Nagaland may be forced to give up its indigenous traditions

[Guest guest]

VFA-membersFrom: srinandan (AT) aol (DOT) comDate: Sun, 22 Aug 2004

13:34:02 EDT[VFA-members] Nagaland may be forced to give up its

indigenous traditions

Religious Fervor May Dominate Emerging Indian State of Nagalimby Sean

O'Driscollhttp://www.washdiplomat.com/03-10/a4_03_10.htmlIn sheer population,

Nagalim has been one of the world's most brutal conflicts, yet few people have

ever heard of this tiny region in northeast India fighting for

independence.Since Indian troops first started to put down an insurrection by

the Christian population of Nagalim, or Nagaland, in 1947, an estimated 200,000

people have been killed in a population of fewer than 4 million.There has been a

ceasefire since August 1997, and after numerous difficulties both sides agreed

to a joint communiqué in Amsterdam on July 11, 2002, in which India recognized

"the unique history and situation" of the Naga people for the first time.The

Nagas are represented by Isak Chishi Swu, chairman of the National Socialist

Council of Nagalim

who also claims the presidency of a region he hopes to see completely free of

Indian rule within the next decade.His party has set up a new office in

Washington, D.C., and is scrambling to gain access to the U.S. government, as

well as to the United Nations. Swu stopped by his office last week for an

interview with The Washington Diplomat before leaving for San Francisco, where

he is to visit a Christian center.A devoutly religious man known for his

elegant style, Swu insisted on beginning the interview with a prayer, during

which he asked for blessings for everyone in the room and for peace around the

world. It was clear after only a few minutes that Swu's main preoccupation will

be with creating a Christian state, which comes higher on his list of priorities

than socialism, nationalism or even democracy.Overflowing with evangelical zeal,

Swu explained that Nagalim will send out 10,000 missionaries around the

world when it achieves independence. "Our intention is that Nagalim is for

Christ. We have proclaimed it. Nagalim is for Christ. God has got his plan for

Nagalim," he said. "We were evangelized by the American Baptist missionaries

back in 1839, and we don't have the adequate words to thank the American

missionaries."It is difficult to assess if Swu's religious fervor is simply

that of any country leader suddenly finding religious freedom after decades of

oppression. But there is a large young population in Nagalim that is eventually

going to come into contact with Western culture and concepts such as atheism,

and it remains to be seen if their religious rights will be respected under an

independent Nagalim. On the subject of atheism, Swu made his feelings very

clear."No, no, there are no atheists in Nagalim," Swu insisted. "There are

people who believe in a higher and a lower god from the older religion. They

have a

spiritualism, but it is lower spirit."Swu was pressed on the point—surely

there must be some atheists in his country. "There are no atheists in Nagalim.

Everybody knows that there is none," he reiterated.Despite his strong

objections to atheism, Swu said the rights of other religions will be respected

after independence. "In the religion, we cannot impose," he said. "It will

depend on the decision of the individual, so we cannot restrict people to be

completely Christian, because the world is such that the devil may also

penetrate."In a country where many feel this devil lurks in nonbelievers, it is

not difficult to foresee that Nagalim will not be the world's most liberal

country after independence. It will certainly be against homosexuality, Swu

explained, adding that his country strongly supports the actions of a U.S.

state supreme court judge in Alabama who disobeyed the federal government by

placing a

monument of the 10 commandments inside a court building."We to the

people who are trying to stand for the Lord. We to the idea that, in

Alabama, the Christians will have to maintain their integrity and not succumb

to the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court," Swu said."The [u.S.] Supreme Court

has gone wrong because they have stopped children from saying prayer before

school. That is not according to their constitution. [The supreme court

members] are subscribing to having homosexuals. That is not the constitution

laid down by your forefathers. The founders of your nations were god-fearing

people, and they laid down proper foundations. That is why America prospered,"

Swu added, noting that the Statue of Liberty's message to immigrants "does not

mean that they do against the word of God."Other Naga leaders, however, do not

match Swu's religious enthusiasm, and there have been political splits in

the past, leading to questions whether various parties will in fact emerge to

share the country's leadership."We don't believe in the party system now," Swu

said bluntly. "In the future, we may have, but the party system depends on the

majority decision. They don't depend on right and wrong. When the majority

become wrong, they will just carry it out, so that is dangerous for us."Despite

Swu's deeply engaging, charming and intelligent personality, this political

leader is also proposing a state where only Christianity will be tolerated (he

is in favor of Hindus returning to India), homosexuality will be banned,

democracy will be unheard of, and government will be controlled solely by the

will of God.It is put to Swu that upon attaining independence, Nagalim might

not differ much from Iran after its 1979 revolution. Swu, however, insisted

that his region's scenario is different because "we shall stick to what

God will show us. What the Holy Spirit will tell us."Nevertheless, Iranian

fundamentalists said much the same thing—that they will follow whatever

Mohammed tells them. "But we don't have Muslims between us," said Swu.But if

you change the religion, is there any difference between the two points? "God

doesn't want us to change the religion. God doesn't make us accept Hinduism or

Muslim."But surely people born in Nagalim whose faith has weakened will also

have a place in society? "If the devil will work hard, he may get some people

to do that. We must fight the devil, so that nobody will come like that. No

chance must be given to Satan," Swu said. It is a point on which he will not

budge.Swu does say that the Hindu population can return to India after

Nagalim's independence, even those who were born in Nagalim. But the suffering

of the Naga people goes far deeper than the return of Hindus to India. There

has

been a huge number of casualties during the decades-old conflict, and Swu argues

that a South African-style Truth and Reconciliation Forum, in which combatants

fess up to their crimes, would be an effective and essential way of coming to

terms with India's actions in Nagalim."We have to understand the history and

the facts. So [india] must correct themselves," Swu said. "Then there can be

reconciliation and better understanding and respect for each other. But, of

course, the U.S. or some such person must be in supervision, because the Indian

government might lie."The Embassy of India was contacted several times for this

story but it did not respond to our inquiries.As for the United States itself,

Swu calls for a "sweeping revival" to rid it of sin and return it to its

Christian roots. "We in Nagalim look to the United States as the country that

brought us to Christianity. It is time for a sweeping revival, not

just in Nagalim but also in the United States. The United States should be

leading the world," he said.Next on Swu's agenda is a trip to the Summer Heaven

religious center in San Francisco, where he will recite prayers with Christian

missionaries and speak to the public to spread his Christian gospel in a

determined fight to see that Nagalim's salvation of the world begins one soul

at a time.Sean O'Driscoll is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat.

 

 

Win 1 of 4,000 free domain names from Enter now.