An Indian Christian organisation is calling for legal action against the people responsible for writing and publishing school textbooks that call Jesus a ‘demon’ in this country.
The Indian Christian Voice (ICV), an organisation representing the larger interests of the Christian community in India, said Thursday they were deeply offended by the Gujarat State School Textbook Board’s words and demanded that the books be withdrawn.
In response, the government has claimed that the adjective ‘hevaan’ or ‘demon,’ used before Jesus’ name in the class 9 Hindi language textbooks published was a mistake, News 18 reported, and said that the error will be rectified.
The Times of India reports that the Christian community notified the government about the error in May 2017, but no action was taken, until now.
Chapter 16 of the textbook in question states “Is sambandh me hevaan Isa ka ek kathan sada smaraniya hai,” which translates as “one statement of demon Jesus is always memorable.”
ICV President Abraham Mathai said: “We demand criminal action against the perpetrators and an unconditional apology from the state government.
He added the book should only be re-issued if corrected and demanded the state government re-assure the minority communities about its commitment to protect them.
He continued: “Such wild and reckless statements have the potential to spark off a conflagration that could seriously jeopardise communal harmony.
Indian Advocate Subramaniam Iyer, who also noticed the mistake, told press that India’s law prohibits deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings.
“Jesus is being portrayed as a demon to students. Quite clearly, this is a case that attracts section 295(a) of the IPC that pertains to hurting the religious sentiments of any class,” Iyer said.
He added that even if the error proves to be unintentional, it still has the potential to create a rift between communities.
“This simply is unacceptable and should be removed immediately,” he said.
marvin@ugchristiannews.com
