Professor Satyaranjan Sathe chaired PLENARY V - KEEPING RELIGIONS AND STATES APART.

Carl-Johan Kleberg spoke on the "Separation of Church and State in Sweden". The church in Sweden was previously ruled by a large book of laws. The State collects a church tax and 20,000 personnel are paid from this tax. People were not permitted to leave the church before the 50?s. After thirty years of reports and investigations the last Bill to alter the law was introduced a few weeks ago. A change to the economy is feared.

A Summary of the changes follows: 1. Legislation will be changed but the role of the church will be defined. 2. All existing church property will be given to the church. 3. The church will get a lot of money to preserve cultural union. 4. The church tax becomes a fee. $250 pa per person. 5. The church will be given the main responsibility for funerals and a special new tax raised. 6. The king and his family will be obliged to be a member of the church.

Humanists have responded as follows: 1. At present two municipalities have responsibility for funerals - we think this should be made general. 2. The Royal family should be entitled to freedom of religion. 3. We must convince people - 82% of people are members of a church but only 55% of people believe in god. 4. We work very hard to develop secular ceremonies and we contribute to a book that is an alternative to the church hymn book. We are hoping for some support from Norway.

N. D. Pancholi, a journalist and human rights activist spoke on "Religious Separatism & Terrorism in Kashmir." He said that the movement for separation in the Kashmir valley is not a religious movement. The main cause of the movement is that the people of the valley feel that they stand deprived of their democratic need to govern themselves in accordance with their own desires. Despite claims by Indian leaders that the state of Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India it remains a baffling problem - a reflection of the dilemma faced by modern democracies as to how different social and cultural orders can remain as one political unit and born out of the partition of the Indian sub-continent into India and Pakistan in August 1947.

At independence, Pakistan was formed out of Muslim majority areas - for instance the majority of the Punjab elected to go to Pakistan. The Hindu Prince of Jammu and Kashmir, that had a Muslim majority, initially refused to nominate his intention. In October 1947 Pakistan encouraged and abetted warlike tribesmen from the Northwest Frontier to invade the state and force it to join Pakistan. The prince immediately signed a conditional Instrument of Accession with India and in the same month Indian forces halted the advance but the raiders had already captured a substantial area of Jammu and Kashmir resulting in the present partition of the area. In August 1948 the Security council suggested a Plebiscite to decide if Jammu and Kashmir should be acceded to India or Pakistan but India has asked for a withdrawal of Pakistani forces first.

"The culture and traditions of Kashmir were more on the side of tolerance and secularism than on communalism." A dynamic philosophy called ?Religious Humanism? was founded in the 14h century by a Hindu Brahman woman called Lal Ded and supported by Nand Rishi a Muslim. Respected by both Hindus and Muslims they taught love of all human beings irrespective of birth, caste or sex and the equality of men and women. This very influential philosophy moulded Kashmiris, both Hindu and Muslim, into a peace loving and tolerant people. When communal violence erupted throughout India with the formation of Pakistan, Kashmir remained peaceful.

The Indian constitution, framed in 1950, was built on a firm foundation of secular principles with no trace of religious bias and gave its citizens equality of status and opportunity irrespective of caste and creed. Kashmir was granted special status and virtual autonomy under article 370 of the constitution - the central government was empowered to handle only External Affairs, Defence and Communication. But Sheikh Abdullah and his party the National Conference, that formed an autocratic Kashmir government, during their first seven years of rule arrested thousands of political opponents, labelled them as Pakistani agents, even when they were secular and pro-Indian, and jailed them. Almost every election held in Kashmir has been rigged. In 1951 the ruling party captured 70% of the seats uncontested - mostly by cancelling opposition nomination papers on flimsy and frivolous grounds. By similar means it captured 41 out of 45 seats in 1957 and 40 of 45 seats in 1962. In 1967, 226 nominations were filed, 118 were rejected enabling 21 ruling National Congress party nominees to be elected unopposed.

Although the Indian military is in Kashmir to defend against external threats the military is used by the party in power to suppress the opposition. Every year the number of military has increased and the central government has restricted Kashmiri leaders to those pliable to it.

The blame for the unrest is placed on Pakistan but in fact it is due to the shortcomings of the central government. Kashmir is a problem of India?s own creation. This situation generated frustration, resentment and dissatisfaction amongst the Kashmiris and in 1989 young men began to resort to terrorism.

The cruel and inhuman behaviour of the Indian army is adding to the frustration. Indian security personnel do not regard the local Muslim population as citizens of India. Unspeakable indignities are hurled upon Kashmiris. People are detained on mere suspicion, tortured, maimed and often killed without following any legal procedure. When people are detained their family is not informed and bodies are delivered to the house with no details known. Allegations of rapes of Muslim Kashmiri women by security men are not uncommon.

The terrorists are certainly guilty of violations of human rights by indulging in killings and massacres of those who are suspect in their eyes. The human rights organisations have unequivocally condemned this kind of terrorism. The terrorists are if fact harming the cause of the people because their activities give excuse to the government to adopt more repressive measures. In 1989-90 there was a mass exodus of Hindu Pandits from the valley promoted by the then Governor of the state. The terrorists have in fact killed more Muslims than Hindus.

The terrorism has also led to increased corruption. Lots of security people request transfer to Kashmir - the reason is big money - people are bribed to allow the importation of arms and ammunition over the borders into the state for the terrorists. But this is not allowed to be reported publicly for security reasons - it is claimed to be part of general corruption.

There have been periods of increased terrorism in the valley but my reading of the situation is that the majority of people in Kashmir neither want India nor Pakistan - they want to be free - while the people of Jammu, Ladakh and Doda have their own grievances that are mainly directed against the politicians of the valley who have dominated the states politics for so long. The Kashmir issue is a very complex problem.

"In the beginning the Kashmir movement was secular and democratic. But of late, repeated attempts have been made to communalise it. If steps are not taken to solve it, it will be a great loss for democracy and humanism. Kashmir has a very rich tradition of secular humanism. It should be the concern of Humanists the world over to help Kashmir in preserving it." The Humanist tradition of Kashmiri culture must be preserved.

After this paper Dr. Gauri Bazaz Malik commented. "I am myself a Kashmiri. At separation, 72% of the population of Jammu and Kashmir was Hindu, not the greater than 50% Muslim as stated."

B. Premanand, convenor of the Indian Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (Indian CSICOP), spoke on "The Nexus between ?god-men?, politicians and the Judiciary". He described how politicians and the Judiciary had supported the ?God Men? of India and how he had challenged these ?God Men? and in some cases discredited them. He told of a man who claimed to have gone without food and water for 50 years. "I wrote to the press council and said I only needed 5 minutes with 3 doctors and three tubes to prove him wrong. He refused the challenge and his followers lost faith in him. Two years later he was murdered - presumably by his own followers."

The most renowned of the 'God Men' is Sathya Sai Baba of Puttaparthi in Andhra Pradesh. A video cassette was obtained where he created a diamond necklace from nowhere. On the video his assistant was clearly seen handing him the necklace. Three copies of the cassette were made. In an ensuing court case no witnesses were called and Sai Baba was not produced but the case was dismissed.

The Judiciary, but not necessarily the Judges, are the most corrupt department in India - to get anything done you must bribe, bribe, bribe. Six murders occurred in Sai Baba?s bedroom - false information was published in the newspapers yet the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh closed the case!

On Tuesday afternoon the Congress divided into five PARALLEL SESSIONS. The topics covered were: E) Combating Superstitions.

F) How are we to Live? Humanism for the Personal life.

G) Campaigning for Humanism - The Programme Ahead.

H) Humanism in the Sub Continent.

I) Open Session.