In September 2015, an angry mob in India beat a Muslim man to death over accusations that
he had eaten beef.
Although there was no actual proof of this transgression, the target of the murder was
one of only two Muslim families living in the majority Hindu neighborhood.
Hindus are not widely known to advocate violence, but in India they have had many severe clashes
with Muslims.
So, why are Hindus attacking Muslims in India?
Well, Islam and Hinduism are the second and third largest religions in the world.
Islam has a strict adherence to its customs, texts, and a single God.
Meanwhile, Hinduism is accepting of a large number of different belief systems, which
include many gods, a single god, and even no god.
But their mutual dislike is thought to stem from historical clashes rather than pure ideology.
For several hundred years, Muslim empires spread across the world, at one point controlling
some 5 million square miles.
Their conquest of the Indian subcontinent saw the Mughal [like mogul] Empire take over
a number of important kingdoms, creating severe resentment for the overwhelmingly Hindu region.
This was followed by the British taking over India, and splitting off a large portion of
the country to create a home for Muslims: Pakistan.
The 1947 partitioning of India has been called the largest mass migration in history, and
led to intense sectarian violence.
This also left India overwhelmingly Hindu, with a small Muslim minority.
Today there are about 175 million Muslims in India, the second highest population in
the world.
By comparison, there are roughly one billion Hindus.
Since the 1950s, thousands have been killed in provoked and unprovoked mob riots against
Muslims.
In 2002, an attack on a train carrying Hindus was ostensibly carried out by Muslims.
This led to a three-day long massacre of as many as 2,000 Muslims in Western India.
Some 100,000 people were displaced by the riots.
The violence between Muslims and Hindus also does little to help territorial disputes between
India and Pakistan.
The Kashmir valley, which is almost entirely Muslim, is located within India, and lacks
the level of autonomy they want.
This religious tension has been seized upon by political parties, particularly the right-wing
nationalist Indian People’s Party or BJP.
One party member said that Hindus must have four times as many children to avoid Muslim
overpopulation and a loss of Hindu identity.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Prime Minister Modi is a member of the BJP, and been accused of
implementing anti-Muslim policies.
India’s religious violence issue has less to do with religion, and more to do with xenophobia.
As with other minority religions in developing countries, Muslims find it difficult to get
representation and support.
Still, many Hindus have been known to stand up for Muslims in India, and have even sheltered
and protected them during riots.
Although the two groups are currently at odds, it is hoped they can resolve their differences
as India continues to grow.
To learn more about the conflict between India and Pakistan over Kashmir, check out this
video.
Or, to find out about the disagreements between Sunni and Shia Muslims, watch the video below.
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