Hindu Minority Research Articles

Taslima Nasrin’s Lajja: A Failure of Communist Ideology

An in-depth analytical study of Taslima Nasrin’s Lajja (Shame) reveals that religious fanaticism plays a very derogatory role in dividing human beings on the basis of religion and inciting them to destroy their lives. She depicts a Hindu family which believed in communist ideology and cherished a number of hopes for security, liberty and equality in East Pakistan. Suranjan, the mouthpiece of Nasrin and the incarnation of Jimmy Porter, is a leftist intellectual; dreaming of humanity for Hindu Minority in Bangladesh. But he found that Hindus’ lives were badly impacted by the events between 1947 to 1992 during which social taboos and religion became the basis of politics and the country became an Islamic state marginalizing the minorities mostly Hindus. He gathered a number of persecutions in his heart and mind; and never retaliated till the abduction of his real sister. This incident brought out his hidden anger and hatred for Muslim Majority and he retaliated against them. He joined the Hindu organization to demolish the mosques and raped a Muslim whore very brutally to take revenge of his sister’s abduction. His family suffered such irreparable losses that it was forced to leave Bangladesh for India. Nasrin dares to condemn the Muslim fanatics and makes a universal appeal to human beings to live with love, peace and harmony thwarting political manipulations in the name of religion.

“So that we may be counted”

AbstractIn 2017 a seemingly small change in Pakistan's questionnaire for the upcoming national census sparked vociferous debates about religious identity and the politics of recognition. The questionnaire added “Scheduled Caste” as a separate religion, whereas previously it had appeared as a Hindu subcategory. Some saw this bureaucratic shift as a cynical attempt to further diminish Pakistan's precarious Hindu minority, reopening old wounds about religious nationalism. Anti‐caste progressives, however, saw an opportunity to imagine alternative political horizons for minority citizenship. How do untimely state projects render new political aspirations legible? As shown through ethnographic attention to rumors, enumerative practices, and census campaigns, the tools of bureaucratic documentation can reactivate unsettled histories, helping people imagine new possibilities from the state's margins.

The limits of recovery: coming of age, aspirations and (im)mobility among displaced Pandit youth in Jammu

ABSTRACT How do the displaced recover tangible and intangible losses incurred in displacement? What does the process of recovery involve, especially for members of displaced families who come of age after displacement and face the burden of recovery? This paper engages with these questions in relation to the Hindu minority of the Kashmir valley, better known as the Kashmiri Pandits. Following the outbreak of conflict, the vast majority of this community fled the Kashmir valley in 1990. The paper will explore the biographies of two Kashmiri Pandit men who were children at the time of displacement and came of age in exile. By drawing on their experiences, set in the context of ethnographic research in the city of Jammu in Jammu and Kashmir, this paper examines the process of ‘growing up’ in a non-metropolitan urban area and balancing the recovery of loss alongside the aspirations of the youth. While existing scholarship on societies affected by violence discusses how recovery takes place in engaging with ordinary life, this process has to contend with the limits of ordinary life. The paper argues that the displaced are forced to come to terms with the limits of recovery and confront the dead-endedness of ordinary life.

The Rule of Law in an Ethnocracy: India's Citizenship Amendment Act and the Will of the Hindu Ethnos

What is the fate of the rule of law in India that is transitioning to an ethnocracy? Drawing on a ‘thin’ conception of the rule of law, this article argues that the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act responds to the emergence of a political ideal that constructs the Hindu ethnos as central to the Indian nation. Drawing on a variety of sources that include pronouncements by leaders of the RSS, the ideological fount of India's ruling BJP, analysis of right-wing periodicals that function as a conveyor belt of social ideas, and the provisions of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), this article highlights the core themes that motivate the will of the Hindu ethnos in respect of the contentious legislation: (i) the persecution of the Hindu minorities in India's Muslim-majority neighbours; (ii) the discrimination faced by Dalits in particular and (iii) the establishment of India as a Hindu Zion. In the first section, I elaborate the concept of ‘ethnocracy’. The second section reflects on the fate of the rule of law in an ethnocratic India by analysing the social justifications for the introduction of the contentious CAA. In the third section, I situate these dynamics within India's broader transition to an ethnocracy, the political ideals that shape this transition, and the shared social norms that emerge from this transition, which feeds back to the rule of law in an ethnocracy.

Context dependent cognitive development in Bhutanese children

We assessed risk/protective factors for cognitive development of Bhutanese children (504 3–5 year-olds, 49% girls, major ethnicities Ngalop 26%, Tshangla 30%, Lhotsampa 34%) using a non-verbal test of cognitive capacity (SON-R) and primary caregiver interviews. Cognitive capacity was related to the family’s SES and whether the family belonged to the primary Buddhist majority ethnic groups (Ngalop or Tshangla) or primarily Hindu minorities (Lhotsampa). In majority families more engagement in Buddhist practices was associated with higher cognitive capacity in children. Minority children were more impacted by parents autonomous-relatedness values. Results demonstrate that cognitive development is dependent on the financial and educational context of the family, societal events, and culture specific risk/protective factors that differ across sub-groups (majority/minority, culture/religion).

Exploitation of Minority Community in Nasrin’s Lajja: Marxist Perspective

This paper seeks to examine the terrific effects of the economic exploitation and domination of the plebeian Hindu communities by the majority of aristocratic Muslim communities in Bangladesh in Taslima Nasrin’s Lajja. The genesis of the novel lies in the demolition of the Babri Masjid in India by Hindu extremists on December 1, 1992, and its effects in Bangladesh thereafter. The destruction of the temples, burning down of shops and houses, and rape of the proletariat Hindu women clearly signify the exploitation of the proletariat by the capitalists. The research tool used to survey the issue is the Marxist theoretical perspectives elaborated by Lois Tyson and Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. This conflict is similar to the scenario of Marxism, which deals with the conflict between the oppressed class and the oppressor. The Hindu minority community can be compared to the exploited class and the Muslim fundamentalists as the exploiters. The chief finding of the research is that the lower class Hindu women were raped, and the proletariat Hindu males were beaten; their property was destroyed or looted by the so-called Muslim capitalists, taking advantage of the weakness of the plebeians. Nasrin has portrayed the harassment, discrimination, and persecution of lower-class Hindu people by the bourgeois Muslims in Bangladesh. It is expected that readers opting to approach Nasrin from the Marxist perspective can take the paper as a reference.

MINORITIES RIGHTS IN PUNJAB: PRIMARY DATA BASED ANALYSIS OF HINDU MINORITY

Religious Minorities are facing serious issues in Pakistan. They are living and having a lot of issues in toleration from the society. Article 20 of the Constitution states that every Pakistani citizen have liberty to establish their religious institutions and practice their own religion. With all these equal rights mentioned in constitution the country has lack of implementation of state policies. The purpose of the research is to explore the realities about the Hindu group and dealing with them by society. The constitution of 1973 provides the guarantee of equal rights of citizen, but some marginalized groups suppressed by the society. The Special focus of this research is to collect primary data from Hindu Minority. For this purpose, a questionnaire has designed to get the basic information form Hindu Minority.

Freedom of Religion for Non-Muslims in Islam: A Pakistani Affair

Pakistan has long claimed itself to be Shariah compliant, as particularly enshrined in the preamble of its Constitution to be an Islamist State. However, the religious minority, which makes up about 2-4% of the total population, especially the Hindus, have always been the target of persecution, denied religious freedom and even forced to convert to Islam. It is an irony that a state making such a constitutional claim of abiding by the Quran and Sunnah has turned a deaf ear to the freedom of religion and the rights that Islam guarantees to the non-Muslims of a Muslim state. The Quran and the teachings of the Prophet are not only clear on this subject but also vigilant in upholding the rights of non-Muslims. Although religious minorities in Pakistan comprise of not only Hindus but Christians, Sikhs, Ahmadiyyas and other ethnic minorities, this paper intends to focus solely on the plight of the Hindus in Pakistan, in light of the freedom of religion guaranteed by Islam. The study shall focus on the persecution of the Hindu minorities by way of forced conversions, refusal of the right of practicing their own religion and the recent halt of the construction of a temple in Islamabad. The research further engages in the historical perspective of freedom of religion in Pakistan and its relationship with the Islamic ideology it possesses, as opposed to the true teachings of the Quran and Sunnah which is evidential of the harmonious relationship among people of all religions, cultures and ideology.

Social Discrimination, Need to Belong, and Psychological Wellbeing Among Religious Minorities in Pakistan

The basic objective of this study was to find out the relationship of social discrimination with psychological wellbeing in presence of the moderating role of need to belong among religious minorities in Pakistan. The sample consisted of 162 adult religious minorities participants. Online questionnaires which included demographics, Daily Life Discrimination Scale (Williams et al., 1997), Need to Belong Scale (Leary et al., 2013), and Ryff’s Psychological Wellbeing Scale (Kallay & Rus, 2014) comprising six subscales autonomy, environmental mastery, purpose in life, positive relations with others, personal growth and self-acceptance were used to collect the data. It was found that social discrimination has a negative relationship with the need to belong as well as psychological wellbeing. The need to belong played a moderating role in four sub variables of psychological wellbeing as autonomy, environmental mastery, self-acceptance and positive relations with others. Results also indicated that women face more social discrimination as compared to men and the Hindu and Sikh minorities face more social discrimination as compared to the Christian minority. This research may provide a stimulus for the policy makers and future researchers to learn more about the social discrimination, need to belong and psychological wellbeing of the religious minorities in Pakistan, and further, to alleviate their sufferings.

Hindutva and Islamophobia

This research paper is an attempt to understand rising Islamophobia in India in relation to Hindutva as a political ideology. It is argued that Islamophobia is inherent in Savarkar’s construction of ‘self’ and the ‘other’ that was reinforced by his followers Hedgewar and Golwalkar. These constructs are based on dominant Brahmanic traditions mainly used for political purposes to acquire and sustain power. The lower Hindu castes and minorities are primary victims in this homogenising project of Hindutva. Hindutva ideology emerged as a response to British colonisation based on politics of resistance. But in the post-partition era it evolved into politics of domination by a particular construct of ‘Hindu Nationalism’ comprising of Brahmanic, Aryan and Vedic components. Hindutva zealots equate an Indian with Hindu identity and Muslims are constructed as an internal threat to Hindutva ideology as they resist this homogenisation and continue to assert a separate identity for themselves.

Hindutva and Islamophobia

This research paper is an attempt to understand rising Islamophobia in India in relation to Hindutva as a political ideology. It is argued that Islamophobia is inherent in Savarkar’s construction of ‘self’ and the ‘other’ that was reinforced by his followers Hedgewar and Golwalkar. These constructs are based on dominant Brahmanic traditions mainly used for political purposes to acquire and sustain power. The lower Hindu castes and minorities are primary victims in this homogenising project of Hindutva. Hindutva ideology emerged as a response to British colonisation based on politics of resistance. But in the post-partition era it evolved into politics of domination by a particular construct of ‘Hindu Nationalism’ comprising of Brahmanic, Aryan and Vedic components. Hindutva zealots equate an Indian with Hindu identity and Muslims are constructed as an internal threat to Hindutva ideology as they resist this homogenisation and continue to assert a separate identity for themselves.

Religious Division and Otherness as Portrayed in 'Shame' and 'The Ministry of Utmost Happiness'

After the partition of India in 1947, religion has become a major catalyst for division and othering in most of South Asia. Bangladeshi author and activist Taslima Nasrin was exiled from her country, primarily for revealing the mistreatment of the Hindu minorities in Bangladesh in her novel Shame. Indian author Arundhati Roy has also faced severe backlash due to her portrayal of the mistreatment of the Muslims in India in her novel The Ministry of Utmost Happiness. Religion has become an extremely fraught issue in South Asia, making almost any criticism of religious fundamentalism a highly perilous endeavor. Yet, both Nasrin and Roy had the courage to do that. This paper explores how the aforementioned novels expose the process of othering of the religious minorities in India and Bangladesh by highlighting the retributive nature of communal violence which feeds on mistrust, hatred, and religious tribalism – a cursed legacy that can be traced back to the violent partition of the Indian subcontinent based on the two-nation theory.

ADVOKASI MAYORITAS MUSLIM TERHADAP MINORITAS HINDU DI SIDOARJO

This study explored an advocacy of Muslim majority on Hindu Minority in Sidoarjo. The Muslim majority group maintained and protected the Hindu minority group in Krembung community. The Hindu group has very little adherents but they could grow to have a house of worship with a large land area in the East Java region. Most followers came from outside the area. This phenomenon looked unique since the Hindu people living in the temple area are very few and even dominated by immigrants from Bali. There was only one original family and the local indigenous population. The rest were immigrants and followers who came from outside the area. This study attempted to explain the forms of advocacy occurring in the area and factors encouraged the majority to advocate the minority. The analysis method uses advocacy and pro-social theory approaches. To enrich data collection, this study uses field studies which are also accompanied by interviews, observations and documentation. The study revealed that there were some forms of advocacy carried out by Muslim majority on Hindu minority in the form of mutual protection in various fields, including economic, social and the existence of each group. The birth of awareness to build advocacy through various activities was described.

Jogendranath Mandal and the Politics of Dalit Recognition in Pakistan

This essay examines some turns in the Pakistani political career of the Dalit leader Jogendranath Mandal between 1947 and 1950 when he resigned as a government minister and left the country. The imperatives of Dalit emancipation interacted with concerns about the position of minorities, thereby revealing the conditions by which difference became legible in the new state. In the creation of Pakistan, Mandal had seen a promise of furthering Dalit emancipation, but this vision could not withstand the state’s view of an undifferentiated Hindu minority population. By tracing Mandal’s trajectory, this essay follows both the promises offered by Pakistan and the slow closure of such alternative possibilities.

The Future Relations between the Majority and Minority Religious Groups, Viewed from Indonesian Contemporary Perspective: A Case Study of the Coexistence of Muslims and the Towani Tolotang in Amparita, South Sulawesi

The topic of relations of several religious groups in the world from different perspectives has been a hot issue among researchers and stakeholders. This article addresses the future relations between the majority and minority religious groups, particularly a case study of Bugis Muslims and Bugis Hindus known as Towani Tolotang who live in a harmonious life in South Sulawesi seen from Indonesian contemporary perspective. The present article is based on our research conducted in 2017 and 2018. The results show that Muslim majority and Hindu minority have been living in a dynamic and harmonious life because they have shared similar Bugis cultural background and tradition. In addition, the honesty of Bugis Muslims towards Bugis Hindus has contributed to a conducive living atmosphere. In addition, the existence of equality for the socio-politico status and economic endeavour for the Muslim majority and Hindu minority has brought them into a good social life. So, both communities may enjoy a long period of peaceful and prosperous coexistence in Indonesian modern life.

Reasons Behind the Forced Migration of Bangladeshi Hindu Religious Minorities to India

The number of Bangladeshi Hindu religious minorities have been dropping rapidly during the last few decades. Bangladesh shares a long border with India, and due to linguistic and cultural similarities, many Bangladeshi religious minorities choose to take refuge in India. This research explores the reasons forcing Hindu minorities to leave Bangladesh. It also provides an overview of the situation in Bangladesh with regard to minority protection, law enforcement and government actions. The findings of this research also illustrate why forced migration is an ongoing process and the main factors behind that exodus.

Peaceful Co-Existence among the Religious Minorities of Bangladesh: An Analytical Study

Bangladesh is historically a country of many religious minorities including Hindu, Buddhist, Sheik, Animist, and Atheist. After the liberation war, it contributed immensely to sustain religious, social as well as political harmony among the people of multi religious beliefs. Despite the profound struggles from the government to sustain the harmonious living, some unavoidable incidents have taken place, such as, the assassination of number of atheists by radical Islamic group, attacking on Hindu minorities and destroying their temple, setting fire to Buddhist temples and dozens of homes, and killing of nine Christians in the church. The incidents have raised the question about the fate of religious minorities and peaceful co-existence among all religious sects in Bangladesh. This paper, therefore, attempts at examining the basic problems among all religious groups in Bangladesh that prevent the harmonious living and peaceful co-existence. At the same time, it identifies the forces that play a vital role to spread a religious fanaticism. In addition, the paper evaluates the current situation of Bangladesh in terms of social, political and religious rights of minority groups. In addressing the issue, the paper also provides some recommendations for better religious peaceful co-existence among the people of multi religious beliefs.

Socio-Economic Conditions Of Hindu Women In Karachi With Special Reference To Narainpura Karachi

The religious minority constitutes an anomaly within the discourse of national identity in Pakistan. They become an anomaly because their existence as citizens of Pakistan highlights the contradictions within the theory that, the State of Pakistan was created for the Muslims of the Indian subcontinent. Hindus are the largest religious minority in Sindh, but facing discrimination at all levels, i.e., economic, social, political, and legal. They are living as a second-class citizen of the country. While, the women who belong to these minority groups are facing double discrimination, firstly as a woman, and then as a Hindu. It is an exploratory research which was conducted in Narainpur (Karachi), which is one of the oldest residential areas of the city, and represents the largest population of Hindu minority, i.e., 60,000 to 70,000. The entire population of Narainpur comprises of poor and lower middle class, as most of the population works as sweepers, housemaids, laborers in KMC, and sellers. Interview schedule was used to collect data from the respective respondents. Result show that health conditions of the women of this locality needs improvement.

Enterprising Women, Tourism, and Development: The Case of Bali

ABSTRACTBali, the home of Indonesia’s Hindu minority, is experiencing a rapid growth in tourism and hospitality. The resulting opportunities for small scale, locally owned businesses has greatly benefited women. Using in depth interviews and other supplemental evidence, this trend is examined in order to explore how women are influenced by the circumstances faced, as well as by their culture and heritage. Doing so provides an empirical evidence regarding how women can contribute to the hospitality industry in places such as Bali.

Politics of Land Grabbing: The Vested Property Act and the Exploitation of Hindu Communities in Bangladesh

The minority communities have been victimised in most of the countries of the sub-continent. Like other countries of the subcontinent, the minorities in Bangladesh have been subject to exploitation at times. This study explores the dynamics of the enactment of the Vested Properties Act 1974 from the historical perspective, identifying factors influencing the enactment of the Act in Bangladesh. The impact of the Act on the exploitation of the Hindu minority in Bangladesh is assessed. The study finds that as governments played political games with the Act, Hindu communities were systematically robbed of land using its provisions.