Cady Barrett
Religious Conflicts
25 October 2008
The past two months have been filled with religious conflict in India between the Hindus and the Christians of the nation. After numerous deaths, acts of severe violence, and political corruption having been revealed, it is no surprise that people are beginning to speak out in protest. All of the major religions of the world have one common world view, the notion of non-violence. Followed by Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr. and many others, the world carries this thought with them always. This makes the conflict somewhat confusing. Why are these two groups fighting and killing in the name of their religion if it goes against everything they are about?
Rajan Zed, an Indo-American who is the president of the Universal Society of Hinduism is quoted as saying, “Let us stop hating in God’s name, initiate dialogue, ensure communal harmony and rebuild the devastated communities.” He goes on to explain why this is happening, which is separate from the nation’s differences in faith. These underlying factors are poverty, illiteracy, class conflicts, socio-economic and tribal/ethnic tensions. He goes on to say that governments should have various development projects and protection of religious freedom in the areas that are most affected by the violence to bring peace to the nation.
Being a religious studies major, this conflict interests me very much. The dynamics involved are so complicated and intricate to the society as a whole. To have to take into account the culture, the faith, and the economic status of the country in order to promote peace is powerful.
http://www.newstrackindia.com/newsdetails/31326
1 comment:
I think your article will relate well with my article. Instead of the religious aspects of your content, I am dealing with the sexual abuse women in India face. Women are truly second class citizens and are disposable when it comes to a country as large as India. Women are just a statistic, 1 out of 1 billion. It is scary when women don't have any real say in their lives. I could only imagine what it would be life if American society had to live like this. Sometimes we need to put our pettyness aside and just take one moment to realize what true freedom feels like.
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