Hindu Fundamentalism

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that fundamentalists seek to reconstruct the world in two-fold dedication to the unfolding eschatological drama by returning all things to the divine and to self-protection by choosing the elements of custom and modernity. The author points out that, in India, the Hindu fundamentalist groups are trying to curtail the activities of other religious groups and to control the expressions of those not meeting the requirements of their worldview. The paper stresses that all citizens, including the Hindus, must oppose the concept that to be Indian one has to be a Hindu and must state that the formation of a Hindu nation will harm the country.

From the Paper:

"Luckily, the BJP has completed its five year term without any major riots between the Hindus and Muslims. On the other side, the attacks on the institutions of the Christians have increased along with harassment, humiliation and even murder of Christian missionaries. The Pope visited India in November 1999 and called for preaching and conversion to Christianity, and this led the Sangh to feel that the works of charity in various forms by the missionaries to be only inducements for conversion to Christianity. This has led to many violent reactions under the slightest pretexts "four nuns were raped in Jhabua of Madhya Pradesh; a priest and teacher in Bihar was forcibly stripped naked, paraded and made to walk for 16 kilo-meters while being beaten all the time and Bihar is not ruled by the Sangh."

More papers on Hindu Fundamentalism:

• Essay # 50116 : "Hindu Pilgrimages"
• Descriptive Essay # 114461 : "Unifying Factors in Hinduism"
• Comparison Essay # 116473 : "Common Ground in Islam and Hinduism"

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