To start with Hinduism is a religion, Hindutva is a political idea. Hinduism has theology, Hindutva has ideology. 85% of Indians are Hindus. In the context of this discussion, west means western civilization.
In India secularism honors all faiths equally and gives them equal opportunities, It also ensures equality before law of all religions, while the state is neutral, same as the west.
In Western secularism, the state does not intervene in religion/ religious matters. In Indian secularism, because each religion treats its people differently, the state intervenes in each religion differently.
For Hindus, the state intervened in religious affairs by banning animal sacrifices, by ensuring that temples are accessible to Dalits (those who occupy the bottom rungs of the traditional Hindu caste hierarchy, and who were once called untouchables), by guaranteeing equal rights to Hindu men & women (as this equality of genders is not a feature of Hinduism where a woman is only a dependent and no share in property, nor has the right to education or hold a profession). Similar laws were not passed for Muslims, Christains, Sikhs, etc. because their religions have gender equality in-built, don’t have animal sacrifice, and don’t have caste-based inclusions or exclusions.
Hindutva derides this intervention as “pseudo-secularism”, and wants the state to not interfere in any religion & religious matters at all. The problem is, Indian society are built around religion. If the state steps out of religion then its a return to the dark ages with no scope for equality or democracy.
For all its spiritualty, the Hindu religion aka Hinduism is a rigid hierarchy of casteism and patriarchy. Per hindu theology, women are inferior & dependent to men, should be confined to home, are too feeble-minded to be educated, should be married off as early as possible, and don’t have any rights. The caste system is worse, because it systemically and systematically oppresses & dehumanizes a large section of humanity while giving the power of oppression of dehumanization to a small set. Per the caste system, Brahmins (the ubermensch) are at the top of the caste pyramid with Dalits & Shudras (the untermensch) at the bottom. The atrocities endured by the Dalits & Shudras is unimaginable and has no place in a civilised socity.
This is what Hindutva wants India to return to. Incidentally, Hindutva’s founders & leaders are all Brahmin males.
In Hindutva ideology, religions that originate from outside India (viz. Islam, Christianity) are not Indian, and Indians following these religions are non-Indian. Even if the Indian Muslim or Indian Christian is born in India and his family has practised their religion and been Indians for generations, per Hindutva they’re non-Indian. These people are the ‘them’. The only way they can be Indian is to renounce their religion and accept Hinduism (or as the Hindutva call it ghar-wapasi aka return home to Hinduism).
In Hindutva ideology (not Hindu theology), every religion created in the Indian sub-continent is Hindu, even when the religions were created specifically for rejecting Hinduism and its dogma & bigoted structures. It is a very clever way of denying these India-created but non-Hindu religions their identty and creates a bigger ‘us’ versus the ‘them’ .
Under concepts and issues
Look I am being open minded here. I don’t know this issue. So if you can explain away this contradiction I am all ears.
This is long.
To start with Hinduism is a religion, Hindutva is a political idea. Hinduism has theology, Hindutva has ideology. 85% of Indians are Hindus. In the context of this discussion, west means western civilization.
In India secularism honors all faiths equally and gives them equal opportunities, It also ensures equality before law of all religions, while the state is neutral, same as the west.
In Western secularism, the state does not intervene in religion/ religious matters. In Indian secularism, because each religion treats its people differently, the state intervenes in each religion differently.
For Hindus, the state intervened in religious affairs by banning animal sacrifices, by ensuring that temples are accessible to Dalits (those who occupy the bottom rungs of the traditional Hindu caste hierarchy, and who were once called untouchables), by guaranteeing equal rights to Hindu men & women (as this equality of genders is not a feature of Hinduism where a woman is only a dependent and no share in property, nor has the right to education or hold a profession). Similar laws were not passed for Muslims, Christains, Sikhs, etc. because their religions have gender equality in-built, don’t have animal sacrifice, and don’t have caste-based inclusions or exclusions.
Hindutva derides this intervention as “pseudo-secularism”, and wants the state to not interfere in any religion & religious matters at all. The problem is, Indian society are built around religion. If the state steps out of religion then its a return to the dark ages with no scope for equality or democracy.
For all its spiritualty, the Hindu religion aka Hinduism is a rigid hierarchy of casteism and patriarchy. Per hindu theology, women are inferior & dependent to men, should be confined to home, are too feeble-minded to be educated, should be married off as early as possible, and don’t have any rights. The caste system is worse, because it systemically and systematically oppresses & dehumanizes a large section of humanity while giving the power of oppression of dehumanization to a small set. Per the caste system, Brahmins (the ubermensch) are at the top of the caste pyramid with Dalits & Shudras (the untermensch) at the bottom. The atrocities endured by the Dalits & Shudras is unimaginable and has no place in a civilised socity.
This is what Hindutva wants India to return to. Incidentally, Hindutva’s founders & leaders are all Brahmin males.
In Hindutva ideology, religions that originate from outside India (viz. Islam, Christianity) are not Indian, and Indians following these religions are non-Indian. Even if the Indian Muslim or Indian Christian is born in India and his family has practised their religion and been Indians for generations, per Hindutva they’re non-Indian. These people are the ‘them’. The only way they can be Indian is to renounce their religion and accept Hinduism (or as the Hindutva call it ghar-wapasi aka return home to Hinduism).
In Hindutva ideology (not Hindu theology), every religion created in the Indian sub-continent is Hindu, even when the religions were created specifically for rejecting Hinduism and its dogma & bigoted structures. It is a very clever way of denying these India-created but non-Hindu religions their identty and creates a bigger ‘us’ versus the ‘them’ .