During a recent discussion with friends about religion, politics and expansionism, a person present asked me to explain Paganism. The person who asked is well educated, has a graduate degree in Sociology and has the reputation of being well-read. My first thought was – “Is this a trick question?”. But judging from the person’s expression, he seemed to be sincere. So, I shared my thoughts with him.
Since ignorance about this facet of Abrahamic religions seems to be widespread among Hindus, I thought of putting down basic facts on this subject in order to share with a wider audience.
To understand expansionism, one needs to understand Christianity and Islam, because every region of the globe that was colonized was done by some denomination of these religions. These lands were conquered, and people massacred, raped, or taken as slaves by soldiers and generals who fought in the name of Islam or Christianity, as the case might be. The loot and plunder were always followed by conversions, forced, or coerced. The converted people were subservient, lacked the ability of free thought and were convinced of the superiority of the race and culture of their oppressors.
We also need to understand Paganism because that is what existed prior to the emergence of the Abrahamic religions. Judaism and Zoroastrianism are also pre-Christian-Islamic religions, but these religions have never colonized. In fact, both religions originated in the Middle East, but their people had to flee due to Christian and Islamic persecution.
Islamic and Christian View of Paganism: Below are some Commands given to Muslims with regards to Pagans (and Polytheists) in the Quran. The version used is the one published by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the custodians of Mecca and Medina, and indeed of all the Islamic Brotherhood.
[This is a declaration of] disassociation, from Allah and his Messenger, to those with whom you have made a treaty among the polytheists.
Sura:At-Tawba, Verse: 1
And when the sacred months have passed, then kill the polytheistswherever you find them and capture them and besiege them and sit in wait for them at every place of ambush. But if they should repent, establish prayer, and give zakah, let them [go] on their way. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.
Sura: At-Tawba, Verse: 5
The Jews say, “Ezra is the son of Allah “; and the Christians say, “The Messiah is the son of Allah.” That is their statement from their mouths; they imitate the saying of those who disbelieved [before them]. May Allah destroy them; how are they deluded?
Sura: At-Tawba, Verse: 30
This is an interesting verse, because it condemns Judaism and Christianity, in addition to Paganism. Whereas we know the Torah is the original source document of the successive Abrahamic religions – Christianity and Islam. Very interesting, indeed – “May Allah destroy them; how are they deluded?” Since every Muslim is ordained to follow the Commands of their Sacred Text, the Quran – is this a call for them to destroy the Jews, Christians, and Pagans? But this is not my assumption, because Islam is a Religion of Peace.
Now, let us take a few verses from the Bible to see its stand on Paganism:
Because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and reptiles.
Romans 1:21-23
You shall have no other gods before Me.
Exodus 20:3
And he banished the perverted persons from the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made.
For he removed the altars of the foreign gods and the high places, and broke down the sacred pillars and cut down the wooden images.
Chronicles 14:3
In all these verses, the common themes are exclusion of anyone non-Islamic and Christian and the absolutism of these two religions. But why does all this matter? Before discussing this, let us see the common features of all the Pagan religions of the world.
Common Features of All Pagan Cultures: All Pagan faiths and cultures have several common characteristics. A wavetop of some common features are:
- No codified set of rules, or “revelations” which were considered the truth and everything other than that is “untrue”. Hinduism, the only thriving Pagan faith in the world today doesn’t have one book or set of scriptures that are accepted as all important. Hindus are free to choose any scripture or verse of their liking and give importance to that text. The same was true of the Native Americans, and the Natives of Australia and New Zealand.
- No “Messiah”, “Prophet”, etc. On the same lines as the absence of a set of rules, there is also no person who is supposed to be perfect, born immaculately, never committed a sin and so is the perfect example to follow. The Gods range from people (past, present and ancestors), animals, planets, things, etc. Pagans are free to choose a God of their liking and no God is considered superior or inferior. The concept of one perfect human being (who was also by coincidence a male) and was sent to Earth as a Messian / Prophet is specific to Abrahamic religions, and most rigidly followed by Islam. To question any of the words or actions of Islam’s founder, Mohammad is punishable by death and sanctioned in the Holy Book of the Muslims, the Quran.
He will not be questioned about what He does, but they will be questioned.
Sura: Al-Anbiyaa; Verse 26
The Fatwa against Sir Salman Rushdie and the multiple assassination attempts proves that this isn’t just a verse that is taught in Madarsas (Islamic centres of academic excellence) but is strictly actioned.
- No Baptism and therefore no system of initiation and membership. Systems and records of initiation exist for various reasons and in various organizations. The most important function that this serves is to act as a method of control and provide a ready roster of there names and sex of their members. All militaries have had and continue to have training methods and enrolment ceremonies which also serve as initiation of new members. Militaries are also required to maintain a roster of their members, because of the very reason of their existence – to protect and expand their government’s mandates. Islam and Christianity are expansionist, and therefore must have a system of initiation and a roster of its members. Generally, Pagan religions do not have “Baptism” ceremonies, or if there is some sort of “initiation”, it is usually an informal social event and there are no records kept for the purpose of roster creation.
The lack of a codified set of rules, absence of a Messiah / Prophet and no initiation rites translates into a very laissez faire lifestyle and freedom of thought. But those same qualities can become vulnerabilities, and we know that these have been abundantly exploited by Islam and Christianity.
Changing Mode of Expansionism Today: Nations no longer send their armadas along with their presbyterate of missionaries and Imams for the purpose of mass conversions following the military campaign. What happens now is subtle, but much more pervasive, which the common man is unable to avoid being and part of and supporting. Christianity and Islam continue to spend trillions of dollars each year on conversions and erosion of local cultures and religions. I will illustrate this with the help of examples from the three countries where I have lived.
From Bharat to India: Several books can be written about Christian-Islamic expansionism and the efforts to decimate the native faiths of Bharat. However, I will limit myself to a few sentences. To start with the name “India”. This name has no cultural basis in that country. A country’s name should be representative of the fabric of that country. For the common Indian, who lives in a village, his/her country is called Bharat. Scriptural and archeological evidence proves that this name was prevalent for at least 5,000 years. The name “India” was chosen in 1947 so as not to offend Muslim sensibilities. A Christian name “India” was more palatable to them. The Christian and Islamic invaders also renamed hundreds of culturally significant cities. For example, Prayag became Allah-abad, Karnavati became Ahmad-abad, Indraprastha became Delhi, etc. Moving on, Hindu temples are, to date, still under Christian and Islamic control. Shocking, but true. Lord Ram’s temple built on His birthplace, was destroyed by the Islamic invader, Babur, 500 years ago. A mosque was built on top it and named after that man. The structure was called the Babri Mosque. After a 500-year struggle public struggle, including a legal battle since the 1850s, a new temple dedicated to Lord Ram was inaugurated on 22 January 2024. However, this is only one temple that has been reconstructed. Archaeological evidence proves that over 40,000 ancient temples were destroyed in the Indian Subcontinent by Muslims.
The Canadian Experience: The faiths of the original Natives of Canada have been destroyed by the Catholic Church. Hundreds of thousands of Native children were systematically murdered by the Jesuits. Mass graves are routinely being unearthed. The Government of Canada recently passed a bill for a new holiday – the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. A gesture too little, too late to compensate for the annihilation of numerous cultures, religions, and genocides of the Native people. Canada’s Anti Racism Strategy does not recognize Hindu, Jain, Buddhist, Sikh, and any Pagan faiths. The Federal Government has appointed Ms. Amira Elghawaby as Canada’s Special Representative for Combating Islamophobia. Ms. Elghawaby is a Hijab wearing former Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) employee. The Federal Government has also declared an initiative for “Halal-Compliant” home loans. They could have just called this Sharia compliant instead, because for anything to be permissible or Halal, it must be sanctioned by Islamic Law, i.e. Sharia. All great initiatives, but what about the Canadian Govt’s deafness and blindness when it comes to the vandalism of Hindu temples and the taking of Hindu lives. All conveniently unreported or pushed under the carpet as “anti India sentiment”. When Liberal Member of Parliament Chandra Arya, spoke of the rising Hinduphobia in Canada, his address to Parliament was reported by Indian media and not by the taxpayer funded government mouthpiece, the CBC. In November 2023, Conservative Member of Parliament, Melissa Lantsman tabled a bill for the recognition of the word Hinduphobia. The response to that bill was – Canada denounces all forms of discrimination. No explanation was provided as to why the word “Hinduphobia” will not be added to Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy and Human Rights Code despite the attacks on temples, which happens routinely every year. For the common man, grocery stores are flooded with Halal products, often with no non-Halal alternatives. Leaving one no choice, but to fund Islam.
Kuwait Escapes Scrutiny: This country often goes under the radar for its human-rights abuses against non-Muslims, specifically Dharma based faiths. To give one example, every person is entitled to have their last rites done as per their wishes. Not so in Kuwait. Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, Sikhs and others who wish to be cremated have to get their dead bodies shipped to another country. The Indian Embassy tried to lobby for a crematorium in 2017, but the Government of Kuwait refused saying that this would go against the culture of their land. There is also not a single Dharmic temple. Hindus who wish to organize santangs (prayer meetings) do so in a clandestine manner, in someone’s house. Knowing fully well that if discovered by the religious police, the consequences are dire. Incidentally, the condition of the Bedouins, who are all Muslims and are native of that land is no better. They are considered stateless individuals and have no rights.
To Sum Up: Governments need to free Pagan faiths from the shackles of Christian and Islamic tyranny. This includes freeing their temples, recognizing these faiths in their anti racism policies and most of enacting legislation which bans the phobia of Pagan faiths, including Hindu Dharma. When terrorists target places of worship, those acts must be recognized as a hate crime against that faith. Not an act against any politician or country.
But things can’t be left only to the law makers. Individuals can take the initiative and do a lot. For this, the individual must be cognizant of where they spend their money and whom they fund. Never buy anything Halal¸ because those funds are directly used for Islamic expansion. For example, funding the 7 Oct Invasion of Israel, constructing mosques in countries like Tajikistan, Mongolia, etc. Also, be more aware of the so-called chartable organizations. Case in point, the Red Cross and Red Crescent are wholly religious organizations and fund the growth of Christianity and Islam.
