Washington: Majority of Hindus in India believes that being Hindu is essential to be considered truly Indian, says a US survey.
The survey conducted by the Washington-based Pew Research Centre says that nearly 2/3 of Hindus in India believe that for being a truly Indian, it is necessary to follow the Hindu religion. It maintains that most Indian Hindus say being Hindu and being able to speak Hindi are very important to be truly Indian.
The Pew survey, titled ‘Religion in India: Tolerance and Segregation’ says that Indians almost never marry across religious lines.
“36% Hindus do not want a Muslim as a neighbor. Hindus in India think Partition was good for relations with Muslims,” the survey says.
The study points out that Hindus and Muslims say that they do not have much in common with each other and Indians generally stick to their own religious group while making friends.
Political analysts and experts while commenting on the Pew survey say that Modi is shaping India’s policy according to Hindutva dictates. They say Muslims and other minorities are living in a state of fear in Modi’s India. “Persecution of Muslims, Christians and low-caste Hindus has increased manifold since BJP came to power. Fascist Modi-led Indian regime is implementing its plan to convert India into a Hindu Rashtara,” they further say. Web Desk
