“In any case, secular India should hold itself to higher standards than the “Islamic Republic” of Pakistan.”

Murdering apostates is not a “Pakistani” practice. It s a Muslim practice – sanctified by its scriptures and prophet and according to polls overwhelmingly supported by Muslims across the world in this day and age.

Are you criticising Islam and its prophet by any chance ?

“Muslims call converts ‘reverts’ on the idea that everyone is born Muslim, and then corrupted by other faiths.”

It’s deeply insulting, but criticizing Islam is Islamophobic these days so be careful.

@INDTHINGS

Muslims call converts ‘reverts’ on the idea that everyone is born Muslim, and then corrupted by other faiths.

How is that less insulting than Ghar-Wapisi ?

I don’t think India really matters within the broader Muslim imagination. It is a global religion in a way that Hinduism isn’t, so why would it be Indian.

The issue is that it otherizes heathens or disbilevers, in a way that Hindu religious texts simply do not and can not due to core differences in Philosophy.

I think Hinduism has the potential to be a global religion, due to a more sensible concept of God in the more popular darshanas compared with “invisible bearded man in the sky” faiths, but would require considerable reform and ‘de-Indianizing’ of the faith.

“I think all this Shah Bano and Satanic verses turning the tide in India’s secularism is bit exaggerated.”

I agree. Shah Bano case was an obscure event. Ram Mandir movement was game changer. Everything changed after that. India was just not the same place after it.

” LOL. Yeah, sometimes i overdo it. But what’s life without a bit of fun ”

For heaven’s sake spell your name as Saurabh. And please don’t pronounce “vegetable” as “bhegetable”. It is so annoying.

You wanted fun, right 🙂

This post is on the money. I’ve always viewed Islam as a totalizing and oppositional identity that essentially overrides Indianness. Or at least, that’s what the Muslims themselves seem to want.

“So ultimately it is for the muslims to do some soul searching and figure out why they remain an alien faith in India after a 1000 year presence.”

Islam in India is a WIP, there’s still time for me to be proven wrong and for it to start going down a different path.

Do you know Muslims have the exact same stereotype about the hindus (of muslims being large hearted and hindus not)

May be they do. I guess it is for others to judge now.

“Having said that, Hindus do display a level of large heartedness which is found lacking in Muslims, especially in Muslim majority countries”

LOL. Do you know Muslims have the exact same stereotype about the hindus (of muslims being large hearted and hindus not) 😛

The problem is really the exclusionary nature of Abrahamic religions. They are defined by sharp contours, and they don’t really gel well with the local traditions. This is especially true of Islam. A Hindu can visit Muslim dargahs without much fuss, but it is impossible for a Muslim to visit Hindu temples due the dogmatic nature of his faith.

I remember reading an interview of Abdul Qadir Khan (Pakistan’s famous nuclear-bomb maker). The interviewer asked him why did he hate Hindus so much. AQ Khan answered bluntly – because we are different people. They worship cows, we eat cows.

Khan may have put it crudely and simplistically, but he was essentially speaking the truth. Hindus and Muslims are really different people.

I remember another interview. It was with Khushwant Singh, the formidable liberal icon. He was asked why did the Punjabis fell upon each other with such bloodthirsty ferocity during the Partition. He answer was same – because hinudus(+sikhs) and muslims were really different people.

Having said that, Hindus do display a level of large heartedness which is found lacking in Muslims, especially in Muslim majority countries. For e.g. in Pakistan they will hound Ahmadis even for writing kalama over their mosques, or for eulogizing Muhammad. I can’t imagine such petty hearted display coming from Hindus.

I guess Hindus can be “secular” (meaning – accepting of religious pluralism), as long as the process is Hindu driven, and generally cloaked in a hinduised umbrella.

Even the prayers of Hindu nationalist group RSS makes it clear that they think of Sikhs, Buddhists and Jains as their own. (They explicitly include them in prayers). To a certain extent, even the Christians have been integrated in the local milieu in India. So ultimately it is for the muslims to do some soul searching and figure out why they remain an alien faith in India after a 1000 year presence.