Muscat Mangaloreans submit Memorandum
Report By Dolly Sequeira
Pics: Dilip Correa
Daijiworld Media Network
Muscat, Sep 22: Far away from home but the cry and agony for our loved once remains still the same. The Indian Diaspora of Christians Catholics residing in the Sultanate formed a committee to represent their anguish to all the distressed people back home about the dark cloud which passed the faith and on 14th September 2008.
The Representatives team presented a memorandum to the His Excellency Anil Wadhwa the Ambassador of India in the Sultanate of Oman. His Excellency accepted the memorandum with high reverence and was deeply touched by the sense of responsibility they had for the fellow brothers back in Mangalore, India.
The meeting was held at the Indian Embassy premises in Muscat at 12:30 pm on Wednesday 17th October 2008. Stanley T. H. Fernandes, best known as the Patriarch of the Mangaloreans in Muscat, handed over a memorandum to the H.E. the Indian Ambassador. The Memorandum expressed the concerns of the people to the Indian Authorities about the recent attack on the holy premises, religious women and children. It was a state of stock to note the destructions and the humility created to the Christian faith and the congregation. The memorandum was then distributed to the following eight authorities
The Honorable President of the Republic of India
The Honorable Prime Minister of the Republic of India
The Honorable Union Home Minister
The Honorable Governor of Karnataka
The Honorable Chief Minister of Karnataka
The Honorable Home Minister of Karnataka
The District Commissioner of Mangalore
The Superintendent of Police Mangalore
The memorandum highlighted the immense contribution the Christian Community in general and catholic community in particular has made to society in India. They have multitude of educational institutions spread across the length and breadth of India providing quality education, be it primary, secondary, technical or professional. The religious work in remote areas bringing relief to the poor and marginalized people of our society.
An overview of our community services which encompasses over 20,000 institutions covering the entire geographical expanse of India is as follows:
Educational Institutes,
359 Colleges offering graduate level courses
1465 Higher Secondary schools
3372 High schools
3192 Upper Primary Schools
5872 Lower Primary Schools
513 Training Institutes
900 Teaching Institutes
263 Professional Institutes
These institutes serve over 10 million students of which 80% are non Christians.
(b) Social Service and Health Care Institutes
1278 Orphanages
2979 Hostels (Old age homes)
787 Hospitals
2807 Dispensaries and Health Centers
111 Leprosy Centers
102 Rehabilitation Centers
3 Medical Colleges
We also requested the Government to look into this matter deeply and penalize those responsible for this attack and the destruction this has caused to the Churches in and around the region.
At the gesture we would like to assure all who have been victims of this trail moment of our support and prayers. The DaijiWorld team along with whole Mangalorean community in Muscat takes this opportunity to thank the H.E Wadhwa for his kind support and cooperation in conveying our message to the Government Authorities in India
Protest Against Church Attacks: