Hindus and Christians have helped break the tolerance bubble in India, but neither they nor the Government seem to be prepared to act. They need to do something quickly.
India is known as one of the most diverse countries in the world, in terms of its weather, its wealth and its people; but recent cracks have begun to appear in the tolerance of the population, with religion one of the divisive factors – and the authorities are turning a blind eye.
The Indian population
With a population of over 1 billion, India is one of the most heavily populated countries in the world. The 2001 census indicated that all major religions are represented, with the majority following Hinduism: Hindu 80.5%, Muslim 13.4%, Christian 2.3%, Sikh 1.9%, other 1.8%, unspecified 0.1%.
India’s diverse economy matches their diverse traditions. As well as supporting traditional farming methods and handicrafts, it also boasts modern multinational industries and services. This results in some areas of the population becoming very rich while other areas are very poor and left unsupported by the lack of state benefits.
Source – The World Factbook: India
Religious problems
Despite its mix of different religious groups and traditions, Indians have generally enjoyed a healthy, tolerant society. The last major divide surrounded the Indian struggle for independence which was led by Mahatma Gandhi in the 1930s and 1940s and highlighted the divide between Hinduism and Islam.
Recent divisions
According to Professor Dr Colonel Prabhakar Rao, these divisions between the two religions have never healed. He writes: “The air of suspicion continues in India. Hindus consider that India was bifurcated due to the adamant attitude of Muslim leadership. Even after 60 years of existence, the fissures are still evident, rather growing. Communal riots were common till recently. With growth of terrorism in the country, the air of suspicion is still increasing.”
There have been similar violent riots between Hindus and Christians after tensions rose to the surface after simmering for a long time. Violent mobs set fire to places of worship and even blocked the road to prevent police reaching the troubled areas. Kristine Greenaway blames some of this on “the aggressive evangelising of (Christian) missionaries from outside the region”.
The way forward
In December 2007, Human Rights Watch urged the Indian Government to take urgent action to end the communal violence between Christians and Hindus: “For several years, extremist Hindu groups in Orissa have been conducting an anti-Christian campaign that has grown violent at times, while government officials have looked the other way.”
Ending this violence is the responsibility of both the religious leaders and the Government and they all need to work towards a peaceful solution. While the religions have long had an intolerant attitude towards each other, they now need to return to their religious teachings and methods of reconciliation, otherwise their country will crumble and they can no longer call themselves religious.
