsusa.org/christian-persecution/stories/hindunization-leads-anti-christian-violence/
  23. ↑ https://www.breitbart.com/asia/2020/01/14/hindu-radicals-protest-plan-monumental-jesus-statue-india/
  24. ↑ https://www.news18.com/news/india/will-rss-get-a-christian-wing-sangh-parivar-renews-efforts-to-add-another-member-2023333.html
  25. ↑ https://www.hindustantimes.com/india/rss-plan-to-form-a-christian-wing-in-kerala-fails-to-take-off/story-JRPJEyWPJLT3sMV3VC91NO.html
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