The Karnataka state assembly has passed a new anti-conversion legislation called the Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Bill, 2021. It appears that the minority communities are being unnecessarily hassled. Is this law passed in Karnataka justified? Where are the statistics of people being converted either to Muslim or Christian faith? How many complaints of allurements or coercion for converting one’s faith have been lodged? Figures have to be provided to support such legislation.
Yes, there may be some sporadic cases of religious conversions, but again one has to know the reasons behind these. The population of Christians, who are under attack, has not shown an increasing trend in India. On the contrary, their population is declining. So, what is the majority community so afraid of?
Now, another question is will the government ban inter-religious marriages which are more prevalent than conversions. The Constitution gives freedom to individuals to exercise their right as to their choice of freedom of religion. After all, religion is a personal matter for the individual to decide, not the state to legislate and enforce.
