Overcoming Evil With Good - A Distinct Possibility?

That is a debate that will go on for ever despite Christ's command to his disciples not to return evil for evil but to overcome evil with good. The world has not accepted His advice as is evident from the all pervading violence and hatred that bedevils our world.

Yet now and then, here and there, there had been attempts to put that principle-- much derided because of its seeming impracticability from a human point of view into practice.

A recent such incident involved a repentant Hindu terrorist and an Islamic youth wrongly branded as a terrorist. He showed extraordinary kindness towards the offending Hindutva terrorist, who was the real culprit behind the Mecca Masjid blast that killed nine persons.But the remarkable story of repentance hardly received the attention or publicity it deserved.

On December18 last, a CBI team escorted an elderly Bengali, Naba Kumar Sarkar, 59 popularly known as Swami Aseemanand from Tihar jail to the Tis Hazari court in Delhi, where he was produced before metropolitan magistrate Deepak Dabas.Aseemanand is the key accused in the 2007 Mecca Masjid blast that killed nine people.

This was his second court appearance in a span of little over 48 hours. On 16 December, Aseemanand had requested the magistrate to record his confession about his involvement in a string of terror attacks. He stated that he was making the confession without any fear, coercion or inducement.

Confession:
Conscious of the legal aspects of such confessions, the magistrate asked Aseemanand to reflect over his decision and Sent him to judicial custody for two days away from any police interference or influence.

On December 18, Aseemanand returned, resolute. The magistrate asked everybody except his stenographer to leave his chamber. "I know I can be sentenced to the death penalty but I still want to make the confession," Aseemanand said.

Over the next five hours, in an unprecedented move, Aseemanand laid bare an explosive story about the involvement of a few Hindutva leaders, including himself, in planning and executing a series of gruesome terror attacks.

According to news agencies, over the past few years, several pieces of the Hindutva terror puzzle have slowly been falling into place each piece corroborating and validating what has gone before. First, the arrest of Sadhvi Pragya Thakur, Dayanand Pandey, Lt Col Shrikant Purohit and others in 2008. The seizure of 37 audio tapes from Pandey's laptop that featured all these people discussing their terror activities. And most recently, the Rajasthan ATS' chargesheet on the 2007 Ajmer Sharif blast. Aseemanand's confession, however, is likely to prove one of the most crucial pieces for investigative agencies.

Unlike police interrogation reports or confessions, under clause 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), confessions before a magistrate are considered legally admissible evidence. Aseemanand's statement, therefore, is extremely crucial and will have serious ramifications.

Abdul Kaleem
Swami Aseemanand alias Jatin Chatterjee, who confessed to being in the know of the Mecca Masjid, Samjhauta, Ajmer and Malegaon blasts also stated prior to his confession that it was a boy named Abdul Kaleem, who inspired him to make this confession before the magistrate.

The family of Kaleem, who is now under arrest for allegedly providing a cell phone to his brother Khaja (an alleged Lashkar-e-Tayiba operative) in jail, say that they are proud of the fact that it was their son who prompted this confession in the first place.

It was Kaleem's good conduct and the manner in which he helped me that prompted me to make this statement and come out with the truth about these blasts, Aseemanand told investigators.

The Kaleem story to this entire confession is interesting. Kaleem, a resident of Saleemnagar in Hyderabad, was one of the first persons to be picked up in connection with the Mecca Masjid blasts when the police had concluded that it was a Harkat-ul- Jihadi operation.

Following the arrest they conducted a narco analysis test on Kaleem. Later the police issued a statement saying that he had confessed to being the mastermind in the blasts during the test.

Law student
A law student from the Mahatma Gandhi Law College, Kaleem languished in jail for nearly two years before being released as none of the charges against him had been proven.

Just when he thought that his trauma had ended, his brother Khaja was arrested on suspicion of being a Lashkar operative and that he was very closely linked to HuJI operative Shahid Bilal.

Bilal was later killed in Pakistan following the twin blasts that rocked Hyderabad. The twin blasts at Hyderabad at the Lumbini Park and the Gokul Chat were apparently carried out by Bilal and company to avenge the bombing and subsequent police firing at the Mecca Masjid.

After Khaja was arrested, Kaleem went to meet him in jail. However, he had another shock waiting for him. The police immediately arrested him. His alleged offence – providing a cell phone to his elder brother.

Kaleem was lodged in the Chanchalguda jail and it was during this time that he came in contact with Swami Aseemanand, who had been brought down by the Central Bureau of Investigation in connection with the Mecca Masjid blasts.

Got talking
At jail, the two got talking and Aseemanand was impressed with Kaleem's conduct. Kaleem told the latter how he had been tortured and falsely implicated in the Mecca Masjid blasts. He also took great care of Aseemanand and even brought him water and food every time he needed it.

This moved Aseemanand a great deal and he thought that it was time to come out with the truth and bare his heart out. Aseemanand goes on to mention this in his confession before the magistrate as well.

Kaleem's family too is touched and they say that they hope that such atrocities against the youth from the minority community would stop. They also go on to say that their children, who have been falsely framed, should be released.

Here is an event that has many morals. A misguided extremist comes to repent of his evil deed once he realized how he had caused the innocents to suffer. Here is a Muslim branded a terrorist and hated unjustly but chose to show love in return. And his goodness ultimately conquered over the evil propensity in the misguided Hindu sanyasin.

Kaleen has set a splendid example of overcoming evil with good. Though hated, he did not choose to hate in return.

Command
Overcome evil with good' is the scriptural command to the believer. Christ's call is to love the enemy. In fact there is a general revelation to the human heart Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist or what everthat it is folly to try to meet hate with hate. But the world considers it impracticable. The Christian has no option, but to show love in return forevil.

There are vast differences between Christianity and other religions. The uniqueness of Christianity stands out boldly in the way we treat our enemies. To Nikita Khrushchev, the Soviet leader, is attributed this paraphrased remark: "The difference between Christianity and Communism is great. When someone strikes you on the face, you turn the other cheek. If you strike me on the face, I'll hit you so hard your head will fall off."

Unfortunately even in the church, the vigilante spirit is alive and well. Christians sometimes attempt to sanctify their anger calling it righteous indignation, but we too are tempted to retaliate against those who mistreat us. Piously, we may pretend to resist evil supposing that God is on our side as we seek to "even the score" by causing hurt to those who have mistreated us.

These are days when all over the world there is an increasing attack on Christians due to the growing intolerance from the fanatical fringe of non-Christian faiths. The 'name of Christ' becoming a cause for unjust hatred is as predicted in the Bible. But how will the Christian overcome this hatred and all the persecution? By following the Master "who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when He suffered , he threatened not; but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously" (1Peter 2:23)