Wikipedia:Peer review/Nasrani/archive1

Nasrani
It has been claimed that the Portuguese persecuted the Nasrani. Yet no evidence of that claim was brought forward. How many Nasrani were killed or imprisoned by the Portuguese? Do we know the identity of anyone was killed or imprisoned by the Portuguese? Why were they killed or imprisoned by the Portuguese? Was this merely the result of military and imperial ambition, or was there more to it?

The only evidence presented is that a few books were banned; and the Synod of Diamper made some changes to the Divine Liturgy of Addai and Mari. It is clear that Aleixo de Menezes was motivated by misguided zeal. It is clear that a schism was the result. But that hardly seems to justify the term persecution.

--Sophroniscus 23:40, 4 August 2005 (UTC)
 * If that is the issue and you're not here for peer review, I suggest posting to Pages_needing_attention. &mdash; RJH 15:03, 5 August 2005 (UTC)

(1) Thanks. I have done as requested.

(2) My real concern is that I detect bias in the article. It was more than 50 years from the Synod of Diamper to the Coonan Cross Oath. And it was some 36 years after the death of Aleixo de Menezes to the Coonan Cross Oath. That doesn't seem to imply to me that the Nasrani were being persecuted, at least in the normal sense of the term. Certainly it seems strange to blame the schism on either the Synod of Diamper or Aleixo de Menezes, though they had a part to play. But it seems likely to me that the Nasrani did these things to themselves. But who am I to say? I know nothing of Indian history. Perhaps it is my own bias that is at issue. I suppose I could raise an NPOV objection. But that seems a bit harsh, coming from one who admits his ignorance.

References of Nasrani persecution
The Nasrani people along with the Malabari Jews were definitely persecuted by the portuguese. Here are some references of Nasrani persecution from the texts of H. H. Meyers, Benjamin George Wilkinson, Ph. D. and others. The links to these texts are also provided.

"The Portuguese not only persecuted and killed all the bishops as they came from Antioch but their metran .... ..... And those Syrians who opposed his designs were persecuted and put to death." ("The Syrian Christians of Malabar" p.23).

see here: http://www.present-truth.org/Bible-Battle/inquisitive-3.htm

"The Portuguese also inaugurated slave trade by seizing able-bodied men and women ..... .... slave market in Goa." ("The Syrian Christians of Kerala", 1963, p.31). by S.C. Pothan

See here: http://www.present-truth.org/Bible-Battle/inquisitive-4.htm#CHAPTER

"Besides hunting down heretics, Jews, new Christians, and all who were accused of Judaizing (that is, conforming to the ceremonies of the Mosaic law, ..... ...... the Goanese Inquisitors also replenished their dungeons with persons accused of magic and sorcery." from The Syrian Church in India, by Rae p. 200.

see here: http://www.giveshare.org/churchhistory/truthtriumphant/chapter20.html

Robin klein 15:14, 7 August 2005 (UTC)