Is India becoming a ‘Hindu state’?

The Washington Post ^ | 5 june 2019 | Ajay Verghese

[Cronos]

~67% of 900 million eligible voters turned out to vote in India’s recent general election, which Narendra Modi and the BharatiyaJanataParty (BJP, “Indian People’s Party”) won.

Yes, most commentators cautiously expected a BJP victory. But the surprise was that the BJP-led coalition claimed 352 seats and 40% of tvotes. For some analysts, there is concern that this landslide win could signal the end of India as a secular state. After all, Modi’s victory speech lambasted “secularists” for what he said was their deceit.

Five years ago, the BJP won office by focusing on development. Modi promised a stronger economy, and some of the ideas implemented by his government yielded results...

But other BJP economic policies foundered..India’s unemployment has grown, and farmers have faced severe hardships.

Perhaps to skirt these economic shortcomings, Modi focused much of his recent campaign on identity politics. The BJP — described in Western media as a “Hindu nationalist” party — ran on a platform of Hindu majoritarianism. One of the candidates the party fielded was Pragya Thakur, who is accused in a 2008 bombing and who recently praised Nathuram Godse, the assassin of Mahatma Gandhi.

BJP President Amit Shah pledged to remove all immigrants from India except Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs and Jains. Likewise, Modi’s speeches were filled with menacing references to disloyal outsiders.

the term “secularism” is quite different in Indian politics — it’s not what U.S. audiences imagine it to be: a separation between church and state. Instead, it refers to religious neutrality (dharmnirpekshta): the equal treatment of all religious communities, irrespective of size, by the government.

Secularism in India is less concerned with religion interfering in politics (as USA) than with the state interfering in religion. As Rajeev Bhargava argues, Indian secularism is about maintaining a “principled distance” between the state and religion.

[Cronos]

India is technically a "Hindu state" in the sense of culture and civilization - even the Muslims and Christians are imbibed with Hindu culture just as Europeans are imbibed with Graeco-Roman culture and civilization.

[rlmorel]

I would far prefer a Hindu state than a Muslim state.

[machira]

Correct. WA compost has no problems with 57 Islamic states that have no democratic rights for anybody including Muslims. So what is wrong if we are a Hindu state. WA post should understand that unlike Islam, Hindus do not preach and convert,

Because of the the secular nature of Hinduism all religions thrived in India from A to Z. Try naming a single Islamic majority state which allows total freedom oe expression for all religions let alone the right to vote ( Malaysia HAS PARTIAL RIGHTS) .

[MrEdd]

The Fabian Society and Franklin School long range plan for the new world order relies on cramming Islam down the world's throat.

When the plan was concocted a century ago cheap communications weren't part of the equation and far importantly neither was cheap air travel.

The plan never accounted for millions of people having lived in the middle east to counter the narrative about peaceful Islam (which was the agreed upon lie, and which they were fully committed to when they ousted Churchill) with their personal experiences.

Had they been more patient and filtered out the rapists and casual killers in their Muslim migration the plan might have gradually continued. But too many socialist dinosaurs wanted to see world domination in their lifetime and so they are effectively knocking down their own house of cards in their hurry.

[Jyotishi]

Found searching online:

30 Famous Quotations about India and Hinduism

https://www.learnreligions.com/quotes-in-praise-of-india-1770404

[Caipirabob]

I was there in central India not too long ago. The old city was mostly Muslim and the modern areas were somewhat ambiguous. There were multiple languages spoken with Telugu and Hindi being primary after English. The old city boundaries were obvious when suddenly so many women were covered heard to toe in those black overcoats in 105 degree weather with humidity. “Tradition” was what they explained.

The economic explosion over there was something of a magnitude I have never seen or heard of before.

[Yo-Yo]

I thought that India had already gone through this once already with the Partition of 1947 that created Pakistan (and Bangladesh) and today’s India from British India, based on Muslim or Hindu majority in each district.

[samtheman]

There are good religions and there are bad religions. Hinduism has its problems, but compared to alternatives it’s definitely on the good side of the bell curve.

[yesthatjallen]

India was a Hindu state until the Muslims came and slaughtered millions and destroyed entire temple cities.

Their reign of destruction is almost unparalleled and largely unknown in the west.

Mughal India ~ The Biggest Holocaust in World History

There are videos on youtube about the conquest.

Hindu Indians despise Muslims and warn people about letting them into their countries.

Muslims population in India is growing about 1 to 1.5 percent a year.

Muslim conquests in the Indian subcontinent

Muslim conquests in the Indian subcontinent mainly took place from the 12th to the 16th centuries, though earlier Muslim conquests include the limited inroads into modern Afghanistan and Pakistan and the Umayyad campaigns in India, during the time of the Rajput kingdoms in the 8th century.

[IronJack]

Is Pakistan becoming a muslime theocracy?

No. It can’t become what it already is.

[Chickensoup]

it’s not what U.S. audiences imagine it to be: a separation between church and state. Instead, it refers to religious neutrality (dharmnirpekshta): the equal treatment of all religious communities, irrespective of size, by the government.

____________________

Constitutionally arent we more like india?

Leftist see it differently, but they are not constitutionalists.

[IronJack]

I suspect you meant the Frankfurt School.

[bert]

India is in fact a hindu state. The Islamic population should flee to Pakistan or Bangladesh where they belong

[Phlap]

Becoming? You mean it isn't a Hindu state? In my best voice Who knew? Lol!

[Wuli]

Muslims have many Muslim dominant states that abuse their religious minorities and some even have laws against a Muslim converting to another religion (Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan & Pakistan), including the so-called “democratic” state of Pakistan. And that is an outrage to the Washington Post, NOT.

So theocratic Muslim states are not a problem in the world, to the Washington Post, but let some non-Muslims duplicate that concept and that is an outrage.

[AnotherUnixGeek]

Liberals are always squeaking about non-Islamic states becoming theocracies - it happens in the US every time a Republican is elected president. Somehow it never happens - the only theocracies in the world all somehow happen to be Muslim, but you’ll find no bigger champions for Muslims and their practices than liberals.

[Buckeye McFrog]

I would far prefer a Hindu state than a Muslim state.

This.

There are some incidents between Hindu extremists and Christians in India, but in general Hindus aren't looking to lop off the heads of anyone who won't convert.

[Cronos]

All Muslim states with the exception of Indonesia have laws against Muslims converting to another religion.

Pakistan, Saudia, Afghanistan have the punishment of death for apostasy

[CondorFlight]

“There are some incidents between Hindu extremists and Christians in India”

Actually, it’s becoming a more serious problem. (Modi, who I otherwise admire, has said he looks forward to eradicating Christianity in India; whether that is merely a common Hindu-nationalist comment, or an intended program, it nevertheless doesn’t bode well)

[Wuli]

Thanks. My research was less thorough than yours. I suspected it was more severe than I told, but I didn’t do the homework as much as you. Thanks again.