Mother Teresa and Conversions(?)

Mother Teresa and Conversions(?)
My answer to a non- christian friend on Facebook

This was my answer to a friend on Facebook for his hatred towards Mother Teresa and her conversions (?).

I'm going to give you a  complete history of leprosy in India, How was it seen in Hindu Custom, How british dealt with it, How indian government dealt with it and What Missionaries of Charity did?

This is little lengthy, but definitely it's going to give you an answer. I know you want to stop here, but don't stop, read. I'm sure you will find an answer for your life time.

Early texts, including the Atharava Veda and the Laws of Manu, mention various skin diseases translated as leprosy. The Laws prohibited contact with those affected by leprosy and punished those who married into their families, effectively ostracizing (to refuse to allow somebody to be a member of a social group; to refuse to meet or talk to somebody) those with the disease for their past sins.

The uncommon practice of ritual suicide as the custom of burying and burning alive of those affected by leprosy, who were often assisted by their families. Though Hinduism generally considers suicide a sin, for leprosy it was not, on the custom of burying and burning alive of lepers in India.

For instance, in the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 (Section 13 (v)), if one party has been suffering from a virulent and incurable form of leprosy, it becomes one of the grounds for divorce. Similarly, in the Hindu Adoption and Maintenance Act, 1956, (Section 18 (2) (c)), if a person is suffering from a virulent form of leprosy, his wife is entitled to live separately from her husband without forfeiting her claim to maintenance. Many states like Chattisgarh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa prohibit leprosy patients from running in local elections. However Odisha has removed the provision, though.

Certain provisions under the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, the Dissolution of Muslim Marriage Act, 1939, the Indian Divorce Act, 1869, the Indian Christian Marriage Act, 1872, the Special Marriage Act, 1954 and the Hindu Adoption and Maintenance Act, 1956, are directly discriminatory against Persons affected by Leprosy and consider Leprosy to be an ‘incurable and virulent’ disease. An infection from Leprosy for not less than two years, under these legislations, serves as a legitimate ground for divorce or separation between spouses.

Under the State Beggary Acts, Persons affected by Leprosy are earmarked in the same category as persons suffering from lunacy. Further, medical examination and arrest and detention of persons affected by Leprosy for an unspecified duration are also provided for under these Acts, in line with past notions wherein Leprosy was considered to be incurable.

In respect of indirect discrimination, relevant provisions under the Railways Act, 1989, the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 and State Acts such as the Bombay Municipal Corporation Act, 1888, permit the denial of certain rights, privileges and concessions to persons who suffer from an infectious or contagious disease or disability.

Other laws include the Motor Vehicle Act of 1939 which restricts leprosy patients from obtaining a driving license and the Indian Rail Act of 1990 which prohibits leprosy patients from traveling by train.

Many of these laws were written before the development of multi-drug therapy (MDT) (1983), a treatment that can make leprosy patients non-contagious and prevent further deterioration, and they have not been updated since. For example, almost all of the marriage and divorce laws of India consider leprosy as grounds for divorce with the Special Marriage Act of 1954 declaring leprosy "incurable." These laws do not reflect the current understanding of leprosy.

The first leprosy census in 1872 quantified the problem: over 108,000 cases, for a prevalence of 54 cases/10,000 population. Approximately 1% received organizational support, renewing the cries for segregation to facilitate delivery of care. Next, Hansen identified Mycobacterium leprae in 1873 and postulated it as the etiologic, transmissible agent of leprosy. Third, Father Damien, the Belgian missionary priest in Hawaii, contracted leprosy and died in 1889, proving its contagiousness. These events led to the popular consideration of leprosy as a widespread contagious disease requiring containment.

In response, the British government sent its Leprosy Commission (comprising both physicians and administrators) to India to investigate in 1891.

England within India, enacted the Leprosy Act of 1898. This law institutionalized people with leprosy, using segregation by gender to prevent reproduction. For the self-sufficient individual with leprosy, segregation and medical treatment were voluntary, but vagrants and fugitives from government-designated leprosaria were subject to punitive action. Charities and local governments in British India constructed many new institutions for people with leprosy, providing combined social, religious, and medical services. However, as predicted by the Leprosy Commission, the lack of infrastructure prevented the Leprosy Act from being strictly enforced. It was repealed in 1983 after the advent of effective multi-drug therapy for leprosy.

After independence in 1955 with the creation of the National Leprosy Control Program for surveillance. In 1983, with the availability curative multi-drug therapy, the government changed the name to the National Leprosy Elimination Program (NLEP), with a focus on treatment. Starting in 1997, the government conducted several modified leprosy elimination campaigns. On January 30, 2005 India celebrated the elimination of leprosy as a public health problem.

When did Mother Teresa start Missionaries of Charity?

In 1950, Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity, in Calcutta, West Bengal, with 12 members.
Missionaries care for those who include refugees, former prostitutes, the mentally ill, sick children, abandoned children, lepers, people with AIDS, the aged, and convalescent. They have schools run by volunteers to educate street children and run soup kitchens as well as other services according to the community needs. These services are provided, without charge, to people regardless of their religion or social status.

When did India got it's independence?

1947.

Why did the government of India wait till 1955?

My friend, why are you asking such ill knowledged questions, it's just your hatred for Mother Teresa. She did her work, when right wingers were busy in burning and burying the lepers alive with the help of their families.

Before you make fun of great people, did you ever thought of the psychology of that leper who is on his way to be buried or burned alive, according to your custom? What if such people who had a long history of going through this inhumane act be treated and shown compassion towards them. Think as a human being placing yourself in a place of leper. Did you ever treat a leprosy patient, if you did it with your heart, you would never hate her dedication.

And this is additional information on the same topic.

When did India started to rule itself, ofcourse under the British?

From 1919?

Whose government was there in Bengal in 1941?

Coalition government by Muslim League and Hindu Maha Sabha.

Who attended the Round Table Conferences at London from hindus side in 1930 to 1932?

B.S.Moonje, (12 December 1872 to March 1948) was a leader of the Hindu Mahasabha. After death of Bala Gangadhar Tilak in 1920, Moonje dissociated from Congress. He disagreed with the two main policies of M. K. Gandhi, namely his non-violence and secularism. Following his departure from Congress, Moonje was the All India President of the Hindu Mahasabha from 1927 until he handed over the charge to Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in 1937. Until his death, he was very active in the Mahasabha and toured all over India. Savarkar a strong defender of Manusmruti had his strong support. Moonje attended two of the Round Table Conferences of three conferences at London.

What steps were been taken then by these great hindu bulwarks for lepers in Bengal?

References:
1. An Advanced History of India by R.C.Majumdar. Part 3, Book 2of2, Chapter 6, page 908 for Three Round Table Conference.
2. Wikipedia Three Round Table Conferences, participants names.
3. Wikipedia B.S.Moonje.
4. Wikipedia Mother Teresa
5. Missionaries of Charity.
6. https://web.stanford.edu/group/parasites/ParaSites2008/Darcy%20White_Evan%20Shannon/Leprosy_D_White_E_Shannon.htm
7. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2217676/
8. https://www.google.co.in/amp/s/www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/health/leprosy-antiquated-indian-laws-breed-stigma-discrimination/article7177410.ece/amp/
9. Hinditva Savarkar Unmasked, by Shamsul Islam, Myth 4, page 110.