Christophobia in Sri Lanka

www.nytimes.com/2019/04/23/opinion/sri-lanka-bombing-christians.html

My comments that has appeared in New York Times:

“When I read the interview Rev.Serene Jones by Nicholas Kristof yesterday, and browsed the 100’s of comments on it, I was wanting to write my two-penny worth on top of them, but couldn’t make out how exactly I would respond.

Ross Douthat has come out with a brilliant piece today and it is the most nuanced position in the current global scenario. And I realize this is the importance of New York Times and accomplished journalists such as Nicholas Kristof and Ross Douthat. My two pennies won’t cut it!

Ross just introduced the term Christophobia. I have always wanted to question the sensational news reports from India, other Asian and African countries about “persecution“ of Christians. So now I agree with Ross that it is real.

The term that we in the West are familiar with is Islamophobia, which is in the context of supporting the freedoms of Muslims to worship, preventing comments directed against their practises, beliefs or dress code, even when some of them are barbaric practices. In the aftermath of the mosque shootings in New Zealand, their prime minister went out of the way to prevent the spread of hate against Muslims. Such protections are absent in much of the world where Christophobia is taking place.

Every faith and race in any part of the world must have protections against hate crimes. Civil debates about theology and religion can always take place without the persecutions. That would be my two-penny worth today.”