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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. Religious Tolerance is not Religious Indifference

"Religious tolerance is not religious indifference. ... This belief is based on religious teachings that they have the duty to persecute those whose religious beliefs are different than their own. ... Today, many examples of religious intolerance exist. ... In the early part of their history Americans committed heinous atrocities towards the natives but as they have evolved and their constitution has matured I challenge anyone to provide me with one example of recent religious intolerance attributed to the government of the United States. Because separation of church and state is one of th...

  • Word Count: 962
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

2. Religious Persecution

Not nearly enough is being done to combat the persecution of religious believers worldwide. ... Robinson, an author for a popular website where the focus is placed on religious persecution and related issues, the causes of persecution or conflicts are usually because of racial, ethnical, religious, economic and also other differences. Conflicts and religious intolerance occurs among people within the same or in different countries and of similar or dissimilar religions ( 4). ... This can most likely be seen as the main cause for religious persecution today. ... Religious liberty for all will ...

  • Word Count: 1346
  • Approx Pages: 5
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3. Inhumane Treatment of Minorities in WWII

Intolerance is something that everyone deals with. ... What is being intolerance, exactly? ... One example of intolerance shown is religious bigotry. ... Examples that especially illustrate religious bigotry, is the killing of prisoners that did not meet the standards that Nazis made. ... We need to be tolerant to differences, understanding of others and willing to change for the better....

  • Word Count: 1183
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Grade Level: High School

4. To Kill a Mockingbird and Persepolis

Lee and Satrapi highlight the intolerance through the use of first-person perspective, symbolism, and textual/graphical irony. ... Marji, the protagonist in Persepolis experiences religious intolerance and oppression, and as with Scout, encounters examples of gender and social inequality. ... Similar techniques are used by Satrapi in Persepolis to highlight the intolerance and oppression of the adult public society. ... Lee uses Calpurnia as a symbol of the intolerance of the public society being present within Scout's progressive personal world. ... She experiences this class differenc...

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

5. To Kill a Mockingbird and Persepolis

Lee and Satrapi highlight the intolerance through the use of first-person perspective, symbolism, and textual/graphical irony. ... Marji, the protagonist in Persepolis experiences religious intolerance and oppression, and as with Scout, encounters examples of gender and social inequality. ... Similar techniques are used by Satrapi in Persepolis to highlight the intolerance and oppression of the adult public society. ... Lee uses Calpurnia as a symbol of the intolerance of the public society being present within Scout's progressive personal world. ... She experiences this class differenc...

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

6. The Crucible

The two works of literature, The Crucible and The Scarlet Letter have very similar qualities, including setting, difference, and general aspects of the characters, while there are also specific parallels between characters, such as Abigail and Hester, and Parris and Dimmesdale. ... The time period is very important in both pieces, because it is a time of religious intolerance and a conservative attitude pervades in New England, where both works of literature take place. ... The conflict in The Scarlet Letter that occurs between Dimmesdale, Hester, and Chillingworth; is caused by the tow...

  • Word Count: 578
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7. The Thirteen Colonies: Geography and Culture

As the original thirteen colonies developed, they soon grew to be classified by cultural and geographic differences. ... The Puritans were a hard working, religious people. They tolerated no other religion but their own, despite the fact that they migrated to the New World to find religious freedom. ... 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 W...

  • Word Count: 996
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8. candide

It was during this time that he was 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. ... Voltaire created several hypocritical religious figures more concerned with themselves than the masses or their religion. ... The recurring examples of the havoc that religious intolerance created illustrate quite clearly the opinion Voltaire held concerning organized religion. ... The difference in nobility (1/72) is so n...

  • Word Count: 1386
  • Approx Pages: 6

9. The Decline of Rome and Transf

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. ... The power of the Church was at its peak, as it encompassed almost all realms of human life, religious, social, and political e.g. ... The adoption of Christianity by Constantine eventually led to intolerance and the persecution of pagan religions, this is a marked difference to the old roman policy of religious tolerance. This same religious intolerance would dominate the policies of the medieva...

  • Word Count: 1775
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Grade Level: High School

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