Introduction
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As I began my theological studies,
in the Regional Theological Centre( RTC), Anekal, Bangalore, I was assigned for my ministry to Gowrenahalli.
As part of my studies, I stayed in the village for a month visiting the people,
listening to their painful stories and learning their life. As I was moving
from house to house, one thing that I noticed, that behind every person I
encountered there was a story of tears and there were dreams unfulfilled. Being oppressed in various ways, these people
had oceans of pain, which they could hardly share with anyone. The heart
touching lives of people had an impact on my deeper self within. At the end of
every meeting, as a habit, I used to encourage them saying, “Do not be worried.
Do not lose hope. A time will come when your troubles will be away”
On a Tuesday afternoon, amidst the
scorching sun, I reached the house of poor Gowramma. In her late 60’s Gowramma welcomed me with a
smile to her little hut. Gowramma opened the pages of her life, as the conversation
found a deeper tone. Years ago, her husband had passed away. Amidst the extreme
poverty Gowramma managed to get two of the three daughters married. Presently
she was with her last daughter.
Life of Gowramma was a saga of tears and sufferings. With passing years, Gowramma had grown weak physically too and had problems with her vision. At the moment, her youngest daughter was working in a nearby garment factory was the sole bread winner. And soon she too was to marry and move out. One thing that I realized that Gowramma had no one who could support her. There was hardly any voice or a helping hand that would say, ‘Gowramma do not worry! I am with you’.
Life of Gowramma was a saga of tears and sufferings. With passing years, Gowramma had grown weak physically too and had problems with her vision. At the moment, her youngest daughter was working in a nearby garment factory was the sole bread winner. And soon she too was to marry and move out. One thing that I realized that Gowramma had no one who could support her. There was hardly any voice or a helping hand that would say, ‘Gowramma do not worry! I am with you’.
“We are poor Sir; we eat Ragi balls twice a day. We
do not have tea or coffee. We do not have money for such luxury Sir”, said
Gowramma as she offered me a glass of water. I also came to realize that none
of her three daughters were in a position to take care of Gowramma, in the
future. ‘What then about Gowramma’s future? Who will care for her in her old
age?’, questions arose in me.
“The
God who gave this life to me, will never let me down.”
Her voice was fragile and shivering. Tears were still flowing from her eyes.
But I found a strong faith and conviction in her words. Amidst such emotionally
draining encounter with Gowramma, I came to realize, even in this helpless
state of her, Gowramma was still drawing energy from some unknown source.
Amidst the struggles and uncertainties of her life, amidst the dark moments of
her everyday living, it was the belief in God that was helping her move ahead
and was strengthening her. During several meetings with the struggling and the
oppressed I found a similar pattern (the image of God in them giving them the
energy to move ahead) in them.
Having grown up in the Christian, I
also found a similar faith framework, in our faith tradition. A people being
oppressed, an unknown people becoming a chosen people of God; the story of
Israel was an exciting and inspiring story to me. I felt, I would not be wrong
if I name the story of the people of Israel as story of the oppressed nation.
In their state of oppression and uncertainties, though some wavered, many held
on to the faith and hope on their journey to the Promised Land. And the source
behind all this was the image and the faith in God that they had.
Being born and brought up in a
traditional Christian family I did often think that, only Christians are God’s
people. But while meeting the people of other faiths and cultures, my
conscience more than often whispered that they too belong to God. They are not
outsiders but insiders to the God I believe. Who are these people then?
In this presentation, standing within Christian framework, I am trying to search answers to my confusions like; “Who are they oppressed? Are they not the Children of God, just because they do not belong to Christianity? What is the source or the image of God that strengthens them? Who is the God of the oppressed, who gives them energy to move ahead as people of hope even amidst despair? As a religious, what is my responsibility in the multicultural and religious society f India?
As I reflect theologically on the above questions,
this is also my attempt to find clarity to my inner confusions.
Ch 1: The Oppressed
1.1
Oppression
The
word ‘oppression’, comes from the Latin word ‘opprimere’ means press (ing) down
which is synonymous to subjugation. This also implies that subjugating the equals,
those who deserve the liberty of just life, using various unjust means.
1.2
Who are the Oppressed?
Every creature human on this earth has the inner
freedom to live a free life. Every human, has the liberty to work and create
one’s future, has the right to realize once dreams. As I believe, that God too
wills that human beings live a fully alive life utilizing their given gifts and
talents.
Unfortunately more than often many lack the
opportunity for a free life. They are imprisoned by various things, persons,
ideologies and systems. Falling prey to the selfish motives of others, they
struggle a decent and a happy living. Being the victims of an unjust system,
they gradually lose hope in their lives.
The
destructive use of power and authority by those in powerful positions leads to
oppression. Oppression is a phenomenon by which a person or a group is denied
of its basic right to live a humane life. It begins by unjustly treating any
one section or group of the society by the other. At the same time, oppression
need not always be from another person alone, rather it could also be the
result of an unjust system.
1.3
Five Faces of Oppression - According to Iris Marian Young[1]
Five
faces of oppression according to Iris Young are - exploitation,
marginalization, powerlessness, cultural imperialism and violence. Let us now
have a look at them elaborately.
1.3.1
Exploitation
The denial of just wages to one’s
labours can be called exploitation. This is an act of using people’s labours to
produce profit while not compensating them fairly. This kind of an oppressive
system which gives rise to a group of ‘HAVE’s’ and ‘HAVE NOT’s’. To put it in
the words of Karl Marx, it creates and promotes ‘alienation’.[2]
1.3.2
Marginalization
Pressing down a section of the society or forcefully
pushing them to the margins of the society is known as marginalization.
This is a kind of divide and rule strategy. The caste system that is prevalent
in our own country is a typical example to marginalization. This
could also be called as an act of relegating or confining a group of people to
a lower social standing or outer
limit or edge of society. Overall, it is a process of exclusion.[3]
It’s a common feature in the society around that some are powerful and so
the others are powerless. Living as subordinates, blindly obeying the powerful
often becomes inevitable to the powerless. Often the powerless have no role in
the societal decision making. To put it together they are denied of the liberty
to live a fully human and a fully alive life. According to Paulo Freire, it’s a
most crude form of oppression.[4]
According to Freire,
powerlessness eventually gives rise to ‘Culture
of Silence’[5]. The oppressed become so weak and fragile that
they stop raising their voice against the injustice done to them. ‘We are
naturally inferior to our Lords’, kind of thinking creeps into their minds.
1.3.4
Cultural Imperialism
This is a kind of a control mechanism. This
involves
taking the culture of the ruling class and establishing it as the norm. The
groups that have power in society control how the people in that society
interpret and communicate. Therefore, the beliefs of that society are the most
widely disseminated and express the experience, values, goals and achievements
of these groups. Those who are oppressed by cultural imperialism are marked by
stereotypes. The stereotypes define what they can and cannot be. [6]
Cultural imperialism, steals the uniqueness of the persons by alienating them
from within.
1.3.5 Violence
We have sufficient examples where a section of
the society keeps the other section of people under their control through
physical violence, damage to their property and personnel etc. One of the best
examples to this would be the age old violence on Dalits, in India.
1.4
Some Major Groups
Under Oppression
In
this section I have tried to focus on a few major groups which are under the
bondage of constant oppression, keeping the subject matter of my study in
focus.
1.4.1
Women
Though our country is making advances in the
scientific and technological fields, yet the scenario of Indian women,
especially in the rural parts of India has not changed much. On the one hand,
dowry and other social evils and the thinking that there is no much benefit
from having girl children and on the other hand a girl is often seen merely as
an object of pleasure. Being subordinate to man, in general woman today, in the
villages of India is mostly seen as a commodity to be used and thrown.
According
to the National Crime statistics (India:2001) there were 2,824 reported cases
of rape, 4,591 cases of serious injuries, 517 cases of murder, 2261 cases of
kidnapping and abduction, 8527 cases of physical torture, 10,425 cases of
eve-teasing, 3588 cases of molestation and sexual harassment, 556 cases of
importation of girls and 4452 cases under immoral traffic act. Thus there were 37,841 registered cases of
violence against Dalit women in 2001.[7]
Statistics
are much higher today. To put it in straight words, women are still not secure
and free in India.
1.4.2
People
of Lower Castes
When I say
People of lower caste, here I mean Dalits, whom I have encountered quite often.
“ Dalit is originally a Marathi word, means broken or oppressed, crushed etc.”[8] “Dalits are not only the largest single group
in Karnataka but are weakest in terms of social, economic, political and
cultural resources. Poor housing conditions, landlessness, social stigma of
untouchability and other social disabilities made them victims of
discrimination and deprivation.”[9]
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When we
are working, they ask us not to come near to them. At tea canteens, they have
separate tea tumblers and they make us clean them ourselves and make us put the
dishes ourselves. We cannot enter temples. We cannot use upper caste water
taps. We have to go one kilometer away to get the water. When we ask for our
rights from the government, the Municipality officials threaten to fire us. So
we don’t say anything. This is what happens to people who demand their rights.[10]
“According to 2001 census, highest population
of Dalits is in UP( 21.1%) followed by WB(11.1%), Bihar(7.8%), AP( 7.4%) and TN(7.1%)”[11]
1.4.3
Poor
This is an
oppressed group outside the religious boundary. We live in a consumerist world
where money holds the prime value. Poor in India suffer from lack of dignity
and security which is so basic to one’s being human. Economic poverty has been one of the leading
oppressive factors we find in our country.
According to this revised World Bank methodology, India had
179.6 million people below the new poverty line, China had 137.6 million, and
the world had 872.3 million people below the new poverty line on an equivalent
basis as of 2013. India, in other words, while having 17.5% of total world's
population, had 20.6% share of world's poor.[12]
1.5 Subject Matter of My Essay
Dalits of Gowrenahalli
– a village at the outskirts of Bangalore, Karnataka where I used to have my
weekly ministry.
Context
of Gowrenahalli
This is a
village, at the outskirts of Bangalore, where I had my weekly ministry among
the Dalits, for a year. People of the place are economically poor and backward
in their lifestyle. Dalits belonging to
Hindu background and the Muslims are the two predominant groups in the village.
Unlike in most of the other villages, we do not find other higher caste Hindus
in the village.
As I said
earlier, though there are no high caste people in the village, still we find
some of the features that are commonly found among the Dalit groups. Coming
together as a group is not easy for these people and even if they come
together, they break apart for minor reasons. One main trait or the thinking
pattern that I observed among these is the assertion within them that they are
less than others are not even equal to other people.
Conclusion
Having
known that the oppression is of various types, we also looked at the minute
implications of oppression. On my search the image of ‘God of the Oppressed’ I
find it relevant, that I must place my focus on – The idea of ‘God and Religion’
Ch 2: God and
Religion
‘God’ has been and is a much discussed topic in the
world today. This has given rise to various opinions and variety of
explanations trying to explore and know what this reality means?
Behind every explanation of ‘God’,
there lies a world of experience. From the personal experience of people, emerges
the image of God people hold. In this chapter I am trying to look at the images
of God emerging from various experiences and backgrounds. Since, in this essay
I am taking the context of Gowrenahalli, Anekal, the two religious groups that
prevalent in the region are - Dalits with the Hindu background and Muslims.
2.1 Images of God among Dalits
It’s a herculean task to answer the question of –
Who God is according to Dalits? The
simple reason is that they believe and venerate in several images of gods and
goddesses. Thus it will not be possible to say what exactly the image of a God
according to Dalits. Several scholarly writings on Hinduism show us the status
of Sudras and Dalits and do not tell us about their idea of God. Rather it
would be easier to speak about the values they believe in. “Dalits have been
struggling and striving for human dignity, equality, fraternity, justice and
freedom from oppression. They have been expressing a faith in these values and
hope that they will one day be realized in the society.”[13]
The images that I have tried to give here below are
the images I found in my interactions with these people.
2.1.1
Images and Characteristics the God of Dalits
1.
First and foremost, Dalits in Gowrenahalli venerate people who worked for their
betterment, anyone who shed their blood for their sake and especially their
dead ancestors.
2. Yellamma, Morasamma, Matangi, Moosamma are some
important deities venerated in the village. Mostly these people believe in
female deities. Having a glance at the history of these gods and goddesses do
tell us that these were victims of injustice, in general.
3. People in the
village venerate nature. According to them gods and goddesses too have feelings
and they too experience normal heat, cold etc.
4. In the recent
years we see many Dalits embracing Buddhism. One of the major reasons for this
is the absence of caste and class discrimination[14].
God of Dalits is not a God who makes them do mean jobs rather he himself does
them.[15]
2.2 God in Islam
The other major religion that we come across in
Gowrenahalli is - Islam. Among them, majority belongs to Shia group. Islam
believes in explicit Monotheism. According to them God is one. His name is
‘Allah’. He’s a creator and a just God. Mohammad is his last prophet. “Islam’s
most fundamental concept is a religious monotheism, known as Tawhid. God is described in the Chapter of Quran as;
He is God, the one and only; God, the eternal absolute. He begetteth not, nor
is he begotten. And there is none like unto Him” (112: 1-4)[17]
They believe in a Personal God. The only way
to relate with him is by obeying his commands. According to Prophet Mohammad, Allah-is
one and only God. He’s a creator, liberator, destroyer, just ruler. There is no
power above and beyond him. He’s an ocean of compassion and forgiveness.[18]Among
the several minor sects among Muslims Sunni’s and Shia’s are two major groups.
As I said earlier, we find Shi’ites in Gowrenahalli. One special trait among
Shi’ites is that they too believe in their dead ancestors. The belief is that
the dead pray to Allah and bless their loved ones.
2.3 God and Religion according to Masters of
Suspicion
When we discuss about God and religion, I believe
it’s necessary to have a look at the views of Masters of
suspicion. By raising
suspicion about God and religion, they caused a new wave in the human history
and belief system. Let us now have a look at the views of renowned psychologist
Sigmund Freud, social thinker Karl Marx and existentialist Jean Paul Sartre.
2.3.1 Sigmund
Freud
“Religion is an illusion and it derives strength
from the fact that it falls in with our instinctual desires”[19]
According to Freud, religion is a universal
compulsive neurosis. In his book, ‘The
Future of an Illusion[20]’, he discusses about the
belief in God. He, taking the idea of
theory of Evolution says, human life comes from nature and nature has the
ability to destroy it. Thus, at the depth of every being there is a fear, which
he calls ‘death anxiety’. After
having made several futile attempts to get rid of this uncertain and
momentariness of life, human realizes that it’s impossible to escape death.
Therefore the grown up man, living in the helpless and uncertain state, moving
through death anxiety keeps longing for the all powerful Father figure. In his
book ‘Totem and Taboo’[21]-
he calls this powerful Father as God. “At the bottom God is nothing more than
an exalted Father.”[22]
Therefore God is an expression or
an imaginative illusion that man has, out of his helpless state of death
anxiety. This is nothing but a wishful thinking or illusion. Religious teaching
can, in no way come from God as ‘God’ itself is an illusion. God thinking is
not rational and scientifically supported. This is a mere thinking, which human
wished to be true. “It would be very nice if there would be a God who created
the world and was a benevolent providence, and if there were a moral order in
the universe and after life; but it is a very striking fact that all this is
exactly as we are bound to wish it to be.”[23]
According to Freud, today world is grown and it does
not need religion. Today man must base his life on science. To put things
together religion is an illusion at the face of anxiety.
2.3.2 Karl
Marx
“Religious distress is at the same time the
expression of the real distress and also protest against the real distress. Religion
is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of the heartless world, just
as it is a spirit of a spiritless condition. It is the opium of the people.”[24]
Marx sees religion as a sign of human alienation. He tries to shed light on the
sociological reasons responsible for this alienation. Religion, cheats the poor
and the oppressed by providing them momentary happiness and denies them the
possibility of real happiness. Inhuman and cruel religion, tries to convince
the oppressed that in the world to come they will have lasting happiness. Thus
it acts as a opium by providing momentary happiness without in anyway focusing
of the fundamental issues or problems.
Therefore instead of helping people
to fight against their oppression, it makes them live in the momentary
happiness of an imaginary world and thus leaves them in the hopeless state for
eternity. In this sense religion is a weapon in the hands of powerful by
alienating the weak. “We can give the following definition of alienation: It is
a negative process by which a subject makes himself other than himself by
virtue of a constraint which is capable of being removed on the initiative of
the subject matter.”[25]
Alienation causes human to lose his
uniqueness as a being. Human, alienated within himself looks for an exemplary
and a model society where there is no alienation; no oppression. The religion
that comes into being with such thoughts, works as opium to the people, says
Marx. “Religion then is a mode of production and an alien product, unrelated to
human reality.”[26]
In his opinion, for the real happiness, religion
must come to an end.
2.3.3 Friedrich
Nietzsche
He rejected the Christian version
of God. He also did not believe in the universal God concept. His focus was on
human becoming a powerful super human using the powers of his will. It looks as
though Nietzsche had lost meaning in his own life and thus ‘God’, didn’t give
him any meaning.
In his ‘Twilight of the Idols’[27],
he says God is a mere human creation; an attempt cope with his sin and guilt
complex. In his ‘Beyond Good and Evil’[28],
he says- human will longs to be powerful and dominate over others. It longs for
the superiority of its own existence and for pleasure. And finally in his, ‘The Gay Science’[29]
he declares that God is dead.
The Gay Science is where Nietzsche first proclaimed the death of God.
Without God, society could enjoy true freedom as determined by one’s will to
power. “Do we not hear the noise of the grave-diggers who are burying God?” he
wrote. “Do we not smell the divine putrefaction?—for even Gods putrefy! God is
dead! God remains dead! And we have killed him! How shall we console ourselves,
the most murderous of all murderers? . . . Is not the magnitude of this deed
too great for us? Shall we not ourselves have to become Gods, merely to seem
worthy of it?” Accordingly, he came to believe that by overcoming his need to
conform to religious ideals, he could rise to the greatness within him.[30]
Nietzsche believes that a society without God will
be ruled by Human Will and will be free. He feels that it is fear that doesn’t
allow human to live up to his full potential. “Fear is what enslaves people to conformity and keeps them from
conquering their weaknesses, both social and moral”.[31]
2.4 God – Religion
and Faith among the People of Gowrenahalli
2.4.1 Trust
of Ammayamma
She is an
elderly lady aged 65-70 years. Ever cheerful Ammayamma’s smile faded away
through the recent series of tragedies in her life.
“I have never lost faith in God.
Yellamma knows my struggles and she will never let me down. There was a day out
of sorrow I even doubted her existence. The vary night, Yellamma appeared in my
dream and asked me, “Why do you say that there is no God? Am I not there? I shall set everything right. Do not worry”.
The interesting fact to be noticed here is that, Ammayamma had similar faith in
Yellamma even in her joyful days.
2.4.2 Faith of Yellamma
Yellamma lost
her husband years ago. Her son is working in a nearby factory and has a
daughter to be married. To support the family, Yellamma too works in a close by
garment factory. In her opinion, “I do
not need God to come and help me directly. Even if God doesn’t do anything for
me, I shall still believe. The way Renuka Yellamma, the goddess I believe faced
her life, is the way I too need to face it, amidst the chaos and crisis of my
life.” Then she adds, “If you do good,
you’ll have the privilege to be with Renuka Yellamma one day. There is no
greater gift than being with your God.”
2.4.3 Jayamma’s
Conviction
She works in
a nearby Biocon factory, to support her ailing husband and children. I
remember, in one of my conversations, I did ask her, “Do really believe in the
existence of God? Isn’t this a mere illusion of the struggling? Jayamma was
indeed upset to listen to my question and her answer came was filled with firm
conviction, “Do you call, what I have believed and experienced very personally
in my life, a mere illusion? Joy or
pain, God is always there and he’ll never push us into a struggle that we have
no strength to face”.
2.4.4 Belief
in the Dead
In one of my visits to the village, I happened to
enter a house, where they had covered all the images/ picture of god’s and
goddesses and had placed the photo of their deceased grandfather between those
images of gods. When I enquired, I came to realize that was the 11 day after
the death of the person and on that day their deceased elder was returning to
their house as God to them.
Finally to put things together-
1. In most of the Dalit houses, Renuka
Yellamma is their deity. She’s a woman and a victim to the societal injustice.
2. Though Renuka
Yellamma is the house god, they also worship several other gods
3. The Gods they believe have experienced the
day today struggles and they know what a human living entails.
4. People who
are happy and those who are struggling, both believe in God.
5. They do not have a desire or a belief that
god would directly come and help them rather living with god, in his/ her
presence is considered to be the greatest gift one can have.
6. Belief in the dead ancestors is
yet another unique feature in the village. This also implies that the dead live
in a privileged state before God and capable of granting wellness and peace to
the living.
7. They do respect earth, cattle
etc but I have not come across among them anybody believing these as Gods.
Conclusion
Though the masters of suspicion raised their doubts
about the existence of God, the people I encountered do clearly tell me out of
their experience that God is a living reality; a reality that enables human to
be fully alive, and supports and guides amidst the storms of life.
Ch 3: Oppressed in the
Religious Writings
Every human, based on his/ her experience, forms an image of a God
within. Religion builds itself on the experiential reality called God. Thus God
and religion are two faces of the same coin. In the initial stages we find a
religion being natural, liberal and spirit filled in its practices. But with
the institutionalization, God becomes a prisoner in the hands of religion. At
this point on the one hand, the oppressed and the struggling find solace in
their personal experience of God and at the same time the religion that
represents God, hands them the experience of oppression.
We see various types of oppressions in different religions. My
focus in this chapter would be about the oppression of Sudras and Outcastes due
to the caste practice propagated by the Code of Manu in Hinduism and the
oppression found in the selected Islamic religious writings.
3.1 Code of Manu
Manu Smriti or Code of Manu is one of the ancient codes of
Hinduism. This code on the one hand gives special privileges and powers to
Brahmin, Kshtriya and Vaishya castes and on the other hand tries to oppress
Sudras and Panchamas(and outcastes). Manu Smriti, not only strengthened
Varnashrama dharma, but also intensified oppression on the weaker sections.
3.1.1 In Times of Verbal
assault
It’s interesting to know, that Manu Smriti allows a person
belonging to high caste to pay a little amount and escape from any punishment
where as justifies the silent suffering of Sudras. The teachings of Manu propagating
inequality, are a reason for the centuries long oppression on the lower castes and
weaker sections of the society.
·
For assailing a Brahmin, a Kshatriya
ought to be fined100 and a Vaishya 150 or 200. But Sudra ought to suffer
corporal punishment. ( Manu Smriti 8. 267)[32](
I shall be now on using – MS as short form
denoting Manu Smriti)
·
If he (Sudra) invokes their (Brahmin)
names and castes with disdain a red hot iron nail ten fingers long should be
driven into his mouth. ( MS 8.271)
3.1.2 In Times of Violence
One of the major expressions or weapons of the oppressed is their
various forms of resistance. The code of Manu, in case of any incident of
resistance from the lower castes, permits the higher castes to silence them
through violent means. Indian history is a witness to several examples of such
violence.
·
When a lowest born man uses a particular
limb to injure a superior person that very limb of his should be cut off.( MS 8.279)
3.1.3 The Rights and Place of Sudra
The rightful owner of Sudra’s property and belongings is – Brahmin.
Sudra doesn’t have any power or authority. Therefore, Code of Manu permits
Brahmin to take away whatever belongs to Sudra, even without his permission.
The method that is used to give special preference to Brahmin is by making the
lower castes, powerless.
·
A Brahmin may confidently seize the
property from a Sudra because there is nothing that he owns; for he is a man
whose property may be taken by his master.( MS 8.417)
3.1.4 Place of Women
One of the most oppressed classes in the code of Manu is Women.
Woman is also portrayed as a dirty and a fragile creature and man is very thing
to her as she cannot be free.
·
As a child she must remain under her
father’s control; as a young woman under her husband’s and when her husband is dead under her son’s; for
by separating herself from them she
brings disgrace on both families. (MS 5.148)
3.2 Oppression
in Islam
Islam is another important religion I have considered for my study.
As in every religion, in Islam too we have numerous examples of oppression.
3.2.1 Oppression of Women
During one of my house visits, I happened to enter the house of an
elderly Muslim leader aged 74. As we were sharing our view on various matters,
a young lady aged 24, pregnant, came with a glass of water. When I enquired
about the lady, he explained me his story. He had four children and all were
married and they too are having grown up children. A few years ago his wife too
passed away. Since all are settled and away, he was alone. Then he said, “Since I was alone, they brought this to me”. I
believe the above incident speaks for itself, about the status of women in
Islam.
In the tribal society of Pre Islamic Arabia
women were a part of the estate of her husband, father or close male relative. The
birth of a woman considered misfortune and it was common to have female infants
buried alive…. The position of women continues to be influenced by Tradition
today.[33]
One would not be
wrong if he calls Islam a male dominated society where woman is seen as a mere
dust or an insect or an animal or at most as a body that gives pleasure. Woman,
hidden within the dark burka, lying in the inner room of Muslims is a symbol of
oppressed being.
- Male
shall have the equal of the portion of two women. ( Quran 4.11)[34]
(Now on I shall just use the letter Q to denote the word Quran)
- Men
are a degree above women. (Q 2.228)
Going through the pages of Holy Quran, I realize that women in
Islam are denied of their basic human rights and they do not have the right even
over their own body.
- Your
wives are a tilth to you and so go into your tilth when you like. (Q
2.223)
- Quran
4, 34 and 33, 50 also permits sexual slavery.
- There
are also mentions in the Islamic religious writings which say that women
by birth are impure and are incapable of following religion. ( Bukari 6,
301)[35].
Traditionally, the heaven for a woman lies below her husband’s
feet.
3.2.3 Conflict between
Shia’s and Sunni’s for superiority
·
There is a constant conflict between Sunni’s
and Shi’ites about superiority. Sunni’s look down upon Shiites. There are times
when Shiites were called as not true Muslims. Shiites are seen as a permanent
opposition to status quo.[36]
- Muslims
don’t face persecution in mainly Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, and secular
nations. However, throughout the Sunni Muslim world the Shia community
faces daily discrimination and deadly attacks often erupt in Bahrain,
Iraq, Pakistan, Yemen, and other nations”.[37]
In Iraq, we find even today the oppression of Shia’s.
“For nearly a century, the nation's 15 million Shiite Muslims have
been denied access to political power. How their demands are met in the months
to come could well determine Iraq's future”[38]
Conclusion
The oppressed on the one hand experience a God who is
loving and caring, who they seek as their refuge, source of upliftment and
strength on the other hand they also experience the oppression through religion
in their lives. Religion imprisons them. Quite often the God whom they
encounter under the shadow of religion is a cruel God, who punishes and
oppresses them. But let’s remember that this God is the creation of powerful
and authoritative humans. Hence we find
a difference in the God, in the experience of the people and a God who is
projected by the institutionalized religion.
Ch 4:
Christianity and the Oppressed
Having seen the oppressive elements in caste ridden
Hindu society and Islam, let us now have a glance at Christianity for our
theological dialogue. My focus in this chapter will be mainly to see the
oppressive elements in Christianity and its response and treating of the
oppressed. This is also an attempt to see the image of God projected through
the holy bible and in other Christian teachings.
4.1 Oppressed and their image of God in the Old
Testament
I may not be wrong if I term the history of the
chosen people, Israel as the story of an oppressed nation. The way
in which a nameless, hopeless ordinary people becoming God’s people was indeed
a way of the cross. Even after having called chosen people, their life wasn’t
easy. Pain, suffering and oppression were waiting for them at every point. But
on their painful journey, one truth that they realized is that – ‘their God was
with them, accompanying and caring for them.’ This realization did not in
miraculously change their living but gave them the strength to move ahead with
hope, courage and faith.
They had a peaceful living under
Joseph and under Pharaoh who succeeded him in Egypt. But the later Pharaoh’s
found them as a threat to the nation. Having seen them as enemies, they
subjected them to cruel, hard labour. Thus person, living peaceful, at one
point in the history, was subjected to oppression in the later days (ref : Ex
1, 8-14)[39].
Having fought against the cruel Pharaoh, YHWH, through Moses, liberated
Israelites, in a miraculous way from the slavery of Egypt( ref: Ex 14,19-21)
It was the time of the fulfillment
of the promise made to Abraham. The chosen people, on their journey the land
flowing with milk and honey, for almost 40 years practically were helpless
nomads. Amidst the scorching heat, as a soothing cloud, by feeding those with
Manna, when they were hungry and by providing fresh waters from the rocks YHWH
led them. Therefore, the God they experienced was a God who cares for them and
loves them like a parent. The God they experienced was a courageous, liberator
God, who encouraged them to move ahead. “Be strong and courageous; do not be
frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go”
(Josh 1, 9)
Later even after reaching the
Promised Land, they did not have a peaceful and an easy time. The turmoil and
the conflict with the people of the land was their daily share of their
suffering. War, attacks and pain were part of their everyday living. YHWH, whom
they believed in, formed them as a people and as a nation amidst the turmoil of
the time. Through the Ark of the Covenant he lived among them (ref: Deut 7,
1-2, 5-6).
Even later life was not one of
peace and joy. They were oppressed in the hands of Assyrians and Babylonians.
It is quite possible that more than often their life may have been a saga of suffering.
Yet time to time through his prophets God kept in touch with his people
responding to their plea. To put things together, God of these oppressed people
was with them even amidst the daily oppression, filling them with hope to keep
moving ahead in life.
Isaiah’s ‘Suffering Servant’ – was the one who would take the oppression and
suffering of the people upon himself. In the eyes of people, the Messiah who is
to come is visualized as the one who would save his people from their present
state of oppression (ref: (Is 52, 13- 15, 53: 6b-7).
In this way, in the Old Testament,
we come across a God who walks with his people amidst the oppression and
struggles of the time.
4.2 Oppressed and their image of God in the New
Testament
In the New Testament, especially the gospels are a
story of God’s son - Jesus Christ walking among his people. For long people
waited for the promised Messiah. But the Messiah they longed was a political
leader, a worrier leader. They longed for a Messiah who would free them
politically. But in an unassuming way he came being born among the oppressed,
outcastes. (ref: Lk 2:8-11, 16).
But Oppression and violence didn’t
spare the Messiah too. In his preaching of the Kingdom, he became a voice of
the oppressed. He looked a soldier of a just and an ethical Kingdom. He
embraced the downtrodden and socially neglected. By including even the
Samaritans, who were pushed to the peripheries ( Jn 4) in the plan of God, sent
the message to the masses that, no one is a an outcaste in the eyes of God.
Jesus said to her, “Woman believe me. The hour
is coming when you will worship the Father neither in this mountain, nor in
Jerusalem…..But the hour is coming and is now here when the true worshippers
will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for father seeks such as these to
worship him…. Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of woman’s
testimony…”. So when the Samaritans came to him they asked him to stay with
them and he stayed thee two days. (Jn 4: 21, 23, 39-40)
In the Luke’s gospel, in the words of prophet Isaiah
(Lk 4, 18 -19), we see the mission manifesto of Jesus, which focuses on the
oppressed and the downtrodden. His
manifesto makes it clear that the upliftment of the poor, downtrodden and the
oppressed was the motto of his life. It is quite pleasing to see that at every
encounter between Jesus and the oppressed there were seemed to have been
various liberative threads.
Let us have a look at Zacchaeus
found in Lk 19, 1-10. Zacchaeus was
rejected by people and was secluded and confined into his own world and thus
was oppressed within himself and out in the society. The acceptance of
Zacchaeus by Jesus healed and liberated him psychologically, socially,
ethically and above all as a human in its fullness. Zacchaeus and in him his
whole household was once again accepted back in the community. This clearly
shows us that the oppressed experienced an integral liberation in Jesus. We
also need to take note of Lukan way of proclaiming universal salvation and
projecting Jesus as the friend of the sinful and the lost.[40]
The religious system of the time
was indeed oppressing people with number of laws and regulations which had more
to do with consolidating the authoritative classes and focusing more on the
external practices than internal dispositions. Jesus dared to raise his voice
against the societal injustice. It’s apt
to remember at this point the words of the Dalit icon Ambedkar, that “religion
and oppression are not compatible to each other.”[41]
When Jesus chased out those who
were having their business in the temple, it was a direct counter attack
against the ruling class. This later paved way to the passion and death of
revolutionary leader – Jesus. He fought against the corrupt, oppressive and
institutionalized system of the time at every step. But the system did not spare him. He was caught
and murdered on the cross. Amidst all this the strong conviction that he had,
was that, his Father was constantly with him. And with this confidence, he was
able to say, ‘Not my will but thy will be done’ (Lk 22, 42)
Mary Madeline, Zacchaeus, Samaritan
Woman, tax collectors, poor, destitutes, orphans, deaf, lame, blind, lepers-
all were embraced by Jesus. He walked among the lower, oppressed sections of
the society and often he listened to their deepest longings and offered a
helping hand even without their asking.
We also find in the Acts of the Apostles,
how there has been a caring for the downtrodden and the oppressed, in the first
Christian Community. “All who believed were together and had things in common.
They would sell their possessions and goods and place them and distribute the
proceeds to all as they had need. (Acts 2: 42-45). In the above passage we see
a contrast community, contrary to the oppressive society of the time. We also
find the care for the poor, widows and the orphans. Thus in general, the poor,
the neglected, the weak and the helpless and the oppressed are loved, cared for
and owned by God as his people.
4.3 Catholic Social Teachings
Through various documents and encyclicals there have
been attempts to respond to the needs of the oppressed and to uproot oppressive
systems.
In 1891, Pope Leo XIII, in his encyclical letter,
Rerum Novarum focuses on the situation of the poor people and workers in the
industrialized countries.
·
Encyclical condemned the civil and
public authorities being careless and lethargic about the care of the ordinary
people and proclaimed that God’s grace and natural resources belong to all
people. ( #11, 12,38)
·
The Church has the right to speak out;
social matters affect religion and morality. ( #24)
·
Common good is the end of civil society;
all have the right to participate in the society. ( #71)
The
encyclical condemns the gap between the rich and the poor and the inequality
that is being practiced.
·
The public authorities must strive to
abolish the economic imbalance. ( # 54)
·
Families need appropriate wage to live
in dignity.( # 68)
·
All should work for the Common good.( #
96)
The 1971 synod
of Bishops, in their reflection of the, ‘Mission of the people of God to
further justice in the world,” affirms that establishing a just society is the
responsibility of the people of God.
·
Structural injustices oppress humanity
and striffle freedom to operate in the world. ( #3)
·
The redemption of human race and
liberation from the oppressive situation
is the goal of the church.( #6)
·
Many who suffer injustice are voiceless;
the church should speak on their behalf. ( #20)
·
People need to listen to the word of God
and respond effectively to injustices. ( # 29)
·
Christian love for neighbour and justice
cannot be separated. ( #34)
In general
Catholic Social Teachings, focus on recognizing the structural injustices and
work to empower the oppressed. The church calls the faithful to be catalysts of
freedom and liberation by being the voice of the voiceless. In my opinion the image
of God formed through the catholic social teachings is of a God who is a just,
one who loves justice and looks for the integral development of all.
4.4 Liberation Theology
Liberation theology, in the context
of violence, pain and struggle, liberation theology tries to find the deeper
meaning of Christian ethics and teachings. I will be focusing on only two
liberation theologians namely Jon Sobrino and Ignacio Ellacuria.
4.4.1
Jon Sobrino
In his article, ‘The Risen One’[45]
he says: Christ preached the coming of the Kingdom of God. He raised his voice
against the prevalent oppression. As a result he was nailed on the cross and
killed. The resurrection of Christ is an able answer or a deserving counter
response to the unjust cruel act of human. God’s response was provoked by human
activity of murdering the just one.
Resurrection of Jesus is the
triumph of justice over injustice. It’s the triumph not only of God’s
omnipotence but also of God’s Justice. Therefore once and for all justice has
triumphed over injustice and victim over the executioner. Raising Christ from
death, reminds the crucified of the history that oppression and death is not
the end but there is hope for which we can live for. Let’s not
forget that the cross of Jesus is a cross one among so many crosses carried
before and after him. We must not forget
that there are so many people in the world who do not die a natural
death but in various ways die as Jesus died, in the hands of ‘pagans’.
God was on the cross of Jesus. God
shared the horrors of history. The God who raised Christ is not an oppressor God but a God who liberates. Knowing that God
was on Jesus’ cross, gives the hope to the crucified that the God’s power is
not oppressive but salvific.
Christ is present in the crucified
of the world even today.
4.4.2
Ignacio Ellacuria
Crucified Christ and his
resurrection gives faith to those who are oppressed and suffering in today’s
world. Resurrection points towards the cross. The crucified one rose again. To
rise again, to resurrect, death on the cross was essential.[46]
Ellacuria using the words of J. Jeremiah says, “The servants of YHWH are his chosen
people- the people of Israel. The portrayal of the servant of YHWH as Isaiah says
is of a suffering servant – one who suffers and the one who is rejected. We can
compare this Suffering servant to Christ. The crucified in the history are in
the image of Crucified Christ.”
Thus when we analyze the portrayal
of God’s servant and God’s people, in the context of today, the oppressed, the
suffering the voiceless are the chosen people of God (irrespective of
religion).
A few reasons to call them as the
people of God are
·
Their cross and death reflect the
eternal life flowing from the cross of Christ.
·
Amidst the struggles of their daily
living, they move on with ever new hope in their lives.( They do not have any
other way too)
·
The oppressed amidst their struggle
manage to find or make meaning out of their lives.
·
The gospel values like service,
simplicity, being patient in their struggles and being hopeful, we find in the
oppressed.
·
We find a new and a unique hope in these
people.
·
These are indeed people with love; who
even forgive their enemies.[47]
Conclusion: In the Old Testament we found a God
who walks with his people in their joys and struggles and leads them ahead. And
in the New Testament, we found a God who embraces the outcastes and the
downtrodden and accepts the rejected and loves them. We also found the image of
a society in the acts where all are cared for. With the invitation to work for
the downtrodden and uplift the oppressed and to create a just society the
catholic social teachings visualize an oppression free liberative world around.
Liberation theology presents the resurrection of Jesus as a beacon light of
hope to the crucified of the world amidst the struggles of their life. It also
stresses that the oppressed of the society in the true sense today, are - ‘God’s
Chosen People’. By saying so, they also
open the doors to all, to be loving children of God. And I do see a single
thread running in all these images of God.
Ch 5: Christ for the Oppressed
The last chapter of my presentation will focus on,
who is Christ in the present context? Based on the previous chapter, I am also
attempting to answer the question of who is God of the oppressed. What are his
characteristics? And finally I shall also try to give a few practical points to
deal with the ongoing oppression.
5.1 Who is Christ Today?
Who is Christ in the present socio – historical
scenario? To answer just as, ‘he is the founder of Christianity’, will not be
satisfactory enough. We can call Christ as extraordinary person born to uplift
and console the oppressed and the crucified of the history.[48]
But still the question remains to be answered - who is Christ for the
oppressed? To answer the above question we need to juxtapose the first century
Palestinian situation in comparison to today’s situation especially that of
Gowrenahalli, which I have considered for my studies here.
People believed that Jesus would
wipe away their tears and put an end to daily oppression and violence. Bible is
a mirror to the earthly life of God’s son. Instead of focusing merely on the
extraordinary and miraculous works of Jesus, it deals with the savior of the
world who suffered and died a violent death.
Luke in the Acts, depicts Christ’s earthly journey as –
How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the
Holy Spirit and power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were
oppressed by the devil for God was with them. We are witnesses to all that he
did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a
tree; but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, not to all
the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses and who ate and drank
with him after he rose from the dead. (Acts 10, 38-41)
In addition St Paul in his letter to Philippians
tells us how Christ, though God was a servant, accepted death on the cross.“
Who though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as
something to be exploited, but emptied himself taking the form of a slave being
born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and
became obedient to the point of death even death on a cross. (Phil 2, 6-8)
Therefore to answer the question,
who is Christ for us (oppressed) today, we need to understand how in the pages
of history the oppressed have experienced and understood Christ? When we analyze the portrayal of Christ,
moving beyond the boundaries of Christianity and when we juxtapose it with the
experience of the oppressed, we come to realize that the Christ of the
oppressed is also an oppressed person or
victim. According to them, he too is someone like them, having caught in
the unjust structures and being oppressed daily. And so he too knows the pain
and suffering, humiliation and tortures, worries and anxieties; someone like
them, oppressed.
But let us remember when we say Christ, his
resurrection, new hope is intrinsic to him.
5.2 Christ –Sign of Liberation
The resurrection of Jesus changed the course of the
history. Resurrection announced to the world that pain and death is not the
ultimate end. Resurrection of Christ served as a great source of hope to his
followers amidst the pains, joys,
struggles, and prevalent various sorts of oppression and violence of the time. This hope gave them the strength to stand
firm amidst the violent and turbulent times of first and second century
Palestine.
If Christ becomes like an oppressed
then the oppressed have hope of resurrection and new life like him. Oppressed
Christ, during his life time, did not totally surrender to the prevalent
injustice. Rather he stood against the unjust structures and raised his voice
against them. Yet he did not lose meaning in his life. He did not hate the
oppressors. He felt sorry for them looking at their sinful life. This does tell
me that Christ operated from inner freedom and which helped him not to
surrender himself totally to external oppression.
As in the case of Christ, beyond
oppression and death there was new life , so will also be the case of all those
who take part in what he has gone through. “For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His
death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection…Now if we
have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing
that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again.”(Rom 6,
4.8-9) He’s an inspiration to walk on the path of
liberation.
The death and resurrection of Jesus
would serve as a reason for the oppressed not to give into injustice totally
and surrender, rather would help them draw energy and strength from God, from
their surroundings and from the fellow humans like them who too are oppressed
and above all to gain peace of mind. Isn’t this a true liberation? For I
believe, inner freedom will be the beginning of outer liberation.
I also believe the synergy between the oppressed,
will pave way to liberation.
5.3 Oppressed and God of the Oppressed
5.3.1
Oppressed
As per my presentation, oppressed, are the chosen
People of God. Centuries ago, an unknown ordinary people were chosen by God. Old
Testament tells us that these were struggling under the oppression of mighty
hands then. In the New Testament, we see Jesus proclaiming the Kingdom of God
to all, even to Samaritans and hence he opened the doors of heavenly abode to
everyone without discrimination. He loved and embraced those who were neglected
and rejected by the society.
Times have changed yet oppression continues. As I
said in the previous chapter, to answer the question, ‘Who are God’s people
today?’ we need to move beyond the boundaries of religion, caste, colour,
practices, language etc. When we analyze the people of God in the light of
scriptures, the Chosen people of God today – are the oppressed of our society.
( and as per my study – the Dalit population
of Gowrenahalli, who are my I focus in this study)
5.3.2 Christ
and the Oppressed – Similarities and Relationship
In the second chapter I have mentioned the names of
several Dalit goddesses like Yellamma, Mariyamma, Morasamma etc. one major
similarity that I find in all these goddesses is that all of them are victims
of oppression.[49]
As mentioned earlier in the experience of the
oppressed, Christ too is an oppressed being. Therefore, there are similarities
between the traditional gods of the oppressed ( of Dalits of Gowreahalli) and
Christ. Both are victims of oppression. Hence will it be wrong to call Christ
as God of the Oppressed? I believe that suffering Dalits, will not find it too
hard to accept Christ as their God, as I sensed during my interactions with
them.
The other and unique face of Christ is – his
Resurrection. Resurrection, moves beyond the act and result of oppression. It’s
a promise of new and eternal life. Thus will I be wrong if I say, the final
culmination of all the Dalit gods will be in Christ alone? Isn’t his the real meaning of St Paul when he
says that in the fullness of time, all things will gather in him? Therefore I would believe that the beliefs of
the oppressed Dalits, in an unknown way will lead them to Christ. Will I not be
right when I say that all the small little streams and rivers will ultimately
reach the Ocean (Christ)?
But I would like to clarify the understanding of
Christ I am talking about. Christ – who is the God of the Oppressed is not as
merely portrayed by Christianity. Nor is he an exclusive possession of
Christianity. He’s a Cosmic God. He may have been portrayed as male in some
cultures and as female in some other. I would see Christ as, the one who is
portrayed by Teilhard in his book ‘Phenomenon of Man’[50]
as the omega Point.
5.3.3
Features of the God of the Oppressed
We need to look at the issue from two different
perspectives.
1.
God
who is formed in the Conscience of the people of Gowrenahalli:
A God who has suffered like them, one who knows the pain of suffering, death
and oppression, the one who walks with them in their day today troubles and
confusions. A God who encourages and inspires them to keep moving ahead, even
when you feel lost and hopeless. Above all he’s not an imaginary figure rather
an ever living reality.
2.
The image formed in the Conscience (God of
the Oppressed) of people over the centuries: In the history of Israel and through the
suffering and death and the resurrection of Christ we come to realize that this
God is a God who loved and cared for his people, a God who walked with his
people.
The end of the oppressed, suffering Jesus was
not death rather resurrection and eternal life. He did not ask for it. It was a
free gift. Similarly, though the oppressed don’t plead for their liberation
immediately, their God who without their knowledge will lead them to the path
of liberation by promising eternal life in the world to come and the one gives strength to fight against the
ongoing oppression and the ability to find meaning even amidst daily struggles.
5.4 Spirituality - from the idea of God of the
Oppressed
Oppressed
– irrespective of religion, caste, creed, and language – all are God’s people.
God resides in the oppressed.This spirituality is very close to, the
spirituality of St Ignatius, ‘Finding God
in all Things’[51]
and this spirituality gives me meaning to work selflessly and being free of
prejudice to work for the downtrodden of the society. It gives me an
inspiration to find God in the people I work with and work for and to grow as a
universal human. And I believe, with this universal humanistic feeling alone,
we can once again make divine, the broken world of ours.
5.5 How to Understand the Oppressive Texts
Any religious
scripture in general aims at the integral development of human. But more than
often as we saw, religious scriptures themselves oppress the faithful. How then
to understand these oppressive texts?
·
First and foremost we need to know that
total oppression cannot be the aim of any scripture. We need to look these
texts in the light of liberative elements
in it.
·
As a Christian, when I look at the
religious scriptures of various religions, I realize that scriptures are
inspired by God but are articulated and written by humans, in the limited human
language.
·
The oppressive texts should be analyzed
and made meaning from the perspective of the oppressed.
·
In the final analysis, if a religious
scripture tries to hinder the integral
development of a human to be a better
human, in that case, ne should be daring even to reject such teachings.
Conclusion
The modern globalized world of today, through various forms of
oppression, is giving rise to an oppressive class every day. As said earlier, oppression takes place at
various levels. Being caught in the clutches of unjust structure a few give up
hope. But the strange fact is that many continue to battle with life and keep
moving with hope and at the base of such a faith and hope is their image of
their personal God. As I have defined in my study, the God of the oppressed is A
God who has suffered like them; one who knows the pain of suffering, death and
oppression, the one who walks with them in their day today troubles and
confusions. He is a God who loves and cares for his people; a God who walks
with his people.
How centuries ago a nameless, unknown people became
a chosen people in the same way today, the less known, unheard, oppressed humanity,
the crucified our history has become the chosen people of God.
As St Paul says, “ There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer male and female for all of
you are one in Christ Jesus” ( Gal 3:28), Christ has over thrown all kinds of
barriers. Thus we are invited to move beyond the religious, cultural and
linguistic barrier in the selfless service of the needy, knowing that we are
serving the Chosen people of God and hence partakers in the salvific act of
Christ.
“As a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up
all things in him things in heaven and things on earth…” (Eph 1, 10). “ When
all things are subjected to him, then the son himself will also be subjected to
the one who has put all things in
subjection under him so that God may be all in all.” (1 Cor 15, 28)
I believe in the fullness of time, all religions
will come together, in the Religion of religions and in an unassuming way be
united in the one true God. Thus as a religious, as a human, my responsibility
is to play my little part in the mission given to me.
“Go therefore
and make disciples of all nations.”(Mt 28,19b) is a call to make disciples of
every struggling and oppressed human of our society. And by doing that to form a
better and a humane society.
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html#r4jER9Ai2KdYdPzo.99, accessed on 06.11.2014.
4.
Freud, Sigmund, “ Future of an Illusion”, at hppt://atheism.free.fr/Quotes/Freud.htm,
accessed on 08.10.2014
5.
James, Elisha, “Liberative Motifs in the Dalit Religion”, at http://www.religiononline.org/showarticle.asp?title=2451, accessed on 05.11.2014.
6.
Marx, Karl, “Contribution to the critique of Hagel’s
Philosophy of Law”, at http://muktomona.net/Articles/himel_shagor/Religion_marx.pdf, accessed on 13.11.2014.
7.
Jerry,
Gier, “God is Dead by
Fredrich Nitzsche”, at http://www.vision.org/visionmedia/article.aspx?id=554,
accessed on 10.10.2014
8.
Cockburn , Andrew, “Iraq's Oppressed Majority”, at http://www.smithsonianmag.com/people-places/iraqs-oppressed-majority-95250996, accessed on 02.11.2014.
9.
Nietzsche ,Friedrich, Twilight
of the Idols, Dover Publications, New York, 1889, at http://answers.yahoo/question/index?qid=20080731185354AAQP6mg,
accessed on 10.10.2014
10. Nietzsche
,Friedrich, The Gay Science,
Dover Publications, New York, 1886, at
http://www.vision.org/visionmedia/article.aspx?id=554, accessed on 13.10.2014
11. Nietzsche
,Friedrich, Thus Spoke Zarathustra,
Ernst Schmeitzner Publications,
Germany, 1885, at http://atheism.about.com/library/weekly/aa042600c.htm,
accessed on 10.10.2014
12. Shagor,
Himel, “Marx and religion: A brief study”, at http://mukto
muntomona.net/articles/himel_shagor/Religion_marx.pdf, accessed on 04.11.2014.
13. Walker,
Murad, “Shia Muslims and ongoing oppression in Sunni Muslim dominated nations”, at
http://www.moderntokyotimes.com/2012/10/25/shia-muslims-and-ongoing-oppression-in-sunni-muslim-dominated-nations/, accessed on 02.11.2014.
14. “Dalit
Theology”, at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalit_theology ,
accessed on 21.10.2014.( No author mentioned)
15. “Five Faces of Oppression”, at https://mrdevin.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/five-faces-of-oppression.pdf, accessed on 10.10.2014. ( No author mentioned)
16. “ God in Islam and Allah”, at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam#Shia,
accessed on 22. 10.2014 .( No
author mentioned)
17. “Poverty in India”, at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poverty_in_India,
accessed on 29.10.2014 (No author
mentioned)
18. “Religion of the Dalits”,
at http://www.dalitchristians.com/html/faith.htm,accessed
on 20.10.2014.( No author mentioned)
19. “Social
thoughts of Dr Ambedkar”, at http://ambedkarism.wordpress.com/2011/03/30/ambedkar-thoughts, accessed on 10.11.2014.( No author
mentioned)
20. “What does the religion of peace teach
about?” at http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/Quran/010-women-worth-less.htm,
accessed on 29.10.2014 ( No
author mentioned).
[1] “Five Faces of Oppression”, at https://mrdevin.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/five-faces-of-oppression.pdf, accessed on 03.10.2014. ( No author mentioned)
[2]
Ibid.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Paulo, Freire, “Culture of
Silence” at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paulo_Freire#Culture_of_silence, accessed on 05.10.2014.
[6] “Five Faces of Oppression”,
Ibid.
[7] Hemant,
Rawat, Dalit and Backward Women, Lakshay Publication, New Delhi, 2011, p. 107.
[8] Dionysius, Rasquinha, The Dalit Quest, ISPCK Publishers, New Delhi,
2013, p. xxiii.
[9] Ambrose, Pinto, Dalits
in Karnataka, MANAK Publications,
New Delhi, 2013, p. 48.
[10] Broken People, Human Rights Watch Publishers, New York,1999, p 1(
No author mentioned).
[11] Dionysius, Rasquinha, Ibid., p.
4.
[12] “Poverty in India”, at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poverty_in_India, accessed on 29.10.2014 (No author mentioned)
[13] Dionysius, Rasquinha, Ibid.,
p. 226.
[14] “Religion of
the Dalits”, at http://www.dalitchristians.com/html/faith.htm,accessed on 20.10.2014.( No author mentioned)
[15] “Dalit Theology”, at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalit_theology
, accessed on 21.10.2014.( No author
mentioned)
[16]
Elisha, James, “Liberative
Motifs in the Dalit Religion”, at http://www.religiononline.org/showarticle.asp?title=2451, accessed on 05.11.2014.
[17] “ God in Islam and Allah”, at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam#Shia,
accessed on 22. 10.2014 .( No author mentioned)
[18] Leiden-Brill, Shorter Encyclopedia of Islam, E.J Brill
Publications, Netherlands, 1953, p.35.
[19] Sigmund , Freud, “ New
Introductory Lectures on Psychoanalysis”, at http:
//www.notablequotes.com/f/freud_sigmund. html#r4jER9Ai2KdYdPzo.99, accessed on 13.10.2014.
[22] Ibid.
[23] Sigmund, Freud, Future of an Illusion, at hppt://atheism.free.fr/Quotes/Freud.htm,
accessed on 13.10.2014.
[24] Karl, Marx, “Contribution to the
critique of Hagel’s Philosophy of Law”, at http://muktomona.net/Articles/himel_shagor/Religion_marx.pdf, accessed on 13.11.2014.
[25] P., Chiodi, “ Sartre and
Marxism”, Harvester Press Ltd, 1976, p.80’ at http://mukto-mona.net/ Articles/
himel_shagor/Religion_marx.pdf, accessed on 04.11.2014.
[26] Himel, Shagor, “Marx and
religion: A brief study”, at http://mukto
muntomona.net/articles/himel_shagor/Religion_marx.pdf, accessed on 04.11.2014.
[27] Friedrich,
Nietzsche, Twilight of the Idols, Dover
Publications, New York, 1889 at http://answers.yahoo/question/index?qid=20080731185354AAQP6mg, accessed on 10.10.2014
[28] Friedrich,
Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil, Gutenberg
Publications, Germany,
1886 at http://Ibid.
[29] Friedrich,
Nietzsche, The Gay Science, Dover Publications, New York, 1886,
at http://www.vision.org/visionmedia/article.aspx?id=554, accessed on 13.10.2014
[30]
Gier, Jerry, “God is Dead by
Fredrich Nitzsche”, at http://www.vision.org/visionmedia/article.aspx?id=554,
accessed on 10.10.2014
[31] Friedrich,
Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Ernst
Schmeitzner Publications, Germany, 1885, at http://atheism.about.com/library/weekly/aa042600c.htm, accessed on 10.10.2014
[32] Olivelle, Patrick , Manu’s Code of Law, Oxford University
Press, New York, 2006.
[33] Adam, Ludwig, The A to Z of Islam, Vision Book
Publishers, New Delhi, 2003, pp 236-237.
[34] Mauli, Muhammad, The Holy Quran, The Gresham Press,
Punjab, 1920.
[35] “What does the
religion of peace teach about?” at http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/Quran/010-women-worth-less.htm,
accessed on 29.10.2014 ( No
author mentioned).
[36] The New Encyclopedia Britanica(15th ed.),New Delhi, 2010,
pp 113.(No author mentioned)
[37] Murad, Walker, “Shia Muslims and
ongoing oppression in Sunni Muslim dominated nations”, at http://www.moderntokyotimes.com/2012/10/25/shia-muslims-and-ongoing-oppression-in-sunni-muslim-dominated-nations/, accessed on 02.11.2014
[38] Andrew
Cockburn , “Iraq's Oppressed Majority”, at http://www.smithsonianmag.com/people-places/iraqs-oppressed-majority-95250996, accessed on 02.11.2014.
[39] The Holy Bible – The New Revised Standard Version, Theological
Publications in India, Bangalore, 2010.( Editor// Translator’s name not given)
[40] Raymond (et.al)(ed.s), The Jerome Biblical Commentary(3rd
edition), The Theological
Publications in India, Bangalore, 1982 (first publication -1968), p 152.
[41]
“Social thoughts of Dr Ambedkar”,
at http://ambedkarism.wordpress.com/2011/03/30/ambedkar-thoughts, accessed
on 10.11.2014.( No author mentioned)
[42] Deberri and Hug, Catholic Social Teaching-Our Best Kept
Secret, Holy Family Publications, New York, 2004, pp 45-47.
[43] Ibid., pp 53-57.
[44] Ibid., pp 76-83
[45]
Jon, Sobrino, Jesus in Latin
America, ORBIS Publications, New York, 1987, pp 148-158.
[46] Sobrino and Ellacuria, Systematic
Theology, ORBIS Publications, New York, 1996, pp 257 -268.
[47] Jon, Sobrino, Witness to the Kingdom, ORBIS
Publications, New York,2003, pp 159-163.
[48]
James, Cone, God of the Oppressed, ORBIS
Publications, New York, 1997, pp 98-103.
[49] Renuka
Yellamma is a classical example for the Dalit deities who were victims.
Yellamma’s husband doubted at her faithfulness to him and beheaded her. But the
prayers of her son finally proved her innocence and faithfulness. Thus the head
of Yellamma was given new life. Today, she stands as a goddess who protects and
embraces all those who are struggling.
[50]
Teilhard , Chardin, The
Phenomenon of Man, Harper and Row Publications, New York, 1959.
[51] George, Ganns, The Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola-
Translation and Commentary, Gujarath Sahithya Prakash, India, 1992, pp 94-95.
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