Abstract
The chapter deals with the historical and contemporary issues which have been overriding the Hindu-Muslim ethnic-religion-based relations in the Indian subcontinent. An attempt is made to trace social and psychological roots of recurring ethnic violence, persistent prejudice and discrimination, which characterize the relations between these two communities to evolving road maps for harmony and peace. Strategies and possibilities of improving Hindu-Muslim relations are discussed and policy-driven actions are evaluated.
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Notes
- 1.
A train carrying Hindu activists who were returning from Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh was allegedly set on fire at Godhra station in Gujarat by some Muslims in 2002. This resulted in large-scale communal violence in Gujarat.
- 2.
The Sabarimala temple, devoted to Lord Ayyappa, is an important Hindu pilgrimage centre in Kerala. The pilgrims begin their journey with a ritualistic stop at the Erumely mosque to seek Vavar’s blessings. According to popular belief, Lord Ayyappa and Vavar, a Muslim king, were great friends and Lord Ayyappa desired that all pilgrims coming to his temple should first seek permission of Vavar before coming to the temple. People belonging to all religions, including Muslims, take part in the Sabarimala festival.
- 3.
The Amarnath trek is undertaken by Hindu pilgrims to pay homage to Lord Shiva. The Amarnath cave is located in Jammu and Kashmir. Pilgrims undertake an arduous and long journey to reach the cave, which is situated at a height of more than 14,000 ft. According to popular belief, the cave was discovered by a Muslim shepherd. Ever since, Muslims have taken care of Hindus embarking on the pilgrimage. The pilgrimage trek has faced no problems in spite of communal tension in J&K.
- 4.
Urs refers to the death anniversaries of Sufi saints that take place at their places of burial, called dargahs. The Urs celebrations of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti at Ajmer attract a very large number of people, including a large number of Hindus.
- 5.
Phoolwalon ki sair is an annual festival organized in Mehrauli in Delhi in which members of all communities participate. One of its ostensible purposes is to promote communal harmony. The festival was made popular by Bahadur Shah “Zafar”, the last Mughal king who made flower offerings at the dargah of Khwaja Bakhtiar “Kaki” and also the goddess “Yogmaya”. The tradition continues to this day.
- 6.
During the riots, it was alleged that the role of the police was blatantly partisan and it brutally beat up a very large number of Muslims.
- 7.
Vishva Hindu Parishad and some Hindu right-wing political parties claim that Vishvanath temple at Kashi, Govind Dev temple at Mathura and Ram Janmabhumi Temple were demolished by Muslim kings to erect mosques there.
- 8.
Refers to assimilation of Hindu-Muslim cultures over a period of time.
- 9.
Hindus consider Mount Kailash to be the abode of Lord Shiva. Mansarovar Lake, it is believed by Hindus was created by Lord Brahma, in his mind before it appeared on the Earth and, therefore, is capable of washing all sins. Mount Kailash and Lake Mansarovar are located in China. The Indian government organizes an annual pilgrimage for Hindus, Jains and Buddhists in collaboration with the Chinese government.
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Tripathi, R.C., Ghosh, E.S.K., Kumar, R. (2014). The Hindu-Muslim Divide: Building Sustainable Bridges. In: Tripathi, R., Sinha, Y. (eds) Psychology, Development and Social Policy in India. Springer, New Delhi. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-81-322-1003-0_13
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