Romans 14:14-- I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean.
Library is considered a sacred place for many, who visit there in search of stored knowledge. The library has become a place targeted in recent times. When I say that libraries are being targeted, I mean that the attacks both verbal and physical on the academia, scholarships and scholars are on the rise. The incident when the police stormed into a university library and beat the students studying there is an incident which has been etched on my memory. The faces of the students, who were unsuccessfully screaming and running around to save themselves cannot be forgotten.
There is a rapid increase in the verbal and physical attacks on the scholars not only in India but around the world. According to a news-report in "The Hindu," an international advocacy group that tracks assaults — both physical and mental — in the higher education sector in the world has bracketed India, Turkey and China as the top three countries with the highest number of reported assaults in the academic world. ‘Scholars at Risk’, a voluntary network based in New York University, has been cataloguing instances of strangulating academic freedom as well as physical violence unleashed in academic institutions in many countries for the last five years. The impact of these attacks extend far beyond tens of thousands of academics, students, and staff, who were directly targeted. The fear, these assaults instill, shrink everyone’s space to think, question and share ideas freely and safely. The fifth edition of the report — titled Free to Think 2019 — compiled the attacks happened on the campuses between September 2018 and August 2019.
What is perturbing is the fact that the number of attacks on the higher education community is on the rise. As against 294 attacks (47 countries) recorded in 2018, the total verified assaults were 324 this year from 56 countries.
Libraries are dirty because the voices of dissent come out of them and they echo loud in the world. People’s attitude towards these voices of dissent is not always welcoming. The current regime, in not only our country, but most of the countries in the world is against these voices of dissent. The ways to suppress, the voices of dissent used by those in power are use of violence and declaring the whole scholarship dirty.
These continued assaults have made the general population think that being a scholar is a bad thing. This has made library a dirty place in the eyes of the people. On the other hand, it is also true that we ourselves, sometimes, fall victims of biasedness when it comes to certain academic works or standpoints and declare them unacceptable unless it fits to a certain criteria, with which we are comfortable.
We must remember that the prophetic calls in the Old Testament, or Christ’s ministry were the models of resistance against the unjust systems of their times. They made those in power unhappy and unsafe. Because of that there were attempts to discredit their ministry and message.
We must understand that nothing is dirty in the sight of the Lord. God is in the library in the form of endless wisdom of the ages. God is present in the academic products, which are voices of dissent against the power produced in the library. Therefore, the call and challenge for us being students of Theology should be to affirm that Library is not dirty; voices of dissent are not dirty as God is in the voices of dissent, and God is in the Library.
Prayer:
Dear God, give us wisdom and courage to be the voices of dissent against power in proclaiming the gospel of love, truth and justice. Amen
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Author: Ashish John Archer
About the Author: Ashish is an ordained minister in the Church of North India, diocese of Lucknow. He is currently pursuing his Doctoral programme in United Theological College, Bangalore, India in the department of Mission and Ecumenics.
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