I see much being written about Islam here. I thought to write a blog of my own on this issue.

The majority of Indians are Hindus. A sizable percentage of the Indian population is also non Hindu, which would include, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Zoroastrians, Jewish.

Hinduism has had disagreements with nearly every faith listed, at some point in India’s history. Struggle between faiths is nothing new. Before the current anti-Islamic and anti- Christian tirade, we have had anti-Sikh sentiment running high not very long ago. Hindu faith has been in conflict with Buddhism and Jainism, religions which Hindus zealots believe are clones of Hinduism.

A modern state evolves from changes in the thought processes of its people. Every human society evolves the same way. Religion which forms a large part of society, however, resists this change. All religions dictate a strict code of conduct, and a Spartan philosophy to life. Religions in their dogmatic approach for control, fall prey to their own fear, and stop evolving. I wonder how, a saffron clad blood thirsty madman who butchers children is any different from another madman who is clad in green, or yet another one clad in a different color, or speaks another tongue or calls upon a different God. Madmen are madmen period. Sometimes I wonder if we have not trivialised God in our tribulations over religion.

It is saddening that we the privileged few, who are educated, have access to the internet which enables us to broaden our horizons and enables us see other points of view should be spewing such venom on another human being. “An eye for an eye”, doesn’t work, it dehumanizes us and turns us into the same animals who bomb victims in a hospital.

Human emotion of pain, fear and happiness are experienced universally by every human being, irrespective of religious belief. India has had peoples of various belief systems all along its very ancient history. We the current citizens of this wonderful country, cannot afford to stake claim on it based on any ism. Very citizen who is an Indian has an equal right to this country. Faith, language, region, color or any other imagined or perceived difference does not make any one group or individual superior to the other. Our country has accommodated so much over the eons, who are we to now cut this magnificent country and its people to accommodate our homophobic ideas?

Every religion prophecies a different path to salvation., for once lets look at the ends and not the means…
If salvation is what we are looking for how does it matter how we reach it….

http://natarajanvee.sulekha.com/blog/post/2008/09/religion-terror.htm