← Autodidact Archive · Original Dissent · Petr
Thread ID: 18712 | Posts: 5 | Started: 2005-06-18
2005-06-18 13:36 | User Profile
[I]Note: In third world countries like India, it is customary for the government to seriously undercount their minorities (racial or religious) in their official statistics.[/I]
[I]In any case, an interesting geopolitical shift that even knowledgeable WNs should pay some attention to.[/I]
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[SIZE=5]Religious Demography of India: 2001 Version[/SIZE]
[B]Posted June 9, 2005
VigilOnline.com Centre for Policy Studies, Chennai September 2004[/B]
According to the recently released figures about the religious composition of Indian population recorded in the 2001 census, the share of Indian Religionists in the population of India today is 84.21%. This is a little less than the share of 84.44% that they held in 1941 in the area that constitutes the ââ¬ÅIndiaââ¬Â of today. India then of course included Pakistan and Bangladesh also. There were significant numbers of Indian Religionists in those parts of India; in 1941, they constituted nearly 20% of the population of the area that forms Pakistan today, and 30% of what is called Bangladesh now. Today, according to the latest census figures, the share of Indian Religionists in Pakistan is less than 2%, in Bangladesh their share is hopefully around 9%, and in the India of today their share is less than what it was in 1941 before the Partition.
[B]Amongst Indian Religionists we include the Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, and the followers of locality and community specific native religions, who are variously called Tribals, Vanavasis and Adivasis, etc. Indian Religionists, thus defined, constitute almost the whole of the population of India except that of the Muslims and the Christians. [/B] For Indian Religionists, Partition of the country thus has had disastrous consequences. They have been almost completely excluded from about one-fourth of the area of pre-Partition India, the area that forms Pakistan and Bangladesh today; and in the remaining three-fourths, that forms the India of today, their proportion is now less than what it was before Partition. Within five decades of the Partition, the Indian Religionists, within the part of the country that is left to them, are in the same relative situation that they were before the Partition; and meanwhile they have lost a quarter of what used to be their country.
The Partition, and the consequent violent and tragic transfer of population, had resulted in a significant rise in the proportion of Indian Religionists in the ââ¬ÅIndianââ¬Â part of India. Their proportion had risen from 84.44% in 1941 to 87.24% in 1951, and that of Muslims had correspondingly declined from 13.38 to 10.43%. In the five decades since 1951, that gain has been completely neutralized; Indian Religionists now constitute 84.21% of India and Muslims 13.43%.
These India-level macro figures are extremely disturbing in themselves. The decline in the proportion of the main religious group of a compact, and already partitioned, geographical unit by more than 3 percentage points in 5 decades is not an ordinary phenomenon. And, the decline during the last decade of 1991-2001 has been especially sharp. Indian Religionists in this one decade have lost by 0.9 percentage point; the loss in the earlier decades used to be much less, often in the range of half a percentage point.
[B]The disturbing nature of this gross and stark fact is probably why so much effort has been expended by the Government of India to force the Census organization to re-present the data in various mutilated formats. But no amount of mutilation of the data and no amount of obfuscation about the quantum of relative differences in growth rates between different communities can possibly hide the grossness of what has happened. The gross fact is that the Indian Religionists are quickly losing their share in the population of what is left of India; and the rate of their decline seems to have risen sharply during the current decade. [U]In what constituted India before Partition, the decline now seems beyond repair; and in that larger Indian region **─ the region that just five decades ago used to be India ─ the Indian Religionists have lost more than 12 percentage points during 1881-2001, and they are almost certainly going to be reduced to a minority within the twenty-first century[/U]. [/B]
While the gross macro level figures are disturbing enough, the detailed figures for different parts of India are even more revealing. Our analysis of the census information of the last 120 years on the religious demography of India had indicated that there are certain regions and pockets of India, most of them lying along the extreme borders of the country, where the decline in the share of Indian Religionists has been much steeper than the average for the country as a whole.[1] The 2001 figures indicate that not only the decline in these identified pockets and belts has become much faster, but also that some of the regions of the country where there has been no past trend of significant decline in the proportion of Indian Religionists have now begun to be effected.
Of the regions where Indian Religionists have been losing in share of the population, the most significant is the northern heartland of India, fertilized by the great Ganga and Brahmaputra, and constituting the states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Assam. In the course of the single decade of 1991-2001, the share of Indian Religionists has declined by nearly 1 percentage point in Uttar Pradesh (including Uttaranchal), by more than 1 percentage points in Bihar (including Jharkhand), by nearly 2 percentage points in West Bengal, and by nearly 3 percentage points in Assam. The proportion of Indian Religionists in these states now is around 82, 83, 74 and 65 percent respectively; in these states, Muslims constitute almost the whole of the remaining population. In the region as a whole, the Indian Religionists have lost 5 percentage points during the last half a century, and the share of Muslims has correspondingly increased from 15 to 20 percent.
In a Western UP pocket centered on Rampur and extending to Saharanpur on the west, the proportion of Muslims has increased by more than 2 percentage points during the decade of 1991-2001. Muslims now constitute 38.5% of the population of this highly fertile pocket, where there share was 32.8% in 1981. In Rampur they form a near majority at over 49% of the population and in Moradabad they are nearly 44% and Bijnor 42%. In Purnia region of Bihar, Muslims now form a significant majority or near majority in several districts. In the northern districts of West Bengal, Muslims now form a near majority of 49% in the region as a whole; their proportion in Murshidabad is nearly 64% and in Maldah 50% and in Uttar Dinajpur over 47%.
Since Independence, Assam has seen the largest accretion to the Muslim share in this decade. As many as six districts of Assam are now Muslim majority districts, and in several others they form a near majority. During 1991-2001, their proportion in Dhubri district has gone up from 70.5% to 74.3%; and in Bongaigaon, their proportion has risen by nearly 6 percentage points from 32.7% in 1991 to 38.5% in 2001. With the results of this census, the battle for supremacy in Assam seems to have been won by the Muslims.
Another region of concern in this regard has been the northeast of India. The states in this region have seen a sudden spurt in Christianisation since Independence. In 1991-2001, the rise in the proportion of Christians in this region has been the highest since 1951. Their proportion in the six states of the region as a whole, excluding Assam, has gone up from 39% in 1991 to 45.5% in 2001. Of these six states, Nagaland and Mizoram had become almost entirely Christian already by 1991. In this decade, Christianity has spread further into Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Meghalaya. In Arunachal Pradesh, the share of Christians has nearly doubled from about 10% in 1991 to nearly 19% in 1991. In Tirap district, the share of Christians has risen from 18% to 50% during this decade; in the East Kameng district, their share has gone up from 4% to over 25%. In Manipur, where the outer districts have already been almost entirely Christianised, their share has now risen from 34.1% to 37.3%. And, in Meghalaya, where some of the tribes have been resisting Christianisation in the past, the Christian share has now risen from 64.6% to 70.3%.
[B]These are momentous changes. The figures of 1991-2001 have laid to rest the optimistic hopes of some of restraining further spread of Christianity in this region. Even Sikkim, which so far seemed immune from extraneous influences, has seen a doubling of Christian share in the course of this decade to reach a significant figure of nearly 7%. And Tripura, where the share of Indian Religionists was actually rising in the past decades, has also begun to succumb. [/B]
The southern state of Tamil Nadu is another state which has seen a marked increase in the share of Christians during 1991-2001. The proportion of Christians in the state had remained unchanged at around 5.7% during the two decades 1971-91, but in the last decade their proportion has increased to 6.1%. In the Kanniyakumari district, the share of Christians has gone up from 42.4% to 44.5%. This district at the southern tip of India has seen a rise the share of Christians by more than 2% every decade since the district became part of Tamil Nadu fifty years ago, except during 1971-81. The Chengalpattu (composite) district, next to the city of Chennai, is another district of the state where the share of Christians has been on the rise since independence; it had risen from 2.2% in 1951 to 4.5% in 1991. During 1991-2001, the share of Christians in the composite district of Chengalpattu has gone up from 4.5% to 6.0% and that in the neighbouring Chennai district from 6.3% to 7.6%. This is the largest recorded growth in the proportion of Christians in this area since independence.
Kerala on the western coast is another state where the share of the Indian Religionists has been consistently on the decline since the very beginning of census enumeration. In the last 100 years their share has declined by about 1.2 percentage points every decade; and in this decade also they have suffered the same magnitude of loss. They now form 56 percent of the population; their proportion used to be 69 percent in 1901. During the first half of the twentieth century, the Christian share in the population had increased from 14 to 21%. In the post independence period, the share of Muslims has gone up from 17.5% to 25%. The increase in the Muslim share has been by more than 14 percentage points, from 54.3% in 1951 to 68.5% in 2001, in the Malappuram District. In the entire Malabar region, the Indian Religionists who were 65.3% of the population in 1951, have been reduced to a near minority level of 52.7% in 2001. In this period, the Muslim share in the region has gone up from 31.4% to 41.1% and the Christian share has also risen significantly from 3.3% to 6.2%.
This Muslim growth in the northern districts of Kerala has now begun to seep upwards towards Kodagu, Dakshina Kannada and Uttara Kannada districts of Karnataka. During 1961-2001, the share of Muslims in the Dakshina Kannada (composite) district has gone up from 9.7% to 16.7%. And, during 1991-2001, the Kundapura, Udupi and Karkala Taluks have been constituted into the Udupi district and the reconstituted Dakshina district has a religious profile closely resembling that of Northern Kerala districts, with the proportion of Muslims and Christians in the population being 22.1% and 8.7% respectively.[2]
Jammu and Kashmir in the north is another region where Indian Religionists have lost sway. The last census in that state was held in 1981. In these two decades, the proportion of Indian Religionists in the state has declined by nearly 3 percentage points, from nearly 35.7% in 1981 to 32.8% now. Muslims have gained in every region of the state, including Jammu-Kathua and Leh-Ladakh regions. In the valley proper, the proportion of Indian Religionists has declined by half, to less than 3 percent. In fact the absolute number of Indian Religionists in the valley in 2001 is less than what it was in 1981, though the population of the valley has increased by nearly 80%.
These are the regions, which we had identified as areas of concern on the basis of the past trends. But, northwestern states like Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan, which suffered the brunt of the tragedy of Partition, were not seen as areas where the proportion of Muslims was likely to rise in the near future. The figures for 2001 show that the share of Muslims in Haryana has gone up by more than 1 percentage point in a single decade. Muslims now form nearly 6% of the population there; in Gurgaon they have gained by 3 percentage points to reach more than 37% and in Panipat their proportion has risen from less than 4% to more than 6%. In several districts of Punjab, besides Sangrur, which has always had a significant Muslim presence, the share of Muslims has now reached near or above 2%. [B]This spread of the phenomenon of increase in Muslim and Christian share to regions, which previously seemed immune, is perhaps the most significant revelation provided by the 2001 census data. [/B]
This is the broad picture of the changing religious demographic profile of the country that emerges from a quick analysis of the 2001 figures in the perspective of the figures for the previous 120 years. This picture is certainly not reassuring to contemplate. It seems that the Indian Religionist moorings of India are changing fast; in several areas, these moorings have already been lost, in others these are being lost quickly. And, change seems to have set in even in areas that were resisting such changes earlier.
What are the causes of this change and how it is to be arrested? This is a difficult question. There are large differences in the fertility of different communities, which have persisted for almost the whole period for which such data are available. There have been large-scale conversions to Islam and Christianity, often of whole communities and regions. And, there has been migration from across the current borders of India, and from within different parts of India. All these are well-known phenomena. The state in India has access to enough data to pinpoint the form and magnitude of these phenomena in different parts of the country. And, the state probably also has the means to ensure that these phenomena do not reach a level so as to disturb the established relative balance between different communities. But, the Indian state and the Indian elite have shown no will to act so far.
It is not a matter of not knowing, or not having the ability to act. It is a matter of not being concerned. It seems that the state in India and a large proportion of the articulate Indians believe that the relative proportion of different religious communities in India is not a matter of legitimate concern. They seem to believe that even if the Indian Religionist identity of India is entirely submerged in the whole of India, or in specific parts of India, it is still not a matter of legitimate concern; because, this is not an identity that needs to be valued or preserved.
The position is not dissimilar to the position that the state in India and the articulate classes have adopted regarding the submerging of swadeshi Indian enterprise and industry in the face of global onslaughts. The solution in both cases is to sensitize Indians to the importance and relevance of being Indian; and of retaining control of some geographical region in the world where Indian civilizations ways and sensitivities may hold sway.[/FONT]
2005-06-18 19:14 | User Profile
Oops, forgot to provide a link, here:
[url]http://www.christianaggression.org/item_display.php?type=ARTICLES&id=1118337694[/url]
[url]http://www.christianaggression.org/[/url]
2005-06-19 09:33 | User Profile
[QUOTE=Petr][url]http://www.christianaggression.org/[/url][/QUOTE]
You are probably wondering what is the aggression caused by Christians in India. You may wonder how can a minority religion that is only 3% of the population cause aggression in a nation of over 1,000,000,000 people. In the press, the aggresion and "persecution" of Christians is often publicized. However it is never publicized how Christian Fundamentalists often incite this cycle of violence and aggression.
The root cause of Christian aggression in India is caused by the fact that Christianity believes that Jesus Christ is the only son of god. He is supposed to have been sent to earth to wash away the sins of the people, and so redeem them. Of course, this happens only to those who accept him as the only son of god. All the others do not get the benefit who do not have this shared belief will be burnt in hell for all eternity.
Christianity says that it has a unique path to salvation, and all the other paths are false. While there is supposed to be some modification in these views, the acceptance is that all the other paths may at most be second best. Therefore, it is better if people accept Christianity and not take a chance.
Christians believe that they have been commanded by Christ to go and “save” (convert) the people of this world. This is also supposed to give them special merit when it comes to the day of final judgment.
While there are many Christians who today do not believe in this exclusivity, there are a still large number of misguided Christians who still believe that in the exclusivity of Christianity and the concept of saving souls.
It is this misguided belief that causes breeds a hatred and intolerance for other religions. and from this hatred, these Christian Fundamentalists begin their aggression to convert. And often they will go to any means to convert even if it means violence.
This website seeks to educate the world about the atrocities that conversions bring and to bring this aggressive nature of Christianity to an end.
Interesting and inspiring site, Petr. Thanks.
2005-06-19 10:21 | User Profile
[COLOR=Indigo][I][B] - "You may wonder how can a minority religion that is only 3% of the population cause aggression in a nation of over 1,000,000,000 people."[/B][/I][/COLOR]
In all likelihood, India's Christian population is already bigger than that - the Hindu-nationalist BJP government is probably just as liable to belittle the numbers of believers as we know that the Communist government of China does. We see in the article below that not even these anti-Christian Hindu activists fully trust in their own government:
[I][COLOR=DarkRed]"The disturbing nature of this gross and stark fact is probably why so [B]much effort has been expended by the Government of India to force the Census organization to re-present the data in various mutilated formats[/B]. But no amount of mutilation of the data and no amount of obfuscation about the quantum of relative differences in growth rates between different communities can possibly hide the grossness of what has happened."[/COLOR][/I]
An experienced foreign missionary Steve Van Nattan offers some possible explanations on why Islam is also winning ground from Hinduism:
[COLOR=Blue]"[B][U]Hinduism is the lowest form of religion on earth. [/U] The most devout Hindu is not asked to change one lust or sin in his life. If he piles up more Karma (bad debt in the divine ledger) than he performs Dharma (good deeds on the other side of the ledger), he can simply laugh it off and assume he will have another of the 12,000 cycles of reincarnation which the Hindu must endure. No Hindu knows where he is in the 12,000 reincarnations, so he can live like the devil, yet he only has to assume that he may come back at a lower level than he is right now, and he will have many chances to work his way to the Brahman mind.[/B] This is the ultimate destination. Everything in Hinduism is based on me gratifying myself as I work my way to my final destiny. This works its way out in the terrible manner in which Hindus treat each other. [B]Husbands are almost all bisexual, and their wives must endure the most demeaning marriage relationships, and when the husband is away, the mother-in-law treats the wife like so much rubbish. This results in many suicides by Hindu wives. If they do not kill themselves, their husbands will arrange a "kitchen fire" to kill them so that the husband can find a new fresh sex pot for a new wife.[/B] This is the rule, not the exception.
"The Mahatma Ghandi was the classic hypocrite. He talked and seemed to promote peaceful resistance and living in harmony. He talked about people being kind to one another. Yet, this filthy scum of the earth went to South Africa in his early adult life for the sole purpose of killing Zulus on behalf of the British military.
"Now, imagine a Muslim in India as he looks at this horrible religion of greed and evil mannered people. By contrast, the Muslim must treat his wife by certain rules of consideration. His wife must be modest and protected from the evil of Hindu lusting eyes. The Muslim does not pass by the beggars in the street and console himself that the beggar must work off his bad Karma by suffering, so there is no need to give him alms. The Muslim gives alms out of a certain genuine motive of wanting to help and be kind and fair. The Muslim will not buy a dead animal to butcher and sell the meat to local Christians as the Hindu will. The Muslim treats the Christians the same way he treats anyone else. The Muslim will not sell his wormy candy to the children of low caste people. The Muslim will throw the candy away.
"[B]Now, having seen HIMSELF in comparison with HIS HINDU NEIGHBOR, don't you see how the Muslim thinks very well of himself[/B]. He has rearranged his human nature so that he performs, and I believe sincerely, many acts of religious zeal on a vastly higher plain than the filthy Hindu. The problem is, the standard of the Muslim is his own definition of goodness, and the definition of a prophet from Mecca in 625 AD. Allah is far away and very impersonal. The sayings of a man named Muhammed, and the sincere efforts of the man himself are the highest his religion ever rises.[/COLOR]
[url]http://www.blessedquietness.com/alhaj/append-10.htm[/url]
In any case, these "Christianaggression.org" fellows would seem to be confirming (at least to some extent) some of the claims of that latest WorldNetDaily columnist, Jim Rutz, who brags how house-church Charismatics are going to conquer the world...
(It is precisely these house-churches that are most unlikely to show up official Indian statistics)
[COLOR=Red]"[B]The fastest-growing networks of pure house churches are in India. [/B] (China may be growing as fast, but most of their house churches still center around a single pastor. This has limited male membership to roughly 20-25%.)
"The best network is Operation Agape, which began in 1995 in central India as an "experiment" devised by strategist Wolfgang Simson and a wonderful Indian couple who will remain nameless.
"They started launching churches through spiritual power encounters-and running them without pastors, buildings, or Sunday services. This has produced well over 3000 house churches in Madhya Pradesh in the last six years-with 60,000-70,000 converts. Their methods have become a model for churches all across India.[/COLOR]
[url]http://webgui1033.cdgcommerce.com/index.pl/00018[/url]
Petr
2005-06-19 11:31 | User Profile
More religious plurality = more civil strife.