Examples of Religious Conflict in India

Muslim-Hindu Conflicts Starting in 1947

The persecution of Hindus during the Islamic expansion in India during the medieval period was characterized by destruction of temples, often illustrated by historians by the repeated destruction of the Hindu Temple at Somnath and the anti-Hindu practices of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.  

Partition of India – Indian Independence Act of 1947 – resulted in the dissolution of the British Indian Empire and the End of the British Raj (British rule of the Indian subcontinent) – resulted in a struggle between India and Pakistan – extremely violent – bloodshed throughout the nation

Since then, India has witnessed sporadic large-scale violence sparked by underlying tensions between sections of the Hindu and Muslim communities.

These conflicts stem from the ideologies of Hindu Nationalism and Islamic Extremism.

Since independence, India has always maintained a constitutional commitment to secularism.

In the past 10 years, there has been a razing of the Babri Mosque in Ayodhya. This was followed by riots. In 2001, Islamic militants attacked the Indian Parliament.

2002 – Gujarat riots – 1000 people killed – allegedly mostly Muslim – some say 2000 Muslim deaths – allegations of state involvement – these riots were in retaliation to the Godhra Train Burning in which 50 Hindus pilgrims returning from the disputed site of the Babri Mosque were burnt alive in a train fire at the Godgra railway station – Extremist Ghanchi Muslims did this according to the Gujarat police.

Apart from those individual happening, Muslims suffered widespread communal violence.

Chief minister of Gujarat Narendra Modi was criticized for his place in these riots. He was even accused of Genocide

High toll of innocent Muslims and Hindus at the altar of communal strife continues to mount.

Muslim-Christian Conflicts

There have been relatively fewer conflicts between Muslims and Christians in India in comparison to Muslims and Hindus or Muslims and Sikhs.

Still has been occasionally turbulent.

European colonialism in India in 16^th, 17^th, and 18^th centuries – Christians were systematically persecuted in a few Muslim ruled kingdoms in India.

Most infamous acts of anti-Christian persecutions by Muslims:

·      Committed by Tippu Sultan (ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore against the Mangalorean Catholic community in South Canara)

·      He was widely known to be anti-Christian

·      Began February 24, 1784 and ended on May 4, 1799

·      “All Musalmans should unite together, and considering the annihilation of infidels as a sacred duty, labor to the utmost of their power, to accomplish that subject.”

·      Seized the Christians, confiscated their estates, and deport them to Seringapatam, the capital of his empire. The priests (21 of them) were issued orders of expulsion and threated death by hanging if they returned.

·      Ordered destruction of 27 Catholic churches – all but one burned to the ground.

·      60,000 captured, 7,000 escaped.

·      They either died on the walk there, or forcibly converted to Islam. The young women and girls were forcibly made wives of the Muslims living there.

·      Young men who resisted were disfigured by cutting their noses, upper lips, and ears.

In modern times, Muslims in India who convert to Christianity are often subjected to harassment, intimidation, and attacks by Muslims. In Kashmir, the only Indian state with a Muslim majority, a Christian convert and missionary named Bashir Tantray was killed, allegedly by militant Islamists in 2006