Open Doors Report

12/02/19

Re – Open Doors Report

Namaste Dear The Rt Hon. Jeremy Hunt MP

The Dharmic Ideas & Policy Foundation (DIPF) was established in February 2015 with a launch at the Palace of Westminster to give Britain’s Dharmic Community organisations (i.e. of Indian traditions) and grassroots a steer on key policy matters that impact on them and provide policymakers with a steer on matters that concern the Dharmic communities. We write to you in order to raise an issue that causes some concern.

An event in parliament in January 2019 is the catalyst for our concerns, while its background and consequences are also worrying. The event in question is the launch of a report by the organisation Open Doors on the persecution of Christians worldwide. The launched report ranks India as being among the top 10 of countries where persecution of Christians rages. India has been steadily moving up in the previous editions of the Open Doors’ reports, but this is the first time it has assumed 10^th place, pushing out Syria!

Without needing to read the report, it may be inferred that this ranking smacks of manipulation. India has a deep tradition of pluralism where Christian padres explicitly campaign for the political party of their choice and, as often happens nowadays, against the current ruling BJP government. We in the UK would consider such acts criminal under applicable legislation. Allegations of persecution against Christians in India have subsequently proven groundless, as often pointed out by Indian Christians themselves.

Reading the methodology employed by Open Doors substantiates grounds for suspicion. Underwriting its own unreliability, the section explaining the methodology of the report says that “It is not always clear if and to what extent pressure felt by Christians, or even violence against them, is directly related to them being Christian. Sometimes, just living in a chaotic world creates substantial amounts of suffering for Christians and others alike.” This is a recipe for arbitrariness, making it evident that the ranking of any country, let alone India, must be based on factors other than actual persecution suffered by Christians, even assuming that that is measurable in any reliable way.

Open Doors also claims that the report is “independently audited by the International Institute for Religious Freedom (IIRF)”. However, like Open Doors, IIRF is an evangelical organisation promoting and supporting missionary activity and proselytism. A glance at the IIRF’s website makes it clear that they cannot be neutral while being members of the World Evangelical Alliance.

It is not that reports such as the one produced by Open Doors is anything unusual. We have become used to how those who wish us to convert away from the traditions of our ancestors, and therefore have a vested interest in declaiming against those traditions, continue to produce such tracts to press on with the idea that a basically pluralistic culture is in fact its opposite. That has been the practice of Christians of the last five centuries if not more. We know that proselytism is being practiced against followers of the Indian traditions here in the UK.

We know too that the UK caste legislation was framed by pressure from such organisations and their affiliates. It has not gone unnoticed that the leading case of Tirkey, which there are good grounds to suggest was massaged into a case of caste discrimination, involved a Christian claimant. That same case has been promoted by your government, pursuant to its caste consultation, as the basis of the UK’s protection for claimants of caste discrimination. This happened despite the fact that Tory candidates gained electoral support during GE2017 for their commitment to opposing both the legislative and case law options regarding caste.

Our immediate concern is that over 100 parliamentarians reportedly attended or were represented at the Open Doors report’s launch where you as the Foreign Secretary, announced, on the report’s basis, a global review on the persecution of Christians. This indicates that you and other current (Penny Mordaunt) and former ministers (Theresa Villiers) as well as other leading members of the Conservative party took the report as a factual account of the countries it covers, including India, and not as the propaganda exercise which it demonstrably is.

The press, together with fellow Christian organisations, duly reported the ‘findings’ of the report as conveying facts but suppressed Open Doors’ evangelical and missionary credentials and did not consider it fit to report that the person chosen by you to lead the review, Philip Mounstephen, Bishop of Truro, also has a missionary background. To top it all Open Doors now describes the anticipated review as being “independent”.

You ought to be aware that Open doors has in the past described the practice of yoga as Satanic. However consistent that may be with Christian doctrines, it is indicative of the basis upon which Open Doors regards India’s traditions, essentially as false religions that are undeserving of a future. Open Doors’ UK and Ireland budget amounts to greater than £12 million. It has in the past funded the Evangelical Fellowship of India to conduct public interest litigation against legislative controls on proselytism in India, thus interfering in the Indian legal system and its justified curbs on freewheeling missionary activity.

It isn’t the first time that Christian evangelical and proselytism agenda have determined Britain’s foreign policy. The Open Doors’ manoeuvring and its endorsement by Her Majesty’s Ministers and a significant segment of parliamentarians, including you and others from your own party, is nevertheless of serious concern to us. It indicates that currently, and in the Britain of the future, those of a particular hostile faith agenda will be able to wield greater influence to have their interests secured, even though they happen to be inimical to the continuance of the ancestral traditions and practices of some others of us.

I wish to therefore request of you the following:

1. How you as the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs can justify endorsing the Open Doors report and justify announcing a review on its strength given that the tendentious report has no more than propagandistic value.
2. How the support given to Open Doors by HMG and by Conservative parliamentarians can be squared with their proclaimed friendship with India not least given that Open doors has a history of promoting proselytism and has a record of interfering in that country’s internal legal and religious affairs.
3. How you and your government can justify tying British foreign policy to evangelical and missionary interests of the kind Open doors represents and how you and HMG can justify the expenditure that would be involved in any funding through public expense of the review announced by you.
4. Clarification as to what funds will be expended for the review announced by you and what funds have either committed by HMG, or have in the past been given, to Open doors.
5. What the Conservative Party’s policy is on the continuing support by HMG in kind and monetarily of evangelical and missionary organisations such as Open Doors, and many others, which continue to promote aims that are inimical to the friendship between India and the UK and between their peoples.

We look forward to your reply.

Yours Sincerely

Dr. Gautam Sen, Co-Director

Dr. Prakash Shah, Co-Director

Dharmic Ideas & Policy Foundation

Chairman: Prof. Nath Puri | Co-Director: Dr. Gautam Sen | Co-Director: Dr. Prakash Shah | Communications: Mukesh Naker
143 Cavendish Rd, Leicester. LE2 7PJ United Kingdom E: director@dipf.org.uk W: www.dipf.org.uk

Council Members
Dr. Come Carpentier | Dr. Jakob de Roover | Dr Jasdev Rai | Dr. Koenraad Elst | Dr. Manish Pandit | Abhinav Agrawal
Rajiv Varma | Dr. Rakesh Sinha | Mr. Rohit Patel | Prof. S. N. Balagangadhara | Sandeep Balakrishnan | Smita Barooah | Swami Vigyananand | Dr. Yvette Rosser

12/02/19

Re – Re Open Doors Report

Namaste Dear The Rt Hon. Emily Thornberry MP

The Dharmic Ideas & Policy Foundation (DIPF) was established in February 2015 with a launch at the Palace of Westminster to give Britain’s Dharmic communities (i.e. those following Indian traditions) and grassroots a steer on key policy matters that impact on them and provide policymakers with a steer on matters that concern the Dharmic communities. As you are the Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, an MP with long experience of serving constituencies with a large proportion of Dharmic communities, and a Labour Friend of India, we wish to raise the following issue of some concern to us.

An event in parliament on 17 January 2019 is the catalyst for our concerns, while its background and consequences are also worrying. The event in question is the launch of a report by the organisation Open Doors on the persecution of Christians worldwide. The launched report ranks India as being among the top 10 of countries where persecution of Christians rages. India has been steadily moving up in the previous editions of the Open Doors’ reports, but this is the first time it has assumed 10^th place pushing out Syria!

This ranking smacks of manipulation. You may be aware of India’s tradition of pluralism where Christian padres explicitly campaign for the political party of their choice and, as often happens nowadays, against the current ruling BJP government, in such a way that we in the UK would consider criminal under applicable legislation. Allegations of persecution against Christians in India have subsequently proven groundless, as often pointed out by Christians themselves.

If you did not already have grounds for suspicion, then reading the methodology employed by Open Doors would ignite it. Underwriting its own unreliability, the section explaining the methodology of the report says that “It is not always clear if and to what extent pressure felt by Christians, or even violence against them, is directly related to them being Christian. Sometimes, just living in a chaotic world creates substantial amounts of suffering for Christians and others alike .” This is a recipe for arbitrariness, making it evident that the ranking of any country, let alone India, must be based on factors other than actual persecution suffered by Christians, even assuming that that is measurable in any reliable way.

Open Doors also claims that the report is “independently audited by the International Institute for Religious Freedom (IIRF)”. However, like Open Doors IIRF is an evangelical organisation promoting and supporting missionary activity and proselytism. A glance at the IIRF’s website makes it clear that they cannot be neutral bystanders or as independent as claimed while being members of the World Evangelical Alliance.

It is not that reports such as the one produced by Open Doors is anything unusual. We have become used to how those who wish us to convert away from the traditions of our ancestors, and therefore have a vested interest in declaiming against those traditions, continue to produce such tracts and press on with the idea that a basically pluralistic culture is in fact its opposite. That has been the practice of Christians of the last five centuries if not more, while proselytism is also being practiced against followers of the Indian traditions here in the UK.

We know too that the UK caste legislation was framed by pressure from such Christian missionary organisations and their affiliates, with the full support of the previous Labour government and parliamentarians of your Party. It has not gone unnoticed that the leading case of Tirkey, which there are good grounds to suggest was massaged into a case of caste discrimination, involved a Christian claimant, and the same case has been promoted by HMG as the basis of the UK’s protection for claimants of caste discrimination. Dawn Butler, Shadow Women & Equalities Secretary, has stated that the next Labour government would seek to put an end to caste-based prejudice and discrimination by enhancing the protections for our marginalised communities.

What is of greater immediate concern is that over 100 parliamentarians reportedly attended or were represented at the report’s launch where our Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, on the report’s basis, announced a global review on the persecution of Christians. You were among the other senior politicians present and you expressed both your pleasure to be at the launch of the report and concern at its findings. This indicates that you too took the report as a factual account of the countries it covers, including India, and not as the propaganda exercise which it demonstrably is. The press and fellow Christian organisations too duly reported the ‘findings’ of the report as conveying facts but suppressed the evangelical and missionary credentials of Open Doors and did not consider it fit to report that the person chosen to lead the review, Philip Mounstephen, Bishop of Truro, also has a missionary background. To top it all Open Doors now describes the anticipated review as being “independent”.

You ought to be aware that Open doors has in the past described the practice of yoga as Satanic. However consistent that may be with Christian doctrines, it is indicative of the basis upon which Open Doors approaches India’s traditions, essentially regarding them as false religions that are undeserving of a future. Open Doors’ UK and Ireland budget amounts to greater than £12 million. It has in the past funded the Evangelical Fellowship of India to conduct public interest litigation against legislative controls on proselytism in India, thus interfering in the Indian legal system and its justified curbs on freewheeling missionary activity.

It isn’t the first time that Christian evangelical and proselytism agenda have determined Britain’s foreign policy. The Open Doors’ manoeuvring and its endorsement by Her Majesty’s Ministers and a significant segment of parliamentarians, including those from your own Party, is nevertheless of serious concern to us. It indicates that currently and in the Britain of the future those of a particular hostile faith agenda will be able to wield greater influence to have their interests secured, even though they happen to be inimical to the continuance of the ancestral traditions and practice of some others of us.

We wish to therefore request of you the following:

1. Why as an opposition leader you have not asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how his endorsement of the Open Doors report and announcing of a review on its strength can be justified given that the tendentious report has no more than propagandistic value.
2. How the support given to Open Doors by HMG and senior Labour Party politicians, including yourself, can be squared with this country’s proclaimed friendship with India, not least given that Open doors has a history of promoting proselytism and has a record of interfering in that country’s legal and religious affairs.
3. How, as the Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, you and other Labour Party parliamentarians are able to endorse the tendentious report which, to reiterate, was evidently produced for propagandistic rather than factual value.
4. What the Labour Party’s policy is on the continuing support by HMG in kind and monetarily of evangelical and missionary organisations such as Open Doors, and many others, which continue to promote aims that are inimical to the friendship between India and the UK and between their peoples.

We look forward to your reply.

Yours Sincerely

Dr. Gautam Sen, Co-Director

Dr. Prakash Shah, Co-Director

Dharmic Ideas & Policy Foundation

Chairman: Prof. Nath Puri | Co-Director: Dr. Gautam Sen | Co-Director: Dr. Prakash Shah | Communications: Mukesh Naker
143 Cavendish Rd, Leicester. LE2 7PJ United Kingdom E: director@dipf.org.uk W: www.dipf.org.uk

Council Members
Dr. Come Carpentier | Dr. Jakob de Roover | Dr Jasdev Rai | Dr. Koenraad Elst | Dr. Manish Pandit | Abhinav Agrawal
Rajiv Varma | Dr. Rakesh Sinha | Mr. Rohit Patel | Prof. S. N. Balagangadhara | Sandeep Balakrishnan | Smita Barooah | Swami Vigyananand | Dr. Yvette Rosser

12/02/19

Re – Re Open Doors Report

Namaste Dear Ms Dawn Butler MP,

The Dharmic Ideas & Policy Foundation (DIPF) was established in February 2015 with a launch at the Palace of Westminster to give Britain’s Dharmic communities (i.e. those following Indian traditions) and grassroots a steer on key policy matters that impact on them and provide policymakers with a steer on matters that concern the Dharmic communities. As you are the Shadow Women & Equalities Secretary and an MP with long experience of serving constituencies with a large proportion of Dharmic communities, we wish to raise the following issue of some concern to us.

An event in parliament in January 2019 is the catalyst for our concerns, while its background and consequences are also worrying. The event in question is the launch of a report by the organisation Open Doors on the persecution of Christians worldwide. The launched report ranks India as being among the top 10 of countries where persecution of Christians rages. India has been steadily moving up in the previous editions of the Open Doors’ reports, but this is the first time it has assumed 10^th place pushing out Syria!

This ranking smacks of manipulation. You may be aware of India’s tradition of pluralism where Christian padres explicitly campaign for the political party of their choice and, as often happens nowadays, against the current ruling BJP government, in such a way that we in the UK would consider criminal under applicable legislation. Allegations of persecution against Christians in India have subsequently proven groundless, as often pointed out by Christians themselves.

If you did not already have grounds for suspicion, then reading the methodology employed by Open Doors would ignite it. Underwriting its own unreliability, the section explaining the methodology of the report says that “It is not always clear if and to what extent pressure felt by Christians, or even violence against them, is directly related to them being Christian. Sometimes, just living in a chaotic world creates substantial amounts of suffering for Christians and others alike.” This is a recipe for arbitrariness, making it evident that the ranking of any country, let alone India, must be based on factors other than actual persecution suffered by Christians, even assuming that that is measurable in any reliable way.

Open Doors also claims that the report is “independently audited by the International Institute for Religious Freedom (IIRF)”. However, like Open Doors IIRF is an evangelical organisation promoting and supporting missionary activity and proselytism. A glance at the IIRF’s website makes it clear that they cannot be neutral bystanders or as independent as claimed while being members of the World Evangelical Alliance.

It is not that reports such as the one produced by Open Doors is anything unusual. We have become used to how those who wish us to convert away from the traditions of our ancestors, and therefore have a vested interest in declaiming against those traditions, continue to produce such tracts and press on with the idea that a basically pluralistic culture is in fact its opposite. That has been the practice of Christians of the last five centuries if not more, while proselytism is also being practiced against followers of the Indian traditions here in the UK.

We know too that the UK caste legislation was framed by pressure from such Christian missionary organisations and their affiliates, with the full support of the previous Labour government and parliamentarians of your Party. It has not gone unnoticed that the leading case of Tirkey, which there are good grounds to suggest was massaged into a case of caste discrimination, involved a Christian claimant, and the same case has been promoted by HMG as the basis of the UK’s protection for claimants of caste discrimination. You have stated that the next Labour government would seek to put an end to caste-based prejudice and discrimination by enhancing the protections for our marginalised communities.

What is of greater concern is that over 100 parliamentarians reportedly attended or were represented at the report’s launch where our Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, on the report’s basis, announced a global review on the persecution of Christians. Other politicians present included the Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Emily Thornberry, expressing both her pleasure to be at the launch of the report and concern at its findings. This indicates that she too took the report as a factual account of the countries it covers, including India, and not as the propaganda exercise which it demonstrably is. The press and fellow Christian organisations too duly reported the ‘findings’ of the report as conveying facts but suppressed the evangelical and missionary credentials of Open Doors and did not consider it fit to report that the person chosen to lead the review, Philip Mounstephen, Bishop of Truro, also has a missionary background. To top it all Open Doors now describes the anticipated review as being “independent”.

You ought to be aware that Open doors has in the past described the practice of yoga as Satanic. However consistent that may be with Christian doctrines, it is indicative of the basis upon which Open Doors approaches India’s traditions, essentially regarding them as false religions that are undeserving of a future. Open Doors’ UK and Ireland budget amounts to greater than £12 million. It has in the past funded the Evangelical Fellowship of India to conduct public interest litigation against legislative controls on proselytism in India, thus interfering in the Indian legal system and its justified curbs on freewheeling missionary activity.

It isn’t the first time that Christian evangelical and proselytism agenda have determined Britain’s foreign policy. The Open Doors’ manoeuvring and its endorsement by Her Majesty’s Ministers and a significant segment of parliamentarians, including those from your own Party, is nevertheless of serious concern to us. It indicates that currently and in the Britain of the future those of a particular hostile faith agenda will be able to wield greater influence to have their interests secured, even though they happen to be inimical to the continuance of the ancestral traditions and practice of some others of us.

We wish to therefore request of you the following:

1. To ask of the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how his endorsement of the Open Doors report and announcing of a review on its strength can be justified given that the tendentious report has no more than propagandistic value.
2. To ask both HMG and the Labour Party how the support given to Open Doors by HMG can be squared with its proclaimed friendship with India not least given that Open doors has a history of promoting proselytism and has a record of interfering in that country’s legal and religious affairs.
3. How the Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Emily Thornberry and other Labour Party parliamentarians, are able to endorse the tendentious report which, to reiterate, was evidently produced for propagandistic rather than factual value.
4. What the Labour Party’s policy is on the continuing support by HMG in kind and monetarily of evangelical and missionary organisations such as Open Doors, and many others, which continue to promote aims that are inimical to the friendship between India and the UK and between their peoples.

We look forward to your reply.

Yours Sincerely

Dr. Gautam Sen, Co-Director

Dr. Prakash Shah, Co-Director

Dharmic Ideas & Policy Foundation

Chairman: Prof. Nath Puri | Co-Director: Dr. Gautam Sen | Co-Director: Dr. Prakash Shah | Communications: Mukesh Naker
143 Cavendish Rd, Leicester. LE2 7PJ United Kingdom E: director@dipf.org.uk W: www.dipf.org.uk

Council Members
Dr. Come Carpentier | Dr. Jakob de Roover | Dr Jasdev Rai | Dr. Koenraad Elst | Dr. Manish Pandit | Abhinav Agrawal
Rajiv Varma | Dr. Rakesh Sinha | Mr. Rohit Patel | Prof. S. N. Balagangadhara | Sandeep Balakrishnan | Smita Barooah | Swami Vigyananand | Dr. Yvette Rosser

12/02/19

Re – Open Doors 2018 Report

Namaste Dear Bob

I hope all is well.

You are justifiably treated as a friend of India. It is for this reason that we are addressing you to raise the following issue of some concern to us.

An event in parliament in January 2019 is the catalyst for our concerns, while its background and consequences are also worrying. The event in question is the launch of a report by the organisation Open Doors on the persecution of Christians worldwide. The launched report ranks India as being among the top 10 of countries where persecution of Christians rages. India has been steadily moving up in the previous editions of the Open Doors’ reports, but this is the first time it has assumed 10th place pushing out Syria!

Without needing to read the report, you and we know that this ranking smacks of manipulation. You also know India’s tradition of pluralism where Christian padres explicitly campaign for the political party of their choice and, as often happens nowadays, against the current ruling BJP government, acts that we in the UK would consider criminal under applicable legislation.
If you did not already have grounds for suspicion, then reading the methodology employed by Open Doors would ignite it. Underwriting its own unreliability, the section explaining the methodology of the report says that “It is not always clear if and to what extent pressure felt by Christians, or even violence against them, is directly related to them being Christian. Sometimes, just living in a chaotic world creates substantial amounts of suffering for Christians and others alike .” This is a recipe for arbitrariness, making it evident that the ranking of any country, let alone India, must be based on factors other than actual persecution suffered by Christians, even assuming that that is measurable in any reliable way.

Open Doors also claims that the report is “independently audited by the International Institute for Religious Freedom (IIRF)”. However, like Open Doors IIRF is an evangelical organisation promoting and supporting missionary activity and proselytism. A glance at the IIRF’s website makes it clear that they cannot be neutral bystanders while being members of the World Evangelical Alliance.

It is not that reports such as the one produced by Open Doors is anything unusual. We have become used to how those who wish us to convert away from the traditions of our ancestors, and therefore have a vested interest in declaiming against those traditions, continue to produce such tracts and press on with the idea that a basically pluralistic culture is in fact its opposite. That has been the practice of Christians of the last five centuries if not more.

We know too that the UK caste legislation was framed by pressure from such organisations and their affiliates. It has not gone unnoticed that the leading case of Tirkey, which there are good grounds to suggest was massaged into a case of caste discrimination, involved a Christian claimant. That same case has been promoted by the current Conservative government, pursuant to its caste consultation, as the basis of the UK’s protection for claimants of caste discrimination. We have noted that unfortunately you gave your backing to HMG’s response to the caste consultation and have criticised those who opposed the case law as well as the legislative duty on caste discrimination.

Of immediate concern is that over 100 parliamentarians reportedly attended or were represented at the Open Doors report’s launch where our Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, on the report’s basis, announced a global review on the persecution of Christians. This indicates that he and current (Penny Mordaunt) and former ministers (Theresa Villiers) as well as other leading members of the Conservative party took the report as a factual account of the countries it covers, including India, and not as the propaganda exercise which it demonstrably is.

The press and fellow Christian organisations too duly reported the ‘findings’ of the report as conveying facts but suppressed the evangelical and missionary credentials of Open Doors and did not consider it fit to report that the person chosen by Jeremy Hunt to lead the review, Philip Mounstephen, Bishop of Truro, also has a missionary background. To top it all Open Doors now describes the anticipated review as being “independent”.

You ought to be aware that Open doors has in the past described the practice of yoga as Satanic. However consistent that may be with Christian doctrines, it is indicative of the basis upon which Open Doors approaches India’s traditions, essentially regarding them as false religions that are undeserving of a future. Open Doors’ UK and Ireland budget amounts to greater than £12 million. It has in the past funded the Evangelical Fellowship of India to conduct public interest litigation against legislative controls on proselytism in India, thus interfering in the Indian legal system and its justified curbs on freewheeling missionary activity.

It isn’t the first time that Christian evangelical and proselytism agenda have determined Britain’s foreign policy. The Open Doors’ manoeuvring and its endorsement by Her Majesty’s Ministers and a significant segment of parliamentarians, including those from your own party, is nevertheless of serious concern to us. It indicates that currently and in the Britain of the future those of a particular hostile faith agenda will be able to wield greater influence to have their interests secured, even though they happen to be inimical to the continuance of the ancestral traditions and practices of some others of us.

We wish to therefore request of you the following:

1. To inquire of the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how his endorsement of the Open Doors report and announcing of a review on its strength can be justified given that the tendentious report has no more than propagandistic value.

2. To inquire of both HMG and the Conservative Party how the support given to Open Doors by HMG can be squared with its proclaimed friendship with India not least given that Open doors has a history of promoting proselytism and has a record of interfering in that country’s legal and religious affairs.

3. How HMG ministers can justify tying British foreign policy to evangelical and missionary interests of the kind Open doors represents and how they can justify the expenditure that would be involved in any funding through public expense of the review announced by Jeremy Hunt.

4. What funds will be expended for the review announced by Jeremy Hunt and what funds have either committed by HMG or have in the past been given to Open doors.

5. To inquire as to the Conservative Party’s policy on the continuing support by HMG in kind and monetarily of evangelical and missionary organisations such as Open Doors, and many others, which continue to promote aims that are inimical to the friendship between India and the UK and between their peoples.
We look forward to your reply.

Yours Sincerely

Dr. Gautam Sen, Co-Director
Dr. Prakash Shah, Co-Director
Dharmic Ideas & Policy Foundation

Chairman: Prof. Nath Puri | Co-Director: Dr. Gautam Sen | Co-Director: Dr. Prakash Shah | Communications: Mukesh Naker
143 Cavendish Rd, Leicester. LE2 7PJ United Kingdom E: director@dipf.org.uk W: www.dipf.org.uk

Council Members
Dr. Come Carpentier | Dr. Jakob de Roover | Dr Jasdev Rai | Dr. Koenraad Elst | Dr. Manish Pandit | Abhinav Agrawal
Rajiv Varma | Dr. Rakesh Sinha | Mr. Rohit Patel | Prof. S. N. Balagangadhara | Sandeep Balakrishnan | Smita Barooah | Swami Vigyananand | Dr. Yvette Rosser

12/02/19

Re – Re Open Doors Report

Namaste Dear Barry

I hope all is well.

You are justifiably treated as a friend of India and it is well known that in the past you have called out propaganda against India. It is for these reasons that we are addressing you to raise the following issue of some concern to us.

An event in parliament in January 2019 is the catalyst for our concerns, while its background and consequences are also worrying. The event in question is the launch of a report by the organisation Open Doors on the persecution of Christians worldwide. The launched report ranks India as being among the top 10 of countries where persecution of Christians rages. India has been steadily moving up in the previous editions of the Open Doors’ reports, but this is the first time it has assumed 10^th place pushing out Syria!

Without needing to read the report, you and we know that this ranking smacks of manipulation. You also know India’s tradition of pluralism where Christian padres explicitly campaign for the political party of their choice and, as often happens nowadays, against the current ruling BJP government, acts that we in the UK would consider criminal under applicable legislation. Allegations of persecution against Christians in India have subsequently proven groundless, as often pointed out by Indian Christians themselves.

If you did not already have grounds for suspicion, then reading the methodology employed by Open Doors would ignite it. Underwriting its own unreliability, the section explaining the methodology of the report says that “It is not always clear if and to what extent pressure felt by Christians, or even violence against them, is directly related to them being Christian. Sometimes, just living in a chaotic world creates substantial amounts of suffering for Christians and others alike .” This is a recipe for arbitrariness, making it evident that the ranking of any country, let alone India, must be based on factors other than actual persecution suffered by Christians, even assuming that that is measurable in any reliable way.

Open Doors also claims that the report is “independently audited by the International Institute for Religious Freedom (IIRF)”. However, like Open Doors IIRF is an evangelical organisation promoting and supporting missionary activity and proselytism. A glance at the IIRF’s website makes it clear that they cannot be neutral bystanders while being members of the World Evangelical Alliance.

It is not that reports such as the one produced by Open Doors is anything unusual. We have become used to how those who wish us to convert away from the traditions of our ancestors, and therefore have a vested interest in declaiming against those traditions, continue to produce such tracts and press on with the idea that a basically pluralistic culture is in fact its opposite. That has been the practice of Christians of the last five centuries if not more and proselytism is being practiced against followers of the Indian traditions here in the UK too.

We know too that the UK caste legislation was framed by pressure from such Christian missionary organisations and their affiliates with the full support of the previous Labour government and parliamentarians of your Party. It has not gone unnoticed that the leading case of Tirkey, which there are good grounds to suggest was massaged into a case of caste discrimination, involved a Christian claimant, and the same case has been promoted by HMG as the basis of the UK’s protection for claimants of caste discrimination.

What is of greater concern is that over 100 parliamentarians reportedly attended or were represented at the report’s launch where our Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, on the report’s basis, announced a global review on the persecution of Christians. Other politicians present included the Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Emily Thornberry, expressing both her pleasure to be at the launch of the report and concern at its findings. This indicates that she too took the report as a factual account of the countries it covers, including India, and not as the propaganda exercise which it demonstrably is. The press and fellow Christian organisations too duly reported the ‘findings’ of the report as conveying facts but suppressed the evangelical and missionary credentials of Open Doors and did not consider it fit to report that the person chosen to lead the review, Philip Mounstephen, Bishop of Truro, also has a missionary background. To top it all Open Doors now describes the anticipated review as being “independent”.

You ought to be aware that Open doors has in the past described the practice of yoga as Satanic. However consistent that may be with Christian doctrines, it is indicative of the basis upon which Open Doors approaches India’s traditions, essentially regarding them as false religions that are undeserving of a future. Open Doors’ UK and Ireland budget amounts to greater than £12 million. It has in the past funded the Evangelical Fellowship of India to conduct public interest litigation against legislative controls on proselytism in India, thus interfering in the Indian legal system and its justified curbs on freewheeling missionary activity.

It isn’t the first time that Christian evangelical and proselytism agenda have determined Britain’s foreign policy. The Open Doors’ manoeuvring and its endorsement by Her Majesty’s Ministers and a significant segment of parliamentarians, including those from your own party, is nevertheless of serious concern to us. It indicates that currently and in the Britain of the future those of a particular hostile faith agenda will be able to wield greater influence to have their interests secured, even though they happen to be inimical to the continuance of the ancestral traditions and practice of some others of us.

We wish to therefore request of you the following:

1. To ask of the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how his endorsement of the Open Doors report and announcing of a review on its strength can be justified given that the tendentious report has no more than propagandistic value.
2. To ask both HMG and the Labour Party how the support given to Open Doors by HMG can be squared with its proclaimed friendship with India not least given that Open doors has a history of promoting proselytism and has a record of interfering in that country’s legal and religious affairs.
3. How the Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Emily Thornberry and other Labour Party parliamentarians, are able to endorse the tendentious report which, to reiterate, was evidently produced for propagandistic rather than factual value.
4. What the Labour Party’s policy is on the continuing support by HMG in kind and monetarily of evangelical and missionary organisations such as Open Doors, and many others, which continue to promote aims that are inimical to the friendship between India and the UK and between their peoples.

We look forward to your reply.

Yours Sincerely

Dr. Gautam Sen, Co-Director

Dr. Prakash Shah, Co-Director

Dharmic Ideas & Policy Foundation

Chairman: Prof. Nath Puri | Co-Director: Dr. Gautam Sen | Co-Director: Dr. Prakash Shah | Communications: Mukesh Naker
143 Cavendish Rd, Leicester. LE2 7PJ United Kingdom E: director@dipf.org.uk W: www.dipf.org.uk

Council Members
Dr. Come Carpentier | Dr. Jakob de Roover | Dr Jasdev Rai | Dr. Koenraad Elst | Dr. Manish Pandit | Abhinav Agrawal
Rajiv Varma | Dr. Rakesh Sinha | Mr. Rohit Patel | Prof. S. N. Balagangadhara | Sandeep Balakrishnan | Smita Barooah | Swami Vigyananand | Dr. Yvette Rosser

12/02/19

Re – 09022019 DIPF Gareth Thomas MP Re Open Doors Report

Namaste Dear Gareth

As an MP with long experience of serving a constituency with a large proportion of Dharmic communities and as Chair of the APPG on Jains, we wish to raise the following issue of some concern to us.

An event in parliament in January 2019 is the catalyst for our concerns, while its background and consequences are also worrying. The event in question is the launch of a report by the organisation Open Doors on the persecution of Christians worldwide. The launched report ranks India as being among the top 10 of countries where persecution of Christians rages. India has been steadily moving up in the previous editions of the Open Doors’ reports, but this is the first time it has assumed 10^th place pushing out Syria!

This ranking smacks of manipulation. You may be aware of India’s tradition of pluralism where Christian padres explicitly campaign for the political party of their choice and, as often happens nowadays, against the current ruling BJP government, in such a way that we in the UK would consider criminal under applicable legislation. Allegations of persecution against Christians in India have subsequently proven groundless, as often pointed out by Indian Christians themselves.

If you did not already have grounds for suspicion, then reading the methodology employed by Open Doors would ignite it. Underwriting its own unreliability, the section explaining the methodology of the report says that “It is not always clear if and to what extent pressure felt by Christians, or even violence against them, is directly related to them being Christian. Sometimes, just living in a chaotic world creates substantial amounts of suffering for Christians and others alike .” This is a recipe for arbitrariness, making it evident that the ranking of any country, let alone India, must be based on factors other than actual persecution suffered by Christians, even assuming that that is measurable in any reliable way.

Open Doors also claims that the report is “independently audited by the International Institute for Religious Freedom (IIRF)”. However, like Open Doors IIRF is an evangelical organisation promoting and supporting missionary activity and proselytism. A glance at the IIRF’s website makes it clear that they cannot be neutral bystanders or as independent as claimed while being members of the World Evangelical Alliance.

It is not that reports such as the one produced by Open Doors are anything unusual. We have become used to how those who wish us to convert away from the traditions of our ancestors, and therefore have a vested interest in declaiming against those traditions, continue to produce such tracts and press on with the idea that a basically pluralistic culture is in fact its opposite. That has been the practice of Christians of the last five centuries if not more. Proselytism is being practiced against followers of the Indian traditions here in the UK too.

We know too that the UK caste legislation was framed by pressure from such Christian organisations and their affiliates with the full support of the previous Labour government and parliamentarians of your Party. It has not gone unnoticed that the leading case of Tirkey, which there are good grounds to suggest was massaged into a case of caste discrimination, involved a Christian claimant, and the same case has been promoted by HMG as the basis of the UK’s protection for claimants of caste discrimination.

What is of greater concern is that over 100 parliamentarians reportedly attended or were represented at the report’s launch where our Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, on the report’s basis, announced a global review on the persecution of Christians. Other politicians present included the Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Emily Thornberry, expressing both her pleasure to be at the launch of the report and concern at its findings. This indicates that she too took the report as a factual account of the countries it covers, including India, and not as the propaganda exercise which it demonstrably is. The press and fellow Christian organisations too duly reported the ‘findings’ of the report as conveying facts but suppressed the evangelical and missionary credentials of Open Doors and did not consider it fit to report that the person chosen to lead the review, Philip Mounstephen, Bishop of Truro, also has a missionary background. To top it all Open Doors now describes the anticipated review as being “independent”.

You ought to be aware that Open doors has in the past described the practice of yoga as Satanic. However consistent that may be with Christian doctrines, it is indicative of the basis upon which Open Doors approaches India’s traditions, essentially regarding them as false religions that are undeserving of a future. Open Doors’ UK and Ireland budget amounts to greater than £12 million. It has in the past funded the Evangelical Fellowship of India to conduct public interest litigation against legislative controls on proselytism in India, thus interfering in the Indian legal system and its justified curbs on freewheeling missionary activity.

It isn’t the first time that Christian evangelical and proselytism agenda have determined Britain’s foreign policy. The Open Doors’ manoeuvring and its endorsement by Her Majesty’s Ministers and a significant segment of parliamentarians, including those from your own Party, is nevertheless of serious concern to us. It indicates that currently and in the Britain of the future those of a particular hostile faith agenda will be able to wield greater influence to have their interests secured, even though they happen to be inimical to the continuance of the ancestral traditions and practice of some others of us.

We wish to therefore request of you the following:

1. To ask of the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how his endorsement of the Open Doors report and announcing of a review on its strength can be justified given that the tendentious report has no more than propagandistic value.
2. To ask both HMG and the Labour Party how the support given to Open Doors by HMG can be squared with its proclaimed friendship with India not least given that Open doors has a history of promoting proselytism and has a record of interfering in that country’s legal and religious affairs.
3. How the Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Emily Thornberry and other Labour Party parliamentarians, are able to endorse the tendentious report which, to reiterate, was evidently produced for propagandistic rather than factual value.
4. What the Labour Party’s policy is on the continuing support by HMG in kind and monetarily of evangelical and missionary organisations such as Open Doors, and many others, which continue to promote aims that are inimical to the friendship between India and the UK and between their peoples.

We look forward to your reply.

Yours Sincerely

Dr. Gautam Sen, Co-Director

Dr. Prakash Shah, Co-Director

Dharmic Ideas & Policy Foundation

Chairman: Prof. Nath Puri | Co-Director: Dr. Gautam Sen | Co-Director: Dr. Prakash Shah | Communications: Mukesh Naker
143 Cavendish Rd, Leicester. LE2 7PJ United Kingdom E: director@dipf.org.uk W: www.dipf.org.uk

Council Members
Dr. Come Carpentier | Dr. Jakob de Roover | Dr Jasdev Rai | Dr. Koenraad Elst | Dr. Manish Pandit | Abhinav Agrawal
Rajiv Varma | Dr. Rakesh Sinha | Mr. Rohit Patel | Prof. S. N. Balagangadhara | Sandeep Balakrishnan | Smita Barooah | Swami Vigyananand | Dr. Yvette Rosser