The Emergence of Hindutva Terrorism in India
The Emergence of Hindutva Terrorism in India
The Emergence of Hindutva Terrorism in India
History of Hindu-Muslim Relations Communalism, defined as the advocacy and projection of a group identity based on religion, language, and/or ethnicity, has plagued HinduMuslim relations in India since the 1800s (Lyon, 2008, p.45). Since Hinduism has been present in Indian culture for thousands of years, many Hindus view Islam as an intruder trying to disrupt the traditional way of life in India. The tension and violence between the two groups resulted in numerous riots with heavy casualties in the decades preceding the 1947 partition of the subcontinent. The creation of India and Pakistan as separate nations gives much insight into how indoctrinated each group is about the validity and worth of their particular religion and way of life in comparison to the other group. Although religious difference was not the root cause of partition, it was used as a way to easily define differences, legitimize hostility, and appeal to people who were not moved by arguments about constitutional niceties (Embree, 2011, p. 236). Considered by historians to be the largest migration in history, some twelve to fifteen million people crossed the border, leading to massive displacement and one to two million deaths due to communal violence (Cohen, 2011, 62). While some thought that the implementation of the TwoNation theory would ease tensions between the groups, by allowing each new nation to pursue its own laws, customs, and religious preference,
communal violence has continued until modern times. Although the people of India and Pakistan are certainly responsible for their actions, the British policy of divide and rule and efforts to pit the two groups against one another during colonialism were driving factors in creating some of the negative sentiments that are still present between the two groups today. While most Muslims migrated from India to Pakistan, many Muslims did not have the resources to migrate to Pakistan, and were therefore left in India. This created a small population of poor, mostly uneducated Muslims that were subjected to discrimination at the hands of the Hindus. In Why do Indian Muslims lag behind? Soutik Biswas points out that even though thirtyone percent of Muslims are below the official poverty line, many Hindus still accused them of being appeased by the state and treated them as a threat to Hinduism (2007,p.2). The disadvantages faced by Muslim individuals in India impact almost every aspect of every day life, from health care to education. The alienation from public life spurs a vicious cycle that promotes segregation between the groups, and forces Muslims to associate more with their religious group than their country. Without the vital integration into Indian culture, Muslims feel disempowered, and therefore are more likely to commit radical acts in order to better their plight. During partition, all princely states had to associate with either India or Pakistan, it was not an option to remain independent. Kashmir, a state in the northwest of the continent, had borders with both Pakistan and India, but did
not initially join either nation. Since the population was mainly Muslim and the ruler was a Hindu, the decision about which new nation to join was extremely difficult. When Pakistan aided an effort to take Kashmir by force, Indian forces stepped in to prevent Kashmir from being a state in the newly created Pakistan. The resulting war left the borders as they are currently, with one-third of Kashmir given to Pakistan, and the remainder under Indian control (Cohen, pg.64). The debate over who should have control over Kashmir has been an excuse for Pakistan to incite violence------The spread of Hindutva ideology, a term used by Hindu nationalists to define an India essence, directly resulted in an increase in violence between Muslims and Hindus. Waves of communal violence also spread after the 1992 destruction of the Babri Masjid mosque in Ayodha by Hindu extremists who claimed that the mosque was built on the god Rams birthplace (Shani,2007, p.16). Although there was not any official evidence supporting this claim, the destruction of the mosque highlights the aggressive steps Hindu nationalists are willing to take in order to establish themselves in opposition to all nonHindus. The focus on the god Ram also reflects an elemental difference between traditional and fundamentalist Hinduism. Traditional Hinduism lacks official texts or doctrines, and instead is a pluralistic religion in which each individual is free to worship as s/he sees fit. Fundamentalist Hinduism desires to eradicate some the differences among Hindus through starting to
view Ram as the central god, and using the official version of his story, The Ramayana (DeVotta, 2011, p.5). Fundamentalists believe that the traditional, pluralistic idea of Hinduism represents weakness, and therefore want to move in the direction of a stronger, unified Hindu society. In 2002, the worst religiously motivated violence in years occurred when Hindu mobs in Gujarat brutally murdered up to 2,000 Muslim civilians. In Terrorism in India has many faces, Martha Nussbaum states that the right-wing Hindus movement has insisted that India is for Hindus, and that both Muslims and Christians are foreigners who should have second-class status in the nation, since the 1930s(2008). It is therefore not shocking that they would have embraced the ethno-religious cleansing, as they feel that they are truly superior to other religious and ethnic groups. This attack was planned as retaliation for a previous Muslim attack on Hindu pilgrims returning from Ayodhya. The brutal murders are yet another example of how Hindu nationalism is repeatedly radicalizing the countrys marginalized Muslims (DeVotta, 2011, p.4). It also highlights that terrorist attacks can, and do, become a way for groups to rationalize engaging in communal violence. This cycle of counter-violence has not led to a war yet, but with increased attacks and examples of communal violence, war will eventually follow unless measures are taken to try and create increased equality for both groups. Although not all groups who are discriminated against turn to
terrorism, more than 6,000 religiously motivated terrorist attacks in recent years were perpetrated by radical Muslims, which is far more than any other group in the world (Religious Fundamentalism, 35). With terrorist attacks claiming more than 2,300 lives in India last year, the marginalized Muslim community is starting to react to the aggressive nationalist actions by Hindus.
History of Religious Fundamentalism Comprising 325 functioning languagessix major religions4,500 caste groups, hundreds of tribal groups, and their resulting traditions and cultures encompassed in twenty-eight states and seven territories, Indias rich diversity is one of its greatest strengths, although it can be a challenge at times (DeVotta, 2011, p.2). Hinduism is equally diverse, with thousands of deities and the ability to practice in almost any way and still be considered a good Hindu. Religious fundamentalism is defined as, a belief in the literal interpretation of holy texts, and among the more hard-line groups, the desire to replace secular law with religious law (Religious Fundamentalism, p.27). While there are some fundamentalist groups that engage in violence, there are also groups that are more moderate and use nonviolent approaches to enact radical change (Religious Fundamentalism, p.31). In India, the beginning of the nationalist movement was in 1885, while India was still under British Rule. Hindu nationalist politics developed and rose to
popularity along with the Sangh Parivar, a family of extremist Hindu organizations (Shani, 2007, p.1). Included within this family of organizations were: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), and Bajrang Dal. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was founded in 1980 as the political face of this Hindutva movement. Meaning Hinduness, Hindutva seeks to restore India to its former greatness and to define its own terms on what it means to be a Hindu. The ultimate aim of this principle is the creation of Hindu rashtra, or Hindu nation (Lyons, 2008,p. 75). This movement stands in opposition to Congress Party, which promotes a pluralistic Indian identity instead of a Hindu identity. The spread of this ideology was accompanied by an increase in Hindu-Muslim violence. This Right-wing Hindu promotion of the ideal nation in which one nation, culture, religion, and language reigns supreme undercuts both the pluralism that is central to Hinduism, as well as the secular ideas of diversity upon which India is founded. Instead of appreciating the wide array of diversity that Hinduism offers, Hindutva alters the perception of the religion in order to fit better with their goal to radically reshape society by violent means (Confronting the Reality of Hindutva Terrorism, p.11). Their ideological challenge of pluralism as the center of everything is based on the desire for the militarization of India society in order to promote the strong sense of national identity required to oppose non-Hindus (Confronting the Reality of Hindutva Terrorism, p.11, EPW). In order to achieve the strong
sense of national identity, children are taught the principles of Hindu thought at a young age. Although young boys will not participate in the terrorist activities until they are older, the Bajrang Dal sponsors summer training camps in which boys learn their way through various obstacles, including: pyramids, hoops of fire, gunshots and lessons about various stages of war. Through these camps, the next generation of Hindu terrorists are being warned about the danger of Muslims and basic training to escape or kill a, terrorist, Muslim, illegal immigrant in order to be prepared for the apocalypse: Kalyug is upon us (Confronting the Reality of Hindutva Terrorism,29). The Muslims are taking over the country by converting Hindus, by pretending to be Hindu and marrying our women. Hindus will soon be extinct. Although these statements have no evidential backing, it highlights how integrated these ideas are into society, even among young children. The VHPs overarching desire for a strong national state and recruitment for the team has resulted in the re-writing of history to criminalize Muslims as destroying peace, blaming them for all of worlds problems. The ideology on both sides promotes the feeling of us versus them, which historically drives individuals to see members of the other group as inferior, leading to the rationalization of violent acts against them.
In 2004, the U.N. Secretary-Generals High-level Panel Report defined terrorism as, any actionthat is intended to cause death or serious bodily harm to civilians or noncombatants, when the purpose of such act, by its nature or context, is to intimidate a population, or to compel a government or an international organization to do or abstain from doing any act (Crenshaw,2011, p2). As an organized group, Hindutva terrorism can be defined as a form of nationalist terrorism, or as right-wing terrorism. Although Hindutva is related to religious terrorism, the pluralistic nature of Hinduism, in addition to the desire to create a strong sense of national identity, align it closer with nationalist terrorism. The stress of the political, cultural, and religious supremacy of the Hindus, and their focus on creating a Hindu rashtra, makes the acts of violence against Muslims to accomplish these goals rational. The main factor driving domestic terrorism in India is domestic politics. The political structure reinforces ideas of supremacy for Hindus, and reinforces the status of Muslims as minorities. With this one sided control, Muslims do not have a legitimate way for their concerns to be heard and for action to be taken. Without the opportunity to go through legal means, Muslims are forced to take matters into their own hands to try and achieve more equality. Indias Indulgence of Hindutva In Confronting the Reality of Hindutva Terrorism(2008), Praful Bidwai notes that Hindutva terrorism is treated with remarkable indulgence by the
state-witness the kid gloves handling of the Bajrang Dal, VHP, and the Shiv Sena despite their owning up to hate speech and hate crimes from decades (p.11). While India has been the target of several terrorist attacks over the past two decades, this does not legitimize the turn to Hindutva terrorism that is now occurring. It is clear that government agencies, including the police force, often turn a blind eye towards the acts of Hindutva groups. Even when circumstantial and forensic evidence may point to the involvement of Hindutva groups, authorities often merely assume that it is the workings of Islamic extremist groups. Even in recent examples in which the majority of the victims were Muslims, there are seldom charges brought against Hindu groups for the violence. The bias of the police has certainly led to countless innocent individuals being incarcerated, or even executed, for acts that they did not commit. The overall corruption of the legal system does not improve this dire fact. The statement by the Maharastra police that It is an established fact that Muslims are the masterminds behind all terrorist activities across India, shows the extreme communalism that pervades Indian society (Confronting the Reality of Hindutva Terrorism,p.13). When Muslims do not even have the protection of the police, there is nothing to curb the discrimination against them. With the acts of Hindutva terrorism organized and funded by groups such as the RSS, which have wide support among the Indian constituency
and a large presence in government agencies, it is not shocking that these acts of violence are going unpunished. This fact may have been what spurred Rahul Gandhi, a leading member of parliament, to say that radicalized Hindu groups were a bigger threat to India that support for Lashkar-i-Taiba a militant group that is accused in the Mumbai attacks, in a discussion with the U.S. ambassador in 2009(Religious Fundamentalism, p.50). Conclusion Through examining of the turbulent relationship between Hindus and Muslims, the history of religious fundamentalism, the driving forces behind terrorism, and the Government of Indias indulgence of Hindutva terrorism, the implications of the rise of Hindu fundamentalism in India have become evident. Although the events of the past can not be changed, India can look forward to try and resolve the conflict and promote peace between the groups in the years to come. As India continues to develop and become increasingly involved in global affairs, it is vital that a resolution between Muslims and Hindus within India, as well as between India and Pakistan be reached. If measures are not taken soon, the development of India will leave Muslims even more disenfranchised and lead to more acts of violence. Secondly, there needs to be a reform within the Indian government that focuses on impartiality and equal treatment of all citizens. As long as
Muslims are locked into a system in which they will always be the minority, and that their collective voice will never be able to accomplish anything within the current system, they will constantly search for alternate, more radical ways of accomplishing their goals. Also, acts of terrorism by Hindutva groups must be punished. When thousands of innocent people have died, it is only right that the murderers be brought to justice for the acts of hate and inhumanity. For the peace of India, as well as the world, it is important that measures be taken so that future generations may evade the tragic violence that has plagued the region for decades.