Jesse Morales
20 February 2009
12:47 p.m.
http://blogs.reuters.com/india/2009/02/11/un-report-says-real-risk-of-indian-religious-strife/
A "U.N. report (found here: http://ap.ohchr.org/documents/dpage_e.aspx?m=86) on religious freedom in India" showed that there is a palpable risk in the country of violent intolerance between religious groups. The report indicates that there are remarkable social (and other kinds of) divisions between members of different religious groups. It is reported that religious minorities (non-Hindus) are often subject to persecution by Hindus, as well as that there is unrest between any combination of the religious groups. In recent years, India has suffered from mob violence, often stemming from religious problems in the community. For example, rural Christians were terrorized by members of a Hindu community just last year. Oftentimes, the government is seen to be doing little to help those who suffer from religious persecution. And with elections fast approaching in may, this religiously-charged violence does not do much to help boost the image of a "global India"; the politicians are speaking with "religious rhetoric" in their contest for position.
It is slightly frightening to think of a country of a billion people having problems with mob violence. Of course, it is likely frightening to India that I, an average American citizen, would feel so unsettled. This is certainly not the image they (or any other country) would like to project. Sure, I can trust that the government does not want such violence to be common in their country. But I feel like it's not up to the government alone to change the behavior of the citizens. It seems to be a volatile situation that has to be handled with utmost care by India's governmental officials and religious leaders, as well as by the citizens themselves. In other words, the whole community, including the individual communities of religious faith, will have to enter into real dialogue with each other in order to begin to quell the tendency toward violent mobs. This, though, is an ideal not easily realized. I wonder what will be done (because something must by done) by the Indian government to keep peace during the elections?
This reminds me of an unsettling scene in "Slumdog Millionare". The town is full of muslims, and at one point, a large group of hindus run in and massacre the slum. One scene has a young boy's mother being struck across the face with a wooden beam. Another scene has a man being set on fire. All of this because of what someone believes. Both this news story and the scene are REAL. It is so terrible that people are massacred because of what they choose to think.
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