Jemimah Rodrigues’ Father Responds to Allegations of Religious Conversion Meetings Following Gymkhana Suspension
Jemimah Rodrigues’ father, Ivan Rodrigues has recently been in the center of the media drama while addressing the controversy regarding the prayer meetings hosted at Khar Gymkhana which have resulted in the suspension of Jemimah’s membership. Khar Gymkhana which is one of the well-known clubs in the region voted to cancel Jemimah’s membership at the AGM after complaints by some members about her abusing membership features.
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Indications in the media have been made that prayer meetings arranged by the Rodrigues family sought to convert people from their faith to that of the family. To this, Ivan Rodrigues has sought to explain that such meetings were not intended for conversion since all the other non-alterative meetings were in accordance with the rules of the Gymkhana. He says, “We would like to respond to rumors circulating in the media which are clearly false. We had the facilities at the Khar Gymkhana for the purpose of prayer meetings at several times, this was approximately two years after April 2023.”
Ivan claimed that the prayer meetings were open to all and took place with the full knowledge and consent of Gymkhana officials. He also noted that it was unfortunate some people wish to twist the objectives of these events, “To then be the subject of false claims and misinformation is disheartening. We have and continue to wish only the best for everyone.”
The issue became aggravated when managers at Khar Gymkhana took it upon themselves to suspend Jemimah from the membership. It came at a time when some members’ perceptions of the prayer meeting and the use of the Gymkhana facilities for that cause were indeed communal activities which were going beyond the purpose of the organization. Ivan reassured that once they were informed about the Gymkhana’s instruction to stop the meetings, they did so promptly. He added that there were no outstanding dues pertaining to the facilities’ usage and hence pride was maintained.
The Rodrigues family however has welcomed the fact that they can practice their faith how they chose to without disrespecting the community. In his closing remarks, Ivan also stressed the fact that the family members ought to be law abiding citizens of the land and do not intend to disregard the values of the Gymkhana in any way. This case brought into focus a number of discussions concerning the blending of personal belief and common practice within a society, especially concerning experiences relating to the public domain and the difficulties probably faced by anyone who has to work out the issues involved. Despite, this event, both Jemimah and her father keep demanding justice and continue people’s right to self-identification at the same time.
