... The act of conversion to Christianity or Islam violates a basic feature of our Constitution, i.e., of secularism. For, secularism has been ... defined as Sarva dharma samabhav (attitude of equality towards all faiths). Or better still, Sarva dharma samadarbhav(equal respect for all religions). But the proponents of Islam and Christianity have never made any secret of their conviction and also have never lost any opportunity to proclaim openly that theirs are the only true religions and as such superior to others. In fact, they derive their "right to convert" precisely from this religious conviction that they are commanded by their prophets to save the souls of others who have been the victims of other false religious faiths. That is also why they honestly believe that `means' of conversion, fair or foul, does not matter, since the 'end' is for the spiritual good of the non-believers.,. Can there be any doubt that this kind of religious conversion militates against the basic tenet of secularism enshrined in our Constitution?

Conversion through fraud, force or temptation is illegal. But the question is what do these words exactly connote? For example, collecting people through propaganda, and projecting before them make-believe cases of 'miracle healing' as due to their faith in Jesus Christ, conducting midnight camps of tribals in forests, and involving them in feasting and viewing of propagandist videos - well, do such 'means' of conversion not amount to fraud? Or; whether offering money or food or medicine or even education with a view to convert them, not a temporal temptation ...?

... The question of return of those Hindus converted to Christianity or Islam back to the Hindu fold falls in an entirely different category. It is only a 'home-coming' not only to their original faith but ... their social and cultural milieu. Moreover, their embracing. Hinduism does not militate against secularism ... Hinduism has been upholding the tenet of Sarva dharma samabhavas beautifully expressed in the famous Vedic mantra, Ekam sat viprah bahudha vadanti- (the truth is one, the wise ones call it by various names). And so the question of taking to fraud or force as a means of augmenting its numbers has never been the case with Hinduism.

This applies to all the various faiths born in our country also which have drawn their basic spiritual nourishment from the taproot of the vast banyan tree of Sanatana Dharma. So, evidently, the changing of religious faiths between themselves can in no way be compared to conversion to Islam or Christianity ... (Source: The Hindu, 5 February, 1999)s