Indian Christians seek Obama support in fighting discrimination

(October 19, 2010) The All India Christian Council (AICC) has written to US President Barack Obama ahead of his visit to India next month to seek his support in the battle to eliminate discrimination against Dalits. President Obama is expected in India November 5-8. In an open letter to Obama, a copy of which was sent to the Vatican’s missionary news agency, Fides, AICC president, John Dayal asked the U.S. President, who during his visit is expected to stop at the monument of Mahatma Gandhi, to also pay homage to B.R. Ambedkar, Indian jurist who was among the drafters of the Indian Constitution, described as “the hero of the untouchables.” Joining in the request are other groups and organizations committed to the rights of Dalits. All are hoping for Obama to intervene in fighting the system of caste discrimination that was formally abolished, but is still in vogue in the Indian social practices. In the letter, the AICC recalls that Ambedkar - himself an “untouchable” - studied at Columbia University, where Obama himself attended. He returned to his country to defend the rights of the marginalized, working to draft a Constitution that is now a “modern document of freedom.” The Charter, in fact, recognizes all the rights of the “untouchables”, who today are often still ignored in India in the social, economic, political, and cultural contexts.