Originally posted by: malikakas
For your last comment, just imagine Alabama, that can't handle a namaste in yoga, being expected to be woken up to the Azan at 5 am weekly. A country of 80% polytheists being told that there is only 1 God. Hinduism is ubiquitous in Indian but there is a level of deference that is expected in western countries towards Christianity that is not the same for India.
Not quoting the whole thing.
I agree WWII was much more nuanced. But again, Nazis! By the time Sardar Patel joined them, it was clear how bad they were. He could've done a Gandhi and refused to fight. But that's not what he did. He went and joined the other side which was several magnitudes more evil. The Koreans will attest.
The reconciliation with past should happen. Problem is there is no church or government belonging to the Mughals to now offer apologies. So who is expected to apologize? Indian-born Muslims? Christians for the Brits? And it's not even the need to reconcile that seems to be driving most of these posts. It's plain and simple Mughals were Muslims, Brits were Christians, both were invaders. Therefore, Muslims and Christians are foreign and to be stigmatized. No, they are not foreign. They are of Indian ethnicity and practice a different religion. They are as Indian as the people who make the ridiculous posts otherizing them. Their culture is also Indian culture. Indian MUSLIM culture.
Here, on this forum, someone called me a rice bag once. 😆 I didn't have the faintest idea what it meant. After it was repeated a few times, I asked someone. Apparently, it means someone who converted because a missionary offered a bag of rice. Strangely, this person didn't seem to see the irony in using that as an insult when he should've been trying to figure out what would prompt someone to give up something as personal as religion for food. A chance to feed his kids maybe? So who's supposed to apologize for that system where the poor and lower castes went hungry? Actually, still are.
Reconciliation would be a beautiful thing. But not when it is used as pretext for bigotry and not when it is limited to one category which is convenient to the elites.
Also, having grown up in India, I can attest there is a great deal of cultural deference shown to Hinduism. Government offices start programs with Ganapati puja. Schools do Saraswati Puja. Even the convent school I went to did. I don't know how much more deference one can expect than that. As for Azaan, one of my fond memories of childhood in India is being woken at 5 am by Suprabatham, azaan, and church bells all at the same time.
One Alabama doesn't take away from the other states where temples and mosques abound, and yes, cultural celebrations are encouraged. I live in Illinois where state universities celebrate Hindu festivals, sponsored by Indian clubs.
Once again, I don't expect the majority to hide their culture from the public square to make me comfortable. They will celebrate, and their celebrations will be front and center because they are the majority. Especially when I'm an immigrant, it's a choice I consciously make to live amid that culture. As long as everyone is equal in the eyes of the law, I'm cool with other stuff.
In fact, I'm more than cool. There are some who know me in real life on this forum. They will tell you how invested I am in ancient Indian litt and culture. To the point of obsession, actually. 😆 It belongs to me as much as to any practicing Hindu. They were my ancestors, too.
Anyway, it's good debating opposing points of view where we don't end up in a fistfight 😆.
Edited by HearMeRoar - 3 years ago
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