Caste system not just Hindu
THE letter, “Caste system outdid apartheid”, by Jonathan Jack is an unjustified attack on Hinduism.
Could this know-all quote one line in Hindu scripture which shows caste discrimination is part of Hinduism? Any informed person who has bothered to do any research on the subject will know that the caste system extends beyond Hindu society and exists in all religions in India, and certain other countries.
Arundhati Roy’s book The God of Small Things is about caste discrimination among her own Christian community.
Syrian Christians in Kerala have a higher status within their caste system from the claim that they were converted from high castes by Thomas the Apostle in the first century.
In the state of Goa, mass forced conversions were carried out by Portuguese Latin Catholic missionaries from the 16th century onwards. The Portuguese colonists, even during the Goan Inquisition, did not do anything to change the caste system.
The original Hindu Brahmins in Goa were the only caste that could be ordained; they became Christian Bamonns and the Kshatriya and Vaishya Vanis became Christian noblemen called Chardos. The Shudras became Sudirs. Finally, the Dalits or “Untouchables” who converted to Christianity became Maharas and Chamars. Even today the upper caste Goa Christians have demanded that only their community be given positions on the Pastoral Council of Goa’s Catholic Church.
In Tamil Nadu mass conversion of Paravars date back to the Portuguese era in the 15th century AD. They became the subjects of the Portuguese king, yet they strictly maintained the caste hierarchy and had their own king, Pandiapathy, to govern them.
Jonathan Jack, please note, the cohesion of jatis among caste Christians (eg Paravas) and the strength of caste leadership are noted by scholars to be much stronger than comparable predominantly Hindu castes in Tamil Nadu.
Discrimination persists among Christians. According to Wikipedia, “There are separate seats, separate communion cups, burial grounds and churches for members of the lower castes, especially in the Latin Catholic Church. Catholic churches in India are largely controlled by upper caste priests and nuns. Christian dalits have faced incidents such as harassment, murder, and police framing. Presently in India, more than 70% of Latin Catholics are Dalits, but the higher caste Catholics (30% by estimates) control 90% of the Catholic church’s administrative jobs. Out of the 156 Catholic bishops, only six are from lower castes.”
Jack should read personal accounts of Christian Dalits and the discrimination suffered at the hand of upper caste Christians. And presumably he is aware of the caste system followed by certain Christians groups in Spain? Finally, as Gandhi said, “Clean your own backyard first.” SANU SINGH Reservoir Hills