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Religious Difference and Intolerance


             The question to ask is, why then is it so difficult for people of different communities to respect each other's beliefs and to co-exist peacefully? Let us talk now in the Indian context. India is a secular democratic socialist republic. A large subcontinent, residents of which can practice any religion "freely." For many years the people of this country have lived together peacefully and without trouble even thought they belong to different religious faiths. A good example of this would be the people living in pre-partition Punjab. Most of the Hindus and Muslims living there practiced agriculture and so celebrated the same festivals related to the crop cycles. They ate the same food, talked in the same language and even dressed in similar clothes. It was virtually impossible to tell a Hindu from a Muslim at that time in Punjab. Both communities prided themselves on being a part of the Punjabi community. One of the reasons for the tolerance at that time could possibly be the amount of importance given to a communal identity as opposed to religious identity. The people of the villages at that time lived more or less in isolation from the rest of the world and so there was a greater inter-dependence between people of different religious faiths. This could also be one of the reasons for greater tolerance levels prevailing at that time.
             India was a Hindu dominated country before Islam and Christianity spread significantly in the country. Both these religions allowed conversions to propagate and spread. People from the lower castes of the rigid Hindu caste system converted to them. Another possible reason for conversions could be that that rulers of the country followed that religion and people thought that the fact that they too practiced the same faith might earn them preferential treatment. During the British period religious riots were engineered to divide and rule and leave the people of the country further fragmented thus preventing people to rise against the British as a unified nation.


Essays Related to Religious Difference and Intolerance

1. Education and Diversity Project

... that is not beneficial to a student's development. In chapter six there is a section on the difference on academic achievement and shows how some race groups achieve below average on a consistent basis and this can only change with racial tolerance being taught in the classroom by both teachers and students. Intervention #2: Variable: Race Age/Grade: Appropriate for k-12 with no restrictions. Intervention/Strategy: ... : Appropriate for K-5. Intervention/Strategy: Produce daily assignments that pair the different genders together. Have male and female students work on a different subjec...

  • Word Count: 5261
  • Approx Pages: 21

2. The Decline of Rome and Transf

... cultural pluralism which the greater part of the emperors of the Roman Ancient world patronized and tolerated. The core character of medieval civilization on the other hand lies in the shared Christian identity of its communities and it exclusive religious dogma, characterized by intolerance and ignorance. There are essentially three major forces that account for the change from the old ... , the presence of this faith is still felt strongly today. The adoption of Christianity by Constantine eventually led to intolerance and the persecution of pagan religions, this is a marked difference...

  • Word Count: 1775
  • Approx Pages: 7
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3. To Kill a Mockingbird and Persepolis

... -person perspective in their texts to challenge commonly held values and beliefs of the intolerant public society. In To Kill a Mockingbird Scout witnesses racial intolerance towards African Americans as well as gender and social inequality in the broader society. Marji, the protagonist in Persepolis experiences religious intolerance and oppression, and as with Scout, encounters examples of gender and social inequality. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Dill cries about the ... intolerance of the public society being present within Scout's progressive personal world. Similarly in Persepolis, Mar...

  • Word Count: 1031
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

4. To Kill a Mockingbird and Persepolis

... -person perspective in their texts to challenge commonly held values and beliefs of the intolerant public society. In To Kill a Mockingbird Scout witnesses racial intolerance towards African Americans as well as gender and social inequality in the broader society. Marji, the protagonist in Persepolis experiences religious intolerance and oppression, and as with Scout, encounters examples of gender and social inequality. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Dill cries about the ... intolerance of the public society being present within Scout's progressive personal world. Similarly in Persepolis, Mar...

  • Word Count: 1031
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

5. The Thirteen Colonies: Geography and Culture

... with them. While Massachusetts was the major Puritan center, the other New England colonies came about due to the Puritans strict intolerance to other religions. These colonies were founded by people who were expelled from Massachusetts by the Puritans for religious and social differences, such as Roger Williams in Rhode Island. Because of this, these other New England colonies were much tolerant ... to all religions. The major cultural aspect of the New England colonies is religion, both the intolerance by the Puritans and the freedom of religion by the other colonies. The ... to do w...

  • Word Count: 996
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6. God and the Great Spirit

... settlers in the takeover of America. In order to commune with the spiritual plane, both the Native Americans and the early European settlers used ritual. The difference lies in what the ritual was for. While the ships of European settlers brought many religious sects including Quakers, the majority could be classified as Christian. Christians follow certain rituals throughout the year to ... the European settlers placed itself above all others. This monotheism labeled all other religions as false and their believers as idolaters and heathens. This was probably why the settlers treated the...

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7. Religion and politics

... has the capability to unit a people; unfortunately, as there are so many religions; it ends up dividing people. So what indeed accounts for the religious violence that has so characterized our dispensation? What aspect of religion could make a Palestinian youth jubilate holding high hands covered with the blood of an ... clashes to occur. The main difference between now and then is in the real and true motives. Then, it was largely religion behind the conflicts, but today it is not. And this is one truth that is hidden from many. That there is much more to religious conflicts today than ...

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8. Racism and Ethnicity

... judged. Ethnicity is a term which represents social groups with a shared history, sense of identity, geography, and cultural roots which may occur despite racial difference. For example, a person's ethnicity can be defined as Irish, German, Italian, Jewish, Puerto Rican, etc. Ethnicity and race are different because race determines the color of your skin whereas ethnicity determines your family background. There is ... orientation. We can also refer this to as discrimination, stereotyping, and prejudice. Being prejudice means to have an irrational attitude of hostility directed against ...

  • Word Count: 925
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9. candide

... witness to things such as: the Seven-Years" War, the All Saints Day earthquake in Lisbon, the Spanish Inquisition, emergent philosophy of the Enlightenment, and much of the religious intolerance that was prevalent on the continent. Personal episodes and experiences such as these were the basis for his witticism. The lunacy involved in many of these major events constituted the bulk of what Candide ... the auto-de-fe's that were being performed for absurd reasons on people guilty of inconsequential behavior. Voltaire included several conflicts between and within the Muslim, Jesuit, and J...

  • Word Count: 1386
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