04-21-2007, 08:43 AM
Religion is not a legal entity, a company is a legal construct. Private in the company sense is therefore only a legal construct, not functional semantics as the word privacy normally implies.
I don't know if this will work, but a way forward might be to examine the legal entities that support a religion. For example, they are declared non-profits or non-governmental organizations, basically any entity that has some financial dealings. Then it may be possibe to take the following track:
1. All financial entities must pay tax. The tax is minimal for religious organizations in keeping with our secular nature, but taxes must be filed.
2. Any organization that is deemed, a determination made by the govt., to be a religious organization will be required to have operating, savings or investment accounts of type Ordinary Religion Account. A permit must be obtained from the RBI, which is freely given, for opening this account, by submitting bonafides.
3. On your tax returns must declare all sources of income (including donations).
These returns are public and may be examined under PILs freedom of information acts etc. So may be we can arm the people with information without the government getting involved in religion per se. I don't know if this is already done. I'm sure I have not got it, but I wonder if something along these lines will be useful. I don't know how it will falter, just some thoughts, between dinner and bedtime.
I don't buy the sedition argument at all, in the sense that
a) People are free to convert in a free country. There is no sedition.
b) If it can actually be demonstrated that people were made to do something against their will (coerced) in a legal sense, anything, then invoking sedition is unnecessary because individual's constitutional rights will have been violated. Sue them!
At any rate, before we tease out how sedition follows from conversion, it may be useful to define what forced conversion is, legally...I am not sure I understand except for what I hear informally from people.
<!--QuoteBegin-sengotuvel+Apr 20 2007, 08:33 PM-->QUOTE(sengotuvel @ Apr 20 2007, 08:33 PM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->A thought occurred to me . . don't know how relevant it is - but it may be of some value.
The words "private" and "public" each have two different meanings.
Microsoft is a private company
Sex is a private act
HAL is a public sector company
Cubbon park is a public park
The secular definition of religion made religion "private" in the manner of "sex is a private affair". Not in the manner of "Microsoft is a private company"
Microsoft, despite being a private company is very very public. It is advertised all over the place, it has products that affect people's lives, it employs thousands of people and is hardly restricted to Bill and Melinda Gates (unlike sex)
So when you say that religion is a private affair, "I can do what I want" - religion is similarly being referred to like sex where you may want 69 or something more kinky-"I can do what I want". But religion is NOT private any more than Microsoft is private and in that sense religion impinges on public life. Mass conversions are public acts that are done with the excuse that it is OK - religion being a private affair.
I suspect that there may be some legal implications of these semantics.
The reason I dwell on semantics and definitions of sedition etc - are to examine possible legal routes by which evanjihadism in India can be challenged.
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I don't know if this will work, but a way forward might be to examine the legal entities that support a religion. For example, they are declared non-profits or non-governmental organizations, basically any entity that has some financial dealings. Then it may be possibe to take the following track:
1. All financial entities must pay tax. The tax is minimal for religious organizations in keeping with our secular nature, but taxes must be filed.
2. Any organization that is deemed, a determination made by the govt., to be a religious organization will be required to have operating, savings or investment accounts of type Ordinary Religion Account. A permit must be obtained from the RBI, which is freely given, for opening this account, by submitting bonafides.
3. On your tax returns must declare all sources of income (including donations).
These returns are public and may be examined under PILs freedom of information acts etc. So may be we can arm the people with information without the government getting involved in religion per se. I don't know if this is already done. I'm sure I have not got it, but I wonder if something along these lines will be useful. I don't know how it will falter, just some thoughts, between dinner and bedtime.
I don't buy the sedition argument at all, in the sense that
a) People are free to convert in a free country. There is no sedition.
b) If it can actually be demonstrated that people were made to do something against their will (coerced) in a legal sense, anything, then invoking sedition is unnecessary because individual's constitutional rights will have been violated. Sue them!
At any rate, before we tease out how sedition follows from conversion, it may be useful to define what forced conversion is, legally...I am not sure I understand except for what I hear informally from people.
<!--QuoteBegin-sengotuvel+Apr 20 2007, 08:33 PM-->QUOTE(sengotuvel @ Apr 20 2007, 08:33 PM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->A thought occurred to me . . don't know how relevant it is - but it may be of some value.
The words "private" and "public" each have two different meanings.
Microsoft is a private company
Sex is a private act
HAL is a public sector company
Cubbon park is a public park
The secular definition of religion made religion "private" in the manner of "sex is a private affair". Not in the manner of "Microsoft is a private company"
Microsoft, despite being a private company is very very public. It is advertised all over the place, it has products that affect people's lives, it employs thousands of people and is hardly restricted to Bill and Melinda Gates (unlike sex)
So when you say that religion is a private affair, "I can do what I want" - religion is similarly being referred to like sex where you may want 69 or something more kinky-"I can do what I want". But religion is NOT private any more than Microsoft is private and in that sense religion impinges on public life. Mass conversions are public acts that are done with the excuse that it is OK - religion being a private affair.
I suspect that there may be some legal implications of these semantics.
The reason I dwell on semantics and definitions of sedition etc - are to examine possible legal routes by which evanjihadism in India can be challenged.
[right][snapback]67566[/snapback][/right]
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->