Tag • #hinduism

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‘I was told I’d be killed if I didn’t leave’: Himalayan state is a testing ground for Modi’s nationalism

news.movim.eu / TheGuardian · Sunday, 14 April - 10:00

A region known as ‘God’s land’ offers a glimpse of the future if Indian prime minister’s BJP party retains its power

For centuries it has been known as the “land of the gods”. Stretching high up into the Himalayas, the Indian state of Uttarakhand is home to tens of thousands of Hindu temples and some of the holiest Hindu pilgrimage sites.

Yet as Hindu nationalism has become the dominant political force in India under prime minister Narendra Modi over the past decade, the government is accused of weaponising Uttarakhand’s sacred status for politics, making the state a “laboratory” for some of the most extreme rightwing policies and rhetoric targeting the Muslim minority.

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The Hindu caretaker and his mosque: a symbol of harmony amid India’s religious discord

news.movim.eu / TheGuardian · Friday, 5 April - 05:00

Bechan Baba has dedicated his life to Varanasi’s Anarwali mosque, where Hindus and Muslims come to pray – despite the historical disputes raging outside

In the heart of Varanasi, where the sacred Ganges meanders by and incense smoke mingles with the faint echoes of prayers from a myriad of temples, Bechan Baba sits at the entrance of the Anarwali mosque. A silent sentinel, the 72-year-old Hindu caretaker leans back on weathered stones that were laid almost 400 years ago.

Bechan has dedicated his working life to the service of this ancient mosque, which represents a sense of unity in a city wrestling with historical disputes.

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Indian women are being told nationalism will empower them. It’s a trick | Pragya Agarwal

news.movim.eu / TheGuardian · Monday, 26 February - 06:00

Far-right Hindu nationalists are giving women prominence to mobilise others, but regressive patriarchal systems are embedded in their ideology

It all started in the family WhatsApp group. A member of my extended family posted photos and videos of fireworks with the caption “a very good day” and many smiley emojis. When I asked, “what are we celebrating?” she replied, “the temple in Ayodhya”. It quickly escalated into a heated discussion about the decision to build a Hindu temple in place of a mosque that was razed to the ground, and the rise of far-right ideology.

As someone who left India 20 years ago for the UK, I am often seen as an “outsider” who cannot really understand Indian politics. If I comment on the political climate I’m accused of being brainwashed by the foreign media and discriminating against India. But I see the country of my birth changing and it upsets me hugely.

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Modi’s Hindu Nationalism Stokes Tension in Indian Diaspora

news.movim.eu / TheNewYorkTimes · Saturday, 30 September, 2023 - 15:09

The killing of a Canadian Sikh leader, carried out by what Canada described as Indian government agents, occurred amid widening divisions in the diaspora.