Every citizen in India is entitled to the fundamental Right of Freedom of Religion under Article 25 of the Constitution of India. The makers of our constitution ensured that citizens have the right to choose and practice their religion without any fear or threat from another community. Even the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, proclaimed by the United Nations in 1948, accorded all human beings equal and have the same rights as anyone else, or that was the thought at least.
Reality, sometimes, is stranger than fiction. Least to say, it’s a bit different. Several Indian states and Hindutva Groups use muscle and power to attack the minorities while they themselves openly boast about converting people from other religions to Hinduism. In Jharkhand, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (commonly known as RSS) aims to make whole blocks “Christianity free” and have been force converting hundreds of families to Hinduism.
But what’s even more sad (and shocking) is when you realize these kind of practices are not just prevailing in India but even in countries like South Korea, which resulted in the death of a 25-year-old woman.
Known for its momentous industrial growth in the past few decades, South Korea has continued making headlines in several avenues of global interests including the recent winter Olympics at Pyeongchang and being announced as one of the World’s Greatest Success Stories, in several global influential publications. But what most of the world is unaware of are the unscrupulous and unethical ploys being run in the name of religious counselling.
Modus Operandi: Coercive Conversion
The religious leaders try to teach their doctrines to the youth members, especially those belonging to another congregation, religion or faith. Upon disagreement, the religious leaders usually try to influence the youth’s parents and resort to several unethical and even illegal ways, including kidnapping and prolonged confinement, to enforce their doctrines to the individuals.
According to reports from the Human Rights Association for Victims of Coercive Conversion Programs (HAC), there have been more than 1000 victims of Coercive Conversions. Coercive conversion is a program run by an organized group of religious leaders who forcibly convert people to their own religion for monetary gains. They usually target the youth generation, as this segment is (more) susceptible to such dubious schemes.
Citizens Gather Together, but Silence from Government and Religion Continues
The 25-year-old Korean woman, Ms. Ji-Un Gu, was found dead in January this year while she was confined in a small lodging far away from her place. She was suffocated to death from an obstruction in the airway while she had been kidnapped by her family and forced to change her religion. Before this, she was also taken in 2016 to a Catholic monastery for 44 days. At that time, she was kidnapped by her family and a Christian pastor forced her to convert.
After that, Ms. Gu filed a petition for legal protection of citizens from religious discrimination to the Blue House, the presidential office of South Korea. While there has been no official response from the Blue House, Ms. Gu was kidnapped again. But this time, she died in her confinement.
The HAC urged the government to take responsibility for investigation of the conversion program and prevention of reoccurrence of similar cases. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism made it known that it cannot carry out investigation on a religion due to the principle of the separation of church and state.
The HAC further says that there have been more than 1,000 victims for the last decade. The online petition for ban on coercive conversion program received 140,000 supporters, but it disappeared in the government website without any explanation.
The religious circle in South Korea is also consistent in remaining in silence. Targeting those who change their religious orientations, coercive conversion programs by religious leaders have been carried out with a tacit agreement from religious organizations in Korea. In the name of “educating ‘lost followers’ taken to cult”, the Korea Christian Heresy Research Center has been actively promoting the conversion program and even claims that the pastors involved in “cult consulting” should be protected.
Freedom of religion
The South Korean government has been actively engaged in reconciliation process with North Korea, but not even a single official statement from the government on 1,000 victims from forcible change of religion against individuals in minor religious denominations has not been delivered.
Human Rights Association for Victims of Coercive Conversion Programs (HAC), hosted a rally on March 4 in major cities including Seoul for legislation to protect religious freedom in terms of human rights and investigation of Christian pastors involved in “coercive conversion programs”, accompanied with kidnapping and confinement of individuals by family members instigated by pastors. Around 100,000 Korean citizens participated in the rally.
The last rally in January was held in 22 locations in 12 countries including the United States, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines and France with 200,000 participants after a death of young woman caused by coercive conversion. The recent rally is a part of an international movement, condemning silence of both the Korean government and Christian community in the country.
Over the Family Issue
“The problem of coercive conversion program is that Christian pastors consider it as a business to make money in the name of ‘counselling’ for protection of family from cult. Through this, they instil distrust in the family against other family members who pursue other religions,” said Ms. Ji Hye Choi, co-president of HAC. “The consequence is destructive. Mental traumas, fear, family breakdown, divorce, losing jobs, school dropout and many other irreversible problems continue,” she added.
In her interview at Franceinter the French state-run radio, Ms. Hye Jung Lim said, “Three men came to me grabbed my hair and dragged me into my place. I jumped over the wall, ran in bare feet and luckily got a taxi to escape. My life changed ever and I lost my family. I reported what happened to the police but their response was family issues should be handled within the family.”
“The fundamental issue behind the death of a young woman from the conversion program is the corruption of the whole Christian world represented by the CCK. The organization with the majority of the Presbyterian Church has been controversial in worshipping the Japanese emperor, support for the military dictatorship in the 1970s and illegal fund during the CCK presidential election. It is obvious that many followers leave church to pursue other religions. What can we say about the relationship between the government and church when the government is hesitant to protect citizens and religions are not willing to give love to those who lose faith?” said Mr. Sang Ik Park, co-president of HAC.
(This article is from International Movement for Religions Freedom and Human Rights, South Korea)