I refer to the letter headlined, 'Free choice in India plea' (South China Morning Post, November 24).
The main reason Indian people criticised the Pope following comments he made when he visited the country, was because no self-respecting country will allow followers of other faiths to tamper with their religious and cultural beliefs.
India does not need to be taught the message of religious tolerance, because it has a long history of giving shelter to persecuted people of other religions including Jews and Iranians who have been living in India peacefully for a very long time following their religions without any problems. Hinduism believes in equal respect for all religions.
Throughout our history, we have never conquered any other land by brutal force in the name of religion. We are proud to uphold this tradition, however under no circumstances will we tolerate Christian missionaries who are directly or indirectly linked to the Vatican converting our people through force or because these people are disillusioned.
Your correspondent (letter headlined, 'Free choice in India plea', Post, November 24) should be able to differentiate between choosing a religion by choice or being converted to one by dishonest means.
HARESH I. KHUSHI Tsim Sha Tsui
