Professor Samuel Huntington in his widely acclaimed book Clash of Civilizations referred to ‘Islam’s bloody frontiers’. This serves to highlight the historic fact that Islam is a theocratic ideology that cannot follow the ancient Pagan or the modern secular humanistic practice of ‘live and let live’. This intolerance, he called ‘Islam’s indigestibility’ in societies. But there is another theocratic ideology – now mostly de-fanged – that has also wrought destruction on a global scale: this of course is Christianity, especially the Catholic Church with its seat in the Vatican. But Christianity today is in a singularly vulnerable position: in regions as far apart as Indonesia, Pakistan and Kosovo, Christians are finding themselves on the losing side against the soldiers of Islam. At the same time, the West or the ‘Christendom’ doesn’t seem to be excessively concerned about the survival of Christianity in Europe. For example, the West is willing extend credit – with Britain even selling arms – with an ongoing genocide of Christians in Pakistan.
But the Vatican sees it differently. With Islamic warriors in Kosovo, at the doorstep of Rome, Christianity feels besieged. Its recurring nightmare is that the Vatican may share the fate of Constantinople of 1453 (and Jerusalem in the first century of Islam). It is not just the Vatican but the whole world – notably Russia and the United States – that is now concerned about the threat of Islam. This is what is behind the dramatic change in US policy towards India and Pakistan. Countries of the West recognize that as the frontline state against Islamic terror, India holds the key to success in fighting it. This is what that has brought Western leaders calling on India.
The Vatican, much more vulnerable than America or Russia should do the same. But characteristically, the Vatican and its institutions in India have been subversive and devious, trying to undermine the Indian state by creating social turmoil. The reason is ideological: it cannot concei ve of compromise with a ‘heathen’ country like India. Even when threatened with extinction, the Church wants to pursue the foolhardy mission of converting the population of India to Christianity – or at least turn India into a Christian dominated colony – in the hope of using India’s teeming millions to defend itself against the onslaught of Islam. To understand the recent turmoil created by missionaries in tribal areas – and possibly also the engineered church bombings – it is necessary to view the state of the Church in its geopolitical context.