Conversions law : Hindus must study European HR Commission’s case

Introduction :In Greece Minos Kokkinakis a retired industrialist who had joined the sect ‘Jehovah’s witnesses’ offered inducements to a Greek lady Ms. Georgia Kitiyakakid in order to convert her. The Greek government, Judiciary, the European Human Rights Commission took serious cognizance of this matter. The Judiciary sentenced Kokkinakis to prison. The Greek Government is considering the deportation of Kokkinakis. Here is the Greek Country ready to consider deportation of a person who tries to motivate conversion by offering incentives and there is India who is shamefully silent about the Christian Missionaries who have laid a systematic network of conversion of person by giving inducements sometimes, or by directly terrorizing the tribal folks

The Churches in India are making a big noise against the Bill restricting conversions in Madhya Pradesh. The Bill is not restricting conversions but it is laid a condition of the conversion to be done in the Government’s Office, means by filing an affidavit filed in the Magistrate’s Court. It is mandatory to swear in affidavit that ‘I have not been offered any inducements. I have not been intimidated. I am by my own thoughts being convinced of the principles of other religion, am converting my religion.’ It is this thing that pinches the Church, but the stand of the Greek Orthodox Church’s is exactly opposite. That is it resembles the Bill of Madhya Pradesh. The Roman Catholic Church filed the matter in court and won it. This case was published under the title of ‘ Kokkinakis versus Greece’.

The back ground of this case was as follows. The majority of the Greek population is the followers of the Greek Orthodox Church. While the number of Roman Catholic Christians is minor; but still the Roman Catholic Church tries to convert the Greek population to their sect. They offer the inducements of for this. Minos Kokkinakis is a retired industrialist. He was born in Syria on the island of Crete in the family which was the follower of the Orthodox Church. Kokkinakis born in 1919 and entered ‘Jehovah’s witnesses’ sect in 1936. In 1987 he went to Ms. Georgia Kitiyakakid house and tried to motivate her to convert. He gave the inducement that ‘if you accept our sect, then you will get entry into Heaven’. Ms. Georgia complained to the police against this. This case was heard in the Criminal Court of Lasiki on 20 th March 1987. And on the same day the court gave a judgment about the sentence ‘given entry into Heaven’ as an inducement.

Kokkinakis and his wife were each sentenced to four months of imprisonment. They appealed against the decision in the appellate court in Crete. The appellate court endorsed the sentence against Kokkinakis, but it released the wife as innocent .The appellate court in its sentence said, ‘Kokkinakis took advantage of Ms Georgia’s lack of religious knowledge, her lower educational level, and her innocence and so created a confusion in her mind and then gave her the incentive of ‘entry into Heaven’. This act was against right of freedom to practice one’s religion and so Kokkinakis was punishable under the law. Kokkinakis appealed against this judgment to the ‘European Commission for Human rights’; but the commission clearly opining that ‘taking advantage of the religious ignorance of a person and converting them by misguiding them is a crime’ confirmed Kokkinakis’s sentence.

The Indian Hindus should think about this case and the stand taken by the European Human Rights Commission this case and try for a country wide law restraining conversions. The Hindu organization should try to create awareness about this !