Haiti: Boukman, Aristide, Voodoo and the Church.

Date: Tuesday 26 August 2003
Subj: Haiti: Boukman, Aristide, Voodoo and the Church.
To: World Evangelical Alliance Religious Liberty E-mail Conference
From: Elizabeth Kendal, Conference Moderator


Over the past decade there has been a marked rise in the use of religious nationalism as a political tool. Religious nationalism embodies a rejection of colonialism and the present trend towards the globalisation of culture (global Westernisation). So it is not uncommon these days for a political party or individual aiming to take power or struggling to hold on to power, to use to religious nationalism to gain popular support and dragnet the vote of the majority religion.

This has been the case with Hindu nationalism in India and Buddhist nationalism in Sri Lanka. It was inevitable that eventually African Traditional Religions such as voodoo would be promoted politically in the same way. In this regard, Haiti (in the Caribbean) is most certainly the nation to watch.

BOUKMAN AND OTHER RELEVANT HISTORY

As with all nationalism, some knowledge of history is crucial for understanding the present situation. "Hayti" (or mountainous land, as it was known by the original inhabitants, the Arawak Indians), was discovered by Christopher Columbus and named "Hispaniola"(Little Spain) in 1492. The Spanish colonised the island and under their rule the Arawak Indians were virtually annihilated. In 1697 the western portion of the island was ceded to France and named Haiti. (The eastern portion under Spanish rule became Saint-Domingue, now Dominican Republic.)

Haiti flourished under French rule and became invaluable as a resource for cocoa, cotton, sugar cane and coffee. By 1780, Haiti was one of the wealthiest regions in the world. The plantation system was however built upon the backs of vast numbers of slaves imported from West Africa.

Several consequences of this era provide the foundations for the present situation.

• Firstly - the West African slaves brought with them the religious practices of voodoo.
• Secondly - the French colonial masters treated the slaves with such undue harshness they created hatred amid an already resentful environment.
• Thirdly - a class of "mulattos" (light skinned, sophisticated, Catholic, French-speaking Haitians) arose from the relations of the slave owners and the slaves. They were at odds with the dark-skinned, voodoo practising, Creole-speaking masses.

On 14 August 1791, a black slave and witch doctor named Boukman led the slaves in a voodoo ritual. They sacrificed a pig and drank its blood to form a pact with the devil, whereby they agreed to serve the spirits of the island for 200 years in exchange for freedom from the French. This became known as the "Boukman Contract". The slave rebellion commenced on 22 August 1791, and after 13 years of conflict, the slaves won their independence. On 1 January 1804 they declared Haiti the world's first independent black republic. (Link 1)

Since independence, Haiti has been in a continual state of political struggle and wracked with poverty.

PRESIDENT ARISTIDE, VOODOO & THE CHURCH

Haiti's current president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, is a former Catholic priest who gained notoriety with the Catholic Church and popularity in Haiti in the late 1980s on account of his liberation theology.

Aristide was elected president in 1990, ousted in a coup in 1991, and re-elected as president in Nov 2000 (results disputed). He survived coup attempts in July and December 2001. November 2002 was marked by unrest and anti-government protests. The next elections are scheduled for later this year.

In light of the historic and political facts it is therefore very interesting that in April 2003, President Aristide made voodoo an official religion in Haiti (link 2) declaring, "voodoo is an essential part of national identity." (Link 3)

Haiti is reckoned as being 95% Christian (predominantly Catholic), but according to Catholic missionary John Hoet, Haitians "are 100% voodoo". (Link 4)

It is primarily the growing evangelical Christian Church in Haiti that is opposed to voodoo, actively working to bring people out of it and to help them find reconciliation with God and peace and strength through the Holy Spirit. (Link 5)

Christian Aid's 'Mission Insider' reported on 14 August 2003, "While some witch doctors want to renew the 200-year commitment to Voodoo, Christians are spear-heading a year-long prayer movement to 'take Haiti back from Satan', according to the HAVIDEC website. HAVIDEC (from the Creole for Haiti Vision for the Third Century) is 'a concerted effort of all the major churches, denominations, and Protestant organizations in Haiti to bring about a spiritual deliverance for Haiti on the occasion of the celebration of our country's 200 years of independence (1 January 2004)'."

ALARM BELLS

Several analysts have already surmised that Aristide's official recognition of voodoo is a political move to shore up popular support before the elections.

Los Angeles Times reporter Carol J. Williams found evidence to support that theory when she interviewed people in Haiti recently. (Link 3)

"Aristide is the only president in our history who has done something for us," said one voodoo practitioner. "We will stay with him forever and perform every ceremony necessary to keep him in power. We will not negotiate with any country on this, no matter how much pressure they put on us. We will eat rocks if we have to, as long as we can keep him in power."

Williams says, "Legitimising voodoo has strengthened Aristide's image as a man of the people and probably has enhanced popular support for the rumoured bid by the former Roman Catholic priest to amend the constitution so he can seek a now-prohibited third term as president.

"By bestowing legitimacy on the African-origin religion, Aristide, the beleaguered president of this poorest of Western countries, has signalled to his people that they should be proud of their African heritage, not forced to subvert it under the religious practices of the European Christians who once repressed them."

There is concern that the promotion of voodoo as "an essential part of national identity", could signal danger for evangelical Christians. Williams quotes one Haitian as saying, "Voodoo has done everything for Haiti. It gave us our independence, while the imported religions held us by the throat."

Christian Aid reported recently (14 August), "One ministry spokesman in northern Haiti said five of its pastors had been murdered recently. He blamed it on the strong influence of Voodoo in the area. No other details were available." This report, from a highly trusted and reliable source, is being further investigated.

- Elizabeth Kendal

Links

1) New Beginnings 2004. Youth With A Mission
http://www.ywam-haiti.org/features/2004.asp

2) "Haiti makes voodoo official" BBC 30 April 2003
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/2985627.stm

3) "Official recognition of voodoo in Haiti stirs enthusiasm,
concern." By Carol J. Williams, Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug 2003
http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/218/nation/Official_recognition_of
_voodoo_in_Haiti_stirs_enthusiasm_concern+.shtml

4) "Voodoo's spell over Haiti" By Nick Caistor
In Port-au-Prince, Haiti 4 Aug 2003
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3122303.stm

5) "Voodoo pilgrimages draw thousands" 26 July 2003
By Michael Norton, from Plaine du Nord, Haiti (AP)
http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/news/6392819.htm

Sri Lanka: no right to 'propagate religion'

Date: Friday 15 August 2003
Subj: Sri Lanka: The Church's Darkest Hour
To: World Evangelical Alliance Religious Liberty E-mail Conference
From: Elizabeth Kendal, Conference Moderator


The situation for Christians in Sri Lanka is deteriorating rapidly. Only around one percent of Sri Lankans are evangelical Protestant Christian. The evangelical Church has grown in the past two decades. This is virtually exclusively due to the tireless ministry of indigenous Sri Lankan church planters and local personal witness.

The report below was prepared by the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka. It is deeply disturbing. Sri Lanka's Supreme Court has ruled that although it is permissible under Article 10 and 14(1)e of the Constitution for a person to manifest, observe and practice one's religion, that does NOT guarantee a fundamental right to propagate religion.

The Supreme Court also ruled that as Buddhism is the State religion, it is unconstitutional for Christian organizations that propose to carry out proselytization of the Christian faith to be able to be incorporated under an Act of Parliament. The Court further concluded that clauses 3 (right to observe and practise a religion) and 5 (right to hold property) of Sri Lanka's Incorporation Bill are unconstitutional, because (it reasoned) if a Christian organisation owns property, that might induce others to convert, thus violating their freedom of religion.

On top of all this, the progression of Sri Lanka's Anti-Conversion Bill (modelled on the Anti-Conversion Ordinance of Tamil Nadu, India) appears to be gaining momentum.

- EK

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SRI LANKA'S CHURCH - THE DARKEST HOUR
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- from the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka

Recent developments and trends affecting Religious Freedom:

1) Anti-Conversion Law - a new twist

The past two weeks have revealed a new development in the proposed Anti-Conversion Bill issue. Minister W.J.M. Lokubandara who is the Minister of Buddhism and Legal Reform has now taken up the cause and has formally announced on the electronic media that he will be presenting the anti-conversion Bill. As a senior Minister of the Cabinet and a stalwart of the governing party, Minister Lokubandara wields considerable power and influence.

Initially, it was Minister of Hindu Cultural Affairs Mr. Maheswaran, who championed the cause for an anti-conversion Bill, after his return from a visit to the Indian State of Tamil Nadu in November 2002. By July 2003, the draft legislation, modelled on the Tamil Nadu Bill was sent to the Attorney General's office (in keeping with procedure) prior to being presented in Parliament.

It is unclear whether Minister Lokubandara will be presenting Minister Maheswaran's draft or a different draft of the Bill.

2) Right of Incorporation and Constitutional Guarantees.

Within the past two years, three petitions have come up before the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka challenging the right of Christian ministries to be incorporated under an Act of Parliament. The third and latest judgment was delivered by the Supreme Court last week against the 'Provincial of the Teaching Sisters of the Holy Cross of the Third Order of St. Francis in Menzingen of Sri Lanka' - which is a Catholic Ministry.

(According to a news report in the Sunday Times newspaper on 10th August 2003) The Supreme Court, interpreting Article 10 and 14(1)e of the Constitution, ruled that although it was permissible under our Constitution for a person to manifest, observe and practice ones religion, it does not guarantee a fundamental right to propagate religion.

Article 9 of the Constitution guarantees Buddhism the foremost place and accordingly, casts a duty upon the State to protect and foster Buddhism. The Supreme Court held that the purpose of the ministry in question "the spread of knowledge of the Catholic religion and to impart religious, educational and vocational training to youth" (clause 3) is inconsistent with Article 9 of the Constitution; and therefore denied the right of incorporation. The object of clause 3 was seen as a threat to the very existence of Buddhism.

They further held that clause 3 and 5 in the incorporation Bill are unconstitutional. Clause 5 deals with the right of holding and receiving property both movable and immovable and or the power of disposing of such property. The court stated that this clause when combined with the objective of observance and practice of a religion or belief (clause 3), would necessarily result in imposing upon people who are defenceless, vulnerable or in need, improper pressure and inducement to adopt a religion or belief. This they stated, would violate Article 10 of the Constitution which guarantees the freedom of adopting a religion or belief.

The 3 judge bench consisted of Justice Shirani Bandaranayake, Justice H.S. Yapa and Justice Nihal Jayasinghe.

Minister Lokubandara, calling a press conference a day after the judgment was announced in Parliament, stated "this is a clear judgment. It will give us the legal backing to stop this kind of (*unethical conversion) activity carried out in the name of religion".

* The constant accusation levelled against the evangelical churches is 'unethical conversion'. So much so that the words 'unethical conversion' has become synonymous with 'conversion'. The accusation is that conversion is carried out by duping the poor to embrace a foreign religion by tempting them with material benefits and money.

The judgment and interpretation of Articles 9, 10 and 14 (1) (e) as applied by the learned justices in this case, form a dangerous precedent of law for all lower courts.

In the previous two judgments against 'Sahanaye Doratuwa' ministry in 2002 and 'New Harvest Wine Ministries' in January 2003, the Chief Justice ruled that incorporation of a Christian organization that proposes to carry out proselytization of the Christian faith is unconstitutional.

The collective effect of all the above developments predict a very dark time ahead for the Church in Sri Lanka. The Supreme Court decisions will definitely be a strong platform for launching the anti-conversion Bill.

Bangladesh: Sytematic Persecution of Religious Minorities

Date: Thursday 31 July 2003
Subj: Bangladesh: Sytematic Persecution of Religious Minorities
To: World Evangelical Alliance Religious Liberty E-mail Conference
From: Elizabeth Kendal, Conference Moderator


On 1 October 2001, as U.S. and coalition forces were assembling in Pakistan in preparation for the bombing campaign in Afghanistan, Bangladeshis were heading off to vote in their national elections.

A massive voter swing ousted the secular Awami League, which had, with the people's mandate, created the secular, democratic state of Bangladesh by securing independence from Pakistan in 1971. Riding to victory on an enormous wave of Islamic fervour was the pro-Pakistan, pro-Islam, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Support also rose dramatically for the pro-Shari'a, hardline Islamist Jama'at-e-Islami and Islami Oika Jote parties, which now rule in coalition with the BNP.

The election result was a massive protest vote against the forthcoming action of the coalition forces in what was being touted by Islamists as a "crusade against Islam". It was a vote for Muslim solidarity, and Bangladesh has not been the same since.

This posting details the serious situation for religious minorities in Bangladesh today. They are living in a state of terror amidst systematic, unrestrained persecution, as Islamists extort, rape, torture and kill with impunity.

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BANGLADESH: SYSTEMATIC PERSECUTION OF RELIGIOUS MINORITIES

The Guardian newspaper (UK) recently published an article on the persecution of religious minorities in Bangladesh entitled, "Rape and torture empties the villages" by John Vidal (21 July 2003).

Vidal reports, "Serious attacks on and persecution of religious minorities by Islamic fundamentalists are increasing." He continues, "Evidence is emerging that the oppression of minorities is becoming systematic."

Vidal quotes a leading Bangladesh lawyer as saying that the revival of fundamentalist Islam "is like a silent revolution. We are returning," he says, "to the dark ages. I think the backdrop is being created for the introduction of strict sharia laws. You see extremist rightwing fundamentalists infiltrating every professional area, in the appointment of the judiciary, the law, medicine and in education. They are capturing key positions in government, the universities and institutions."

According to Vidal, a serious incident took place in the village of Fhainjana. "A mob of 200 fundamentalists recently looted 10 Christian houses, allegedly assaulting many women and children. Christians were seriously beaten and others molested after refusing to give money to thugs in the village of Kamalapur, near Dhaka."

Vidal reports that many villages are said to be now empty of minorities. One man tells Vidal that all the Hindus have been driven out of his village of Sri Rumpur, near Khulna. "They have all been driven out by people threatening to torture them or demanding money," he says. "People who raise their voices are threatened. It's a kind of systematic ethnic cleansing."

The article also expresses the great concern of one leading Islamic scholar. "'What we are seeing is the Talibanisation of Bangladesh,' Maolama Abdul Awal, former director of the Bangladesh Islamic Foundation, said. 'If we allow them to continue ... [minorities] will be eliminated. Bangladesh will become a fascist country'."

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The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) listed Bangladesh as a Country of Special Concern in its annual report to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (April 2003). The WEA UN Report details the same strategy of persecution - extortion, torture, rapes, and killings.

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EXCERPT FROM THE WEA UN REPORT (APRIL 2003)

Up to 50 Christian families in Chatiangacha village in the western district of Natore, have been targeted for extortion. Reports in the daily 'Janakantha' newspaper of Bangladesh suggest that Islamist fundamentalists are behind a series of incidents during which men arrive on motorbikes and call out the family name of their victims. The family is then usually given between a week and ten days to raise between £150 and £300 or the daughter is forced to sleep with the men. The residents of Chatiangacha have complained to Boraignam Jubodol, a right-wing Islamist group, but to no avail. Jimmy Koraiya, who lives in the village, has been visited by the men on motorbikes who have called for his high school-age daughter three times. "What kind of country is this?" he asks. "If I can't give money, I have to give them my daughter."

In Bonparha Market area, also in Natore district, religious minorities are forced to pay huge fines to be released from false charges. The local BNP has also reportedly built a torture chamber to make victims confess to false charges. Islamic fundamentalist groups have used false papers to drive thousands of Hindus and Christians off their land. In the south-eastern Chittagong division, 30 Hindu families have been evicted and one Hindu killed. In other districts, minorities are forced to convert to Islam at knifepoint. Dr. Deb Lal Dakua, a Hindu from Nazirpur in the southern Pirojpur district, was forcibly circumcised on November 11 by a group of extremists. He was also told to pay £730 (INR 50,000) within seven days or face death. Minorities are concerned by the rise of Islamic fundamentalism in Bangladesh. When the BNP was last in power, between 1991 and 1996, there was considerable violence against religious minorities. During that time, the Jama'at-e-Islami (JI) attempted to table a Blasphemy Bill, which was discriminatory against religious minorities.

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- Elizabeth Kendal