Book review: Secularism from a Christian perspective

Review of John Dayal's book in Asian Age
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Asianage.com
Asian Age, New Delhi Edition

Secularism from a Christian perspective
Seema Mustafa

There are some books that do not make it to the better known list because of the inability of publishers to push it through the crowded and competitive publishing world, but that definitely deserve to be in the spotlights. John Dayal's A Matter of Equity: Freedom of Faith in Secular India is certainly one such book that is an excellent documentation of recent politics concerning the Christian community and the fundamentalist Hindutva organisations in India and even abroad. In the process John, a veteran journalist and documentary filmmaker who is now active in Christian organisations, has tried to prod the conscience of the Christian community by alerting it to the dangers of communalism that have to be countered regardless of who these hit. It is a valuable book because it is probably one of the very few written on secularism from a Christian perspective. At the very onset John Dayal makes it clear that "the Hindu is as peaceful as the Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Jew, atheist or animist in this country. The Hindutva ideologue and activist of the RSS and its agencies.....is as much a bigot and terrorist as a member of any other fundamentalist terror group anywhere in the world which believes in violence..."
The book seeks to expose the falsehoods that are used as the basis for communal propaganda against religions, and effectively links the divisive politics within to the politics of the region and the growing power of the United States. The role of the Church is also examined by the author in some detail who uses statistics and facts to shatter many of the myths concerning the minorities in India. It is a well researched and skilfully written book, covering ambitious ground as it seeks to expose the Hindutva brigade and its supposed commitment to religiosity.
A few chapters in the book stand out: The Mythology of Hate that examines and exposes the Pakistan angle as used to whip up hatred within India; Hindutva's Dollar Trail where the author successfully reveals the links between the fanatics and the US and the non resident Indian community; and Stop This Madness in Gujarat that raises some pertinent questions while offering interesting political solutions. The one fault with the book is that it packs too many facts in short chapters, often not allowing the reader to gain a full perspective of the issue being discussed.
So while the statistics, quotes and reports do add to the legitimacy of the argument, occasionally the argument itself gets clouded under the weight of the facts. However, this probably holds true for those not familiar with the subject and as the author would in all probability argue: it was important to bring in the facts to counter the propaganda, as otherwise the argument for secularism might not have held its own.
It is a good book from a journalist who writes simply, presents the case precisely, and more importantly does not hesitate to speak out. This is particularly refreshing in an age where the honest word is not often spoken, and writers hesitate to call a spade a spade. John Dayal has not done that, and the strength of the book lies in its brutal honesty made all the more stark by the simplicity of style and the depth of information.
It is priced too high at Rs 800 though, and not many who should possess a copy will be able to afford it. Perhaps a paper back edition is called for.

The book can be had from
catholicunion@gmail.com, post paid in India [price Rs 800.oo by DD/
checuqe}
and in US/UK. Europe USD 60,00